Africa

The team was returning from a match when they were attacked by "masked men wielding guns", officials say.

The team was returning from a match when they were attacked by "masked men wielding guns", officials say.

A motorcycle rider riding through flood in Kolkata, India. Cities should transform into sponges to absorb flood as part of climate adaptation. Credit: Pexels/Dibakar Roy

By Temily Baker, Leila Salarpour Goodarzi and Elisa Belaz
BANGKOK, Thailand, Apr 13 2026 (IPS)

As the Pacific recovers from a severe cyclone season and Asia braces for the monsoon, flood readiness has become a defining test of sustainable urban development.

The Asia and the Pacific 2026 SDG Progress Report signals a hard truth: while poverty reduction, health and basic infrastructure have advanced, the region is regressing on climate action, disaster resilience and biodiversity—areas now decisive for long-term development.

The widespread flooding across the region in November 2025 was not merely a weather event; it was a warning and a new baseline. From Hat Yai to Colombo, dense urban districts were underwater for days, exposing millions of people and billions in assets to cascading disruption.

Across the Asia-Pacific region, climate extremes are intensifying, increasing water inflow to drainage systems by over 53%. In coastal areas, flooding can halt transport, isolate communities, delay emergency response and lead to saltwater intrusion that damages agriculture and freshwater supplies.

ESCAP’s analysis (Figure 1) examines how these threats are expected to continue to increase in the region’s low-lying river deltas, small island nations and rapidly growing coastal cities. For example, Seenu Atoll in the Maldives is expected to face a six-fold jump in population exposure to coastal flooding by 2050.

Looking across the region, Jiangsu Province in China, West Bengal in India, Khula and Marisal Divisions of Bangladesh, and Bến Tre and Bạc Liêu Provinces of Viet Nam are all expected to see hundreds of thousands of people exposed along their respective coastlines in the next 25 years.

Figure 1 – Percentage of People Exposed to Coastal Flooding of 0.5 Meters and Above in States/Provinces Across the Asia-Pacific Region and in Atolls of the Maldives (2018 Baseline vs. 2050 RCP8.5).

In the face of these risks, cities become engines of growth only when they are resilient. So, why do many cities across the Asia-Pacific region find themselves underwater while others weathered the storm with far less disruption? The answer lies in whether cities treat rain as a resource or as waste

Traditional “grey” systems, such as pipes, pumps and channels, aim to move water out fast. In a nonstationary climate and denser urban fabric, this is no longer sufficient. Sponge city design blends green-blue-grey systems (permeable surfaces, parks, wetlands, bioswales, green corridors) with modernized drainage to capture, store, and safely release rainfall at the source.

China’s national Sponge City Initiative (launched in 2015) built on international practice and showed how integrated planning can retrofit districts and guide new growth to manage water where it falls. The logic is simple: expand infiltration and storage, reduce peak runoff and use engineered conveyance when and where needed.

Results from early adopters are tangible

In Wuhan, sponge city measures contributed to a 50% reduction in locations experiencing overflow and pipe overloading during high flow years. Over the life of assets, green-blue systems can cost significantly less than like-for-like grey expansions, while delivering co-benefits that traditional drains cannot: cooler neighborhoods, improved air quality, biodiversity and accessible public space.

For cities facing rising loss and damage under SDG 11.5 (deaths, affected people and economic losses), sponge city programmes generate a resilience dividend—not just a flood fix.

Sponge city thinking is also evolving toward smart hybrid infrastructure

Nature-based systems are being coupled with engineered assets and digital tools, such as digital twins, to model urban hydrology and optimize performance in real time, enabling city planners to simulate rainfall scenarios, forecast flood hotspots and manage infrastructure adaptively, thereby improving the effectiveness of sponge-city interventions.

This pairing turns static drainage into adaptive urban water management, essential as rainfall intensity and patterns shift, reducing and managing risk through early warning, community preparedness and basin scale controls.

Urban resilience is also ecological

The Asia-Pacific region is home to an estimated 30–40% of the world’s wetlands, yet only around 22% are formally protected. As wetland buffers are drained or reclaimed, cities lose natural absorption, filtration and surge moderation, just as extremes intensify. Protecting and restoring urban and peri-urban wetlands is therefore core infrastructure policy, reinforcing SDG 15 while directly advancing SDGs 11.5 and 13.1.

Sponge city approaches are not a panacea. Their effectiveness can be constrained by governance capacity, implementation scale and maintenance requirements, land availability and high-density development. They must therefore be complemented by robust end-to-end early warning systems and coordinated disaster risk management frameworks.

To this end, ESCAP supports countries across the region by providing regional and national risk analytics through its Risk and Resilience Portal, enabling policymakers to integrate climate and disaster information directly into development planning.

These analyses and tools are tailored to regional and country needs, such as ClimaCoast, which focuses on coastal multi-hazard and socio-economic exposures. These initiatives are complemented by targeted financing from the Trust Fund for Tsunami, Disaster and Climate Preparedness, through programmes that strengthen coastal resilience in Asia and the Pacific. Together, these initiatives aim to reverse the current regression in resilience related SDG targets and help safeguard sustainable development in the region’s high risk hotspots.

Asia and the Pacific region can no longer rely on drainage systems built for a different climate and century. By adopting sponge city principles, Asia Pacific cities can embed resilience into everyday urban life—a development imperative, not just a technical shift.

Strengthening urban resilience is essential to advancing SDG 11 and SDG 13 and protecting hard won development gains that too often wash away when floods strike.

Temily Baker is Programme Management Officer, ESCAP; Leila Salarpour Goodarzi is Associate Economic Affairs Officer, ESCAP and Elisa Belaz is Consultant, ESCAP

IPS UN Bureau

 

Follow @IPSNewsUNBureau
!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');  

Bonn, 13. April 2026. Die deutsche Entwicklungszusammenarbeit muss schnell handeln, um der Düngemittelkrise zu begegnen. Prioritäten: multilaterale Koordination und Bodengesundheit.

Die drohende Düngemittelkrise ist ein Stresstest für die deutsche Entwicklungszusammenarbeit. Diese muss nun beweisen, dass der BMZ Reformplan mehr als nur Papier ist. Die Werkzeuge dafür liegen bereit. Die Krise erfordert kurzfristige Maßnahmen und bietet Gelegenheit für einen überfälligen Paradigmenwechsel: weg von der Abhängigkeit von volatilen Düngemittelmärkten hin zu resilienten, lokal verankerten Strategien.

Drohende Düngemittelkrise und ihre Folgen

Der Welt droht erneut eine Düngemittelkrise. Seit die US-amerikanischen und israelischen Luftschläge gegen den Iran zu der Schließung der Straße von Hormus geführt haben, stockt der Handel. Rund ein Drittel des weltweit verschifften Stickstoffdüngers passierte die Meerenge bislang. Nun stiegen die Preise um bis zu 50 Prozent. Für Millionen von Kleinbäuer*innen im Globalen Süden wird ihre Ernährungssicherung gefährdet. Das Welternährungsprogramm warnt, dass der Krieg 45 Millionen weitere Menschen in akute Ernährungsunsicherheit treiben könnte – und auch in Deutschland sind Preisanstiege für Lebensmittel zu erwarten.

In vorherigen Düngemittelkrisen haben steigende Lebensmittelpreise die Inflation stark erhöht. Dies hat nicht nur die Ernährungssicherheit negativ beeinflusst, sondern auch zu Aufständen und einer weiteren Stärkung populistischer Bewegungen geführt. Düngemittelkrisen werden zudem zunehmend im geoökonomischen Wettbewerb politisiert. Zuletzt nutzte Russland Düngemittel-Knappheiten gezielt, um Abhängigkeiten zu vertiefen und politischen Einfluss zu gewinnen. Wer in der Düngemittelkrise Partnerschaften schwächt, verliert an Glaubwürdigkeit und überlässt anderen das Feld.

Die Werkzeuge liegen bereit

Deutschland ist mit 3,5 Milliarden Euro (2023) an Investitionen in ländliche Entwicklung und Ernährungssicherheit der größte bilaterale Geber –  eine Verantwortung, die jetzt zählt.

Spätestens seit der G7-Präsidentschaft 2022 hat sich Deutschland als multilateraler Akteur bei Ernährungskrisen etabliert – von der Global Alliance for Food Security (GAFS) bis zur Unterstützung des Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Aktionsplans.

Auch in der Umsetzung leistet die deutsche EZ wichtige Beiträge zur Bodengesundheit. Langfristige Initiativen, wie das GIZ-Vorhaben „Soil Protection and Rehabilitation for Food Security“ (ProSoil) haben länderübergreifend rund eine Million Hektar Agrarland rehabilitiert und Ertragssteigerungen von 44 Prozent bei Kleinbäuer*innen erreicht.

Vier Hebel für die nächsten Monate

Basierend auf dem Vertrauen auf multilateraler Ebene und dem starken Portfolio in der Umsetzung kann Deutschland jetzt vier Hebel nutzen.

G7-Koordination verstärken: Die G7-Staaten repräsentieren 73 Prozent aller Geberinvestitionen in Agrar- und Ernährungssysteme. Deutschland sollte koordinierte Maßnahmen vorantreiben und die Reaktivierung der G7 Expert Fertilizer Group vorschlagen.  Die Expertengruppe war bereits nach Russlands Angriff 2022 wichtig, um Soforthilfen und mittelfristige Strategien zur Diversifizierung von Lieferketten abzustimmen.

Sondermittel prüfen; Soforthilfe mit nachhaltigen Maßnahmen verbinden: Bereits in der durch Russland ausgelösten Krise 2022, stellte Deutschland 880 Millionen Euro Sondermittel bereit und mobilisierte damit über die G7 weitere 4,5 Milliarden US-Dollar. Entscheidend ist jetzt die Ausgestaltung eines vergleichbaren Mechanismus, der Mittel direkt bei Kleinbäuer*innen ankommen lässt und an laufende Projekte nachhaltig andockt; statt als Krisengewinne bei der Düngemittelindustrie versandet.

Lokale Düngepotenziale erschließen und Nährstoffnutzungseffizienz steigern: Die Abhängigkeit von importiertem Dünger ist ein strukturelles Problem vieler Länder. Agrarökologische Ansätze wie Kompostierung, integriertes Bodenfruchtbarkeitsmanagement und zugekaufte biologische Inputs sind nicht nur ökologisch sinnvoll, sondern auch wirtschaftlich tragfähig, da sie die Nährstoffnutzungseffizienz konventioneller Düngemittel erhöhen. Das senkt den Bedarf an importierten Düngern. Deutschland sollte diese Ansätze skalieren und weitere Geber einbinden.

Repurposing-Agenda vorantreiben: Die Umwidmung umweltschädlicher Agrarsubventionen kann Abhängigkeiten langfristig abbauen. Deutschland kennt das Problem aus eigener Erfahrung: Allein die Stickstoffüberschüsse der deutschen Landwirtschaft verursachen jährlich Umweltschäden von 4,8 Milliarden Euro. Fossile Subventionen sollten in nachhaltige Bodenpraktiken und den Aufbau dezentraler Düngemittelproduktion umgeleitet werden.

Der BMZ-Reformplan als Chance?

Der BMZ-Reformplan bietet den strategischen Rahmen für eine Antwort auf die Krise. Er verstetigt die Sonderinitiative Transformation der Agrar- und Ernährungssysteme und betont, dass Ernährungssicherung auf Afrika fokussiert werden muss, dort, wo die Düngemittelkrise am härtesten zuschlagen wird.

Allerdings hat der Plan eine offene Flanke: eine zu enge Fokussierung der Privatwirtschaft. Das hat zwar seine Berechtigung, aber Erfahrungen aus dem deutschen Portfolio für Bodengesundheit zeigen, dass Lösungen oft lokal und wissensintensiv sind, aber nicht zwingend profitabel für (ausländische) Investoren.

Die Reaktion auf die Krise sollte deshalb entwicklungspolitische Prinzipien als Richtschnur weiter hochhalten und niemanden zurücklassen. Es geht um eine nachhaltige Transformation von Abhängigkeiten.

• Dr. Gideon Tups ist Wirtschaftsgeograph am Zentrum für Entwicklungsforschung (ZEF) der Universität Bonn. Er forscht zu Agrar- und Ernährungssystemen, globalen Lieferketten, Düngemitteln und Bioökonomie.
• Katharina Molitor ist Humangeographin am IDOS und forscht zum Thema Nahrungsmittelpreisschwankungen und Märkten, Ernährungssicherung und kleinbäuerliche Landwirtschaft.

Le Kosovo ne sait plus à quel saint se vouer, entre les incohérences de Donald Trump et les divisions de l'Union européenne, Alors que le petit pays n'arrive pas à élire son ou sa présidente, Vjosa Osmani joue-t-elle la carte de Washington et Albin Kurti celle de Bruxelles ? Analyse.

- Articles / Relations internationales, Radio Evropa e Lirë, Kosovo, Guerre Moyen Orient, USA Balkans

A rising cycle of poverty and extreme weather threatens many towns and cities, especially those situated on coastlines, in the Pacific Islands. Urban centres in the Pacific have grown at an unprecedented rate this century, rapidly straining national resources for urban planning. But governments are now making progress on improving people’s lives in the informal […]

L'action est toujours plus forte que la peur. Alors qu'une nouvelle flotille pour Gaza va reprendre la mer, la navigatrice et avocate croate Morana Miljanović explique les raisons de son engagement et dénonce la complaisance de Zagreb envers Israël. Entretien.

- Articles / Novosti, Israël-Palestine , Croatie, Relations internationales

L'action est toujours plus forte que la peur. Alors qu'une nouvelle flotille pour Gaza va reprendre la mer, la navigatrice et avocate croate Morana Miljanović explique les raisons de son engagement et dénonce la complaisance de Zagreb envers Israël. Entretien.

- Articles / Novosti, Israël-Palestine , Croatie, Relations internationales

A BBC Disclosure investigation has uncovered significant questions about what happened at the hotel where Charmain died.

Ismail Omar Guelleh, 78, has extended his already 27-year rule in a poll boycotted by the main opposition candidates.

Amir Saeid Iravani, Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations, addresses the Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East. Credit: UN Photo/Manuel Elías

By Oritro Karim
NEW YORK, Apr 10 2026 (IPS)

The past several weeks have marked a significant escalation in hostilities across the Middle East, with tensions rising among Israel, Lebanon, Iran, and the United States following large-scale exchanges of bombardment. Recent statements from U.S. President Donald Trump, including threats of extensive destruction in Iran, have further inflamed regional tensions and complicated ongoing diplomatic efforts. Humanitarian experts warn that these developments risk further destabilizing cross-border relations and could trigger a broader regional conflict.

“Every day this war continues, human suffering grows. The scale of devastation grows. Indiscriminate attacks grow,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres. “The spiral of death and destruction must stop. To the United States and Israel, it is high time to stop the war that is inflicting immense human suffering and already triggering devastating economic consequences. Conflicts do not end on their own. They end when leaders choose dialogue over destruction. That choice still exists. And it must be made – now.”

In late February, Israel coordinated a series of airstrikes targeting Iranian military infrastructure, triggering retaliatory drone and missile strikes from Iran. According to figures from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), over 3.8 million Iranians have been impacted by the war in Iran as of early April. Iran’s Ministry of Health and Medical Education (MoHME) reports that over 2,100 civilians have been killed as of April 3, including 216 children, 251 women and 24 health workers. Over 1,880 children, 4,610 women, and 116 health workers have been injured in that same period.

The scale of destruction to civilian infrastructure across Iran has been particularly severe. The Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) estimates that roughly 115,193 civilian structures have sustained significant damage, including at least 763 schools. Israeli airstrikes have targeted numerous densely populated areas and critical civilian infrastructures, including airports, residential areas, hospitals, schools, industrial facilities, cultural heritage sites, water infrastructure, and a power plant in Khorramshahr, as well as nuclear facilities in Khonab, Yazd, and Bushehr.

Iran’s healthcare system has borne a massive toll, with damage to over 442 health facilities across the nation, disrupting access to lifesaving care for over 10 million people, including 2.2 million children. The Pasteur Institute of Iran—one of the oldest research and public health centers in the Middle East, and a critical source of vaccines for infectious diseases—has been severely damaged, leaving thousands of children increasingly vulnerable. Tofigh Darou, a key producer of pharmaceutical products for chronic conditions such as cancer, has been destroyed, raising broader concerns of a severe, nationwide health crisis.

These challenges are especially pronounced for Iran’s growing population of internally displaced persons (IDPs), which has swelled to approximately 3.2 million since the escalation of hostilities. Iran also currently hosts over 1.65 million refugees. These vulnerable communities are in dire need of access to basic services, many of which have been severely disrupted. IDPs and refugee communities face significant protection risks, alongside critical shortages of healthcare, food, clean water, and financial support for basic needs and relocation assistance.

“Unprovoked attacks by the US and Israel — launched amid diplomatic negotiations and without authorisation from the Security Council — violate the fundamental prohibition on the use of force, sovereign equality, territorial integrity, and the duty to peacefully settle disputes under Article 2 of the UN Charter. They also violate the right to life,” said a coalition of UN experts on April 4. “The targeting of civilians, educational facilities, and medical institutions constitutes a grave violation of international humanitarian law and human rights law….Calls by the US and Israel for Iranians to seize control of their own government are reckless and put countless civilian lives at risk.”

On April 8, the U.S. brokered a two-week ceasefire with Iran, mediated by Pakistan, in an effort to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway and one of the world’s most prominent oil and gas passes, and to de-escalate tensions in the 2026 Iran War. Immediately following the implementation of the ceasefire, Israel launched a series of large-scale airstrikes in Lebanon targeting Hezbollah sites, resulting in widespread damage to civilian infrastructure and a significant loss of human life.

Attacks across Lebanon have been widespread, with Israeli authorities reporting that they had carried out approximately 100 strikes across the country within 10 minutes. Southern Lebanon has experienced immense destruction, along with the southern suburbs of Beirut and the eastern Bekaa Valley, all reporting significant damage to civilian infrastructures. Attacks have been reported in the vicinity of the Hiram Hospital in Al-Aabbassiye near Tyre, as well as on an ambulance on the Islamic Health Authority in Qlaileh, causing three civilian deaths.

Figures from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) show that more than 1,500 people had been killed by Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon between early March and April 8, including over 200 women and children. Additional figures from the UN reveal that the attacks on April 8 alone resulted in more than 200 deaths and over 1,000 injuries across Lebanon. Many victims are believed to be still trapped beneath the rubble of destroyed infrastructure, as hospitals and rescue teams struggle to respond amid the overwhelming scale of casualties and urgent humanitarian needs.

“The scale of the killing and destruction in Lebanon today is nothing short of horrific,” said UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk. “Such carnage, within hours of agreeing to a ceasefire with Iran, defies belief. It places enormous pressure on a fragile peace, which is so desperately needed by civilians. The scale of such actions, coupled with statements by Israeli officials indicating an intention to occupy or even annex parts of southern Lebanon, is deeply troubling. Efforts to bring peace to the wider region will remain incomplete as long as the Lebanese people are living under continuing fire, forcibly displaced, and in fear of further attacks.”

On April 7, U.S. President Donald Trump issued a series of posts on social media in which he warned of potential large-scale destruction in Iran, which elicited significant concern and outrage from regional and international actors. His subsequent partial withdrawal of these comments did little to ease concerns and only further underscored the volatility of the U.S.’s role in foreign affairs.

“Today, the President of the United States again resorted to language that is not only deeply irresponsible but profoundly alarming, declaring that ‘the whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back’,” Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran’s ambassador to the UN, told the Security Council on April 7. He added that Trump’ s comments only acted as an open declaration of “intent to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity”, underscoring the troubling precents that the U.S. is setting for international conflicts.

“The announcement of a two-week ceasefire is a welcome step but it is partial, fragile, and incomplete. Most urgently, it does not include Lebanon, where I visited IRC programs last week and where airstrikes, evacuation orders and active hostilities not only continue to threaten civilians but intensify. A ceasefire that leaves one front of the conflict burning risks prolonging the crisis, not resolving it,” said David Miliband, President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee.

“The war in Iran has already triggered a dangerous domino effect, spreading humanitarian need, economic shock, and instability across the region and beyond. This moment must be used to expand the ceasefire, ensure the Strait of Hormuz, Bab el-Mandeb and other critical routes remain open to allow scaled-up humanitarian aid and essential supplies to reach those in need, and to stabilize economies under strain. Without that, the gap between rising needs and shrinking resources will only deepen. Civilians must be given the space to begin rebuilding their lives with dignity which can only happen if there is a permanent cessation in hostilities,” he continued.

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

Follow @IPSNewsUNBureau
!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');  

This paper investigates the determinants and dynamics of labour demand and specifically informal labour in Egypt’s manufacturing sector, using nationally representative firm-level data from the 2020/21 Egyptian Industrial Firm Behavior Survey. Applying ordinary least squares and fractional logit models, we analyse total employment, the share of informal labour, and its average annual change over the firm life cycle. Three key findings emerge. First, employment is positively associated with capital, exporting, innovation, industrial zones, worker training, and managerial education, and negatively associated with sole proprietorships, wages, and total factor productivity. Second, informal employment is more common among private sector firms, sole proprietorships, and firms using more part-time workers, and less prevalent among firms adopting technology or led by more educated managers. Third, changes in informality over time are modest: most formal firms exhibit no change in the share of informal workers. Notably, formal firms that did not initially employ informal labour tend to increase their informal share, while firms that formalised continue to rely heavily on informal employment. Together, these findings underscore the persistence of informality and limited transitions toward full formalisation within Egypt’s formal manufacturing sector.

As Sierra Leone prepares for its next national election in 2028, political parties across the country have begun setting strategies and preparing to select their candidates. However, persons with disabilities say they remain poorly represented and are calling on political parties to nominate them as candidates ahead of the election. Samuel Alpha Sesay, a person […]

Landlords at the training program in Kibera, Nairobi. Credit: Steven Ashuma
 
When landlords are empowered, they can become a grassroots answer to the intractable problem of sexual violence in slums.

By Meg Warren
BELLINGHAM, Washington USA, Apr 10 2026 (IPS)

Trigger warning: This article discusses child rape.

Their quiet latent power comes from being ever-present eyes and ears on the ground. As they move around their compounds, collecting rent and checking on anywhere from 10 to 20 houses occupied by as many as 200 people, they see and hear things.

They say not everyone knows their neighbours these days. But landlords play a unique role in Kibera, one of the world’s largest informal slums, situated on the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya. Here, rape and gender-based violence are widespread, and a 2022 study found that Kenya is third in the world for teen pregnancies. In 2024, thousands marched across the country against femicide, after a rise in murders. Last month, Kenya announced it was rolling out new protections for female athletes after they were targeted.

A harmful mix of cultural norms, limited government services, and persistent economic struggles has made gender-based violence rampant in slums like Kibera. One might assume the people who can address such a systemic problem are those who hold power, authority, and indeed, the responsibility to deal with it, such as legal authorities, government officials, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

But landlords know when violence breaks out behind closed doors; they have a sense when things are turning ugly. Though typically, they don’t want to interfere in what residents have long considered “private domestic matters.”

Siama Yusuf, senior program officer at CFK Africa, addressing the community at Kiandutu informal settlement, Nairobi. Credit: Meg Warren

When parents learn of their young girls’ pregnancy, they throw them out of the house. Not only because of the cultural norms that shame the victims, but also because, given their conditions of extreme poverty, they don’t want to have one more mouth to feed.

Ultimately, rape and the consequent teen pregnancies become an economic problem, burdening landlords with unpaid tenants – a clear draw for property owners to become engaged in preventing this kind of violence.

When CFK Africa, an NGO focused on empowering youth in Kibera, launched a program to train landlords on how to spot and respond to domestic violence and sexual assault, the participating property owners learned that they could be valuable allies at very little cost to themselves and teach others to do the same. They could earn respect as community leaders and help keep tenants at their properties—a win-win.

In one incident, a landlord was at home in his compound in the afternoon when he heard cries emerging from a house. In the past, he would have put it out of his mind, deciding that he shouldn’t get involved in a “private domestic matter.”

Instead, he went to the house, where he found a father brutally raping his four-year-old daughter. He immediately intervened to stop it and called the program’s special number for an emergency ambulance service, which he had learned about during the training the previous day. It directs callers to a private ambulance or other services, including a recently installed “gender desk.”

Typically, the police were reluctant to enter the slums. This meant that people could perpetrate violence without facing consequences. The landlord knew how to get help, so he did.

He found the girl’s mother, who had been at work, and reassured her that he would support her if she wanted to file a police report against her husband. He told her that there’s no fee to file the report — a community myth perpetuated to deter people from reporting violence.

In 2025, landlords made 92 referrals to the authorities, helping survivors of violence with life-saving support services. The program has since expanded to other slums in Kenya, like Mathare and Mukuru kwa Ruben, and in Kajiado County.

CFK’s model has potential for global scale. My team’s 2024 study conducted in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) suggested that the most powerful allies aren’t outsiders, but respected local leaders such as the church pastors and the wives of the imams, using their community’s own values and traditions to stand up for others.

When they decided to turn their knowledge and power into a strength, they used their influence to teach an estimated 30,000 congregants about healthy relationships characterized by respect, gender equity, nonviolence, and empowerment. Four years later, gender-based violence had dropped dramatically by 50 to 85%.

It’s time for governments and aid agencies to recognize and empower non-traditional allies as an invaluable resource in the fight against gender-based violence. Target 5.2 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) calls to eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking, sexual exploitation, and other types of exploitation.

The day after the landlord in Kibera contacted the emergency line, he called back to deliver hopeful news. The little girl had suffered serious injuries from the attack and was taken to the hospital, but doctors said she would survive because of the timely intervention. Her life was saved thanks to an unexpected ally: the landlord.

Meg Warren, Ph.D. is Professor of Management, Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington.

IPS UN Bureau

 

Follow @IPSNewsUNBureau
!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');  

Statement by President Macron, Prime Minister Meloni, Chancellor Merz, Prime Minister Starmer, Prime Minister Albanese, Prime Minister Carney, President Dan, acting Prime Minister Frederiksen, Prime Minister Frostadóttir, Prime Minister Jetten, Prime Minister Kristersson, Prime Minister Michal, Prime Minister Mitsotakis, Prime Minister Montenegro, Prime Minister Sanchez, Prime Minister Siliņa, Prime Minister Støre, President Stubb, Prime Minister Takaichi, President of the European Commission von der Leyen, President of the European Council Costa.

This replenishment sends a clear message: the world is not giving up on nature even in a time of competing priorities. Our donor countries have risen to the challenge and made bold commitments towards a more positive future for the planet. - Claude Gascon, Interim CEO and Chairperson of the GEF

Immer mehr Länder diskutieren darüber, ob Kinder und jüngere Jugendliche von Social-Media-Plattformen verbannt werden sollen. Griechenlands Ministerpräsident Kyriakos Mitsotakis gibt seine Entscheidung für ein Verbot ausgerechnet per Tiktok bekannt.

Das kleine Dorf Arenillas in der spanischen Provinz Soria kämpft gegen Abwanderung. Mit kostenlosem Wohnraum und einem festen Job wirbt die Gemeinde um eine Familie, die sich dort niederlassen möchte.

Ein Videodreh in einer spanischen Basilika sorgt für Empörung: Die dominikanische Rapperin Tokischa posiert freizügig in einem Gotteshaus in San Sebastián. Das Bistum spricht von Missbrauch eines heiligen Ortes und prüft rechtliche Schritte gegen die Beteiligten.

Mark Rutte ringt um den Frieden mit Donald Trump: Der US-Präsident ist wütender denn je auf die Nato. Am Donnerstag äusserte sich der Nato-Chef erneut zum angespannten Verhältnis zwischen dem Militärbündnis und den USA.