Global IssuesToday, around 21,000 children died around the world. This daily tragedy, from poverty and other preventable causes, rarely makes headline news.
Latest world news
World
The Growth of One-Person Households
- Inter Press Service
PORTLAND, USA, Apr 24 (IPS) - In much of the past, few people lived alone. At the start of the 20th century, one-person households were relatively rare and are estimated to have accounted for less than 10% of all households worldwide.
‘Noboa Did Not Receive a Blank Cheque: He Will Have to Show Tangible Results’
- Inter Press Service
Apr 24 (IPS) - CIVICUS discusses Ecuador’s presidential election with Jorge Tapia de los Reyes, Coordinator of the Democracy and Politics Department and the Political Funding Observatory of the Citizenship and Development Foundation (FCD). FCD is an Ecuadorian civil society organisation that promotes participation, citizen monitoring and open government.
UN Warns of an Imminent Collapse in Haiti
- Inter Press Service
UNITED NATIONS, Apr 24 (IPS) - As gang violence in Haiti continues to target civilians and critical infrastructures, humanitarian organizations and the Haitian National Police (HNP) have found it increasingly difficult to manage the growing scale of needs. The United Nations (UN) and its partners fear that Haiti will approach a nationwide collapse due to numerous shortfalls in funding, a widespread lack of essential resources, and rampant insecurity.
This Election Campaign Offers Two Opposing Visions of How to Tackle Insecurity
- Inter Press Service
Apr 24 (IPS) - CIVICUS discusses Ecuador’s upcoming elections with Jorge Tapia de los Reyes, Coordinator of the Democracy and Politics Department and the Political Funding Observatory of the Citizenship and Development Foundation (CDF). CDF is an Ecuadorian civil society organisation that promotes participation, citizen monitoring and open government.
Rampant Tourism, Climate Change Threatens Varkala's Unique Geodiversity
- Inter Press Service
VARKALA, India, Apr 24 (IPS) - Varkala is an area with unique geological and geomorphological heritage. But its fragile cliffs are also affected by severe weather and high waves during the monsoon season. Activists say rampant and illegal tourist infrastructure and climate change are putting this dramatic landscape at risk.From the top of the cliff, the beach down below appears like a box of sand, with people scattered on it like tiny ants. This is Varkala, arguably the most sought-after coastal tourism spot in Kerala, India, right now.
A Nation Bleeds While the World Watches: The Tragedy in Sudan Must End
- Inter Press Service
NEW YORK, Apr 24 (IPS) - The ongoing civil war in Sudan is tragic, but the greater tragedy is that if the international community sits on its hands and does nothing to stop this horrific war and prevent further escalation of the conflict, it will come at an unfathomable price
African Countries Still Underfunding Health by as Much as 50 Percent
- Inter Press Service
NAIROBI, Apr 24 (IPS) - The majority of African countries are yet to commit 15 percent of their GDP to funding the health sector, despite the growing disease burden weighing down the continent and two decades after the coming into force of the Abuja declaration on health sector funding.
Outrage as Russian overnight attacks on Ukraine cities kill at least nine civilians
- UN News
Grim details continued to emerge on Thursday in the aftermath of a wave of Russian attacks on the Ukrainian capital and other cities overnight, with early reports indicating that at least nine people were killed and dozens injured.
UN Chief, Brazil Gather World Leaders to Reaffirm Commitments Paris Agreement
- Inter Press Service
UNITED NATIONS, Apr 23 (IPS) - UN Secretary-General António Guterres and President Lula da Silva of Brazil on Wednesday, April 23, held a closed-door meeting with heads of state to discuss strengthening global efforts against the climate crisis and to ensure a just energy transition.
Climate Groups Report 2025 Is Unlikely To Be Hotter Than 2024
- Inter Press Service
UNITED NATIONS, Apr 23 (IPS) - On March 19, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) issued a report on the State of Global Climate in 2024, detailing the numerous heightened natural disasters that were a consequence of human-induced climate change. With the past three years having been recorded as the three hottest years in human history, climate scientists are optimistic that 2025 will see slightly cooler global temperatures.
- More stories…
Climate
Rampant Tourism, Climate Change Threatens Varkala's Unique Geodiversity
- Inter Press Service
VARKALA, India, Apr 24 (IPS) - Varkala is an area with unique geological and geomorphological heritage. But its fragile cliffs are also affected by severe weather and high waves during the monsoon season. Activists say rampant and illegal tourist infrastructure and climate change are putting this dramatic landscape at risk.From the top of the cliff, the beach down below appears like a box of sand, with people scattered on it like tiny ants. This is Varkala, arguably the most sought-after coastal tourism spot in Kerala, India, right now.
UN Chief, Brazil Gather World Leaders to Reaffirm Commitments Paris Agreement
- Inter Press Service
UNITED NATIONS, Apr 23 (IPS) - UN Secretary-General António Guterres and President Lula da Silva of Brazil on Wednesday, April 23, held a closed-door meeting with heads of state to discuss strengthening global efforts against the climate crisis and to ensure a just energy transition.
Climate Groups Report 2025 Is Unlikely To Be Hotter Than 2024
- Inter Press Service
UNITED NATIONS, Apr 23 (IPS) - On March 19, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) issued a report on the State of Global Climate in 2024, detailing the numerous heightened natural disasters that were a consequence of human-induced climate change. With the past three years having been recorded as the three hottest years in human history, climate scientists are optimistic that 2025 will see slightly cooler global temperatures.
Chel Snakehead: A Fish That Time Forgot, Rediscovered
- Inter Press Service
NEW DELHI, Apr 23 (IPS) - The Chel Snakehead fish, thought to be extinct, has made a dramatic comeback to the eastern Himalayan ecosystem after more than 85 years of absence near its source river in India.
World leaders rally for ‘full-speed’ climate action ahead of COP30
- UN News
At a high stakes virtual summit on Wednesday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva brought together 17 national leaders from major economies and climate-vulnerable countries. The goal was to accelerate global climate ambition ahead of COP30, which will be hosted in Brazil.
Local leaders raise temperature on action to fight climate change
- UN News
City officials, state governors and other leaders across the world are ensuring their localities can benefit from initiatives that tackle climate change and can prosper in an uncertain future.
Climate crisis driving surge in gender-based violence, UN report finds
- UN News
Without urgent action, climate change could be linked to one in every ten cases of intimate partner violence by the end of the century.
Four Rare Snow Leopards Spotted Together on Pakistan’s Northern Peaks
- Inter Press Service
PESHAWAR, Apr 21 (IPS) - In a remarkable conservation achievement, four rare and elusive snow leopards have been spotted together in the rugged peaks of northern Pakistan, highlighting the success of the ongoing global efforts aimed at protecting this critically endangered species and preserving its fragile habitat.
Hooves Vs. Habitats: Striking a Sustainable Balance Between Livestock and the Environment Is Crucial to Africa’s Future
- Inter Press Service
DAKAR, Senegal, Apr 18 (IPS) - In my country, Senegal, almost 70 percent of our land is used to graze livestock. Here and across Africa, pastoralists and livestock keepers sustain herding systems which are closely bound up with our landscapes and crucial to nationwide food security, economic growth, and ecological balance.
Smallholder Farmers Are Not ‘Beneficiaries’, but ‘Co-Creators of Change’
- Inter Press Service
NAIROBI, Apr 17 (IPS) - Eliud Rugut comes from generations of farmers, yet his family expected him to move out of their home and pursue another career.
- More stories…
Health
UN Warns of an Imminent Collapse in Haiti
- Inter Press Service
UNITED NATIONS, Apr 24 (IPS) - As gang violence in Haiti continues to target civilians and critical infrastructures, humanitarian organizations and the Haitian National Police (HNP) have found it increasingly difficult to manage the growing scale of needs. The United Nations (UN) and its partners fear that Haiti will approach a nationwide collapse due to numerous shortfalls in funding, a widespread lack of essential resources, and rampant insecurity.
This Election Campaign Offers Two Opposing Visions of How to Tackle Insecurity
- Inter Press Service
Apr 24 (IPS) - CIVICUS discusses Ecuador’s upcoming elections with Jorge Tapia de los Reyes, Coordinator of the Democracy and Politics Department and the Political Funding Observatory of the Citizenship and Development Foundation (CDF). CDF is an Ecuadorian civil society organisation that promotes participation, citizen monitoring and open government.
African Countries Still Underfunding Health by as Much as 50 Percent
- Inter Press Service
NAIROBI, Apr 24 (IPS) - The majority of African countries are yet to commit 15 percent of their GDP to funding the health sector, despite the growing disease burden weighing down the continent and two decades after the coming into force of the Abuja declaration on health sector funding.
Stopping child marriage is key to curbing deadly teen pregnancies: WHO
- UN News
Teenage pregnancy remains the leading cause of death for girls aged 15 to 19, which countries could help prevent by allowing them to remain in school and ending child marriage, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday.
Essential Supplies Run Critically Low in Gaza While Displacement Soars
- Inter Press Service
UNITED NATIONS, Apr 21 (IPS) - Since the deterioration of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in March, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have issued numerous evacuation orders and bombardments on the Gaza Strip, resulting in exacerbated rates of displacement and a significant amount of civilian casualties. Roughly two million Palestinians within the enclave struggle to stay alive amid repeated blockages of humanitarian aid.
ECOSOC Forum Highlights the Importance of Educational and Economic Empowerment for Youth
- Inter Press Service
UNITED NATIONS, Apr 16 (IPS) - This year, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Youth Forum’s theme is “Youth at the Forefront: Leveraging Science and Social Inclusion for Sustainable Development”, bringing together government representatives, young leaders and policymakers among other relevant stakeholders, to deliberate over youth involvement in the ongoing efforts to implement the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Countries finalize historic pandemic agreement after three years of negotiations
- UN News
In the early hours of Wednesday morning in Geneva, countries finalized a draft global agreement aimed at improving how the world prepares for and responds to pandemics, marking a historic step that will be submitted to the World Health Assembly in May for adoption.
The Long Goodbye: The Rise of Dementia
- Inter Press Service
PORTLAND, USA, Apr 15 (IPS) - As the world’s population of 8.2 billion people increases in size and becomes older due to demographic ageing, the number of people experiencing the long goodbye, or dementia, is rapidly rising.
Israeli strike on hospital ‘further cripples’ Gaza’s fragile health system
- UN News
An Israeli strike on a hospital in southern Gaza on Tuesday has further jeopardized already limited access to lifesaving medical care in the war-torn enclave.
Millions displaced, health system in ruins as Sudan war fuels famine
- UN News
More than 12.4 million people have been forced from their homes across Sudan – including over 3.3 million refugees who have fled to neighbouring countries – as two years of civil war fuel famine, disease outbreaks and the collapse of the health system.
- More stories…
Economy
‘Noboa Did Not Receive a Blank Cheque: He Will Have to Show Tangible Results’
- Inter Press Service
Apr 24 (IPS) - CIVICUS discusses Ecuador’s presidential election with Jorge Tapia de los Reyes, Coordinator of the Democracy and Politics Department and the Political Funding Observatory of the Citizenship and Development Foundation (FCD). FCD is an Ecuadorian civil society organisation that promotes participation, citizen monitoring and open government.
UN Warns of an Imminent Collapse in Haiti
- Inter Press Service
UNITED NATIONS, Apr 24 (IPS) - As gang violence in Haiti continues to target civilians and critical infrastructures, humanitarian organizations and the Haitian National Police (HNP) have found it increasingly difficult to manage the growing scale of needs. The United Nations (UN) and its partners fear that Haiti will approach a nationwide collapse due to numerous shortfalls in funding, a widespread lack of essential resources, and rampant insecurity.
This Election Campaign Offers Two Opposing Visions of How to Tackle Insecurity
- Inter Press Service
Apr 24 (IPS) - CIVICUS discusses Ecuador’s upcoming elections with Jorge Tapia de los Reyes, Coordinator of the Democracy and Politics Department and the Political Funding Observatory of the Citizenship and Development Foundation (CDF). CDF is an Ecuadorian civil society organisation that promotes participation, citizen monitoring and open government.
African Countries Still Underfunding Health by as Much as 50 Percent
- Inter Press Service
NAIROBI, Apr 24 (IPS) - The majority of African countries are yet to commit 15 percent of their GDP to funding the health sector, despite the growing disease burden weighing down the continent and two decades after the coming into force of the Abuja declaration on health sector funding.
Climate Groups Report 2025 Is Unlikely To Be Hotter Than 2024
- Inter Press Service
UNITED NATIONS, Apr 23 (IPS) - On March 19, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) issued a report on the State of Global Climate in 2024, detailing the numerous heightened natural disasters that were a consequence of human-induced climate change. With the past three years having been recorded as the three hottest years in human history, climate scientists are optimistic that 2025 will see slightly cooler global temperatures.
Health, education, opportunity at stake, amid stubborn digital gender divide
- UN News
As transformative technologies such as Artificial Intelligence continue to reshape the global economy, millions of women and girls remain excluded from the digital world – denied not only access to opportunity, but also the chance to shape their own futures.
Stopping child marriage is key to curbing deadly teen pregnancies: WHO
- UN News
Teenage pregnancy remains the leading cause of death for girls aged 15 to 19, which countries could help prevent by allowing them to remain in school and ending child marriage, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday.
Trump Wants World to Subsidise US Empire
- Inter Press Service
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Apr 22 (IPS) - Donald Trump’s top economic advisor claims the President has weaponised tariffs to ‘persuade’ other nations to pay the US to maintain its supposedly mutually beneficial global empire.
Hooves Vs. Habitats: Striking a Sustainable Balance Between Livestock and the Environment Is Crucial to Africa’s Future
- Inter Press Service
DAKAR, Senegal, Apr 18 (IPS) - In my country, Senegal, almost 70 percent of our land is used to graze livestock. Here and across Africa, pastoralists and livestock keepers sustain herding systems which are closely bound up with our landscapes and crucial to nationwide food security, economic growth, and ecological balance.
Bringing Resilience to the Table to Achieve Development Goals
- Inter Press Service
WASHINGTON DC, Apr 18 (IPS) - The global risk landscape is evolving at an unprecedented pace, posing significant threats to attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As extreme weather, macroeconomic shocks, conflict, and other risks intensify and intertwine, they can create ripple effects that amplify existing vulnerabilities and put both human and development progress in peril.
- More stories…
More news topics
Read more news stories by
More news by World, Economy, Environment, Geopolitics, Health, Human Rights, More news topics …
World news powered by
and 
Issues in depth
Latest
Action on climate change is cheaper than inaction
Many are afraid that tackling climate change is going to be too costly. But increasingly, studies are showing action will not just be cheaper than inaction, but could actually result in economic, environmental and even health benefits, while improving sustainability.
Read “Action on climate change is cheaper than inaction” to learn more.
Climate Change and Global Warming Introduction
The climate is changing. The earth is warming up, and there is now overwhelming scientific consensus that it is happening, and human-induced. With global warming on the increase and species and their habitats on the decrease, chances for ecosystems to adapt naturally are diminishing.
Many are agreed that climate change may be one of the greatest threats facing the planet. Recent years show increasing temperatures in various regions, and/or increasing extremities in weather patterns.
This section looks at what causes climate change, what the impacts are and where scientific consensus currently is.
Read “Climate Change and Global Warming Introduction” to learn more.
COP20—Lima Climate Conference
An overview of the Climate Change Conference (also known as COP 20), held in Lima, Peru in December 2014.
While it seemed like it was a successful meeting, because developing nations were committed to drawing up their own plans for emissions reductions for the first time, a number of important issues were left undecided such as how financing would work.
This page is an overview of the Lima Climate conference.
Read “COP20—Lima Climate Conference” to learn more.
Ebola Outbreak in West Africa
An overview of the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa that has been described by the World Health Organization as the largest, most severe and most complex outbreak in the history of the disease.
The epidemic began at the end of 2013, in Guinea. From there it spread to Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Senegal. Many of the affected countries face enormous challenges in stopping its spread and providing care for all patients.
Thousands of people have died and many are at risk as the fatality rate from this virus is very high. As the crisis worsens, as well as the enormous health challenges involved, the social and economic consequences may set these countries back, reversing some gains a number of these countries have made in recent years.
Read “Ebola Outbreak in West Africa” to learn more.
Foreign Aid for Development Assistance
In 1970, the world’s rich countries agreed to give 0.7% of their gross national income as official international development aid, annually.
Since that time, billions have certainly been given each year, but rarely have the rich nations actually met their promised target.
For example, the US is often the largest donor in dollar terms, but ranks amongst the lowest in terms of meeting the stated 0.7% target.
Furthermore, aid has often come with a price of its own for the developing nations. Common criticisms, for many years, of foreign aid, have included the following:
- Aid is often wasted on conditions that the recipient must use overpriced goods and services from donor countries
- Most aid does not actually go to the poorest who would need it the most
- Aid amounts are dwarfed by rich country protectionism that denies market access for poor country products while rich nations use aid as a lever to open poor country markets to their products
- Large projects or massive grand strategies often fail to help the vulnerable; money can often be embezzled away.
This article explores who has benefited most from this aid, the recipients or the donors.
Read “Foreign Aid for Development Assistance” to learn more.
Nature and Animal Conservation
Preserving species and their habitats is important for ecosystems to self-sustain themselves.
Yet, the pressures to destroy habitat for logging, illegal hunting, and other challenges are making conservation a struggle.
Read “Nature and Animal Conservation” to learn more.
Most Popular
Poverty Facts and Stats
Most of humanity lives on just a few dollars a day. Whether you live in the wealthiest nations in the world or the poorest, you will see high levels of inequality.
The poorest people will also have less access to health, education and other services. Problems of hunger, malnutrition and disease afflict the poorest in society. The poorest are also typically marginalized from society and have little representation or voice in public and political debates, making it even harder to escape poverty.
By contrast, the wealthier you are, the more likely you are to benefit from economic or political policies. The amount the world spends on military, financial bailouts and other areas that benefit the wealthy, compared to the amount spent to address the daily crisis of poverty and related problems are often staggering.
Some facts and figures on poverty presented in this page are eye-openers, to say the least.
Read “Poverty Facts and Stats” to learn more.
Global Financial Crisis
Following a period of economic boom, a financial bubble — global in scope — burst, even causing some of the world’s largest financial institutions have collapsed. With the resulting recession, many governments of the wealthiest nations in the world have resorted to extensive bail-out and rescue packages for the remaining large banks and financial institutions while imposing harsh austerity measures on themselves.
Some of the bail-outs have also led to charges of hypocrisy due to the apparent socializing of the costs while privatizing the profits.
Furthermore, the institutions being rescued are typically the ones got the world into this trouble in the first place. For smaller businesses and poorer people, such options for bail out and rescue are rarely available when they find themselves in crisis.
Plummeting stock markets at one point wiped out 33% of the value of companies, $14.5 trillion. Taxpayers bailed out their banks and financial institutions with large amounts of money. US taxpayers alone have spent some $9.7 trillion in bailout packages and plans. The UK and other European countries have also spent some $2 trillion on rescues and bailout packages. More is expected. Much more.
Such numbers, made quickly available, are enough to wipe many individual’s mortgages, or clear out third world debt many times over. Even the high military spending figures are dwarfed by the bailout plans to date.
This problem could have been averted (in theory) as people had been pointing to these issues for decades. However, during boom, very few want to hear such pessimism. Does this crisis spell an end to the careless forms of banking and finance and will it herald a better economic age, or are we just doomed to keep forgetting history and repeat these mistakes in the future? Signs are not encouraging as rich nations are resisting meaningful reform…
Read “Global Financial Crisis” to learn more.
Causes of Poverty
Poverty is the state for the majority of the world’s people and nations. Why is this? Is it enough to blame poor people for their own predicament? Have they been lazy, made poor decisions, and been solely responsible for their plight? What about their governments? Have they pursued policies that actually harm successful development? Such causes of poverty and inequality are no doubt real. But deeper and more global causes of poverty are often less discussed.
Read “Causes of Poverty” to learn more.
Climate Change and Global Warming
The climate is changing. The earth is warming up, and there is now overwhelming scientific consensus that it is happening, and human-induced. With global warming on the increase and species and their habitats on the decrease, chances for ecosystems to adapt naturally are diminishing. Many are agreed that climate change may be one of the greatest threats facing the planet. Recent years show increasing temperatures in various regions, and/or increasing extremities in weather patterns.
This section explores some of the effects of climate change. It also attempts to provide insights into what governments, companies, international institutions, and other organizations are attempting to do about this issue, as well as the challenges they face. Some of the major conferences in recent years are also discussed.
Read “Climate Change and Global Warming” to learn more.
Environmental Issues
Environmental issues are also a major global issue. Humans depend on a sustainable and healthy environment, and yet we have damaged the environment in numerous ways. This section introduces other issues including biodiversity, climate change, animal and nature conservation, population, genetically modified food, sustainable development, and more.
Read “Environmental Issues” to learn more.
Racism
Racism is the belief that characteristics and abilities can be attributed to people simply on the basis of their race and that some racial groups are superior to others. Racism and discrimination have been used as powerful weapons encouraging fear or hatred of others in times of conflict and war, and even during economic downturns. This article explores racism from around the world.
Read “Racism” to learn more.
Topical
Global Financial Crisis
Following a period of economic boom, a financial bubble — global in scope — burst, even causing some of the world’s largest financial institutions have collapsed. With the resulting recession, many governments of the wealthiest nations in the world have resorted to extensive bail-out and rescue packages for the remaining large banks and financial institutions while imposing harsh austerity measures on themselves.
Some of the bail-outs have also led to charges of hypocrisy due to the apparent socializing of the costs while privatizing the profits.
Furthermore, the institutions being rescued are typically the ones got the world into this trouble in the first place. For smaller businesses and poorer people, such options for bail out and rescue are rarely available when they find themselves in crisis.
Plummeting stock markets at one point wiped out 33% of the value of companies, $14.5 trillion. Taxpayers bailed out their banks and financial institutions with large amounts of money. US taxpayers alone have spent some $9.7 trillion in bailout packages and plans. The UK and other European countries have also spent some $2 trillion on rescues and bailout packages. More is expected. Much more.
Such numbers, made quickly available, are enough to wipe many individual’s mortgages, or clear out third world debt many times over. Even the high military spending figures are dwarfed by the bailout plans to date.
This problem could have been averted (in theory) as people had been pointing to these issues for decades. However, during boom, very few want to hear such pessimism. Does this crisis spell an end to the careless forms of banking and finance and will it herald a better economic age, or are we just doomed to keep forgetting history and repeat these mistakes in the future? Signs are not encouraging as rich nations are resisting meaningful reform…
Read “Global Financial Crisis” to learn more.
Climate Change and Global Warming
The climate is changing. The earth is warming up, and there is now overwhelming scientific consensus that it is happening, and human-induced. With global warming on the increase and species and their habitats on the decrease, chances for ecosystems to adapt naturally are diminishing. Many are agreed that climate change may be one of the greatest threats facing the planet. Recent years show increasing temperatures in various regions, and/or increasing extremities in weather patterns.
This section explores some of the effects of climate change. It also attempts to provide insights into what governments, companies, international institutions, and other organizations are attempting to do about this issue, as well as the challenges they face. Some of the major conferences in recent years are also discussed.
Read “Climate Change and Global Warming” to learn more.
Food and Agriculture Issues
Food and agriculture goes to the heart of our civilizations. Religions, cultures and even modern civilization have food and agriculture at their core. For an issue that goes to the heart of humanity it also has its ugly side.
This issue explores topics ranging from the global food crisis of 2008, to issues of food aid, world hunger, food dumping and wasteful agriculture such as growing tobacco, sugar, beef, and more.
Read “Food and Agriculture Issues” to learn more.
Foreign Aid for Development Assistance
In 1970, the world’s rich countries agreed to give 0.7% of their gross national income as official international development aid, annually.
Since that time, billions have certainly been given each year, but rarely have the rich nations actually met their promised target.
For example, the US is often the largest donor in dollar terms, but ranks amongst the lowest in terms of meeting the stated 0.7% target.
Furthermore, aid has often come with a price of its own for the developing nations. Common criticisms, for many years, of foreign aid, have included the following:
- Aid is often wasted on conditions that the recipient must use overpriced goods and services from donor countries
- Most aid does not actually go to the poorest who would need it the most
- Aid amounts are dwarfed by rich country protectionism that denies market access for poor country products while rich nations use aid as a lever to open poor country markets to their products
- Large projects or massive grand strategies often fail to help the vulnerable; money can often be embezzled away.
This article explores who has benefited most from this aid, the recipients or the donors.
Read “Foreign Aid for Development Assistance” to learn more.
Tax Avoidance and Tax Havens; Undermining Democracy
Through tax havens, transfer pricing and many other policies — both legal and illegal — billions of dollars of tax are avoided. The much-needed money would helped developing (and developed) countries provide important social services for their populations.
Some tax avoidance, regardless of how morally objectionable it may be to some people, is perfectly legal, and the global super elite are able to hide away trillions of dollars, resulting in massive losses of tax revenues for cash-strapped governments who then burden ordinary citizens further with austerity measures during economic crisis, for example. Yet these super elite are often very influential in politics and business. In effect, they are able to undermine democracy and capitalism at the same time.
As the global financial crisis has affected many countries, tackling tax avoidance would help target those more likely to have contributed to the problem while avoid many unnecessary austerity measures that hit the poorest so hard. But despite rhetoric stating otherwise, it does not seem to high on the agenda of many governments as you might think.
Read “Tax Avoidance and Tax Havens; Undermining Democracy” to learn more.
World Military Spending
World military spending had reduced since the Cold War ended, but a few nations such as the US retain high level spending.
In recent years, global military expenditure has increased again and is now comparable to Cold War levels. Recent data shows global spending at over $1.7 trillion. 2012 saw the first dip in spending — only slightly —since 1998, in an otherwise rising trend.
The highest military spender is the US accounting for almost two-fifths of the world’s spending, more than the rest of the G7 (most economically advanced countries) combined, and more than all its potential enemies, combined.
Read “World Military Spending” to learn more.
“If a man is offered a fact which goes against his instincts, he will scrutinize it closely, and unless the evidence is overwhelming, he will refuse to believe it. If, on the other hand, he is offered something which affords a reason for acting in accordance to his instincts, he will accept it even on the slightest evidence.” — Bertrand Russell, Roads to Freedom