KABUL, Jun 25 (IPS) - It was a sunny winter day in Kabul. I decided to step out and take a stroll around my surroundings. With my long dress and hijab on, I left the house. Since I was not too far from home, I did not need the company of a Mahram, a male guard, by my side – a strict restriction placed on Afghan women by the Taliban.

ADDIS ABABA / NAIROBI, Jun 25 (IPS) - Imagine investing US$14 billion, or even slightly less, to achieve universal literacy in 17 African countries where more than half the adult population still cannot read or write. Pair that with another US$36 billion to connect Africa’s landlocked nations through 12,000 kilometres of new railway lines along priority transport corridors.

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay, Jun 25 (IPS) - Poland’s embattled Prime Minister Donald Tusk emerged bruised but still standing after his government survived a parliamentary vote of confidence on 11 June. He’d called the vote, which he won by 243 to 210, just days after the presidential candidate of his Civic Platform (PO) party suffered an unexpected defeat.

BENGALURU, India, Jun 25 (IPS) - It has been 33 years since peacebuilding was formally recognized within the United Nations system, by the then UN Secretary-General Boutros-Ghali, who defined it as a long-term structural work aimed at preventing the recurrence of violence, setting the stage for the UN’s ongoing efforts to address the root cause of conflict and not just its consequences. “Post-conflict peacebuilding is the action to identify and support structures which will tend to strengthen and solidify peace in order to avoid a relapse into conflict,” Boutros-Ghali said.

UNITED NATIONS, Jun 25 (IPS) - On June 23, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) released their State of the Climate in Asia 2024 report, detailing the acceleration of the climate crisis in Asia. The report underscores the rapid rises in temperatures recorded across the continent and their implications on economies, ecosystems, and livelihoods.

BOGOTA, Colombia, Jun 25 (IPS) - Leaders heading to the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development taking place in Sevilla, Spain, from 30th June to 3rd July, know full well that they are operating in a moment of crisis.

The rapid depletion of the remaining fuel stocks in the Gaza Strip is threatening efforts to keep critical lifelines up and running, the UN reported on Wednesday.

Dozens of civilians – including children and school staff – were killed or wounded in Russian missile attacks on Ukrainian cities this week, in what UN human rights monitors described as a “foreseeable” tragedy caused by strikes on populated areas.

It’s been 10 years since the Addis Ababa Action Agenda was established to support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Wednesday that his “number one priority” is for its inspectors to return to Iran’s nuclear sites to evaluate damage caused by recent bombing and to verify stockpiles of highly enriched uranium.