News headlines
The World Social Summit in Doha: Time to Act
- Inter Press Service
DOHA, November 12 (IPS) - Qatar hosted the Second World Summit for Social Development from 4–6 November. According to the United Nations, more than 40 Heads of State and Government, 230 ministers and senior officials, and nearly 14,000 attendees took part. Beyond plenaries and roundtables, more than 250 “solution sessions” identified practical ways to advance universal rights to food, housing, decent work, social protection or social security, education, health, care systems and other public services, international labor standards, and the fight against poverty and inequality.
Demonstrators Face-Off With Security as COP30 Activism Intensifies
- Inter Press Service
BELÉM, Brazil, November 12 (IPS) - In a departure from the past two COPs, in Dubai and Azerbaijan, there have been increasingly intense demonstrations from activists at the COP30 venue in Belém, the capital of the northern Brazilian state of Pará.
Hollow Promises or Hope? COP30 Brazil – Moment of Truth for the Planet
- Inter Press Service
VICTORIA, November 12 (IPS) - COP30 Brazil, though shadowed by the absence of many world leaders, remains a pivotal milestone in the global fight against climate change, tasked with building on the Paris Agreement’s momentum. Yet the glaring lack of commitment, coupled with withdrawals from the accord casts a grim shadow over the future. The planet continues to warm, and scientists warn that current targets may not prevent a catastrophic temperature spike. While the summit’s focus on implementation not just new promises—is a welcome shift, it’s clear: words alone won’t cool the Earth.
Heat and Government Omissions Fuel Fires in Mexico
- Inter Press Service
MEXICO CITY, November 12 (IPS) - “This issue has been spiralling out of control year after year. The first responders are the communities themselves. There is no information explaining what a wildfire is in our native language (Mixtec), not even a pamphlet or video that can be distributed”, indigenous language education student Estela Aranda tells IPS.
Indigenous Knowledge Holders Want to Be Acknowledged
- Inter Press Service
BELÉM, Brazil, November 12 (IPS) - Generational lived experiences are key to confronting and living with a changing climate, say Indigenous knowledge holders and activists at the UN Climate Conference (COP30).
Syria’s Fragile Transition Threatened by Severe Aid Shortfalls and Increasing Abductions, UN Warns
- Inter Press Service
UNITED NATIONS, November 12 (IPS) - Eleven months after the fall of the Assad regime, Syria continues to grapple with severe instability as the country navigates a turbulent political transition. Rates of displacement have surged, and humanitarian organizations are struggling to support large numbers of refugees returning home. In recent weeks, the United Nations (UN) has documented numerous cases of enforced disappearances and abductions, calling for stronger accountability measures as the transition continues to unfold.
US Stands Alone Defying UN Vote on Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
- Inter Press Service
UNITED NATIONS, November 12 (IPS) - The US took another step backward – to break ranks with the United Nations – when it voted against a draft resolution calling for the entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT).
The negative vote followed an announcement by President Trump last month that the US plans to resume nuclear testing after a 33-year hiatus. The US stood alone on the UN vote, which was supported by almost all member States in the General Assembly’s First Committee.
A Tale of Two Cities – Belém, Nairobi and Why Global Tax Justice Must be at Center of Climate Crisis Response
- Inter Press Service
WASHINGTON DC, November 12 (IPS) - The climate crisis is getting worse and requires fundamental changes to societies, economies, and our global financial architecture in response. While extreme economic inequality is on the rise – the world’s billionaires now hold more wealth in the world than every country except the U.S. and China – the impacts of climate change are also unequally felt, with the poor in the Global South and North most at risk.
‘A wave of truth’: COP30 targets disinformation threat to climate action
- UN News
Negotiators in Belém, Brazil, opened COP30 with a stark warning: the race to avert catastrophic global heating is being sabotaged by a surge of climate disinformation. The falsehoods, spreading faster than ever online, threaten to derail fragile progress on climate action.
UN and African Union vow closer action for peace and development
- UN News
The UN Secretary-General called on Wednesday for action to prioritize Africa, urging the world not to turn its back on the continent.
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