News headlines for “Causes of Poverty”
Protecting Africa’s Ocean Future and Why a Precautionary Pause on Deep-sea Mining Matters
- Inter Press Service

VICTORIA, Seychelles, February 3 (IPS) - The world is entering a decisive period for the future of the ocean. With the High Seas Treaty coming into force and meaningful progress being made on the World Trade Organization Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, global momentum for stronger marine governance is building. Yet, new pressures linked to the push for deep-sea mining — the extraction of minerals from seabed thousands of meters below the ocean surface — threaten to undermine these gains. To safeguard progress, global decision-making will have to keep pace with such emerging risks. In this context, Africa will host several global discussions in 2026, including those that will shape the ocean’s future, with a series of opportunities for leadership starting with the African Union Summit in February to the Our Ocean Conference in Mombasa, Kenya in June.
Support Science in Halting Global Biodiversity Crisis—King Charles
- Inter Press Service

BULAWAYO, February 3 (IPS) - British Monarch King Charles says science is the solution to protecting nature and halting global biodiversity loss, which is threatening humanity’s survival.
Explainer: Why Nature Is Everyone’s Business
- Inter Press Service

BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe, February 3 (IPS) - Our food, fuel, and fortunes come from nature, but as these resources are turned into profits, the balance between exploiting and replenishing the planet is ever more precarious.
High Seas Treaty Will Transform Our Fragile Ocean for the Better
- Inter Press Service

AMSTERDAN / LONDON, February 3 (IPS) - “The ocean’s health is humanity’s health”, said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in September 2025. He was commenting after the High Seas Treaty (BBNJ) [1] finally achieved ratification, going on to call for “a swift, full implementation” from all partners. As of January 17, 2026, the treaty has come into force, meaning the time for implementation is now. What is the High Seas Treaty?
Group of 77 — Representing 134 Nations, Plus China — Protest Funding Cuts for South-South Cooperation
- Inter Press Service

UNITED NATIONS, February 3 (IPS) - A sharp cut in funding for “South-South Cooperation” (UNOSSC) has triggered a strong protest from the 134-member Group of 77 (G-77), described as the largest intergovernmental organization of developing countries within the United Nations.
World News in Brief: Children at risk in South Sudan, Balochistan attacks, summit backs boost for undersea cable security
- UN News

More than 450,000 children in South Sudan are at risk of acute malnutrition as a surge in violence disrupts health and nutrition services, the UN children’s agency (UNICEF) warned on Tuesday.
Venezuela at a Crossroads
- Inter Press Service

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay, February 2 (IPS) - When US special forces seized Nicolás Maduro and his wife from the presidential residence in Caracas on 3 January, killing at least 24 Venezuelan security officers and 32 Cuban intelligence operatives in the process, many in the Venezuelan opposition briefly dared hope. They speculated that intervention might finally bring the democratic transition thwarted when Maduro entrenched himself in power after losing the July 2024 election. But within hours, those hopes were crushed. Trump announced the USA would now ‘run’ Venezuela and Vice-President Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in to replace Maduro. Venezuela’s sovereignty had been violated twice: first by an authoritarian regime that usurped the popular will, and then by an external power that deliberately violated international law.
To Develop a Continent, Africa Must Nourish Its Children
- Inter Press Service

BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe, February 2 (IPS) - Hunger shadowed Mercy Lung’aho’s childhood, fueling her campaign to promote nutrition as a foundation for Africa’s development.
Invisible highways: The vast network of undersea cables powering our connectivity
- UN News

Every day, we send countless emails, take part in video calls, use search engines and streaming services, while seamlessly banking online.
Can workers compete with machines and stay relevant in the AI era?
- UN News

AI looks set to be transformative for us all, but it also brings a real risk of job losses and widening social and economic divides. UN experts are focusing on how to manage that transition, to ensure the benefits of the technology outweigh the threats.

