News headlines for “Natural Disasters”, page 17
Scarcity of Treatment Makes Syrians More Vulnerable to Mental Health Crisis
- Inter Press Service

IDLIB, Syria, May 22 (IPS) - The protracted years of conflict in Syria have inflicted profound scars that transcend physical destruction, permeating the psychological well-being of millions.
UN General Assembly Votes for Resolution on ICJ Advisory Ruling on Climate Obligations
- Inter Press Service

UNITED NATIONS, May 21 (IPS) - Member states this week (May 20) deliberated over a draft resolution on states’ obligations in respect of climate change following the advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The General Assembly agreed to take measures to uphold the ICJ’s advisory opinion for member states to meet their existing obligations to climate justice under international law and multilateral frameworks.
The UN Vote that Could Reshape Climate Justice
- Inter Press Service

KATHMANDU, Nepal, May 20 (IPS) - Normally, resolutions voted at the United Nations General Assembly do not make the headlines.
As nonbinding and mostly symbolic, rich in principles yet empty and lacking the power to carry consequences, these statements are shrugged off and ignored.
Governing the Ungovernable
- Inter Press Service

Where does real power reside in the UN development system? A new policy brief from Cepei, a Colombian development policy institute, and the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS), presented earlier in May, poses this deceptively simple question. The answer matters because institutions that cannot govern fairly or transparently struggle to sustain legitimacy, and legitimacy is essential for peace.
‘Do More With Less’: GEF CEO Claude Gascon on Speed, Scale and Reform
- Inter Press Service

WASHINGTON D.C. & HYDERABAD, India, May 19 (IPS) - As governments prepare for the Eighth Assembly of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) – scheduled to be held from May 30 to June 6 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan – the stakes are unusually high.
UN Weather Agency Warns of Escalating Climate Extremes Across Caribbean and Latin America
- Inter Press Service

CASTRIES, Saint Lucia , May 19 (IPS) - Faster-than-average sea level rise, intensifying hurricanes, extreme heat and worsening swings between drought and flooding are increasing pressure on Latin America and the Caribbean, according to a new report released Monday, May 18 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
Civilian Casualties Grow Amid Russian and Ukrainian Drone Strikes
- Inter Press Service

UNITED NATIONS, May 18 (IPS) - Four years after the start of the Russo-Ukrainian War, 2026 has marked a significant escalation in hostilities, with intensified bombardments from both sides causing immense destruction across the region, complicating humanitarian operations, and deepening an already severe humanitarian crisis. As exchanges of attacks have intensified in recent days, the United Nations (UN) warns that women and girls will be disproportionately impacted as violence disrupts access to basic, lifesaving services.
Breaking Cultural Barriers to Equip Marginalised Kenyan Girls With Entrepreneurial Skills
- Inter Press Service

MORPUS, Kenya, May 18 (IPS) - For generations, communities in Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands (ASAL) have viewed girls through the lens of marriage, with some being married at 11 in exchange for livestock or soon after secondary school, denying them opportunity for further education and skills training.
Africa’s Golden Future
- Inter Press Service

NAIROBI, Kenya, May 18 (IPS) - It is very appropriate that this Africa Forward Summit is being held in Kenya. Two weeks ago, a Kenyan marathon runner, Sabastian Sawe, did what had been considered impossible: by running a marathon in under two hours! What we have set ourselves here is also a marathon—and we must show the same resilience and perseverance that Mr. Sawe did.
Building Resilient Food Systems in an Age of Disruption
- Inter Press Service

UTTAR PRADESH, India, May 15 (IPS) - The latest shock to global food systems, triggered by conflict in the Middle East and disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz, has once again exposed a fragile truth: the world’s food systems remain highly vulnerable to external shocks.

