News headlines for “Natural Disasters”, page 180
Multilateral Bank Intermediation Must Help Developing Countries’ Recovery
- Inter Press Service

SYDNEY and KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 07 (IPS) - International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva has warned that developing countries would need more than the earlier estimated US$2.5 trillion to provide relief to affected families and businesses and expedite economic recovery.
Bangladesh Deals with Triple Disasters of Flooding, Coronavirus and Lost Livelihoods
- Inter Press Service

DHAKA, Aug 05 (IPS) - With nearly 5.5 million people people across Bangladesh affected by severe flooding -- the worst in two decades -- humanitarian experts are concerned that millions of people, already badly impacted by COVID-19, will be pushed further into poverty.
The UN General Assembly: A 75-Year Journey Towards the Future We Want
- Inter Press Service

NEW YORK, Aug 04 (IPS) - The United Nations came into existence at a time of great despair, when the penholders of its founding document dared to imagine a better world, one that would be defined by peace and equality. Visionary world leaders chose hope over cynicism, empathy over indifference and partnership over distrust when they came together in San Francisco on 26 June 1945 to sign the Charter of the United Nations. They embarked upon a new, rules-based world order, with an Organization of unrivalled legitimacy at its core.
The New Poor Post-pandemic: Time for Cushioning the Most Vulnerable in Southeast Asia
- Inter Press Service

BANGKOK, Thailand, Aug 04 (IPS) - After decades of impressive growth, for the first time, Southeast Asia is experiencing a drop in measured human development. The economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic will likely take months to reveal itself and years to put right. Yet, a legacy of mobilizing under constraints is leading Southeast Asia's pandemic response.
Religion & the Pandemic: A Call Beyond the Here & Now
- Inter Press Service

I have never been interested in religion or spirituality before, but I found myself tuning in to all sorts of on-line religion and spirituality related forums "in search of something."
These are the words of a 30-something single young, middle class man (born into a Protestant-Catholic family background) in a European country. The latter is known more for turning several churches into museums or shopping centers, prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. When people are afraid, lonely and alone - they tend to seek "something" beyond science.
With Proper Investment in Youth, Kenya’s Potential for Progress Is Unlimited
- Inter Press Service

NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 03 (IPS) - Africa's demographic boom has been hailed as its biggest promise for transforming the continent's economic and social outcomes, but only if the right investments are made to prepare its youthful population for tomorrow's world.
The Charter of the United Nations: Ideals for Shaping Our Reality
- Inter Press Service

NEW YORK, Jul 31 (IPS) - "Reconciling the requirements of the ideal with the possibilities of the real": this is how Georges Bidault, Minister for Foreign Affairs and head of the French delegation to the San Francisco Conference, summed up the objective pursued by the drafters of the Charter of the United Nations.
On the still living ashes of the Second World War, the fathers of an Organization charged with developing friendly relations between nations, promoting human rights and economic and social progress were less utopian than visionary. They understood that the community of States should have a common constitution. It has been tested by conflict, crisis and upheaval, but its resilience and strength have shaped the very structure of contemporary international relations.
Southeast Asia Has a Chance to Build Back Better Post-Pandemic
- Inter Press Service

Jul 31 (IPS) - Southeast Asia's response to the coronavirus pandemic has been efficient, but some areas such as data privacy, measures to go back to normalcy after lockdown is lifted, and resources for migrant or transient populations will need addressing.
Only Governments Can Prevent Covid-19 Recessions Becoming Depressions
- Inter Press Service

KUALA LUMPUR, Jul 30 (IPS) - Covid-19 threatens economic life the world over. The most urgent and important need is for governments, businesses and families to survive. Governments must revive economies and livelihoods to prevent Covid-19 recessions from becoming protracted depressions.
The Covid-19 crisis is clearly a ‘black swan event', threatening both public health and livelihoods. Both the pandemic and containment efforts are not due to business operations and decisions, but nonetheless have compelling consequences for them.
Last Mile Teachers
- Inter Press Service

KAMPALA, Uganda, Jul 30 (IPS) - "It has gotten really tough for us," says James, a father in rural Liberia, of COVID-19 lockdown and school closures. "My son is trying but he is missing his friends and teachers. Children want to be in school."

