International
The Attack That Never Happened: Cuba and the U.S. Fantasy of Sonic Attacks
They called it “sonic attacks,” “health incidents,” and “Havana syndrome.” In September 2017, the United States government decided to withdraw all nonessential personnel and their families from their country’s embassy in Cuba. This decision was based on alleged inexplicable noises whose causes were unclear. Word spread that… »
International Women’s Day, 2021 #MarchWithUs: 5 Activists on Dismantling “Gender Lies”
Today, despite centuries of activism and mobilisations, women and non-binary people continue to remain disadvantaged in almost every sphere – from “public life” to the “shadow pandemic” of gender-based violence. In light of COVID-19, some struggles have been considered in theory, but most continue… »
Approaching Human Security
The following article was first published in the November 2020 edition of Cadmus, the journal of the South-East European Division of The World Academy of Art and Science. The current paradigm through which the most influential nations pursue security is incapable of addressing several dynamic threats to… »
5 Years Since her Assassination, Movements Across Globe Demand Justice for Berta Cáceres
Berta’s organization, COPINH, has called for a series of global actions to intensify the struggle demanding justice in her case Five years have passed since Berta Cáceres was assassinated in her home in La Esperanza, Honduras. Berta was the co-founder and coordinator of the Civic Council of Popular… »
Experts Say J&J-Merck Deal—Though Welcome Step—Does Not Get to ‘Heart of the Matter’ on Vaccine Apartheid
“Our elected leaders are choosing to allow a few Big Pharma companies to maintain their monopoly control over these drugs in order to maximize their profits.” By Kenny Stancil In response to the Biden administration’s brokering of a deal wherein pharmaceutical giant Merck will utilize excess manufacturing capacity to produce the coronavirus… »
‘We sink or we swim together’: 5 things you need to know about COVAX
COVAX has been trending in stories about the COVID-19 pandemic in recent days, particularly in relation to the shipment of vaccines to Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, the first to arrive in Africa. Here’s a UN News recap of what COVAX is, and why it is so important. 1) What… »
UN Youth4Disarmament Recognized by ‘Billion Acts of Peace’
By Devinder Kumar Disarmament is at the heart of the collective security system set out in the United Nations Charter, with its goal to “save succeeding generations from the scourge of war”. In commemoration of the United Nation’s 75th anniversaries and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the… »
International Women’s Day, 2021 To Lead is to Serve — A Pacific Woman’s Perspective
By Leituala Kuiniselani Toelupe Tago-Elisara An often quoted indigenous reference in the Samoan language is, O le ala i le pule o le tautua, literally translated, “the pathway to leadership is through service” because to be able to lead is to be… »
Africa’s development must be based on resilient approaches with nature and people at the center
Interview by Kester Kenn Klomegah In this insightful and wide-ranging interview, Professor Patrick Verkooijen, Chief Executive Officer of Global Center on Adaptation discusses the organization’s establishment, its main objectives, challenges and the plans for the future. The Global Center on Adaptation in Africa (GCA Africa), based at the African Development… »
Vaccine Apartheid: If One Person Is Unprotected, We Are All Unprotected
“I’ve personally received more doses of a Covid-19 vaccine than 130 countries,” Dr. Craig Spencer writes, about the two vaccine shots he recently got as an emergency room doctor. In 2014, he contracted ebola while combating that epidemic in Guinea, Africa. Dr. Spencer knows the value of public health protocols,… »