Category: Global Challenges

Gender-biased Disaster Response


The ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER) came into being in December 2009. It has played a tremendous role in enhancing regional and national capacities for disaster response in the region.

The recent ‘ASEAN Vision 2025 on Disaster Management’ document provides thoughtful insights on how AADMER can move towards a more people-centred, sustainable and better-networked approach. However, these suggestions do not directly address the disproportionate impact disasters have on women.

Illicit Financial Flows Outpace Global Growth


No inclusive growth is conceivable without success in Nigeria’s anti-corruption drive. Today, that struggle is increasingly global.  In mid-May, the world’s first anti-corruption summit took place in London. During the event, the chair, UK Prime Minister David Cameron was caught on open mike disclosing to Queen Elisabeth II that attendants included some “fantastically corrupt” countries, including Afghanistan and Nigeria.

World Bank: Combat Climate Change with a Carbon Pricing System


In 2015, a handful of nations undertook a social experiment. Urged by groups, including the World Bank, who felt that combatting climate change required an economic incentive, these adventurous countries, and a number of states, regions, and cities, have begun charging companies that produce carbon as part of their operation. In just a year, the benefits of these programs have already begun to show.

Not So Plain Packaging


The new normal. EPA/Lukas Coch

Tobacco kills nearly half of all long-term smokers and in the UK alone accounts for the deaths of 100,000 people annually, according to the public health charity ASH. This is the harsh reality behind plain packaging for tobacco, which comes into force in the UK on May 20 2016.

The Doping Crisis’ Credibility Costs


Anti-doping is in crisis. Russia has created a real dilemma as the World Anti-Doping Authority (WADA) and the International Olympic Committee agonise over the extent and nature of sanctions after doping revelations. Kenya is struggling to meet the requirements that will allow it to take part at the Olympics.

World Bank Report: Cities are ‘Woefully Unprepared’ for Increasing Disaster Risks


The climate is changing at an ever increasing pace, creating extreme weather and other hazards. These threats pose serious threats to cities around the world. However, the World Bank notes that these same cities are failing to plan for these possible scenarios.

According to a study by the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), by the year 2050 1.3 billion people and $158 trillion in property will exist in areas that could be threatened by rising rivers, sea levels, and extreme weather.

Did I Say That Out Loud?


360b / Shutterstock.com

It’s All in the Family


 

From Land-Grabbing to Land Governance


Four years ago, voluntary guidelines on the governance of land and land tenure were agreed at the United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Organisation in Rome. This was a response to growing concerns about the impacts of “land grabbing” driven by the global rush for investment in the wake of the food, fuel and financial crises in the first decade of this century.

World Bank: Fresh Water Scarcity could Shrink Global Economy


On Tuesday, the World Bank reported that fresh water scarcity could be the biggest problem facing the economies of the world. Economies across large portions of the planet could shrink dramatically by 2050 as climate change causes fresh water scarcity issues.

A few regions may suffer particularly badly. One standout is the Middle East, where gross domestic products (GDP) could slip by as much as 14% unless the region comes up with ways to significantly reallocate the supply of fresh water.