UN80: From “Less-with-Less” to “More-with-Less”

Announced by UN Secretary-General António Guterres in March, the UN80 Initiative works along three tracks to increase the world body’s efficiencies, review the implementation of all UN mandates, and consider structural changes and program realignment. If undertaken skillfully, UN80 reforms can reinforce the even more far-reaching actions adopted through the Pact for the Future last…

Read More

Pregnancy Clause for Young Women: A Call for more Female Business Owners. Part 1.

I recall with nostalgia, my younger years in active journalism in the 80s. This was before Facebook, Instagram and other social media stuff taken for granted by the Gen Z generation. There were also no smartphones to facilitate instant communication between people.Neither were there desktop computers, LinkedIn, Zoom, WhatsApp Apps or remote jobs. Yet, you…

Read More

Beyond Lives Saved: Why Early Warning Systems Are a Smart Investment

A buoy in a sea of Vladivostok, Russia is tracking movement of waves. Early warning system is vital for effective disaster management. Credit: Unsplash/Ant Rozetsky By Temily Baker, Morgan Schmeising Barnes and Sanjay SrivastavaBANGKOK, Thailand, Aug 8 2025 (IPS) Significant progress has been made globally in implementing national and local disaster risk reduction strategies. Yet,…

Read More

Africa’s ‘Land-Linked’ Nations Chart a New Trade Route to Prosperity

UNDP Resident Representative in Ethiopia, Samuel Doe, addressing the media in Awaza, Turkmenistan, about the land-linked roadmap for Africa. Credit: Kizito Makoye/IPS By Kizito MakoyeAWAZA, Turkmenistan, Aug 7 2025 (IPS) Once relegated to the periphery of Africa’s economic map due to their lack of coastline, the continent’s landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) are now reframing their…

Read More