Author: Jonno McPike

Climate Shocks Worsening Somalia’s Development

The recent floods in Somalia have disrupted law and order and displaced over 370,000 people, with the UN estimating just under half a million people to have been affected. Farming communities have been wiped off the map and many remain without food, water or shelter. The crisis contrasts sharply with

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South Africa’s Violence Deeply Rooted From Its Apartheid Era

Despite South Africa’s Apartheid ending over 20 years ago, criminality has embedded itself in the fabric of its society. Discrimination, murder, and rape are common; its President Cyril Ramaphosa said the country is one of “the most unsafe places in the world to be a woman.” The country is struggling

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Mozambique’s Humanitarian Aid Criticized by Pope Francis

On a recent trip to Mozambique, Pope Francis pointed out the rampant corruption plaguing the country, which is considered the worst in the region; he criticized its government and how foreign aid has kept them in power. He called it “paradoxical,” as Mozambique is rich in arable land and minerals,

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Peace Through Education – How Education Revolutionizes Peace Efforts

The twentieth century witnessed some of humanity’s most horrific forms of violence, in response to the increasing severity of modern weaponry. Education quickly became a non-violent alternative for promoting long-lasting peace. The father of modern education, 17th-century philosopher Jan Amos Comenius argued that the road to peace was through shared

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UN Security Council Concerned With Links Between Terrorism And Organised Crime

Last week’s open debate at the UN Security Council explored the increasing interconnectedness between small-time criminals and terrorist groups, the criminal-turned-terrorist phenomenon is increasing in frequency due to the groups overlapping characteristics; International Consultant, Tamara Makarenko highlighted the strong links between organized crime and terrorism, both occupying similar spaces, using

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Afghanistan’s Silent Killer: Child Malnutrition

A recent UNICEF report has highlighted the damaging effects of malnutrition on children. Ongoing violence, a brutal drought and rampant poverty have left two million children suffering from malnutrition, 600,000 of which likely face death without external support. “We are the sole provider of treatment for severe acute malnutrition,” said

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Sub-Saharan Africa’s Debt Problems Are Worsening Warns UN Spokesperson

Many poor countries’ debts are at ‘crisis point’, with international debt repayments doubling since 2010, reaching their highest level in decades. In reaction to unaffordable debt, many governments are forced to cut public spending, undermining progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator Achim Steiner

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UN-Haiti Relationship ‘Must Evolve’: Haiti’s Dependency on the UN

Haiti stands ‘at the crossroad’ for peacekeeping and development. The peacekeeping goals established by the UN are almost fulfilled, although the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet has criticized the withdrawal stating that ceasing aid is too much of a risk for Haiti’s future, and later saying we

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Congo’s Ebola Response Slowed Through Targeted Violence

The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s conflict-ridden eastern province of Kivu is in the midst of an Ebola outbreak which has been described as the ‘perfect storm’ by the World Health Organisation (WHO). It’s the first known Ebola epidemic in a war zone and already it’s the second deadliest in

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Volatile Afghani Peace Process Risks Undermining Human Freedoms

Afghanistan’s people fear America’s rushed peace process this week considering troop withdrawal estimated to take place within the next five years. Peace talks are currently underway in Qatar with US and Taliban representatives announcing a great leap forward towards ending the war although military withdrawal threatens to jeopardize the Afghani

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Mass Exodus Of ISIS And The Future Of Syria

Last Sunday, US-backed Syrian forces warned of the mass exodus of people from the imploding caliphate, who are concentrated in small, densely populated pockets. 5,000 civilians have poured through Kurdish-led Syrian forces, with numbers expected to rise; infrastructure and resources are already scarce with Syria’s Kurds calling for aid. Foreign

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