PlanetNext

News organizations cultivate a reputation for demanding transparency, whether by suing for access to government documents, dispatching camera crews to the doorsteps of recalcitrant politicians, or editorializing in favor of open government. But now many of the country’s biggest media companies, which own dozens of newspapers and [...]

(IRIN) – There is “worrying evidence” that the scale and scope of disasters will increase significantly in coming years and “the international community is not prepared,” says Ross Mountain, director-general of Development Assistance Research Associates (DARA), a Madrid-based think-tank which advocates better humanitarian policies. He was speaking at the Dubai International Humanitarian Aid & Development [...]

(IRIN) – Every year for the past five years, the Madrid-based organization, DARA International, has tracked the major international aid donors and ranked them according to how well the apply a set of agreed principles related to effectiveness and accountability. And every year some of the biggest have been left smarting by finding themselves placed [...]

For those in midlife and beyond, ageing is often linked with poverty and income insecurity. Estimations point to as many as 80 per cent of older people not covered by social security, suggesting that a disturbing number of around 607 million people aged 60 or older lack income security. Given that women are less likely [...]

(IRIN) – If you thought 2011 was a historic year for the Middle East, 2012 is likely to be even more unpredictable. The region was swept up by mass demonstrations that forced four dictators out of power, threatened the rule of several others, and created huge humanitarian needs. But analysts say the region may get [...]

(IRIN) – Mistrust of Libya’s interim administration is likely to deter tens of thousands of revolutionary fighters from complying with a massive new demobilization plan, according to analysts and former rebels. “There is no full trust in the government,” said Adel AbdElmajid Zoubi, 28, who fought in the coastal town of Misrata, besieged for months [...]

In the Age of the Citizen, a key challenge will be to find ways of giving citizens a stronger influence on the democratic process – at the expense of party elites, for example. In 2012 and beyond, a profound reflection is needed on how we can renew democracy’s promise of true citizen [...]

Remarks by Smt. Jayanthi Natarajan, Hon’ble Minister for Environment & Forests .Thank you Madam Chair. I do not know how to start. I have heard people across the room carefully. I am from India and I represent 1.2 billion people. My country has a tiny per capita carbon footprint of 1.7 ton and our per capita GDP is even lower [...]