Mainstreaming Leprosy-affected People a Big Challenge in Bangladesh

DHAKA, Bangladesh, Dec 12 (IPS) - When Feroza Begum was first diagnosed with leprosy in 2006, it felt as though she had been struck by a thunderbolt due to the deep-seated prejudice in her society that the disease is a curse from Allah (God). Read the full story, “Mainstreaming...

Aung San Suu Kyi Defends Myanmar from Accusations of Genocide, at Top UN Court

UNITED NATIONS, Dec 11 (IPS) - Myanmar will have "no tolerance" for human rights abuses committed in Rakhine state and will prosecute the military, if war crimes have been committed there, Aung San Suu Kyi told the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the UN's main judicial...

Human Rights? But Not for Sanitation Workers

LONDON, Dec 10 (IPS) - Andrés Hueso is Senior Policy Analyst – Sanitation, WaterAid. This year's Human Rights Day advocates for everyone to stand up for their rights and those of others. Yet this will feel like a distant reality for the millions of sanitation workers in...

Human Rights and the Global Protests: Addressing Systems as Well as Symptoms

NEW YORK, Dec 10 (IPS) - Ignacio Saiz is Executive Director, The Center for Economic and Social RightsHuman rights advocates should be as concerned with the economic injustices giving rise to recent worldwide demonstrations as with the repressive responses to them.  Read...

Social Summit Demands Stronger Commitments in Climate Talks

MADRID, Dec 09 (IPS) - As the COP25 deliberations enter the decisive final week, representatives of environmental and social organisations gathered in a parallel summit are pressing the governments to adopt stronger commitments in the face of a worsening climate emergency. Read...

Fostering Sustainable Urbanization and Mutually Beneficial Rural-Urban Linkages for Inclusive and Sustainable Development in Rural and Urban Areas

ROME and ACCRA, Dec 09 (IPS) - Karim Hussein (Senior International Development Specialist and Strategic Advisor) David Suttie (International Fund for Agricultural Development)As urbanization continues apace, coupled with rapid population growth and rural to urban migration,...