Africa Africa: COP16 – States Must Reinforce Human Rights Protections in Global Biodiversity Framework [ad_1] Ahead of the COP16 Biodiversity summit, which runs from 21 October to 1 November in Cali, Colombia, Amnesty International's Secretary General, Agnès Callamard, said: "At the last meeting of the Convention on Biological Diversity in Montreal in 2022, states agreed the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, a set of ambitious targets to strengthen the protection and promotion of biodiversity globally by 2030. That was an important first step towards tackling the biodiversity crisis that has brought about the total or […] todayOctober 17, 2024 4
Entertainment West Africa: Ecowas Commission Roll-Up Sleeves to Curb Trafficking in Persons [ad_1] Monrovia — The Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) on Monday, October 14, 2024, begins its 16th Annual Meeting of the Regional Network of National Focal Institutions against Trafficking in Persons plus (RNNI-TIP+) in Monrovia. The Annual Review meeting of the Regional Network of National Focal Institutions against Trafficking in Persons plus was established in 2007. The 16th edition brought together several delegates from across the West African region to brainstorm on how to tackle the issue of […] todayOctober 17, 2024 1
Africa Africa: Abortion Is a Fundamental Human Rights Issue [ad_1] New York — The right to abortion is a human rights issue that no government agency, courts, local and state legislators, or anyone else has the right to violate or impede in any shape or form. It is a fundamental right that every woman must be free to exercise with impunity, in consultation with her doctor only, who acts based on his/her professional ethics and responsibility. The right to abortion, or, as Vice President Harris put it in her […] todayOctober 16, 2024 2
Africa Africa: Famine Takes Grip in Africa’s Prolonged Conflict Zones [ad_1] Eighty percent of the record 163 million Africans facing acute food insecurity are in conflict-affected countries, including potentially 840,000 people in Sudan, South Sudan, and Mali confronting famine. Click here for a full-size map. Highlights An estimated 163 million Africans are facing acute food insecurity--sustaining the record numbers of Africans experiencing food crisis. This total is nearly triple the number from 5 years ago, highlighting the rapid escalation in Africa's food crisis. Acute Food Insecurity Acute food insecurity is […] todayOctober 16, 2024 1
Africa Africa: Stigmatization Is the Entry Door for Repression and Violence [ad_1] Bogota, Colombia — Information manipulation and misinformation are not new phenomena, but they have taken on exaggerated importance, especially with the massive use of social media. Hostile and stigmatizing narratives against civil society and civic activism, whether intentional or not, especially when propagated by authorities, create undue restrictions and hinder the exercise of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association globally, and is contributing to the growing authoritarianism and the closing of civic space. Different types […] todayOctober 16, 2024 3
Africa Africa: How Mpox Anti-Vaxx Conspiracies Target and Stigmatise LGBTQ+ People [ad_1] According to some conspiracy theorists posting on alternative, uncensored social media networks, Mpox is another "scamdemic", created by a powerful elite to cull populations and generate profit for "big pharma". According to these social media users, anyone who takes the Mpox vaccine inevitably faces heart attack and death. Other Mpox conspiracies target hate at LGBTQ+ people. Through my PhD research into anti-vaccination misinformation, I've collected thousands of social media posts, videos, images and links from anti-vaccination Telegram channels, Substack […] todayOctober 15, 2024 2
Africa Africa: The Future of Civic Freedoms – Lessons From My Time At Civicus [ad_1] Oxford — When I joined CIVICUS in 2019, I came in with two decades of work on influencing and monitoring public policies through grassroots and global activism. Joining CIVICUS as Secretary-General felt familiar, like returning home after a period of separation. My first international role in 2006 - as Campaign Director of the Global Call to Action against Poverty - was initially hosted by CIVICUS. One of my most memorable campaign endeavours, The World We Want 2015, was conceptualised […] todayOctober 11, 2024 2
Entertainment Namibia’s Art Scene Has Been Built By Unsung Heroes – Like Queer Artist Jo Rogge [ad_1] A week after the opening of their solo exhibition So She Was Turned To a Pillar of Salt at The Project Room in Windhoek, Jo Rogge also facilitated a workshop for aspiring female artists at the gallery. Squeezing in a workshop in the few days they were in Namibia is an affirmation of their commitment to the advancement of art in the country. This is despite having been forced out of Namibia in 2016 when, after 30 years of […] todayOctober 11, 2024 2
Africa Africa – Countries On the Cusp of Abolition Must Take a Stand Against the Death Penalty [ad_1] Three sub-Saharan African countries on the cusp of abolition must act now and abolish the death penalty once and for all, paving the way for others around the world to follow in their footsteps, said Amnesty International on World Day Against the Death Penalty (10 October). Kenya and Zimbabwe currently have bills tabled to abolish the death penalty for all crimes, while Gambia, which has made steady progress against this cruel punishment since 2017, has commenced a constitutional amendment […] todayOctober 10, 2024 1