new ...aims to bring together city leaders and national governments from across Africa and recognize the importance of water to their shared development. City leaders will showcase their pioneering approaches to urban water resilience, as well as the ambitious water action plans they are employing to tackle their most pressing water challenges, safeguard economic development and create more livable and equitable cities. City leaders will also be invited to make the case for accelerating financing to city-led water action by highlighting the linkages between water and food security, energy production, community sanitation & health, and climate-resilient urban transformations. National governments will be invited to discuss the role that cities play in achieving SDG6 – as well as best practices for multi-level governance and finance allocation that best respond to cities’ needs. Donors and private finance partners will also join the conversation to discuss the enabling environments needed, as well as the different forms of financing (blended, concessional funding, grants, equity, etc) being leveraged in the urban context to drive water resilience. — World Resources Institute, 1h ago

new To reach a more inclusive social contract and a new growth model, the region needs a form of egalitarian liberalization: a transformation of insider privileges into general social safety and support mechanisms that might be less generous but are more broadly available, safeguarding social inclusion as well as fair competition and economic dynamism. — Foreign Policy, 1h ago

new Impact investments are investments made with the intention to generate positive, measurable social and environmental impact alongside a financial return. Impact investments can be made in both emerging and developed markets, and target a range of returns from below market to market rate, depending on investors' strategic goals. Impact investors generally fund businesses or nonprofits that aim to address social or environmental issues, such as reducing carbon emissions, improving access to healthcare and education, promoting sustainable agriculture, or aiding underprivileged areas. Impact investors measure their success not only by the financial returns they earn, but also by the positive social or environmental outcomes they help to achieve. — Allied Market Research, 10h ago

new Unfortunately, the health crisis of the past two years had already served as a stark reminder that borders are not guaranteed to remain open, that connections which used to be taken for granted can be severed in an instant. Yet adapting to this reality, which is likely to shape our world for the foreseeable future, has also taught us—as ESMO and as one oncology community—how to overcome physical and geographical constraints to continue our collective action against cancer and keep up the pace of progress in research and practice. Thanks to technological innovation, we have experienced that virtual meetings are not only possible, but also productive. Doctors worldwide can now access learning opportunities to acquire new knowledge and apply it to improve patient care regardless of their ability to travel the global oncology conference circuit. This lesson will not be forgotten and, in that spirit, the... — esmo.org, 10h ago

new Dear members, as the pandemic draws out into 2021, I know that our new daily routines will continue to take up a lot of our energy. Surveys conducted by the ESMO Resilience Task Force have shed light on the fact that many of us are struggling with the long-term effects of working under constant pressure, and that the risk of burnout is particularly high for those of us who have been personally touched by COVID-19. In addition, as emerged from the preliminary results of the ESMO Women for Oncology COVID-19 and gender survey, lockdowns had a stronger backlash on women in oncology. For this reason, you can trust that as we set our sights on the future, ESMO will also continue to stand by you in the present situation and ensure that “One oncology community” does not remain a hollow phrase. Our Society cares not just about the community, but about every individual within it, and our Vision 2025 is designed to ensure that each of you can count on ESMO for comprehensive support and high-quality education – not just for the next five years, but for a lifetime of work in oncology. — esmo.org, 10h ago

new Beyond our immediate response to the COVID-19 global health emergency, we recognise that the healthcare systems are coming under increasing pressure. Not only must the healthcare infrastructure adapt to outbreaks of novel diseases, economic recession and armed conflicts, but also to the long-term effects of phenomena such as ageing populations, sedentary living and environmental pollution. At the end of my Presidency, I want to reflect on the ways in which ESMO has worked to ensure that the hard-earned progress made in oncology in recent years continues to translate into better, more accessible cancer care in the future. — esmo.org, 10h ago

new ...“An interesting finding is that it was specifically the built environment that mattered – features like how close the adolescent lives to fast-food restaurants versus park and recreation facilities. Less important were the social and economic environmental factors like crime, social support, household income, household education – and while very important for adolescents’ health, these factors were not directly tied to obesity risk or eating behaviors in this study, and these factors are also harder to modify. The built environment, on the other hand, can be improved with policy change and economic investment like incentivizing grocery stores to come to food deserts, limiting fast-food outlets near school zones, enacting complete street policies to ensure pedestrians and cyclists are safe on the road, supporting municipalities to build more safe playgrounds and parks, and enacting joint use agreements so families can access public facilities like school fields and courts on the weekend,” said Amanda Staiano, PhD, associate professor, Louisiana State University’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center. Staiano was not associated with the research. — SCIENMAG: Latest Science and Health News, 17h ago

new Addressing the structural hurdles that certain students face to prevent them from reaching their full potential is necessary to promote equality in the classroom. This may entail campaigning for policy changes at the school, district, or state level, becoming a member of community organizations that promote equity in the classroom, justice, and speaking out against discriminatory behaviors or policies. To create a fairer and more equitable education, professors have a crucial part to play in lobbying for systemic change and developing new educational policies. — Intelligent Living, 19h ago

new The pastoralist plight has been long in the making. For decades before the onset of the Sahel security crisis in 2012, pastoralists had seen their land rights and access to resources jeopardized by unfavorable state policies, failures of rural governance, and periodic dislocations brought about by drought and violent conflicts. Herders’ structural mobility had put them at a serious disadvantage in the competition for shrinking land, forage, and water resources. It also negatively impacted their levels of educational participation, as national schooling systems were tailored toward sedentary communities and conducted in classrooms in permanent locations. This led to their political marginalization, as constant mobility and low levels of educational attainment relegated nomadic herders to inferior status in all decision-making bodies. — PostX News, 22h ago

new Finally, shared vulnerabilities of various kinds, including economic vulnerabilities such as poverty, and environmental vulnerabilities such as droughts and floods caused by long-term climate change, are conducive to rising fear and intensified inter-ethnic violence. For populations with higher income levels, less hunger, and longer life expectancy, inter-ethnic or intergroup struggles tend to diminish in fervour. The dire facts of poverty and competition for basic economic resources, on top of usual inter-group stresses due to religion, ethnicity, or culture, are therefore conducive to this third kind of war. — Pearls and Irritations, 1d ago

new Education as empowerment must be able to take on the task of shifting consciousness in order to enable individuals to narrate themselves, prevent their own erasure, address the economic, social, and political conditions that shape their lives, and learn that culture is an instrument of power. For this to happen, people have to recognize something of themselves and their condition in the modes of education in which they are addressed. This is both a matter of awakening a sense of identification and a moment of recognition. Any viable notion of critical pedagogy has to be on the side of understanding, clarity, persuasion, and belief. Education, in this instance, is a defining political fact of life because it is crucial to the struggle over critical agency, informed citizenship, and a collective sense of resistance and struggle. As a political project, it must press the claims for economic and social justice and strengthen the call for civic literacy and positive collective action. — LA Progressive, 1d ago

new The Northern Strategy is a long-term plan for the development of Canada’s north. It was first launched in 2004 and has since been renewed and updated several times. The strategy focuses on four key areas:– Strengthening Canada’s sovereignty in the north– Promoting economic and social development– Protecting the environment– Engaging northerners in the decision-making processThe Northern Strategy is based on the premise that a strong and prosperous north is essential to the future of Canada. The strategy seeks to build on the many strengths of the north, including its vast natural resources, its unique cultures and its potential for scientific discovery. The goal is to create new opportunities for northerners while also ensuring that they are able to benefit from the economic growth that results.The Northern Strategy is overseen by three federal departments: Indigenous Affairs, Natural Resources, and Environment Canada. These departments work together with provincial and territorial governments, as well as with First Nations, Inuit and Métis organizations, to implement the strategy. — TIME BUSINESS NEWS, 1d ago

new The event included a panel discussion on some of the ways Zakat and Sadaqah can be utilized to advance education opportunities for refugee youth, in addition to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In his keynote speech, His Excellency Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair, Founder of Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation and Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair Refugee Education Fund, reiterated his commitment towards supporting refugee youth and children through educational grants and programs in the Middle East and North Africa region, and stated: “Our mission at the Fund is to create opportunities to activate the potential of Arab youth, and we reiterate our commitment to support bright refugees and displaced youth in particular with education and skills training that they need to thrive not just survive.” He also added: “We join forces with UNHCR today to acknowledge the growing displacement crisis that is affecting millions of lives across the Arab region and globally, and to showcase that together, we can build practical and innovative solutions that will help create a better future for our youth particularly through the power of strategic Islamic philanthropy.”... — mid-east.info, 1d ago

new Our proven record of accomplishments in the last three years was accompanied not only by increased visibility in the world of diagnostics and a vastly increased distributor and customer base, but also the resources and connections to manifest a key element of our vision since our founding 10 years ago this year, reduction of healthcare costs around the globe by democratizing infectious disease testing made possible, thanks to a platform bringing the highest level of quality and diagnostics directly to the people and places who need it the most. This can be in a remote clinic in rural India where tuberculosis has been endemic for generations or skilled nursing facility in Ohio, looking for a way to reduce costs and provide better care for its patients by confidently identifying potential fatal respiratory diseases before they can spread or on the kitchen counter of a family concerned about the health of a young child in the middle of a night. — Insider Monkey, 1d ago

new The program contributes to supply chain localization and resilience as well as the development of new local industries and services. It attracts foreign investments that support economic diversification and helps to create quality job opportunities for Emiratis in the private sector. The National ICV Program is a key contributor to national GDP growth. — mid-east.info, 1d ago

new Since taking office last July, it has been my priority to stabilize Sri Lanka’s economy and achieve sustainable levels of debt. To do so, we have taken some tough decisions, but we did so with a commitment to widening our social safety nets, protecting the vulnerable, rooting out corruption and ensuring we can grow an inclusive and internationally attractive economy. The IMF program is critical to achieving this vision for our country, and we are committed to successfully completing the IMF program and achieving debt sustainability. We will continue to engage with all our creditors, and I encourage both our bilateral and commercial creditors to strengthen and foster coordination in the context of our forthcoming engagement. The IMF program will also be imperative to improving Sri Lanka’s standing in and access to international capital markets, and it will demonstrate that Sri Lanka is once again a country attractive to talent, investors and tourists.”... — PostX News, 1d ago

new Fortunately, the IPCC identifies a range of measures that can support a just transition and help ensure that no one is left behind as the world moves toward a net-zero-emissions, climate-resilient future. Reconfiguring social protection programs (e.g., cash transfers, public works programs and social safety nets) to include adaptation, for example, can reduce communities’ vulnerability to a wide range of future climate impacts, while strengthening justice and equity. Such programs are particularly effective when paired with efforts to expand access to infrastructure and basic services. — Ecosystem Marketplace, 1d ago

new Proponents of these policies argue that they can help promote economic stability, prevent inflation, and encourage economic growth in developing countries. On the other hand, opponents of these policies believe they can lead to economic imbalances, exacerbate inequality, and cause financial hardship for individuals and businesses in developing countries. Additionally, some economists question the efficacy of these policies, citing research that suggests that high-interest rates do not always lead to increased economic growth or development. Ultimately, it is difficult to determine which side is right and what the full implications of these policies are for developing countries. — TIME BUSINESS NEWS, 1d ago

new ...“After rolling out various activities that support sustainability, we are excited to implement the Recycle for Good program in Indonesia. We encourage the public to participate in taking action towards preserving our environment through collecting their waste at our drop point. This innovative model to promote recycling not only brings environmental benefits, but also socio-economic advantages by offering people in low-income communities an opportunity to improve their quality of life by saving money on essentials or learning skills to open the door to new job opportunities,” concludes Noer Wellington, Head of Market Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Vietnam at SIG. — Asia Food Journal, 1d ago

new As a result, the curriculum taught in the region is neither nationalistic nor market-driven, negating the basic premise of education. Rampant corruption and centrifugal tendencies have allocated jobs to unsuitable and inept persons, suppressing talent with the potential for socio-economic development and increasing the UT’s unemployment rate. Protests by the UT’s educated youth against... — ORF, 1d ago

new According to them, adolescents and young people’s access to age-appropriate sexual and reproductive health and rights information through Health Clubs and Curriculum-based Comprehensive Sexuality Education in schools is helping girls and boys to talk freely to their peers and parents about their sexuality, menstrual health, life skills, and aspirations. The same was expressed by the out-of-school adolescents receiving Comprehensive Sexuality Education from trained women-led Community-Based Organizations. — Liberian Observer, 1d ago

new As part of pandemic recovery efforts, social protection support must be calibrated to ensure that adolescents with disabilities are able to re-enrol in education and to access medical and psychosocial support services. Longer term, to tackle poverty and economic vulnerabilities of adolescents with disabilities and their families during future crises, social protection platforms should be expanded and adapted to respond to shocks in a timely way, while prioritising the needs of the most disadvantaged adolescents. Programming might include cash to enable distance learning, education fee waivers, covering costs of internet connectivity and devices (for example, Unicef Jordan distributed tablets to adolescents during the pandemic... — The BMJ, 2d ago

new The Iraq War, which started on March 20 of 2003 when the US and its allies launched an invasion against a sovereign country in the Middle East based on fake intelligence about "weapons of mass destruction," has brought destructive and irreversible disasters to the region, and caused much collateral damage to the world.In recent days, many US and Western mainstream media outlets have published articles looking back on the war, but they failed to point out the fundamental reason why such a tragedy could happen and also failed to criticize the US hegemony that keeps imposing threats to world peace 20 years after the Iraq War, said experts.The so-called democracy or "checks and balance" of the US political system cannot prevent Washington from making reckless decisions based on fraud, lies or manipulated public opinion, and this has brought devastating disasters to countries like Iraq, Libya, Syria and Afghanistan, while the military industrial complex and some senior US politicians including some former presidents, are the ones that benefited from the wars, analysts said.In past decades, the West-launched invasions, interventions and proxy wars have led to chaos, deaths and poverty, which together formed a fertile "breeding ground" for terrorism, analysts said. This also proves that the Washington's "Greater Middle East Initiative" to Westernize the region has also completely failed. What is even more disturbing to the international community is that although the wars launched by the US have caused frequent and endless chaos in the Middle East and other regions worldwide, and seriously damaged the right to survival and development of the local people, it seems the US leaders have never worried they would be prosecuted for the wars they launched overseas. In fact, the US has never accepted the International Criminal Court's jurisdiction over its nationals.These US decision-makers behind those wars should be held accountable for the actual humanitarian disasters and war crimes they caused in Iraq, and they should pay or compensate for the huge losses that they caused during the war and occupation in Iraq, according to the Algerian media Echorouk El Yawmi and the Iraqi newspaper Azzaman. — globaltimes.cn, 2d ago

new America needs an alternative that does not throw the neoliberal baby out with the bathwater and also addresses the structural and systemic failures of free-market neoliberalism, especially when it comes to global competitiveness. This alternative needs to embrace large corporations as engines of progress and prosperity while also ensuring that they focus on net-present value creation (not short-term profit-taking and the enrichment of financial elites) and meeting goals that are aligned with state goals, especially greater industrial competitiveness. There are a number of terms for this approach: “national developmentalism,” competitiveness-focused industrial strategy, and Hamiltonianism (named after America’s first proponent of real industrial policy, Alexander Hamilton). — itif.org, 2d ago

new ...“Today’s IPCC Synthesis Report makes it crystal clear that taking carbon dioxide out of the air is not just an option – but a necessity. Whether to speed up mitigation, to counterbalance leftover emissions from hard-to-abate sectors like aviation and agriculture, or to bring the temperature back down in the case of overshooting 1.5 degrees; carbon removal is firmly on the climate policy agenda. But carbon removal methods, such as afforestation and bioenergy with carbon capture and storage, also bring significant risks to people and the environment. We now need a wide-ranging societal conversation about which methods to take forward, how to incentivise them, and ultimately how to govern them. Make no mistake, we need to do carbon removal; but we need to do it responsibly.”... — sciencemediacentre.org, 2d ago

new Although there are many types of humanitarian and fragile settings, we focus here on contexts affected by armed conflict and environmental disasters. Attention to the wellbeing of adolescents in such settings is essential because of the detrimental effects these contextual factors have on the physical, social, and cognitive changes experienced during this life stage. As humanitarian crises are often protracted, young people may spend much or all of their adolescence in such settings, with the resulting vulnerabilities continuing throughout their lives. Breakdown of family and supportive networks as populations are forced into displacement creates an unstable ecosystem for adolescents to form meaningful and emotional connections with others. These effects are often exacerbated by poverty, gender inequities, and human rights violations, as well as mental illness from the stressors derived from the crises themselves. These factors increase the vulnerability of adolescents to problems such as misuse of drugs and alcohol, sexual exploitation, academic underachievement because of interruption to schooling, reduced economic prospects, chronic poverty, poor psychosocial outcomes, and sexual and gender based violence. — The BMJ, 2d ago

new On the other hand, inadequate funding for healthcare systems can have detrimental long-term effects, including increased mortality and morbidity rates, decreased quality of life, increased susceptibility to disease outbreaks, and decreased economic productivity. These effects may cascade throughout society, affecting not only individuals but also families, communities, and entire countries. — Foundico.com, 2d ago

new Sustainable infrastructure development requires consideration of the important benefits surrounding ecosystems provide as early as possible in the planning process. For example, about 2 billion people rely directly on rivers for drinking water, and 500 million people live on deltas sustained by sediment from rivers. However, unsustainable dam development threatens many rivers' health. We can provide ways to meet energy needs in ways that are better for people and the planet by considering a range of energy sources; their locations; and the financial, social, and environmental costs. — World Wildlife Fund, 2d ago

new The complementarity in trade, business, energy and investments are the major reasons for India and Gulf countries to work towards overcoming the Pakistan factor. In other words, the economic potential in bilateral ties was the key to recognising the need for de-hyphenating Pakistan. The complementarity, in a nutshell, reflected in India’s “look west” and the Gulf countries’ “look east” policies. The de-hyphenation of Pakistan happened gradually through diplomatic and political engagement and trust building efforts. Also recognising each other’s red lines was important. — Scroll.in, 2d ago

new ...“Developing sustainable and scalable approaches to food production near consumers is central to meeting the food needs of the planet, addressing food deserts, and positively impacting the environment. Innovation and implementation of best practices in Controlled Environment Agriculture presents a path forward to greater food production with fewer and more precise use of resources and shorter shipping distances. Further, this form of agriculture production can be implemented at different production scales across different community settings creating broader wealth building and food access opportunities, especially important in supporting high poverty food insecure communities.”... — World Wildlife Fund, 2d ago

new Pham Tan Cong, VBF's co-chair, said that to become a developed country by the middle of this century, Vietnam had to carry out the dual goals of green development with annual GDP growth at 6-7 per cent, and letting green technologies become popular in all economic activities. "This has created numerous opportunities and a new promising land for both the local and foreign business community, and international investors," said Cong. — Vietnam Investment Review - VIR, 2d ago