Guardian: Inequality is the biggest threat to the world and needs to be tackled now – Global inequality has become an increasingly pressing issue, and “discussions around the post-2015 global agenda include a specific focus on reducing inequalities.” Discussions thus far have gone beyond goals to address the “policies and processes that affect inequalities within countries and globally.” At a national level, one critical strategy for reducing inequalities is to ensure universal access to basic services and resources. (Jayati Ghosh)
Philadelphia Inquirer: Mennonite upbringing prepared him for relief work – A project in Kenya established by Save the Children is giving vouchers for milk to help families that have been affected by the devastating drought in 2011 to fight malnutrition. The longer-term benefits of the program come from using the vouchers to strengthen everyone who has a role in the local dairy industry, including women who collect milk, dairy farmers and women traders who take it to market. About 10,000 people – 8,000 of them children – are getting the vouchers and malnutrition rates have fallen from about 23 percent to around 16 percent. (Carolyn Davis)
Deustsche Welle: Illegal drug use on the rise in Africa – Africa now holds second place worldwide in the trafficking and consumption of illegal drugs. According to UN statistics, 37,000 people in Africa die annually from diseases associated with the consumption of illegal drugs. The rising illegal drug consumption in Africa can be attributed to political instability and weak border control,
Devex: Full speed ahead: AfDB’s plan for a Pan-African information highway – The African Development Bank has installed a common information technology platform in 13 countries and the AU Commission. The program aims to provide live data links between the AfDB, central banks, national statistic agencies and line ministries in African countries to ease the process for gathering and sharing data. The initiatives to strengthen Africa’s data and statistics gathering and sharing capabilities play into a “long-term strategy to boost the continent’s potential for long-term development.” (Amy Lieberman)
