Global Issues

NAIROBI, March 3 (IPS) - As the global community marks 2026 World Wildlife Day today (March 3), this year’s focus is on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants: Conserving Health, Heritage and Livelihoods. However, beneath these celebrations, a difficult question emerges: who will bear the cost of conservation when traditional donor funding becomes uncertain and in the face of climate change? Read the full story, “Financing Africa’s Biodiversity Conservation With Dwindling Donor Support”, on globalissues.org →

MANILA, Philippines, March 3 (IPS) - Communities globally are increasingly exposed to overlapping threats. Extreme weather, health emergencies and cyberattacks are occurring more frequently and simultaneously, often interacting in ways that amplify risks and strain response systems. Read the full story, “How do we Navigate Asia-Pacific’s Climate-Cyber Polycrisis?”, on globalissues.org →

UNITED NATIONS, March 3 (IPS) - As the build-up for a proposed “new world order” continues, a lingering question remains: will the country with the most powerful military reign supreme? Read the full story, “A New World Order Where Might is Right”, on globalissues.org →

UNITED NATIONS, March 3 (IPS) - Across the world’s fragile borderlands where insecurity, climate stress, and marginalization intersect, communities often find themselves on the frontlines of violent extremism. Yet these same communities also hold the greatest potential for peace, when given the confidence, tools, and opportunities to shape their own future. Read the full story, “How UNDP & Global Partners are Tackling Root Causes of Violent Extremism in Ghana’s Borderlands”, on globalissues.org →

KIWENGWA, Tanzania, March 2 (IPS) - As the tide falls on Zanzibar’s western coast, 13-year-old Asha* moves across the reef, her gown flapping in knee-deep water. She carries a plastic basin and a knife. Since dawn, Asha has been prying octopus and scaling fish for drying and selling. Read the full story, “How Child Labour Persists Along Zanzibar’s Blue Economy”, on globalissues.org →

BERLIN, Germany, March 2 (IPS) - The crisis could scarcely be more dramatic. The US is blocking practically all oil deliveries to Cuba. The island depends on imports for all diesel, petrol and kerosine. Without diesel trucks cannot move, food cannot reach Cuban towns and hospitals will not get any oxygen. Read the full story, “Cuba Has its Back Against the Wall”, on globalissues.org →

UNITED NATIONS, March 2 (IPS) - The United States and Israel launched a joint military strike on Iran on February 28. Iran followed with military strikes on Israeli bases and on Arab Gulf states, including Bahrain, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates. The realized threat of a new war has caused alarm for the security situation in the Middle East and its impact on civilian populations. Read the full story, “UN Leaders, Diplomats Warn of Middle East Instability Following Weekend Air-Strikes in Iran”, on globalissues.org →

Violent escalation in the Middle East has entered a third day as coordinated US and Israeli strikes against Iran continue to cause loss of life and damage across the region, prompting Iranian missile and drone retaliation in multiple countries. Explosions, airspace closures and military alerts have been reported from Tehran to the Gulf states and beyond. Follow our live coverage with updates from across the United Nations system. UN News app users can follow here.Read the full story, “MIDDLE EAST LIVE: Iran retaliation escalates as US and Israeli strikes continue”, on globalissues.org →

The UN Security Council is convening in New York under extraordinary circumstances: amid escalating conflict in the Middle East and repeated calls from the UN for restraint by all sides, the Council turns its attention to a long-standing but under-addressed crisis facing children in war zones. The United States, which holds the rotating presidency for March, decided to have First Lady Melania Trump chair the meeting. Usually, the UN ambassador or senior official of the country holding the presidency takes the gavel. While there have been instances of First Ladies taking part in Security Council meetings, today is the first time a First Lady will preside. Follow speaker by speaker below, and UN News app users can go here. For daily in-depth meetings coverage, go here. Read the full story, “SECURITY COUNCIL LIVE: Melania Trump presides over historic session on children in conflict”, on globalissues.org →

The escalating violence in the Middle East region is compounding an already dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza.Read the full story, “World News in Brief: Gaza crossings closed, fighting in Sudan continues, Afghanistan quake victims”, on globalissues.org →