Global Issues

RUFIJI, Tanzania, March 24 (IPS) - By the time the auction begins at Nangurukuru fish market in Tanzania’s southern Lindi region, the crisis is already visible. Wooden canoes that once returned from the Rufiji River with heavy catches now bring only a fraction of what they used to. Traders scan for the long-whiskered catfish that once defined the market but find none. Read the full story, “As East Africa’s Migratory Fish Vanish, a Food Security Crisis Surfaces”, on globalissues.org →

GENEVA, March 24 (IPS) - As trade ministers gather in Yaoundé, Cameroon, for the WTO’s 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14) on 26–29 March 2026, the preparatory process has produced a dense fog of competing reform proposals, draft ministerial statements, and work plans. Read the full story, “What the US Really Wants from MC14 in Yaoundé”, on globalissues.org →

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, March 24 (IPS) - In mid-1971, US President Nixon ended the dollar’s gold peg at $35 per ounce, triggering de-dollarisation. The 2025 gold and silver rush followed private speculators trying to profit from central banks hedging against perceived new risks. Read the full story, “Central Bank Hedging Triggered Gold Fever”, on globalissues.org →

As the war continues to roil the Middle East and compound suffering for civilians across the region, the economic ramifications of the emergency are still playing out, with the Strait of Hormuz the focus of global attention. Meanwhile, settler attacks have escalated dramatically against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, a topic that we'll be across today also, with updates from the UN and our partners. UN News app users can follow coverage here.Read the full story, “MIDDLE EAST LIVE 24 March: West Bank attacks in focus”, on globalissues.org →

VICTORIA, Seychelles, March 23 (IPS) - When the 11th Our Ocean Conference opens in Mombasa and Kilifi, Kenya, from June 16-18, 2026, it will mark the first time this influential meeting has been held on African soil. For coastal and island nations across the continent and the wider Indian Ocean – and for the Global South more broadly – the stakes could not be higher: the promises and commitments made there will help decide whether the ocean becomes a source of justice and resilience, or deepens existing inequalities. Read the full story, ““At Africa’s First Our Ocean Conference, a Test of Global Will on High Seas Protection and Deep-Sea Mining””, on globalissues.org →

PORTLAND, USA, March 23 (IPS) - On planet Earth, world population in 2026 is 8.3 billion people, which is four times larger than it was a hundred years ago.Despite this record number of humans living on the planet, world population is expected to continue increasing throughout the 21st century, significantly impacting planetary sustainability. Read the full story, “Planet Earth’s Increasing Population of 8 Billion”, on globalissues.org →

CIVICUS discusses Nepal’s upcoming election with youth activist Anusha Khanal of the Gen Z Movement Alliance, a youth-led civil society coalition mobilising for democratic accountability and governance reform in Nepal.Read the full story, “‘The Political System Only Moves When Threatened Directly’”, on globalissues.org →

SAO PAULO, Brazil, March 23 (IPS) - The 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) (March 9-19), held at the United Nations headquarters, brought together governments, decision makers, civil society, and international organizations to address a central issue: access to justice for women and girls. Read the full story, “Gender Equality: A Global Priority or a Global Consensus?”, on globalissues.org →

GENEVA, Switzerland & SRINAGAR, India, March 23 (IPS) - The global climate system continued its alarming trajectory in 2025, with multiple indicators reaching record or near-record extremes, underscoring the accelerating pace of climate change and its cascading impacts on ecosystems and human societies, according to the latest State of the Global Climate 2025 report released by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO). Read the full story, “World Heating Faster Than Expected, Scientists Sound Alarm in latest UN Report”, on globalissues.org →

More than four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, “the violence is worse than ever” and far from abating, the head of UN political and peacebuilding affairs said on Monday in a briefing to the Security Council. Read the full story, “Ukraine violence ‘worse than ever’, Security Council hears”, on globalissues.org →