Global Issues

UNITED NATIONS, March 10 (IPS) - We have heard it all: When a woman raises her voice, she’s too emotional. When she stands her ground, she’s too difficult. When she leads, she’s too ambitious. If she wears dark suits they whisper ‘why does she always look like a man’. But oh my gosh! if she shows up in a colorful dresses and high heels…. Read the full story, “Gender Discrimination: It’s Time to Flip the Narrative”, on globalissues.org →

UNITED NATIONS, March 10 (IPS) - The ongoing military conflict between Ukraine and Russia—which began February 2022, with no visible signs of ending—has triggered major arms transfers to Europe. Read the full story, “Global Arms Flow Jump Nearly 10 per cent as European Demand Soars due to Transfers to Ukraine”, on globalissues.org →

The conflict in the Middle East continues, with strikes and counter-strikes across the region and the humanitarian toll mounting. UN agencies warn that rising civilian casualties, mass displacement – particularly in Lebanon – and damage to critical infrastructure are deepening the crisis, while disruptions to shipping and energy routes risk driving up global prices and worsening food insecurity. Stay with us for updates from across the United Nations system. UN News app users can follow the coverage here.Read the full story, “MIDDLE EAST LIVE 10 March: Displacement, supply shocks and civilian toll rise”, on globalissues.org →

Toxic “black rain” linked to strikes on oil depots, mass displacement and continuing disruption to aid supply chains are upending lives across the Middle East and beyond after 10 days of war in the region, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday. Read the full story, “‘Toxic rain’ warning from oil depot strikes amid ongoing Middle East war”, on globalissues.org →

Nicaragua’s Government is financing the repression of its opponents through illegal misuse of public funds and targeting exiles through a transnational surveillance and intelligence network, the UN Group of Independent Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua warned in its latest report on Tuesday.Read the full story, “Nicaragua: Rights experts uncover State corruption fuelling repression, spying on exiles”, on globalissues.org →

The UN chief on Tuesday applauded civil society groups for “shaking the foundations of privilege” in a male-dominated world, addressing a range of questions during a townhall meeting on the margins of the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) at UN Headquarters.Read the full story, “‘You are the foundation-shakers’: UN chief answers tough questions at townhall with women’s civil society groups”, on globalissues.org →

UNITED NATIONS, March 9 (IPS) - On International Women’s Day (March 8), global leaders and advocates gather around the rallying cry to strengthen justice systems for all women and girls in a time of increasing pushbacks on gender equality. Read the full story, “International Women’s Day 2026 - Justice for Women and Girls Needs Action and Political Will”, on globalissues.org →

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay, March 9 (IPS) - Consider what International Women’s Day looked like a few years ago, and what it looks like now: the same date, the same global moment of reflection, but a vastly changed global landscape. Gender rights are facing the most coordinated and wide-ranging attack in decades. Anti-rights forces are dismantling protections secured after generations of struggle, destroying infrastructure built to address gender-based violence and realise reproductive rights and rewriting legal frameworks to roll back rights, with a specific focus on excluding transgender people. This is the result of a deliberate, carefully crafted, handsomely funded and globally coordinated strategy. Read the full story, “International Women’s Day 2026 - A Resistance Stronger than the Backlash”, on globalissues.org →

NEW YORK, March 9 (IPS) - As we observe International Women’s Day (IWD) this year, the global community does so in a time of continuing turbulence, conflicts and uncertainty about the future of our planet. Read the full story, “International Women’s Day 2026 - This Year’s International Women’s Day Calls for Electing a Woman as the next Secretary-General”, on globalissues.org →

NEW YORK, March 9 (IPS) - International Women’s Day 2026 (IWD 2026), which was commemorated March 8, under the theme, “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls“, calls for action to dismantle all barriers to equal justice: discriminatory laws, weak legal protections, and harmful practices and social norms that erode the rights of women and girls. It demands an end to systemic violence and misogyny, including calls for justice for Epstein survivors. Read the full story, “International Women’s Day 2026 - The Gender Architecture of Betrayal: Stop Elite Impunity”, on globalissues.org →