Global Issues

BRIGHTON, UK, March 19 (IPS) - The 2026 campaign on World Water Day’s focuses on Water and Gender – ‘where water flows, equality grows’ . While substantial progress has been achieved across a range of gender indicators spanning education, health and public participation, the situation around WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) is still marked by deep inequalities with women and girls disproportionately affected – and this reflects the persistence of global patriarchy. Read the full story, “Where Water Doesn’t Flow, Equality Doesn’t Grow – Challenging Global Patriarchy this World Water Day”, on globalissues.org →

NEW YORK & SRINAGAR, India, March 19 (IPS) - A new United Nations report has warned that global water inequality remains one of the most pressing development challenges of the decade, with billions still lacking safe drinking water and sanitation – while women and girls continue to bear the heaviest burden of water insecurity. Read the full story, “80 Percent of Rural Households Without Direct Water Access – World Water Report”, on globalissues.org →

KYIV, Ukraine, March 19 (IPS) - It is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the tension, violence and uncertainty in the world in recent years. The number of wars is growing, more and more money is being spent on weapons, and the rhetoric of major powers is becoming increasingly decisive. Read the full story, “Is WWIII here?”, on globalissues.org →

The crisis in the Middle East continues, with ongoing strikes across the region driving civilian casualties, displacement and rising humanitarian needs. Concerns are also growing over maritime security, attacks on healthcare and the protection of critical infrastructure, including nuclear facilities. UN agencies are scaling up emergency assistance despite access constraints and supply disruptions. Stay with us for live updates from across the UN system. App users can follow coverage here.Read the full story, “MIDDLE EAST LIVE 19 March: Civilians bear the brunt as strikes and displacement rise”, on globalissues.org →

HERAT, Afghanistan, March 18 (IPS) - When Khadija Ahmadzada was arrested in Herat province of Afghanistan in January this year, it sparked widespread domestic and international protests. Women’s rights activists and social media users raised their voices with slogans such as “Sport is not a crime,” “Education is a right for women,” and “Don’t erase women,” often using the hashtag #BeHerVoice. Read the full story, “Young Afghan Taekwondo Women Coach Chose Resistance over Surrender to Taliban”, on globalissues.org →

BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe, March 18 (IPS) - Africa’s eye on minerals as the be-all-and-cure-all for the continent’s development agenda is being tested by geopolitical gamesmanship as global superpowers jostle to carve new spheres of influence. Read the full story, “Africa’s Minerals Boon, Cautious Optimism Amid Geopolitical Disruptions”, on globalissues.org →

CIVICUS discusses China’s tech-enabled repression with Fergus Ryan, a Senior Analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), where he specialises in how the Chinese Communist Party shapes global information environments through censorship, propaganda and platform governance. His research includes a major study on China’s AI ecosystem and its human rights impacts, as well as investigations into China’s use of foreign influencers. Read the full story, “CHINA: ‘The State Is Using Generative AI to Engineer Reality Through Informational Gaslighting’”, on globalissues.org →

DELHI, India, March 18 (IPS) - In public discourse today, Muslims often appear as subjects of debate rather than authors of their own histories. Discussions about Muslim societies tend to revolve around geopolitics, security or conflict, leaving little space for the cultural, artistic and intellectual traditions that have shaped Muslim communities across centuries. Read the full story, “Beyond Stereotypes: Reclaiming Muslim Histories during Ramadan”, on globalissues.org →

UNITED NATIONS, March 18 (IPS) - As the world continues to be weighed down in political and military turmoil, drones are being increasingly used as weapons of war in a rash of ongoing conflicts—including Ukraine vs Russia, Israel vs Palestine, US vs Iran and Israel vs Lebanon, plus in civil wars in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Sudan and Haiti. Read the full story, “A Remotely-Piloted Weapon That Targets Civilians in War Zones”, on globalissues.org →

The UN is mourning the loss of Nicholas Haysom, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for South Sudan, whose went from advising Nelson Mandela following the historic anti-apartheid struggle to becoming a “tireless” champion of crisis diplomacy for the UN in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.Read the full story, “UN mourns constitutional lawyer-turned top crisis diplomat, Nicholas Haysom”, on globalissues.org →