Africa - INTER PRESS SERVICE

UN Secretary-General António Guterres delivers a special address on Climate Action “A Moment of Opportunity: Supercharging the New Energy Era”. Credit: UN Photo/Mark Garten

By Oritro Karim
UNITED NATIONS, Jul 24 2025 (IPS)

As a result of the worsening climate crisis, extreme weather patterns have disrupted nearly all aspects of human life around the world. With the impacts of fossil fuel reliance being more pronounced than ever before, the United Nations (UN) has implored governments and industries to begin adopting more sustainable, renewable energy sources.

On July 22, UN Secretary‑General António Guterres delivered a speech address: A Moment of Opportunity: Supercharging the Clean Energy Age, in which he relayed the significance and necessity of the energy transition to renewable, clean energy sources. It was a follow-up to to the previous year’s special address, Moment of Truth, in which he declared that the era of fossil fuel usage is nearing its end.

“The fossil fuel age is flailing and failing. We are in the dawn of a new energy era,” said Guterres. “The energy transition is unstoppable, but the transition is not yet fast enough or fair enough…That world is within reach, but it won’t happen on its own.”

According to Guterres, it is imperative that global financing for clean energy programs is scaled up to account for wider-scale usage of renewable fuel sources in the place of fossil fuels. Figures from the UN state that funds must increase five-fold by 2030 in order to keep global temperatures below the 1.5 degrees Celsius limit from the Paris Agreement.

Over the past ten years, only one in five clean energy dollars was allocated to emerging economies outside of China, making it difficult for the vast majority of global industries to adapt to renewable energy usage. Additionally, Africa received only 2 percent of the global fund for clean energy investment, despite the continent having 60 percent of the world’s best sources of solar power.

It is crucial to secure additional investments in clean energy as soon as possible as the climate crisis will have disastrous impacts on human health, livelihoods, economies, and the environment if it continues at the same rate of acceleration. Africa’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) projects that by 2050, there will be 14.5 million climate-related deaths, equivalent to over 2 billion years of life lost. Additionally, the global economy could see an estimated loss of $12.5 trillion USD by 2050.

Currently, climate change is a leading driver of worldwide food insecurity. Hotter temperatures and extreme weather patterns, such as floods, droughts, and wildfires, disrupt agri-food systems around the world, causing reduced crop yields and significant rates of inflation, pushing average costs of food out of reach for vulnerable communities.

On July 2, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) released a report, Global Drought Hotspots report catalogs severe suffering, economic damage, in which it analyzed the effects of the worst global droughts in recent history. It is estimated that over 90 million people in eastern and southern Africa face extreme hunger as a result of climate-driven droughts. Additionally, women, children, the elderly, farmers, and people with chronic illness are disproportionately affected by climate-driven droughts, with health risks such as cholera infections, acute malnutrition, and waterborne illness running rampant around the world.

“The report shows the deep and widespread impacts of drought in an interconnected world: from its rippling effects on price of basic commodities like rice, sugar and oil from Southeast Asia and the Mediterranean; to disruptions in access to drinking water and food in the Amazon due to low river levels, to tens of millions affected by malnutrition and displacement across Africa, “ said Andrea Meza, UNCCD’s Deputy Executive Secretary. “We must urgently invest in sustainable land and water management, nature-based solutions, adapted crops, and integrated public policies to build our resilience to drought —or face increasing economic shocks, instability and forced migration.”

Additionally, the climate crisis has had a significant negative impact on children’s access to education worldwide. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), children exposed to extreme heat patterns around the world could lose approximately 1.5 years of schooling. This is particularly pronounced in low and middle-income countries, which make up eight out of ten of UNESCO’s list of most climate-affected nations.

Over 1 billion people reside in these high-risk countries. UNESCO states that these nations face numerous climate-related disruptions to learning every year, with schools being closed in about 75 percent of all extreme weather events, affecting approximately 5 million children each time.

Climate-sensitive countries such as those in Asia and Central America are especially vulnerable. In China, hotter temperatures have resulted in fewer average years of schooling, worsened performance on important standardized tests, and lower rates of high school completion and college entrance. In Brazil’s most impoverished regions, students lost about 1 percent of learning per year due to extreme heat exposure.

Despite these impacts, the Secretary-General has expressed hope due to recent global successes in the transition to renewable energy sources. On July 22, the UN released the 2025 edition of its Energy Transition Report: Seizing the Moment of Opportunity. This report underscored the progress that was made since the adoption of the Paris Agreement, as well as areas of priority that must be addressed when facilitating this transition.

Since 2010, the costs of renewable energy sources have been gradually declining, to the point that they have become far more affordable than fossil fuels. It is estimated that 90 percent of renewable energy sources around the world are more affordable than the cheapest nonrenewable ones. Figures from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) show that solar power went from being roughly four times more expensive than renewable energy to 41 percent cheaper and wind energy has become 53 percent cheaper.

In 2024, approximately $2 trillion USD was invested in clean energy, compared to the $800 billion invested in the fossil fuels industry. This marks a 70 percent increase from investments in clean energy made one decade ago.

It is imperative for governments to incorporate energy-transition goals into national legislations and provide adequate and ethical guidelines that streamline this process. This transition must empower vulnerable communities that have been most affected by the climate crisis, such as women, children, the disabled, and racial minorities. There must also be guidelines in place that ensure a just transition for workers in which they receive social protections.

Additionally, there must be an effort to maximize the outputs of renewable energy sources so that they can replace global fossil fuels systems entirely. The UN is hopeful that there will be universal access to clean energy by 2030 and that major tech firms will be 100 percent powered by renewable sources by the same year.

“This is not just a shift in power. It is a shift in possibility,” said Guterres. “Of course, the fossil fuel lobby will try, and we know the lengths to which they will go. But, I have never been more confident that they will fail because we have passed the point of no return.”

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

Follow @IPSNewsUNBureau
!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');  

UN premises, such as the WHO compound in Deir Al-Balah (pictured), have been struck during the Gaza conflict. Credit: WHO

By James E. Jennings
ATLANTA, USA, Jul 24 2025 (IPS)

The dramatic story of Israel’s birth in 1948 following the Nazi Holocaust captured the wonder and admiration of the world. Its founders claimed that Israel would be a light to the nations, but now the Jewish State’s identity has gone from being the victim of genocide to perpetrator in less than two generations.

Israel’s Likud government stands accused of genocide in Gaza by a UN Special Committee, the World Court’s admission that the accusation is plausible, and recently by 28 nations acting in concert to declare Israel in violation of International Humanitarian Law.

What happened? Rather than face the truth of 75 years of injustice to Palestinians that led to the terrible slaughter and hostage-taking by HAMAS in 2023, most Israelis support the daily overkill in Gaza, now nearly two years long. After more than 100,000 casualties under constant bombing of the civilian population with no one shooting back, famine has begun.

By contrast, the speech of Israel’s founding father David Ben Gurion on Israel’s Independence Day declared that:

The State of Israel will…foster the development of the country for the benefit of all its inhabitants; it will be based on freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel; it will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex; it will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture; it will safeguard the Holy Places of all religions; and it will be faithful to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations.

A woman and child walk through the heavily bombed town of Khuza’a in the Gaza Strip. Credit: UN Women/Samar Abu Elouf

Every observer can now see that Israel as a society and government have performed exactly in the opposite way. Israel lost its soul by becoming racist, then racialist, the doctrinaire view of Menachem Begin that Jews are by nature and divine right superior to other races. This has led to suppression of the Palestinians, and, if given the opportunity, to their extermination, as is now evident in Gaza.

If the state exists for the benefit of all its inhabitants, why did President Jimmy Carter, who succeeded in brokering peace between Israel and Egypt, write a book titled Peace, Not Apartheid? If Israel exists for all its citizens, why are the Israeli Arabs second class citizens? Why do Palestinians who fled their homes in 1948 and 1967 still live in camps, with nearly six million persons still classified as refugees?

Why under its decades-long military occupation of Palestine, have Arabs been killed, imprisoned, wounded, neighborhoods bombed, houses destroyed, streets plowed up, families and neighborhoods imprisoned behind concrete walls, and an entire population denied the right to travel? Why, if Israel safeguards the Holy Places of all religions, has its air force bombed nearly 1,000 mosques in Gaza and now the few churches and a Christian hospital there too?

The Zionist’s answer to these questions may be that the Palestinians under decades of military rule are not actually citizens of Israel. That is a distinction without a difference, because the occupying authority has legal responsibility for the population under occupation, including the West Bank and Gaza.

True, there are areas declared to be administered by the Palestinians alone, but no one pretends that the Palestinian territory is truly free and independent. The occupied territory and its people remain wards of the Israeli state.

The idea that the Israeli government for most of its history, and especially now, is faithful to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations is laughable. Even though the UN created Israel, its various governments have long denied any right of the UN to curtail its expansionist aims and war-making powers.

That is made clear most recently by two actions: the joint June 2025 Israel-US stealth attacks on Iran, a member state of the UN, and the years-long systematic bombing and dismantling of UN agencies, offices, schools, and food distribution sites in Gaza.

A Jewish Holocaust survivor, Raphael Lemkin, coined the word genocide and made it his lifelong task to see it implemented in international law. The Genocide Convention was ratified by the United Nations in 1948 but is being deliberately flaunted by Israel in Gaza.

Genocide is a serious charge, but its terms in international law are clear: no killing or setting up conditions for the destruction of a people group just because they are members of that group; no forced expulsion or transfers of that group; and no public advocacy to do so, which is a key provision already violated by Messrs. Netanyahu, Trump, Galant, and others.

In January 2024 the International Court of Justice (ICJ), joined by an Israeli ad hoc Judge, Aharon Barak, voted to urge punishment of those advocating expulsion or transfer of the population of Gaza.

What responsibility do the citizens of Israel have for the actions of their government? Complete responsibility in corporate terms, but not as individuals unless they specifically vote for or advocate genocidal actions. Israeli opposition figures, of which there are very few, are courageous and deserve praise.

What about the citizens of the United States where both Democrats and Republicans have long aided and abetted Israel’s violence toward those under its protection?

Governments and citizens everywhere must join forces to prevent famine from claiming more children in Gaza. US citizens must raise our voices now or be forever classed with those who allowed and abetted today’s Genocide.

James E. Jennings PhD is President of Conscience International, and Leader of US Academics for Peace delegations to Iraq, Iran, Syria, Sudan, and other countries. He taught Middle East History, Archaeology, and Religion at several universities, including The University of Illinois, The University of Tennessee, The University of Akron, and Wheaton College.

IPS UN Bureau

 

Follow @IPSNewsUNBureau
!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');  

The World Bank-funded Msimbazi Basin Development Project aims to turn Dar es Salaam’s flood-prone areas into a climate-resilient green park. Credit: Kizito Makoye/IPS

By Kizito Makoye
DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania, Jul 24 2025 (IPS)

When the rains pounded through the night, 44-year-old Teresia Katimba clutched her rosary and prayed silently, her fingers trembling with each whispered Hail Mary. A devout Catholic and mother of four, she stayed awake, huddling her children, hoping the floodwaters wouldn’t engulf them.

In Jangwani, a flood-prone neighborhood in Dar es Salaam, where the Msimbazi River slithers through crowded shacks and a tangle of mangroves, heavy rains routinely trigger flooding and displacement.

“There were nights we didn’t sleep,” says Katimba. “You just sat awake, waiting for the water to come.”

Katimba had learned to read the signs. And on that night, they spelled danger. Her house, nestled precariously beside the riverbank, became a target for misery. Murky floodwater—infested with sewage, discarded plastic bottles and garbage—perpetually surged through the door, soaking mattresses and spoiling maize flour, charcoal and dried sardines.

“My children were terrified; we somehow managed to survive anyway,” she says.

Katimba, an entrepreneur, saw the danger. But like many residents in the impoverished neighborhood, she stayed put—until the floods almost swept away everything.

Today, her life is different. She received compensation in 2024 and relocated to Madale, a dry, forested neighborhood 39 kilometers away, where she built a modest house. “We’re very happy to be here,” she says. “There’s no floodwater to worry about.”

The plight of Katimba’s family highlights wider challenges for many city dwellers.

Teresia Katimba has moved from the dangerous floodplains to safer ground. Credit: Kizito Makoye/IPS

Miraculous Escape

Matilda Msemwa, a resident of Kigogo, recalls how the floods engulfed her living room and destroyed her valued furniture.

Shortly after midnight she sensed a foul smell and an abrupt change in air pressure. Minutes later, the floodwater had risen to waist level.

“I had to scream for help. My daughter nearly drowned as the floods violently filled the house,” she says

Rapid Urbanization

Home to 5.8 million people, Dar es Salaam, one of Africa’s fastest-growing cities, is highly vulnerable to flooding. Around 70 percent of its inhabitants live in informal settlements that are prone to flooding. In 2018, one flooding event at the Msimbazi basin inflicted property damage worth USD 100 million, or 2 percent of the city’s GDP, according to World Bank data.

But for the first time, Dar es Salaam is tackling the flood menace head-on.

Backed by climate financing, the USD 200 million World Bank-funded Msimbazi Basin Development Project aims to turn Dar es Salaam’s flood-prone areas into a climate-resilient green park.

Running through 2028, the project targets the city’s lower Msimbazi River basin, home to 330,000 people living in squalid settlements.

Plans include modern flood control infrastructure—river dredging, terracing, and a complete overhaul of the Jangwani bridge and bus depot.

“This project was conceived after the floods in February 2018, which were very devastating,” says John Morton, a project manager at the World Bank. “The then vice president, who is now the president, convened all the agencies to say, ‘Please come up with a solution for Msimbazi’.”

It was precisely this reality that gave birth to the Msimbazi Opportunity Plan—a comprehensive roadmap to restore the degraded basin and manage future floods. That blueprint is now being realized through a concessional loan from the International Development Association (IDA), part of the World Bank Group.

“IDA credits are concessional,” Morton explains. “They are basically low- or no-interest, with a long grace period and a long repayment period.”

A graphic representation of the Msimbazi Basin Development Project.

More Than Money

But it’s not just the World Bank putting its money where the floodwaters are. The Netherlands and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) are also on board.

“The Netherlands’ contribution is a grant,” says Morton. “They’re financing 30 million euros, matching our co-financing for a particular subcomponent of the project… It’s a big earthworks contract. They’ll finance 50 percent up to their 30 million euro cap, and then we finance the rest.”

The Spanish funds, he adds, are structured similarly to IDA’s and will be blended into the project once finalized.

Evacuating to Safety

One of the most controversial parts of the initiative is the resettlement of low-income residents currently living in the floodplain. For Morton, the logic is simple—rescue starts with relocation.

“It was very evident that people did not want to live there,” he says. “Their property was being damaged. Their kids were out of school… the flooding was too devastating.”

According to the World Bank, USD 30 million has been disbursed for resettlement of around 3,500 households trapped in high-risk areas.

Reclaiming the Green

At the center of the project’s vision is not just dry homes but a green, living park. The Msimbazi floodplain, currently a chaotic sprawl of settlements and garbage, will be restored to a natural detention area—a place where floodwaters can spread without destroying lives and property.

“Eventually, what we’ll have is basically a flood detention area that’ll be a park and have natural ecosystems, as well as some more park facility-like things that can naturally flood as it should,” Morton says.

Mangrove forests—critical to both river and marine ecosystems—will be protected and expanded.

“The mangroves provide an important function, both on the coastal side and for the river itself,” says Morton. “Right now, they’re under stress from sedimentation and garbage. The idea is to expand them and maintain their function in purifying the water.”

Waste Not, Want Not

Another key concern for Dar’s residents is waste—both solid and liquid—that chokes the river and pollutes the Indian Ocean. Unplanned dumping of rubbish, household sewage, and industrial effluents has turned the river into a toxic soup in places.

The project, says Morton, addresses this head-on.

“There’s a component on watershed management… including reforestation in the middle and upper basin, protection of riverbanks, and investments in solid waste management,” he says.

Many of these interventions target informal settlements that currently dump waste directly into the river.

“There are investments to help organize them and organize services to make sure that collection improves,” he adds.

On the sewage front, the project will initiate a comprehensive monitoring programme to better understand wastewater flows and engage responsible agencies like DAWASA to develop sewerage plans.

Cautious Optimism

‘It’s a turning point—but only if we get it right,’ says Sylvia Macchi, an urban expert on Msimbazi Valley Project

For Macchi, a respected urban development specialist and long-time observer of Dar es Salaam’s planning chaos, the Msimbazi Valley Development Project is “perhaps the most ambitious climate-resilience intervention this city has ever attempted.”

But she’s not clapping just yet.

“We’ve seen grand plans come and go in Dar,” she says. “What matters now is execution—not promises.”

The professor, who has spent decades researching informal settlements and urban flooding in Tanzania, believes the project has the potential to redraw the city’s future—if handled properly.

“Clearing the valley, relocating at-risk communities, and restoring green spaces along the Msimbazi River—that’s urban transformation at scale,” she tells IPS.

Will it Last?

All eyes are now on the future. The project is scheduled to run until 2028—but what happens then?

“There’s an idea to create an institution to manage the park, real estate, and broader watershed,” Morton says. “That’s being studied now—on the legal aspects and how it would be financed.”

Revenue could come from land sales, developer fees, and even regulated sand mining.

“There’ll be proper sand mining, which will help manage the watershed and generate funds,” he explains.

This institution will oversee not just park maintenance but also ensure that gains in environmental protection and climate resilience are not lost after the project closes.

An Oasis in the Making

In a city gasping for green space, the transformation of the Msimbazi floodplain into an urban oasis is as symbolic as it is strategic. Dar es Salaam doesn’t just need protection from floods—it needs hope. And for Morton, the basin’s rebirth is about more than drainage ditches and concrete.

“This is going to be an asset for the city,” he says. “Not only to reduce flooding but to be a park—a green space that doesn’t exist in Dar es Salaam now. Everybody will have access to it, including low-, medium-, and high-income people. That’s the broader benefit.”

If successful, the Msimbazi Basin Development Project won’t just protect Dar’s poorest—it will provide a blueprint for climate-resilient urban planning across Africa.

“This is about turning adversity into opportunity,” Morton says with measured optimism.

From the banks of the Msimbazi River to the halls of the World Bank, the vision is clear. Dar es Salaam will no longer surrender to the floodwaters. With strong oversight, community input, and green innovation, the city’s greatest vulnerability may just become its most precious asset.

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

Follow @IPSNewsUNBureau
!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById({js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');   Related Articles

• The Cost of Conservation—How Tanzania Is Erasing the Maasai Identity
• Reviving Mangroves at the Edge of Mozambique Channel
• Chumbe Island: How Tanzania is Leading the Charge to Save Our Oceans

International Court of Justice at the announcement of its advisory opinion on climate change. Credit: Cecilia Russell/IPS

By Cecilia Russell
THE HAGUE & JOHANNESBURG, Jul 23 2025 (IPS)

The case was “unlike any that have previously come before the court,” President of the International Court of Justice Judge Yuji Iwasawa said while reading the court’s unanimous advisory opinion outlining the legal obligations of United Nations member states with regard to climate change. This case was not simply a “legal problem” but “concerned an existential problem of planetary proportions that imperils all forms of life and the very health of our planet,” Iwasawa said.

“A complete solution to this daunting and self-inflicted problem requires the contribution of all fields of human knowledge, whether law, science, economics or any other; above all, a lasting and satisfactory solution requires human will and wisdom at the individual social and political levels to change our habits, comforts, and current way of life to secure a future for ourselves and those who are yet to come,” the opinion read.

The opinion was welcomed by Ralph Regenvanu, Minister of Climate Change Adaptation, Meteorology & Geo-Hazards, Energy, Environment and Disaster Management for the Republic of Vanuatu.

“Today’s ruling is a landmark opinion that confirms what we, vulnerable nations have been saying, and we’ve known for so long, that states do have legal obligations to act on climate change, and these obligations are guaranteed by international law. They’re guaranteed by human rights law, and they’re grounded in the duty to protect our environment, which we heard the court referred to so much,” Regenvanu said.

Margaretha Wewerinke-Singh, legal counsel for Vanuatu’s ICJ case and international lawyer at Blue Ocean Law, hailed the opinion, saying it even held the United States, which recently under President Donald Trump recently withdrew from the Paris Agreement, as it bound all states within the United Nations.

Wewerinke-Singh said the opinion meant that the “era where producers can freely produce and can argue that their climate policies are a matter of discretion—they’re free to decide on the climate policies—that era is really over. We have entered an era of accountability, in which states can be held to account for their current emissions if they’re excessive but also for what they have failed to do in the past.”

The detailed advisory opinion dealt with obligations of states under various climate conventions and treaties and humanitarian law.

The court concluded that in terms of the climate agreements, state parties

• To the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change have an obligation to adopt measures with a view to contributing to the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climate change.
• Have additional obligations to take the lead in combating climate change by limiting their greenhouse gas emissions and enhancing their greenhouse gas sinks and reservoirs.
• To the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, have a duty to cooperate with each other in order to achieve the underlying objective of the convention.
• To the Kyoto Protocol must comply with applicable provisions of the protocol.
• To the Paris Agreement have an obligation to act with due diligence in taking measures in accordance with their common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities capable of making an adequate contribution to achieving the temperature goal set out in the agreement.
• To the Paris Agreement have an obligation to prepare, communicate and maintain successive and progressive, nationally determined contributions, which, when taken together, are capable of achieving the temperature goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
• State parties to the Paris agreement have an obligation to pursue measures which are capable of achieving the objectives set out in their successive nationally determined contributions.
• State parties to the Paris agreement have obligations of adaptation and cooperation, including through technology and financial transfers, which must be performed in good faith.

In addition, the court was of the opinion that customary international law sets forth obligations for states to ensure the protection of the climate system and other parts of the environment from anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions.

These obligations include the following:

• States have a duty to prevent significant harm to the environment by acting with due diligence and to use all means at their disposal to prevent activities carried out within their jurisdiction or control from causing significant harm to the climate system and other parts of the environment in accordance with their common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities.
• States have a duty to cooperate with each other in good faith to prevent significant harm to the climate system and other parts of the environment, which requires sustained and continuous forms of cooperation by states when taking measures to prevent such harm.
• State parties to the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the ozone layer and to the protocol and to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete ozone layer and its Kigali amendment, the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in those countries experiencing serious drought and/or desertification, particularly in Africa, have obligations under these treaties to ensure the protection of the climate system and other parts of the environment from anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions.
• State parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea have an obligation to adopt measures to protect and preserve the marine environment, including from the adverse effects of climate change, and to cooperate in good faith.

However, the court did not end there; it was of the opinion that states have obligations under international human rights law and are required to take “measures to protect the climate system and other parts of the environment.”

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

Follow @IPSNewsUNBureau
!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById({js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');  

By Mohammad Rakibul Hasan
NARAYANGANJ, Bangladesh, Jul 23 2025 (IPS)

Nikli Upazila, located in the Kishoreganj district of Bangladesh, is part of the haor region, a vast wetland ecosystem characterized by bowl-shaped depressions. This unique geography subjects the area to significant climatic challenges, particularly recurrent flooding. The haor region, including Nikli, experiences a subtropical monsoon climate with distinct wet and dry seasons. During the monsoon season, heavy rainfall often leads to extensive flooding. Flash floods have become increasingly unpredictable and severe in recent years, causing substantial damage to agricultural lands and affecting the livelihoods of local communities. These people, trapped by water and driven by poverty, journey from the Haor to brickfields, where their lives become an endless cycle of hardship.

Agriculture, especially boro rice (a kind of a rice) cultivation, is the primary livelihood for many residents of Nikli. However, the unpredictability of flash floods poses a significant threat to crop yields. The high seasonality of the haor-based economy forces local people to remain out of work for a considerable period, leading to food insecurity. Faced with these challenges, many families from Nikli engage in seasonal migration to urban and peri-urban areas such as Dhaka, Savar, Narayanganj, and Munshiganj. They seek employment opportunities in sectors like brickfields, where both adults and children often work under strenuous conditions. The city is expanding and this migration is not just a means of income but a survival strategy to cope with the economic hardships imposed by environmental vulnerabilities.

The migration of entire families, including children, to work in brickfields highlights the severe socioeconomic pressures faced by communities in Nikli. While this migration provides temporary financial relief, it also exposes individuals, especially women and children, to exploitative labor practices and adverse living conditions. Moreover, the absence of family members during significant portions of the year disrupts community cohesion and affects the social fabric of the region.

The cyclical nature of flooding in Nikli Upazila, compounded by the lack of local employment opportunities, necessitates seasonal migration as a coping mechanism for many families. Addressing these challenges requires a multifaceted approach, including improved flood management, diversification of local livelihoods, and the implementation of social protection measures to reduce the necessity for distress-driven migration.

Migrants from the flood-prone haor region, like her, seek survival in the hazardous conditions of brick kilns after recurrent flash floods devastate their agricultural lands. Their journey from waterlogged villages to smoke-filled industrial landscapes is one of resilience and hardship.
Narayanganj, Bangladesh – 17 February 2025
Credit: Mohammad Rakibul Hasan

An elderly migrant laborer from the flood-prone haor region of Nikli, Kishoreganj, stacks bricks in a kiln in Narayanganj, Bangladesh. Recurrent flash floods have destroyed his agricultural livelihood, forcing him into the backbreaking work of the brickfields. Cloaked in dust and framed by the smoke of industrial chimneys, his presence reflects the quiet resilience and enduring hardship of climate-displaced communities.
Narayanganj, Bangladesh – 17 February 2025
Credit: Mohammad Rakibul Hasan

Amid smoke-belching chimneys, migrant workers women and men from the flood-devastated haor region pass sunbaked bricks down a human chain in a brickfield in Narayanganj, Bangladesh. Climate-induced displacement has driven these families from their waterlogged farmlands into the grueling labor of the kilns. Their synchronized movements, though born of necessity, reflect both survival and solidarity under harsh industrial skies.
Narayanganj, Bangladesh – 17 February 2025
Credit: Mohammad Rakibul Hasan

A laborer, his face and body cloaked in red dust, balances a heavy stack of baked bricks on his head inside a brick kiln in Narayanganj, Bangladesh. Originally from the climate-stricken haor region, he is one of many who migrate seasonally in search of survival. The symmetry of his burden mirrors the unyielding weight of economic desperation and environmental displacement.
Narayanganj, Bangladesh – 17 February 2025
Credit: Mohammad Rakibul Hasan

Surrounded by dust and decay inside a brick kiln in Narayanganj, two children—siblings of migrant workers from the flood-hit haor region lean into each other, their foreheads touching in quiet connection. In a world shaped by displacement and labor, their moment of tenderness stands in stark contrast to the harshness around them, echoing a fragile sense of care and continuity amidst upheaval.
Narayanganj, Bangladesh – 17 February 2025
Credit: Mohammad Rakibul Hasan

A young man leans against the scorched walls of a brick kiln in Narayanganj, his face marked by dust and determination. Wearing a football jersey far from any field of play, he is among the thousands who migrate each year from Bangladesh’s flood-prone haor region, where the intensifying impacts of climate change rising temperatures, erratic monsoon patterns, and recurring flash floods have made agriculture increasingly untenable. Once a farmer’s son, he now survives by toiling in the suffocating heat of the kilns, his gaze a quiet reminder of the futures being reshaped by a warming world.
Narayanganj, Bangladesh – 17 February 2025
Credit: Mohammad Rakibul Hasan

A young girl flashes a radiant smile while helping her mother push a heavy cart of raw bricks in a kiln in Narayanganj, Bangladesh. Behind the smile lies a story shaped by climate catastrophe her family, once farmers in the flood-ravaged haor region, was displaced by unpredictable monsoon floods worsened by climate change. Now, in the dusty heat of the brickfields, survival is a collective effort where even childhood is burdened with labor.
Narayanganj, Bangladesh – 17 February 2025
Credit: Mohammad Rakibul Hasan

Covered in dust and sweat, laborers in a Narayanganj brickfield balance stacks of bricks on their heads, their bodies bearing the weight of both labor and survival. These workers, many of whom migrated from flood-stricken haor regions, endure grueling conditions to earn a living. The reddish haze of dust fills the air, a testament to the relentless toil in this harsh, unforgiving landscape.
Narayanganj, Bangladesh – 17 February 2025
Credit: Mohammad Rakibul Hasan

Under the shadow of a towering chimney, men, women, and even children pass bricks hand to hand in a relentless chain of labor at a brickfield in Narayanganj, Bangladesh. These workers, many displaced by climate-induced floods in the haor region, endure extreme conditions in search of survival. The unity in their movements reflects both resilience and struggle, as smoke billows above, symbolizing the cost of their toil.
Narayanganj, Bangladesh – 17 February 2025
Credit: Mohammad Rakibul Hasan

In the sweltering heart of a brick kiln in Narayanganj, Bangladesh, a chain of men and women many displaced by climate-induced flooding in the haor region pass bricks hand to hand, cart to cart, with rhythmic precision. Their synchronized labor sustains a city’s expansion while their own homes sink under water year after year. The smoke rising from the chimney behind them mirrors the slow burn of environmental injustice that forces thousands into this grinding cycle of survival.
Narayanganj, Bangladesh – 17 February 2025
Credit: Mohammad Rakibul Hasan

Displaced men and women from Bangladesh’s climate-hit haor region haul carts overloaded with raw bricks inside a kiln in Narayanganj. With their farmlands submerged season after season due to erratic flash floods, they have no choice but to migrate for survival. In this tightly choreographed world of labor, the boundary between exhaustion and endurance fades—brick by brick, they build not just cities, but the story of a nation navigating climate crisis.
Narayanganj, Bangladesh – 17 February 2025
Credit: Mohammad Rakibul Hasan

A woman pushes a heavily loaded cart of bricks with all her strength as her male counterpart pulls from behind in a kiln in Narayanganj, Bangladesh. Once farmers in the haor wetlands, now rendered uninhabitable by intensified monsoon flooding and erratic climate patterns, they have become climate migrants trading green fields for red dust. In this unrelenting choreography of labor, survival is carved into every gesture, every step forward in the sweltering heat.
Narayanganj, Bangladesh – 17 February 2025
Credit: Mohammad Rakibul Hasan

A woman, her face covered in dust, offers a resilient smile amid the harsh realities of brickfield labor in Narayanganj, Bangladesh. Behind her, another woman strains to push a heavy cart loaded with bricks. Like many migrant workers from the flood-ravaged haor region, they endure backbreaking work under the sun to support their families. Their strength and determination shine through, even in the toughest conditions.
Narayanganj, Bangladesh – 17 February 2025
Credit: Mohammad Rakibul Hasan

A woman strains to push a heavy cart loaded with bricks, her hands gripping the worn metal frame as dust clings to her skin in a brickfield in Narayanganj, Bangladesh. Behind her, men balance stacks of bricks on their heads, while a young child, her face marked by dirt and exhaustion, watches the scene unfold. This is the reality for many families who migrate from flood-ravaged haor regions, where survival means enduring relentless labor in the burning sun.
Narayanganj, Bangladesh – 17 February 2025
Credit: Mohammad Rakibul Hasan

Kneeling on sunbaked earth, a migrant laborer from Bangladesh’s haor wetlands balances a stack of bricks on his head inside a kiln in Narayanganj. Once dependent on farming, he was forced to abandon his village after repeated flash floods amplified by climate change wiped out his crops and home. Now, in a world built of dust and survival, he carries the burden of a collapsing environment on his shoulders, one brick at a time.
Narayanganj, Bangladesh – 17 February 2025
Credit: Mohammad Rakibul Hasan

Mohammad Saown, a teenage boy from the flood-affected haor region of Bangladesh, pauses for a moment atop a stack of bricks in a kiln in Narayanganj. Like many children of climate-displaced families, Saown now spends his days working instead of attending school. Seasonal flash floods, worsened by climate change, forced his family to leave behind their village and seek survival in the unforgiving world of brickfields. His quiet smile belies a childhood shaped by hardship and resilience.
Narayanganj, Bangladesh – 17 February 2025
Credit: Mohammad Rakibul Hasan

Children from flood-affected families in Bangladesh’s haor region find moments of joy while living near a brickfield in Narayanganj. Displaced by climate-induced flooding that devastates their agricultural livelihoods, these families migrate annually to brickfields, where life is defined by hardship and strenuous labor. Despite their circumstances, the children’s play reflects resilience and hope amidst challenging conditions.
Narayanganj, Bangladesh – 17 February 2025
Credit: Mohammad Rakibul Hasan

After hours of relentless labor under the blazing sun, a young brickfield worker washes away the dust and fatigue with a splash of cold water. Behind him, the worn concrete wall bears silent witness to the daily rituals of survival. Originally from the climate-ravaged haor region of Bangladesh, he is among thousands who now endure punishing heat, poor sanitation, and long hours in kilns like this one in Narayanganj pushed by floods, held by necessity.
Narayanganj, Bangladesh – 17 February 2025
Credit: Mohammad Rakibul Hasan

— VIDEO —

Mothers in the US are dying from pregnancy-related causes at much higher rates than mothers in any other affluent country. Credit: Shutterstock.

By Joseph Chamie
PORTLAND, USA, Jul 23 2025 (IPS)

The recent legislation passed by the US Congress, oddly named the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB), and signed by the US President, reveals that Republican lawmakers in the nation’s capital do not care about excessive and premature mortality in the United States.

If Republican representatives and senators were genuinely concerned about the expected increase in deaths, the OBBB would not have displayed such disregard for its potentially harmful impact on human life and wellbeing.

In the coming months, the OBBB is likely to result in a rise in excess and premature deaths in the United States, particularly affecting vulnerable groups, such as low-income individuals and families, children, people with disabilities, and seniors.

The lack of concern from Republican lawmakers about the expected excess and premature mortality resulting from the OBBB is evident in the candid remark made by an Iowa Republican senator during a recent town hall meeting.

The millions of US citizens without health insurance coverage and access to care will likely result in people skipping preventative care, treatments and prescriptions, all of which will contribute to increased illness and preventable deaths

When a constituent expressed concerns about potential deaths resulting from cuts to Medicaid in the proposed budget bill, the Republican senator responded by saying, “People are not … well, we’re all going to die, so for heaven’s sakes.”.

The senator’s comment, stating “we’re all going to die”, exemplifies the lack of concern and empathy among federal Republican officials towards the life-threatening impact of the OBBB’s cuts to Medicaid, food assistance (SNAP), changes to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and other crucial government services.

In fact, the budget cut in Medicaid, approximately a $1 trillion reduction over the next 10 years, far exceeds any other cut the United States has made in its social safety net. The US Congressional Budget Office predicts that the cuts to Medicaid will result in millions of people losing health insurance coverage.

The various cuts and changes resulting from the OBBB are expected to increase uninsured rates, reduce access to healthcare services, exacerbate health disparities, and lead to higher mortality rates nationwide. The millions of US citizens without health insurance coverage and access to care will likely result in people skipping preventative care, treatments and prescriptions, all of which will contribute to increased illness and preventable deaths.

Public health and policy researchers from Yale University and the University of Pennsylvania have informed Congressional lawmakers that the OBBB could lead to over 51,000 preventable deaths in the US annually. This would be a result of disenrollments from Medicaid and the Health Insurance Marketplace coverage, reductions in nursing home care, and the loss of drug subsidies for low-income seniors.

Additionally, imposing work requirements on individuals receiving health insurance through programs like Medicaid has not been shown to lead to increased employment levels. Instead, it restricts access to necessary medical care.

With expanding subsidies for fossil fuels and biofuels, the OBBB could also lead to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions, potentially causing more life-threatening weather events and contributing to an estimated 900 annual premature US deaths from local air pollution by 2035.

Apart from the OBBB, budget cuts by the US administration have also been implemented in agencies and departments related to justice, health, education, housing, environment, basic scientific research, and weather forecasting.

The administration has laid off meteorologists, frozen critical positions at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and reduced coordination grants at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Additionally, they have reduced staff, including call center workers, and cut funding for agencies essential for issuing emergency warnings of extreme weather events and coordinating timely responses, likely leading to more deaths.

The cuts to Medicaid, which is the dominant source of coverage for children in the US, are expected to devastate pediatric care in rural and underserved areas. US administration officials are dismantling science-based vaccine policies and pediatric care, which will result in increased deaths, especially among children, from preventable causes.

With the anticipated increase in deaths resulting from the OBBB, the mortality ranking of the United States among developed countries will likely deteriorate. Even before the adoption of this problematic budget legislation, the US’s position on mortality levels among wealthy developed countries was mediocre at best.

For example, consider deaths that occur during the first year of life. The US infant mortality rate is significantly higher than the average of other developed nations. In recent years, the United States has ranked 33rd out of 38 OECD countries on this crucial mortality measure. In 2023, the US infant mortality rate was 6 infant deaths per 1,000 births, compared to an infant mortality rate of about 2 for Italy, Japan, and Sweden (Figure 1).

 

Source: National governments.

 

Additionally, the US has the highest maternal mortality rate among wealthy nations. Mothers in the US are dying from pregnancy-related causes at much higher rates than mothers in any other affluent country. In 2022, the US maternal mortality rate was 22.3 deaths per 100,000 live births, far above rates for other high-income countries. For example, the maternal mortality rate was 3.4 in Japan, 7.6 in France, and 8.4 in Canada.

Regarding longevity, life expectancy at birth in the US in 2023 was 78 years. However, life expectancy varied significantly based on income levels, with the gap widening. In 2023, the richest individuals in the top 1% of US counties lived 84 years, while those in the bottom 50% of counties averaged 77 years.

Many countries surpass the US in terms of life expectancy. For example, Japan has a life expectancy of 87 years, Italy 84 years, and Sweden 83 years (Figure 2).

 

Source: National governments.

 

If one is fortunate enough to reach the age of 65 in the US, life expectancy at that age is lower compared to many other wealthy developed countries. While life expectancy in the US at age 65 is nearly 20 years, it is higher in other countries, such as Australia, France, Japan, and Sweden, where it is approximately 22 years (Figure 3).

 

Source: United Nations.

 

It is crucial to acknowledge that the expected increase in excess and premature mortality in the United States is not due to a foreign government or overseas enemy. Instead, it is self-inflicted by the policies, actions and choices of a Republican-led government.

How will the Republicans respond to the anticipated rise in premature deaths? History suggests they will probably react with their three D’s: Denial, Dismissal, and Distraction.

In conclusion, considering the expected increase in excess and premature deaths due to the OBBB and related policies of the US administration, as well as the likely response from Republican lawmakers, including the president, it appears that they simply do not care about mortality in the United States. (Fertility, on the other hand, is a completely different matter.)

Joseph Chamie is a consulting demographer, a former director of the United Nations Population Division, and author of many publications on population issues, including his recent book, “Population Levels, Trends, and Differentials”.

Rice field in Bali Indonesia. Credit: Unsplash/Eystetix Studio

By Maximilian Malawista
NEW YORK, Jul 23 2025 (IPS)

As incomes rise in middle-income countries, so does the demand for animal-sourced calories, resulting in large increases to global food production, and raising the importance for sustainable agriculture amidst growing concerns of climate change.

According to a new joint report from the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), projections of global per capita calorie intake from livestock and fish will increase by 6 percent from 2025 to 2034. This aggregate demand increase is largely driven by lower- and middle-income countries, where intak is expected to exceed to 24 percent, four times the global average.

To emeet this demand, global fish production is projected to grow by 14 percent, particularly in middle income nations: leaving room for increased agricultural humanitarian support. In this same swing, meat, dairy, and eggs are expected to increase by 17 percent, supported by an inventory expansion of 7 percent in global cattle, sheep, poultry, and pig.

While these gains mean more food will be on the plate for most people, it comes with an environmental price tag. Greenhouse gas emissions due to agricultural activity are expected to rise by 6 percent in the next decade. However, FAO estimated that emissions could be reduced by 7 percent if productivity can be boosted by 15 percent, pegged to the adoption of emission-reduction technologies.

The report also emphasized the key role international trade has in feeding the world. By 2034, it is estimated that 22 percent of all calories consumed globally are expected to cross through international trade, maintaining the same trend of the past decade. Managing or expanding the 22 percent will require multilateral cooperation and a rules-based trade system, bolstering security, and safeguarding supply chains from potential disruptions.

“We have the tools to end hunger and boost global food security,” said OECD Secretary General Mathais Cormann. “Well-coordinated policies are needed to keep global food markets open, while fostering long-term productivity improvements and sustainability in the agricultural sector.”

FAO Director-General QU Dongyu made similar remarks to Cormann, adding that while the outlook indicates improved nutrition for many lower-income nations, persistent food insecurity in some of the world’s least developed countries remains an unsolved problem. On the same note, it was observed that low-income countries will remain at a damaging per capita daily intake of animal-based calories at just 143kcal, less than half of that which lower-middle-income countries have, far below the FAO’s 300 kcal benchmark for a healthy and even affordable diet.

The aggregate increase in agricultural productivity is expected to reduce commodity prices globally, putting more pressure on small-scale farmers. This comes as larger operations benefit far more from growing economics, making smallholders struggle to compete unless they adapt to the growing climate in the agricultural industry.

Two women harvesting paddy plants in Bali, Indonesia. Credit: Unsplash/Maurice Gerhardt

Key Projections in the 2025-2034 Outlook

· Cereal production is expected to grow 1.1 percent annually, driven by a modest 0.9 percent increase in crop yields. Harvest area will only expand 0.14 percent per year, which is less than half the rate of the previous decade.
· In high-income countries, among shifting dietary preferences, health concerns, and targeted food policy, per capita consumption of fats and sweeteners is projected to decline.
· By 2034, 40 percent of cereal crops (wheat, rice, corn, barley, etc.) will be consumed directly, while 33 percent will be used for animal feed, and the remaining 27 percent on biofuel and industrial uses.
· Demand for biofuel in this period will grow 0.9 percent annually, led by Brazil, India, and Indonesia
· India and Southeast Asia will make up 39 percent of global consumption growth by 2034, up from 32 percent in the last decade. In contrast, the Chinese share is expected to decline from 32 percent to 13 percent.

The report concludes with a call to action; that to achieve global good security, a boosting of agricultural efficiency in line with proper environmental devices amidst production will be necessary to reach global goals of zero poverty, and net zero emissions.

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

Follow @IPSNewsUNBureau
!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');  

Dreams amid the rubble: Gaza’s women speak of homes, loss and hungry children. Displaced people in Gaza are living among the ruins of destroyed buildings. Credit: UN News

By Human Rights Watch
NEW YORK, Jul 23 2025 (IPS)

United Nations member countries should use the ministerial-level conference on Palestine on July 28-29, 2025, to publicly commit to concrete actions aimed at ending decades of impunity for Israeli authorities’ violations of international humanitarian and human rights law against Palestinians, Human Rights Watch said today.

The High-Level Conference on the Two-State Solution and Peace in the Middle East, co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia, was initially scheduled for June, but was postponed when Israel initiated a military operation against Iran.

The conference will now have two segments, the ministerial meeting on July 28-29 and a second segment to include heads of state and government ahead of the UN General Assembly’s annual gathering of world leaders in September.

“It’s essential for governments to address Israel’s grave abuses by committing to concrete, timebound measures, including targeted sanctions, arms embargoes, suspending preferential trade agreements, and a clear commitment to support the enforcement of all International Criminal Court arrest warrants,” said Bruno Stagno, chief advocacy officer at Human Rights Watch. “More platitudes about a two-state solution and peace process will do nothing to advance the conference’s goals, nor to halt the extermination of Palestinians in Gaza.”

The conference is a response to the landmark July 2024 advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian Territory, which determined that Israel’s decades-long occupation is unlawful and breaches Palestinians’ right to self-determination.

The court found that Israel was responsible for apartheid and other serious abuses against the Palestinians, and reiterated that its settlements are illegal and should be dismantled. It also said the Palestinians were entitled to reparations.

A September 2024 UN General Assembly resolution endorsed the ICJ ruling and set a one-year deadline for Israel to end “its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT).”

The conference is taking place in the context of ongoing hostilities in Israeli-occupied Gaza, including war crimes, the crimes against humanity of extermination and forced displacement, and acts of genocide.

These crimes are in contravention of three binding ICJ rulings in a genocide case brought by South Africa. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Israel’s prime minister and former defense minister for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

States parties to the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Genocide Convention) have an obligation to “employ all tools reasonably at their disposal” to prevent genocide. That obligation is triggered when a state learns, or should normally have learned, of a serious risk that genocide may be committed.

That threshold of a serious risk of genocide was crossed long ago, Human Rights Watch said. This has been clear from the ICJ rulings ordering provisional measures in South Africa’s genocide case. South Africa brought the case in response to Israeli forces’ systematic destruction of homes, apartment buildings, orchards and fields, schools, hospitals, and water and sanitation facilities in Gaza, as well as Israel’s use of starvation as a weapon of war.

Recently, some governments have taken long overdue steps that others should emulate. On July 16, 12 countries committed to concrete measures to “break the ties of complicity with Israel’s campaign of devastation in Palestine,” including preventing the transfer of arms to Israel.

The United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Slovenia, and Norway have imposed targeted sanctions on two Israeli government ministers, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. The UK has suspended free-trade negotiations with Israel and announced a review of the 2030 Road Map for UK-Israel bilateral relations.

The European Union recently found Israel in breach of the human rights clause of the bilateral EU-Israel Association Agreement, though EU governments remain divided on whether to suspend the agreement. Nine EU governments have asked the EU Commission to introduce a ban on trade and business with illegal settlements, while Irish authorities have proposed a unilateral ban.

Some governments have moved to join the many that recognize a Palestinian state, which is already a state party to key human rights and criminal law treaties, including the Rome Statute.

Much more is needed, though, to stop the Israeli authorities’ extermination, persecution, and apartheid against Palestinians.

At the conference, UN member governments should commit to concrete, time-bound steps to comply with their own obligations under international law, including the Genocide Convention, and to increase pressure on Israeli authorities to comply with theirs, including:

Suspending military assistance and arms sales to Israel.

Imposing targeted sanctions, including travel bans and asset freezes, against Israeli officials and others credibly implicated in ongoing serious violations.

Banning all trade and business with illegal settlements.

Suspending political, economic, and trade deals with Israel.

Publicly expressing support for the ICC, strongly condemning efforts to intimidate or interfere with its work, and committing to support the execution of all its warrants.

Publicly supporting and fully funding the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the UN agency that provides aid to Palestinians.

Addressing root causes, including by recognizing Israeli authorities’ crimes of apartheid and persecution against Palestinians.

Reconstituting the UN Special Committee Against Apartheid or creating a new version based on its model focused on Israel/Palestine and other contemporary situations for which there are reasonable grounds to believe that the crime against humanity of apartheid is being committed.

Pressing the Israeli government to recognize the right of Palestinians, including refugees, to return to their homes.

Supporting the creation of an international register of damages caused by unlawful Israeli action to persons in Israel and the OPT, to calculate reparations.

During the conference, the UN General Assembly should adopt a resolution that spells out these commitments with a clear timetable for their implementation. The assembly should periodically report on compliance with its commitments and hold public meetings on those reports. The conference should not be a one-off event.

The General Assembly has already proven it can take meaningful steps on Syria, Myanmar, Russia, and Israel/Palestine. The assembly has already called on states to restrict arms sales to Israel. But it can go further by endorsing a comprehensive, global arms embargo and regularly reporting on which governments continue to supply Israeli authorities with arms and munitions.

The UN Security Council should have taken such steps long ago but is paralyzed by the United States, which is complicit in Israel’s war crimes with its ongoing arms transfers and determined to ensure impunity for Israeli abuses. The US sanctions against ICC officials and the UN special rapporteur on the human rights situation in the OPT, Francesca Albanese, are examples.

“This conference should demonstrate that governments have finally decided to get serious about human rights and international law when it comes to Israel and Palestine,” Stagno said. “Without clear action from governments, Israeli authorities will only continue to exterminate and expel Palestinians.”

https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/07/22/un-end-impunity-for-israeli-crimes-against-palestinians
https://www.hrw.org/middle-east/north-africa/israel/palestine

IPS UN Bureau

 

Follow @IPSNewsUNBureau
!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');  

Tera workers inspect plots where biochar-blended fertilizer is applied to boost soil health and trap carbon. Credit: Chemtai Kirui/IPS

By Chemtai Kirui
KISUMU, Kenya, Jul 22 2025 (IPS)

In June 2025, Kenyan climate-tech firm Tera became the first African project developer to have its carbon removal initiative independently validated and registered under Riverse, a European standard for engineered climate solutions.

The validation confirms that Tera’s project design and digital monitoring framework meet Riverse’s strict scientific criteria—making it eligible to issue carbon credits once verified.

The project is now listed on Riverse’s public-facing Rainbow Registry, which provides transparent documentation of validated projects and will track credits through issuance and retirement.

Tera collects bagasse—the dry, fibrous material left after sugarcane is crushed—from mills around Kisumu, Kenya’s third-largest city in the Lake Victoria basin, known for its sugarcane farms and factories.

At its pilot facility, the sugarcane waste is fed into a pyrolysis unit, a specialized machine that heats the material in the absence of oxygen to produce biochar, a porous, carbon-rich substance.

When applied to soil, biochar helps the ground retain water and nutrients, boosting crop health while locking carbon in place so it cannot escape back into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide (CO₂), according to Dr. Eng. Erick Kiplangat Ronoh, a biosystems and environmental engineering expert at Kenya’s Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.

“Unlike ordinary plant waste that decomposes and releases carbon, biochar stabilizes it in a form that can remain in soils for extended periods,” Ronoh said.

It is often described as turning agricultural residues into a ‘sponge’ that improves water retention, soil fertility, and long-term carbon storage.

Tera blends biochar into organic fertilizer sold to farmers across the region, aiming to improve harvests and restore degraded soils while creating the basis for carbon credit generation.

“We are bringing the soil back to life,” said Rob Palmer, Tera’s CEO. “Biochar improves yields, reduces dependence on inorganic fertilizers, and boosts drought resilience. But for us to scale up, we needed to prove the science—which is what validation under Riverse provides.”

Palmer described the validation as “a crucial step,” enabled by Tera’s tracking system, which monitors every stage from bagasse collection to biochar application.

Tera did not work alone. To ensure carbon savings are measurable and verifiable, it partnered with another Kenyan company, CYNK—a technology firm that builds digital systems for environmental data tracking—to design a custom Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) system that tracks and documents carbon removal data at every stage.

CYNK’s system uses internet-of-things (IoT) sensors and real-time dashboards to create an auditable, tamper-resistant record of the entire process—from weighing biomass to monitoring pyrolysis temperatures and mapping where biochar is applied.

“That level of detail is essential for full traceability,” said Kelvin Gitahi, CYNK’s head of technology.

Gitahi said traditional carbon credit systems often relied on paperwork and spreadsheets to prove the credits they claimed, making auditing difficult.

“Registries typically want evidence of what you produced and where it was applied,” he said. “Historically, it meant assembling files manually. That lack of automation made trust hard to build.”

By contrast, CYNK’s automated system converts sensor readings and spatial data into quantifiable carbon removal estimates, minimizing human error and enabling independent audits.

“It’s designed to be tamper-proof,” Gitahi said. “From the weighbridge measuring truckloads of bagasse to the exact kilos of biochar applied, everything is logged automatically.”

It’s evidence-based and traceable—“so there’s no cooking the books,” as he put it.

Such rigorous monitoring is essential under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, which requires transparent, robust MRV to prevent double-counting in international carbon markets.

Riverse, one of 13 global standards endorsed by ICROA, the voluntary carbon market’s main accreditation body, said Tera is the first project it has certified that can scientifically demonstrate its biochar will keep carbon stable for many years.

“Tera had to meet twelve criteria,” said Samara Vantil, Riverse’s certification operations lead. “That included demonstrating full traceability, using only waste biomass, and proving the project was financially additional.”

Each year, more than 20 data points are reviewed to confirm ongoing compliance.

Validation under Riverse generally takes two to three months, with projects subject to annual audits for at least five years and periodic reassessment to remain listed.

Riverse also operates a public platform disclosing project-level data—from feedstock sourcing to credit issuance—in an effort to address transparency concerns in the voluntary carbon market (VCM), where companies and organizations purchase credits to offset emissions outside regulated compliance schemes.

Such scrutiny is seen as vital as Europe looks to source more carbon removals from Africa

A recent European Union proposal includes possible allowances for member states to use “high-quality international credits” to offset hard-to-abate emissions starting in the mid-2030s. If adopted, it could significantly boost demand for rigorously verified projects like Tera’s, which remain rare on the continent.

“Kenya is an emerging hotspot for carbon removal in Africa,” said Ludovic Chatoux, co-founder and CEO of Riverse. “Its renewable electricity mix, reliable feedstock supply, and supportive policies make it attractive for engineered carbon removal.”

That policy environment includes Kenya’s Carbon Credit Trading and Benefit Sharing Bill, which establishes a body to manage carbon trading and benefit-sharing, and the Climate Change Act, which provides a legal framework for carbon markets.

The Climate Change (Carbon Markets) Regulations, 2024, further detail the mechanics of registration, certification, and the creation of a National Carbon Registry.

Diagram showing how the DMRV system developed by Kenyan firm CYNK tracks Tera’s biochar production from bagasse to farm application.

Chatoux said Riverse is also assessing projects in Nigeria and Ghana, reflecting what he called a “bullish outlook” for the region.

He added that Riverse’s goal is to channel financing into projects that demonstrably remove or avoid CO₂, arguing that greater transparency is needed to counter greenwashing in the voluntary market.

Globally, engineered carbon removal credits—such as biochar or direct air capture—command significantly higher prices than most nature-based offsets.

Data from tracking platforms CDR.fyi and Puro.earth show that in 2024, engineered removals averaged around USD 320 per tonne, with biochar trading at roughly USD 140 by mid-2025.

By contrast, even high-quality forestry credits typically fetched USD 8 to USD 15.

This price gap reflects the greater durability and auditability of engineered removals,” said Dr. Ronoh.

Unlike trees, which can lose stored carbon to fires, pests, or logging, biochar locks carbon in soils and is designed to keep it stable for hundreds to thousands of years.

Still, he cautioned that although biochar is widely regarded as a promising climate solution, its benefits depend on strict quality controls and sustainable production.

“If the biomass is contaminated, it can introduce heavy metals or toxins into the soil,” Dr. Ronoh said. “And if it’s applied in excess or made without standardized methods, biochar can harm soil structure and nutrient uptake.”

Despite global efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions, atmospheric concentrations continue to rise—especially carbon dioxide, the primary driver of human-induced climate change.

According to the World Meteorological Organization, CO₂ levels are now more than 50% above pre-industrial concentrations, setting yet another record high. This has heightened calls for permanent carbon removal to complement emissions cuts.

Agricultural carbon removal strategies, once considered marginal in climate policy, are gaining recognition as essential complements to emissions reductions, especially in sectors that are hard to decarbonize.

This shift is underscored in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) AR6 Working Group III report (2022) and analysis by Carbon Direct, which emphasize that achieving the 1.5°C target will require not only deep emissions cuts but also large-scale deployment of carbon dioxide removal (CDR), including land-based approaches like biochar.

In Kenya and the wider region, there is growing momentum to help farmers both adapt to climate change through climate-smart practices and mitigate it through carbon farming techniques.

Peter Wachira, regional advisor for carbon projects at Vi Agroforestry—a nonprofit that promotes sustainable land use through initiatives like the Kenya Agricultural Carbon Project (KACP)—said these approaches offer significant climate and economic benefits.

“By adopting sustainable techniques such as composting, agroforestry, and agricultural waste recycling, farmers can sequester carbon, improve food security, and raise household incomes,” Wachira said.

But he cautioned that carbon credit schemes must be designed to serve those doing the work.

“The carbon market must first and foremost improve farmers’ livelihoods,” he said. “And we cannot forget—emissions reductions must remain the responsibility of the Global North. Communities here are paying the price for a crisis they didn’t create.”

Kenya’s carbon market debates have also evolved—from initial resistance over fears of enabling continued pollution to ongoing discussions about ensuring transparency, robust credit verification, and equitable benefit-sharing with local communities.

Gitahi said Kenya has demonstrated it can deliver the kind of credible, transparent systems the world is demanding.

“Kenya is offering what the global market needs. It’s proof that projects here can be validated to global standards,” he said. “Our digital transparency shows the strength of local technological capacity, the local expertise, and how communities are willing to engage and give feedback.”

He added that it is rare to see all these players—from governments creating policies to communities shaping projects and investors showing trust—working together.

“It just shows Kenya is now ready for this,” he said.

For Tera, the challenge is now building on that readiness and scaling its model across the continent.

“There’s not a rulebook for America and a different rulebook for Africa,” said Palmer. “What we have proven is that an African carbon project can meet the same global standards. Now that we have a way to prove our model works—that it’s not limited by feedstock, site, or demand—we just need the capital to scale it.”

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

Follow @IPSNewsUNBureau
!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById({js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');   Related Articles

• Kenya Pilots AI System to Protect Black Rhino Calves in Aberdare National Park
• Man, Sea, Algae: HOMO SARGASSUM’s Stirring Critique of Human Culpability in the Caribbean

Shenzhen China, a city made up of 47 percent clean energy, with a population of 17.56 million people. Credit: Unsplash/Robert Bye

By Maximilian Malawista
NEW YORK, Jul 22 2025 (IPS)

At the UN 2025 High Level Political Forum last week, global energy leaders warned that without urgent action in expanding access to clean energy, hundreds of millions will remain vulnerable, and the world will risk falling short of its 2030 SDG deadline.

At a packed and tense side event, “Advancing Energy Transition in the Global South,” Fu Cong, China’s Permanent Representative to the UN, opened the stage with a stark message: “At present, we are falling far short of implementing the UN 2030 Agenda.” Emphasizing energy insecurity as a large proponent in this lacking race to the finish line: requiring an acceleration of coordinated action.

No Energy, No SDGs

Xin Baoan, Chairman of the Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organization (GEIDCO) and President of the China Electricity Council displayed how energy can be the main driver in economics and meaningful sustainable development.

“Only 17 percent of the 169 SDG targets are currently on track,” he warned, referencing the staggering USD 4 trillion annual global investment gap. “Energy is a fundamental driver of economic and social progress,” Baoan added, stating that the shift to low-carbon power systems is an “urgent priority.”

Baoan explained how China now generates over 2,100 gigawatts (GW) of clean energy, making up 60 percent of its total power mix: consisting of wind, solar, and hydropower. Baoan elaborated that the steps China has taken towards clean electrification, driving China’s progress with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), could be a guide for all countries in the Global South to follow.

Baoan proposed a three-point roadmap:

1. Ensure Energy Supply: Optimizing the allocation and efficient use of clean energy resources, providing accessible energy to disproportionate regions. Reducing the number of people living without electricity, while also ensuring sustainable energy access for all.

2. Drive Economic Growth: Using electricity infrastructure as a catalyst for supporting long industrial chains, and growth of economic sectors. Attracting investment, growing industrial development, generating employment, and activating sustained economic growth.

3. Promote Coordinated Development: Deepen south-south cooperation through sharing clean energy, turning the richer energy resources of Asia, Africa, and Latin America into drivers of growth.

A Global Imbalance between Population and Economic Output

“The Global South comprises 80 percent of the world’s population, yet contributes only 40 percent of global economic output,” said Yin Bo, Director of the Cooperation Division at GEIDCO. He discovered that from 2015 to 2022, the average annual growth rate of GDP per capita across the Global South fell below levels seen during 2010 to 2014. This suggests a deepening development crisis fueled by a lack of investment.

These inequalities directly affect not only the quality, but the quantity of sustained development. “From 2015 to 2022, average energy capacity in the Global South increased only modestly, from 155 watts to 293 watts per person,” Yin contrasted this by pointing out that “the Global North saw growth from 691 to 1,073 watts per person in the same period.” Without renewed sustainable development, this wide energy gap will continue to grow, hindering any form of sustainable development in the Global South.

West Asia and Africa

Rola Dashti, Executive Secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UNESCWA), painted the current picture in the Arab region. “Today, over forty million people still live without electricity. Sixty million rely on unsafe cooking fuels,” she said. She continued, adding “in this region, energy is not just about climate, it is about development, opportunity, and survival.

Extreme climates, dangerous weather, war, and outdated infrastructure have created massive regional energy difficulties. However, signs of momentum are now emerging.

· In Jordan, two-thirds of new cars sold last year were electric.
· In Algeria, Chinese partnerships launched EV production lines with a capacity of 200,000 units per year.
· In Morocco, a $2 billion lithium processing facility was recently implemented, positioning Morocco as a player in global battery supply chains.
· In Dubai, “Moro hub,” a green data center built in 2023, relies on a power supply consisting of the world’s largest single-site solar PV and solar thermal power generation station. By 2030, this solar energy park will reach a capacity of 5,000 MW (the equivalence to five nuclear reactors)
· In Iraq, The GCC Interconnection Authority recently linked its grids with Iraq, supplying 600 MW to high-need communities.

Claver Gatete, Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa, focused on Africa’s critical paradox of resources. “Africa possesses 60 percent of the world’s solar potential, but more than 600 million people still lack access to electricity,” said Gatete.

With Africa’s populations projected to reach 2.5 billion people by 2050, energy demand is set to be way higher than what Africa can already manage. Even worse, Gatete said that “out of the $3 trillion invested in energy globally in 2024, less than 3 percent went to Africa.” meaning investors do not see a positive return.

Gatate warned that achieving the global clean energy target of 8,000 GW would be “impossible without Africa”. He said that with platforms like GEDICO, the continent could become a key actor in the establishment of not only clean energy, but a just and inclusive energy future.

The side event “Advancing Energy Transition in the Global South” during the 2025 High-Level Political Forum in UN Headquarters, New York City. Credit: IPS/Maximilian Malawista

The Global Countdown

Navid Hanif, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development in the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, reaffirmed the already daunting facts “Two-thirds of the Sustainable Development Goals are lagging.” He affirmed that at the current rate, universal access to electricity will remain a distant goal.

Despite the strenuousness, the event closed on an optimistic note, highlighting China’s roles in strategic partnerships with the Global South. It now becomes evident that to reshape the future, China will be a key vehicle in transforming the energy access gap and fostering long term economic and sustainable development sustenance.

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

Follow @IPSNewsUNBureau
!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');  

An EV charging sign on the street. The growing demand for EVs requires a comprehensive framework to handle environmental impacts from used EV batteries. Credit: Unsplash/Michael Marais

By Anupam Khajuria and Sudip Ranjan Basu
BANGKOK, Thailand, Jul 22 2025 (IPS)

The Asia-Pacific region is becoming a showcase for regional solutions. As electric vehicles (EVs) rapidly gain traction, the region must confront a dual challenge: managing the environmental and health risks of end-of-life EV batteries, while actively pursuing the economic and technological opportunities of a circular economy.

By strategically combining public policy and private sector innovation, especially among micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), the region can turn this policy challenge into a blueprint for inclusive and sustainable economic growth.

Making the shift: The circular economy imperative

The transition to EVs isn’t merely about cleaner and sustainable transportation and energy transition options; it’s a fundamental shift in how we utilize, recover and re-purpose resources.

The circular economy, built upon the five “R” principles (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Repurpose, Recover), provides a strategic framework to maximize battery material value, minimize waste and sever the link between economic growth and climate action. These principles are essential for sustainable battery waste management.

Yet, realizing this ambitious vision extends beyond technology; it hinges on fostering a skilled workforce and cultivating innovative business models. Consequently, education and capacity-building become key drivers. Without a broad understanding of the country specific context and practical implementation of circularity principles, the promise of a truly sustainable ecosystem will not be met by 2030.

In 2025, the Jaipur Declaration on 3R and Circular Economy provided crucial ideas and solutions for transitioning to circularity in end-of-life batteries and vehicles.

Integrating policy frameworks: National, regional and global ambitions

Addressing EV battery waste demands a collaborative approach; no nation can solve it alone. Governments are crucial in establishing robust regulatory frameworks, such as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes, mandatory recycling targets and eco-design standards.

These policies must align with international climate agreements, like those forged at COP29 in Azerbaijan in 2024. Such global discussions underscore both ambitious emissions reduction targets and the critical importance of circular economy principles for achieving net-zero.

By legally codifying these requirements and connecting them to transparent reporting and monitoring, governments ensure that localized efforts effectively contribute to broader climate and sustainability goals.

Harnessing synergies: Circularity, finance, and multi-stakeholder policy dialogue

The transition to a circular economy for EV batteries is most effective through synergistic collaboration. At its core, this synergy involves integrating circularity principles, innovative financial mechanisms, and multi-stakeholder engagements. These engagements and dialogues should bring together government agencies, private sector leaders, MSMEs, civil society and academia.

Circularity extends beyond just recycling; it’s about fundamentally rethinking the entire value chain. National and regional engagements are crucial for facilitating the sharing of best practices, harmonizing standards and coordinating the cross-border flow of recyclable materials.

These collaborative regional and national platforms are instrumental in scaling up advanced recycling infrastructure, promoting eco-design and embedding circular economy principles at every stage from product design to end-of-life management.

Equally vital is financial innovation, which necessitates the integration of digital technology and innovative policies to facilitate widespread investment in digital public goods and infrastructure across various sectors.

National governments, often partnering with regional and international development agencies and banks, can play a pivotal role. They can provide grants, concessional loans and investment guarantees to lower barriers for MSMEs and startups entering the battery recycling and repurposing market.

By coupling financial support with technical training and capacity-building, these initiatives empower local businesses to drive innovation, create green jobs and strengthen regional supply chains.

Leveraging education: Empowering MSMEs

The ESCAP Sustainable Business Network (ESBN) Position Paper on the circular economy underscores the fundamental role of education in bridging the gap between policy and practice. Comprehensive public awareness campaigns are vital for promoting responsible EV battery disposal and educating communities about the dangers of unsafe informal practices.

Equally important is targeted capacity building and technical training for MSMEs, technicians and recyclers, which cultivates the expertise needed to safely handle, process, and innovate with battery waste, ensuring local methods meet international standards. The recent Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development also emphasized the critical need for appropriate incentives, particularly those supporting MSMEs.

Looking ahead: The region’s blueprint for a low-carbon future

The Asia-Pacific region has a transformational opportunity to elevate its knowledge-sharing and capacity-building in circular economy innovation. ESCAP stands ready to support this pivotal shift. This is not just about managing waste. It’s about reimagining the value of a circular economy: fostering green job creation, strengthening education and nurturing innovation that serves both people and the planet, a vision underscored in a recent ESCAP policy document.

Seamlessly integrating national policies with regional frameworks and global commitments is essential. So is deploying smart development financing instruments, digital tools and cultivating synergistic public-private partnerships. With the right approach, the Asia-Pacific region can transform EV battery waste from a daunting environmental challenge into a powerful engine for inclusive and sustainable economic growth, new employment opportunities and enhanced climate resilience.

Anupam Khajuria is Research Fellow and Academic Associate, United Nations University- Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS), Tokyo, Japan; Sudip Ranjan Basu is Chief of Sustainable Business Network Section, ESCAP, Bangkok.

IPS UN Bureau

 

Follow @IPSNewsUNBureau
!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');  

Discriminatory laws and the absence of legal protections impact more than 2.5 billion women and girls worldwide in various ways. Legal reform is paramount to securing gender equality, and the world cannot afford to roll back on decades of progress in women’s rights. On the sidelines of the 2025 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development […]

A young girl washes her hands in a puddle near a UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC. Photo Credit: UN Photo/Sylvain Liechti

By Juliana White
UNITED NATIONS, Jul 21 2025 (IPS)

Electric vehicles contribute to an ongoing environmental and humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Mining operations cause deforestation, pollution, food insecurity and exploitative labor practices.

Advertisers paint electric vehicles as an environmentally friendly option to help save the planet. In the West, American states like California and New York incentivize citizens to go green and help their cities by ditching gas-powered vehicles.

California officials are trying to enact legislation to reach 100 percent zero-emission vehicle sales by 2035. Across the country in New York, officials implemented the Drive Clean Rebate. Through this program, New Yorkers can receive up to 2,000 USD off the purchase or lease of an electric vehicle.

Governments are pushing for more electric vehicle sales because they are helping reduce the damage inflicted by fossil fuels. In the United States, emissions have reduced by around 66 percent. In China, a country dominating the electric vehicle production and sales market, emissions have been reduced by an estimated range of 37 percent to 45 percent.

However, consumers must understand that electric vehicles primarily benefit the environment in wealthier regions. Rising demands for electric vehicles and lithium-ion batteries foster destruction and exploitation in poorer countries like the DRC.

One of the key minerals used to make lithium-ion batteries is cobalt. The DRC is the world’s top producer of mined cobalt, at a staggering 75 percent. To fulfill high demands for the mineral, the DRC has become a hot spot overrun by industrial and artisanal small-scale mining operations.

“The surge in demand for lithium-ion batteries has dramatically increased global demand for cobalt, and DRC cobalt production is projected to double by 2030,” said the International Labor Organization (ILO) to IPS. “Because industrial mines can’t keep pace, this has encouraged expansion of artisanal and unregulated mining.”

Artisanal small-scale mines are poorly regulated, informal operations for extracting minerals. Located all over the DRC, these mines exploit child labor, use basic handheld tools, and disregard safety protocols.

“ASM can also lead to conflict as clashes take place between traditional licensed large-scale mining operations and ASM over access to minerals,” Dr. Lamfu Yengong, the Forest campaigner for Greenpeace Africa, told IPS. “While statistics on the actual number of ASM miners in SSA are hard to find, it is estimated that in the DRC alone, there are between 200,000 and 250,000 ASM miners who are responsible for mining as much as 25 percent of the DRC’s cobalt.”

The growth of mining is also decimating the DRC’s environment. Mining sites need large areas of land to operate. As laborers dig, open pits form, releasing dust and other toxic chemicals into the air and polluting surrounding waterways.

Cobalt mines often contain sulfur minerals, which can create acid mine drainage. This process occurs when sulfur minerals are exposed to both air and water.

Sulfuric acid is incredibly harmful because it can make water unsafe for human consumption, kill aquatic life and produce algal blooms. Contact with the acid causes skin irritation and burns, and respiratory issues, and long-term exposure increases the risk of cancer.

Deforestation, erosion, contaminated soil and water sources, increased noise levels and dust and smoke emissions from mining pursuits disrupt the lives of Congolese locals and wildlife. Many are killed or forced to relocate as land, once prosperous for life, now nourishes profit-fueled exploits.

“Mining in the DRC is tearing through the heart of the Congo Basin, one of the world’s most important carbon sinks, leaving behind poisoned rivers, deforested landscapes, and devastated ecosystems,” Yengong said. “What once were lush forests are now scarred by unregulated extraction, threatening biodiversity, accelerating climate change, and robbing future generations of their environmental heritage.”

Despite having over 197 million acres of arable land, the DRC is one of the top-ranking areas of food insecurity globally. Over 25 million Congolese people suffer from a lack of access to food.

Mining endeavors only fuel the hunger crisis because contaminants in the soil and water make growing crops difficult. Forest resources also disappear as more land is cleared for new mines.

Alongside food insecurity impacted by pollution, agriculture efforts suffer from climate change. Weather patterns have drastically changed across the globe, making rain patterns unpredictable. A heavy reliance on rainfed agriculture and prolonged droughts in the DRC immensely impact food supplies.

One of the many camps in the DRC for people displaced by conflict and environmental devastation. Credit: UN Photo/Sylvain Liechti

The pursuit of minerals for lithium-ion batteries encourages mass destruction and egregious human rights violations in the DRC. But mining operations cannot simply stop to solve the problem. Many Congolese people rely on working in the mines to support their families.

Groups such as the ILO, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the World Food Programme (WFP) are actively working on sustainable solutions to stop further exploitation and harm to the DRC.

“To improve the health of workers in or near mine sites, the ILO is supporting the roll-out of the universal health insurance scheme (Couverture Santé Universelle—CSU), which aims to provide coverage for all individuals in DRC, including those working in the mining sector and their families,” the ILO said. “The benefit package will include a range of services such as general and specialist consultations, hospitalization, essential medicines and vaccines, medical procedures and exams, maternity and newborn care, palliative care, and patient transfers between facilities.”

The UNEP is forming plans focusing on minimizing the environmental impacts of mining. Working with the DRC’s government

“UNEP is working with the DRC’s government to develop a national plan for the extraction of minerals like cobalt. The plan would focus on minimizing the environmental impact of mining,” said Corey Pattison in a UNEP press release. “We are also exploring whether local and international institutions can help resolve conflict around mineral extraction, including through processes like revenue sharing and dispute resolution.”

The WFP is trying to ease the problem by investing in resilience programs. Activities are created to build skills in communities to improve long-term food security. Skill building includes educating farmers in post-harvest loss management, literacy, business and collective marketing.

They also work closely with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to limit negative environmental impacts. Reforestation initiatives are actively underway across the DRC. The WFP reported that 3,850 women in North and South Ubangi planted tree seedlings in 2022.

The crisis in the DRC should not mark the end of lithium batteries and electric vehicles. Scientists are working on new solutions for cleaner, more efficient power sources. Some new batteries in the works include sodium-ion batteries, silicon-carbon batteries, and lithium-sulfur batteries. Introducing more power sources could limit the overwhelming strain on resources in the DRC as the need for cobalt would reduce.

A report released by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) suggests that sustainable mining techniques and technologies are another tactic to reduce environmental impacts. However, significant change relies on the DRC’s government and its officials. They must enforce stricter mandates to mitigate the harm ravaging Congolese people’s lives.

The ILO says that Corporate Social Responsibility has been made mandatory through the 2018 mining code. Mining companies are required to invest .3 percent of their annual turnover into community development projects.

In turn, the mandate allows for easy tracking of mining companies’ income through transparency mechanisms like the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI).

While the DRC has enacted environmental regulations and is involved in additional support programs, its history of weak institutions and conflict challenges aid efforts. Rampant instability greatly limits the implementation and enforcement of policies.

“The world’s clean energy transition must not come at the cost of Congolese lives and forests. The critical minerals beneath the DRC fuel the global economy, yet the people above them remain among the poorest and most exploited,” said Yengong. “Real climate solutions must prioritize the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, end greenwashing, and ensure justice, not just extraction.”

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

Follow @IPSNewsUNBureau
!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById({js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');   Related Articles

• Increased Demand for Cobalt Fuels Ongoing Humanitarian Crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Women and War: Victims of Violence and Voices of Peace
• Conflict, Climate Change Push Migrants in Yemen to Return to Their Home Countries

By CIVICUS
Jul 21 2025 (IPS)

 
CIVICUS discusses the military use of artificial intelligence (AI) in Gaza with Dima Samaro, a Palestinian lawyer and researcher, and director of Skyline International for Human Rights, a civil society organisation (CSO) that defends digital freedoms and human rights in the Middle East and North Africa. Dima serves on multiple boards focused on civic space and surveillance issues, including Innovation for Change’s MENA Hub, the Surveillance in the Majority World Network and the VUKA! Solidarity Coalition, and volunteers with Resilience Pathways to help Palestinian CSOs counter Israeli efforts to restrict civic space and manipulate public narratives.

Dima Samaro

Gaza has become a testing ground for AI-powered warfare. Israel deploys systems such as Gospel and Lavender that produce thousands of strike recommendations based on alleged links to Hamas. Meanwhile, facial recognition technology controls aid distribution and tracks displaced civilians. These tools operate without legal oversight or transparency, creating dangerous accountability gaps. As private companies develop and profit from this technology, Gaza exposes the grave dangers of unregulated AI warfare and its potential for normalising automated violence.

What AI tools are being deployed in Gaza?

Israel is using experimental AI systems on an unprecedented scale in Gaza, making real-time life-or-death decisions against a besieged civilian population. The technology strips away humanity from warfare. In Nuseirat refugee camp, residents reported hearing the cries of infants and women before Israeli quadcopters opened fire directly on those who responded.

The surveillance apparatus is equally invasive. During forced evacuations from northern to southern Gaza, civilians undergo invasive facial recognition and biometric scans to pass military checkpoints. AI-equipped ‘smart cameras’ monitor hospitals such as Al-Shifa in real time during raids. Constant biometric scanning leaves people feeling hunted, reducing them to targets and inflicting deep psychological trauma.

The impacts extend beyond surveillance. In Jabalia refugee camp, explosive robots systematically destroy homes and kill civilians, blocking rescue efforts and burying survivors under rubble. United Nations (UN) experts describe these attacks as ‘domicide’ – the deliberate destruction of civilian homes.

Technology no longer just enables violence but also helps automate the genocide. Israel has integrated AI into its military kill chain, using systems such as The Gospel, Lavender and Where’s Daddy to generate kill lists, geolocate targets and assign strikes. Lavender alone reportedly marked over 37,000 Palestinians for assassination based on flawed metadata and biased algorithms. These systems eliminate human oversight, leading to mass civilian casualties under a secretive, unaccountable regime.

Most information about these technologies comes from Israeli whistleblowers and western investigative journalists. In Gaza, over 230 journalists have been killed since October 2023, many deliberately targeted in drone strikes. This has allowed experimental warfare to continue largely hidden from global scrutiny.

How do corporations profit from this technology?

A vast network of companies profits from Gaza’s suffering. Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest arms manufacturer, supplies 85 per cent of Israeli military drones and gear, marketing them as ‘field-tested’ in Gaza. European firms enable the violence: Italy’s Leonardo S.p.A. supplies naval guns with electronic targeting systems, while Greece’s Intracom Defense continues receiving European Union (EU) defence funding despite developing components for Israeli weapons systems.

US tech giants provide the digital infrastructure. Amazon, Google and Microsoft deliver cloud services that have allegedly helped confirm assassination strikes that have killed civilians. Amazon reportedly hosts intelligence on nearly every person in Gaza. Palantir expanded its contract with Israel in early 2024 to provide battlefield systems that identify and target Palestinians.

Most cynically, surveillance also masquerades as humanitarian aid. Firms such as UG Solutions, staffed by former US military personnel, use drones to scan Palestinians at aid distribution sites. This data feeds directly into targeting systems, transforming the search for food into potential death sentences. As of 13 July, the UN reported 875 Palestinians had been killed while trying to access food, 674 of them near sites run by private contractors such as the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, part of this militarised aid network.

This creates a profit model where Palestinians become variables in a dataset and civilian suffering becomes marketable. Behind the rhetoric of self-defence, corporations turn genocide into lucrative business.

What legal protections exist against military AI?

Virtually none. The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s 2021 AI ethics guidelines and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights are voluntary and lack enforcement. The 2024 EU AI Act exempts AI systems, including autonomous drones used in warfare from regulation, which is particularly troubling given the EU’s dual role as both ethical AI standard-setter and major arms supplier to Israel.

Export controls also fail. The Wassenaar Arrangement – an agreement to control the export of arms and goods and technologies with military uses – cannot regulate Israel since it’s not a member, allowing its AI weapons to avoid scrutiny and gain wide export.

This legal vacuum enables powerful states to evade international law, invoking national security to justify AI violence far beyond battlefields. In Gaza, this manifests through forced biometric scans during displacement that serve solely as control tools. Survival depends on surrendering to constant surveillance.

The hypocrisy is stark: Israel recently signed the Council of Europe’s AI and Human Rights Convention while simultaneously using AI for mass surveillance and killing. This highlights how ethical frameworks shaped in the global north fail to address conflict zone realities.

What’s needed for effective accountability?

Current accountability mechanisms are structurally broken. Israeli military leaders blame algorithms despite known error rates, while corporations hide behind trade secrecy. In Gaza, this may constitute war crimes, yet legal tools such as universal jurisdiction are rarely applied.

Soft approaches fail completely. Corporate self-regulation and voluntary oversight assume transparency that doesn’t exist in Gaza. Real accountability requires direct pressure: arms export bans, targeted sanctions, strategic litigation and removing military exemptions from AI laws. We need International Criminal Court investigations targeting Israeli officials and corporate leaders enabling these actions.

Why does this matter globally?

Gaza serves as a warning. AI warfare tested on Palestinians gets exported worldwide. Israeli drones previously used in Gaza are now deployed by Frontex, the EU’s border control agency, to patrol the Mediterranean and intercept, not rescue, migrant boats before they reach European shores. Israeli arms exports hit a record US$ 14.79 billion in 2024 – over half sold to Europe. Weapons used in Gaza today could be used tomorrow in Colombia, Myanmar or Sudan.

As militarised AI becomes normalised, the language of ‘precision’ and ‘efficiency’ masks atrocity. The lesson from Gaza is clear: when AI-powered machines control who lives, human rights die. This transcends Palestine’s tragedy – it foreshadows everyone’s future.

Yet resistance persists despite repression. Journalists and civil society activists continue to document AI warfare and prepare legal actions under constant danger and internet blackouts. We refuse invisibility. While governments debate toothless AI ethics, grassroots organisations, university students and tech workers challenge corporations enabling violence. The No Tech for Apartheid campaign targets companies supporting Israeli surveillance, such as Google.

Gaza reminds us that the fight against automated warfare happens not in UN halls but on the ground, and that it’s both a stand against the algorithmic erasure of Palestinian lives and a broader defence of human rights everywhere.

GET IN TOUCH
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Dima Samaro/Twitter

SEE ALSO
Israel vs Iran: new war begins while Gaza suffering continues CIVICUS Lens 19.Jun.2025
‘Digital platforms amplify the Israeli narrative while systematically silencing Palestinian voices’ CIVICUS Lens | Interview with Dima Samaro 27.Dec.2024
‘AI-powered weapons depersonalise the violence, making it easier for the military to approve more destruction’ CIVICUS Lens | Interview with Sophia Goodfriend 23.Nov.2024

 

Follow @IPSNewsUNBureau
!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');  

Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations Danny Denon speaks to members of the press at a media stakeout before a Security Council meeting on the Middle-East. Credit: Jennifer Xin-Tsu Lin Levine/IPS

By Jennifer Xin-Tsu Lin Levine
UNITED NATIONS, Jul 21 2025 (IPS)

“Multilateralism is not an option but a necessity as we build back a better world with more equality and resilience and a more sustainable world.”

Secretary-General António Guterres is not the first to laud multilateralism, the practice of collective action between multiple actors on the international stage, and he will not be the last. However, during his tenure as political leader of the United Nations, Guterres has faced significant roadblocks towards such a necessity, particularly in humanitarian aid work. This failure to act comes largely from specific dissenting member states whose power and influence hinder constructive progress.

This resistance is best exemplified in the case of Israel and the latest in a series of disagreements between the member state and the UN regarding the truth of events in the Middle East and Gaza surrounding food, humanitarian aid and the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a United States-Israeli aid organization that has been condemned by hundreds of humanitarian-focused non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

Guterres has made repeated calls for multilateral aid and collaborative work in the region, calling at a recent media stakeout for Israel to allow UN humanitarian aid into Gaza, which he said had been blocked “for over three months.”

Israel, however, considers the GHF to be the only viable source of food in the area. Shahar Segal, spokesperson for the GHF, called the organization the only “right and possible way” to deliver aid “without feeding Hamas’ terror machine.”

The US similarly endorsed the organization, also using its Security Council veto power to block a resolution that would require lifting aid restrictions in Gaza. This standstill has not only fostered conflict between the various groups within the UN, but it has weakened the very principle of multilateralism that the UN was founded on in efforts to prevent another world war.

A rejection of multilateralism should not be surprising. As the Representative for the United States said in a recent General Assembly meeting about Responsibility to Protect, a doctrine meant to prevent crimes against humanity, “The United States will always act in accordance with our national interest and will not subordinate our sovereignty to shifting international norms.”

Many American lobbyists question the assertion that international issues are not relevant to the national interest.

Hassan El-Tayyab, Legislative Director for Middle East Policy for the lobbying group Friends Committee on National Legislation and co-chair of the US Ceasefire Coalition, spoke to IPS about the intersectionality between international law and US law.

El-Tayyab often utilizes overlap between US law and international law to make his case to politicians. He offered an example: under International Humanitarian Law, blocking humanitarian aid to civilians is unlawful. Under the Foreign Assistance Act, America must also block offensive weapons sales to countries that block US humanitarian aid.

El-Tayyab said of this strategy, “It gets at that accountability piece, but we’re using a US law framework, which can be a bit more palatable to these members.”

This isolationist mentality is just one of many indications of a global loss of trust in international law and multilateralism. Between America’s imposition of sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) and repeated rejection of UN attempts to provide humanitarian aid, many governments have begun to delegitimize international actors like the UN and international courts of law.

Some, like the US, have taken the route of ignoring court rulings, while other states, like Russia, have openly criticized the ICC as a neocolonial power.

Jamil Dakwar, human rights lawyer and adjunct professor at New York University and Hunter College, acknowledged the flaws in international systems like the ICC or the International Court of Justice (ICJ), saying to IPS, “There is a history of international institutions not taking seriously human rights violations happening in the global North and not holding accountable powerful governments, particularly in western Europe and North America, particularly for the United States after 9/11.

“Those are very valid claims that undermine the legitimacy and the effectiveness of these international institutions, whether they are the ICC or the ICJ or the international human rights system as a whole, especially within the United Nations system.”

Dakwar references inaction from international courts, particularly when wealthy, influential western countries were involved, criticizing the institutions for a double standard.

However, Dakwar also criticized states that were ignoring international law, saying, “That said, that is not an excuse for other governments to flout international law just because other countries are not being held accountable or are undermining that very system.

“I think that what’s important to recognize is that these institutions do have a role, and they were tasked, and they were given the authority to uphold international law in the most difficult situations where diplomacy fails…there’s blame to be put on the major powers that are taking things into their own hands and not following international law.”
According to El-Tayyab, such disregard for the UN comes from what he calls “an à la carte approach to the charter.”

When countries see international mandates as suggestions or tools for their convenience rather than obligations, they erode the systems established to prevent world conflict and crisis.

Dakwar referred to this practice as larger, wealthier countries “bullying” those in the global South—forcing other countries out of fear to concede.

Dakwar told IPS, “There is a sense that it’s more expedient to remain silent and not to be proactive and outspoken on these serious violations of international law because of the consequences.”

However, that notion is untrue: Dakwar explained, “There’s not a single issue or situation where it will not have an impact on everyone, because it has an impact on migration, on climate and on the being of humanity as a whole.”

Both El-Tayyab and Dakwar are staunch supporters of multilateralism but, like many other actors invested in international relations and humanitarian aid, believe it must be put into practice in a much more unbiased, overarching way that centers all people’s humanity rather than being used as a tool for political gain.

For multilateralism to successfully accomplish its goals of unity and collective action towards peace, all countries have an obligation to put aside national motivations for the sake of global welfare that affects all people, including themselves.

Additionally, the UN must recenter marginalized countries, like those in the global South who have been undervalued and discounted in international discussions, to promote a stronger buy-in for all actors.

As El-Tayyab said, “All politics is local, and these member states make up the UN. The UN is us, in a way.” In adhering to this principle, all voices must be considered.

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

Follow @IPSNewsUNBureau
!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById({js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');  

Excerpt:

As the United Nations fails to resolve conflicts around the world, specifically in the Middle East, its key peacemaking principle of multilateralism seems to have lost its legitimacy and efficacy in an era of extremism and polarization.

A boy drags possessions through the flooded streets of Manila in the aftermath of a typhoon. Credit: ADB

By Audrone Telesiene
KAUNAS, Lithuania, Jul 21 2025 (IPS)

Nearly ten years after the Paris Agreement — a legally binding commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions — the gap between climate goals and government actions remains stubborn.

The consequences are real: 2024 saw 150 extreme weather events, leading to the highest number of new population displacements recorded in the past 16 years, raised food prices, and hundreds of billions in damages. March 2025 was the warmest March on record in Europe.

Climate stability is only one of nine planetary boundaries critical for long-term human thriving. While governments have shown that international cooperation is possible — the Montreal Protocol on ozone-depleting substances being a notable success — most environmental indicators are moving in the wrong direction.

Audrone Telesiene

Scientists agree: current policies are not keeping pace with accelerating environmental degradation. We’ve already crossed six planetary boundaries and risk breaching more, including those concerning biodiversity, freshwater systems, and ocean acidification. The world remains far from meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

This trend isn’t new, and predates the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and rollbacks of environmental regulations in other countries. Political commitments are too often insufficient and frequently allusive.

Safeguarding our planet must therefore go beyond governments. Change requires decisions at every level: mayors, business leaders, civil society, youth, Indigenous Peoples, faith communities, and households all have roles to play.

Even daily choices — what we eat, how we travel, how we manage waste— shape environmental outcomes. These decisions reflect distinct knowledge systems that can strengthen policy both technically and socially. Nature itself may also be seen as a stakeholder in decision-making: recognizing its dynamics leads to better outcomes.

The UN Environment Programme’s Global Environment Outlook (GEO-7), to be launched at the 7th UN Environment Assembly (in December 2025), will highlight this broader, behavior-focused approach. It is asking: How can we engage stakeholders effectively?

Fortunately, there are already inspiring examples. Consider Costa Rica as a case of transformational shifting of some of our deepest societal values. The country aligns its national budget with public and planetary health, at the expense of GDP-based decisions.

High investments in health and education helped generate high-levels of well-being, longer life expectancy, with forest cover increasing from 21 per cent in the 1980s to 50 per cent and almost all electricity coming from renewable energy sources.

In Rosario, Argentina, civic participation drives urban transformation. Participatory budgeting has improved informal settlements and established a thriving urban agriculture movement. Involving citizens enhanced equity, created jobs, and improved food security.

In recent years, Bogotá, Buenos Aires, Lima, and São Paulo have recognized waste pickers as essential service providers. This has improved recycling and waste management of plastic pollution, while promoting dignity and justice for marginalized communities—advancing the circular economy in the process.

In Andhra Pradesh, India, millions of farmers are part of the Zero Budget Natural Farming initiative, reviving traditional, chemical-free agricultural practices. It’s one of the world’s largest agroecological transitions in the making.

With almost 6 out of 10 humans living in cities, the climate leadership of networks like C40, including nearly 100 mayors – is an important solution.

Crises have sparked innovation too. During the COVID-19 pandemic, London’s food insecurity was exposed, catalyzing the formation of resilient networks of urban food governance, including zero-waste ones.

Ecological transformation must now happen at unprecedented speed. But for it to succeed, it must be co-produced by society—embracing diversity in demography, as well as in the knowledge systems we draw from, including Indigenous wisdom, the arts, and science.

We already have many of the technologies needed: we know how to boost crop yields, decarbonize economies, and nourish more people with fewer resources, with much less land, water and other resources.

Notwithstanding the declining support for environmental protection among certain governments, the cases above attest to our ability to develop participatory processes towards a more sustainable future. They prove that meaningful, inclusive progress is possible.

The crisis of climate change, the crisis of nature, land degradation and biodiversity loss, and the crisis of pollution and waste – the terrifying trajectory of crossing our planetary boundaries – underscores the urgency of equitable inclusion.

Let’s not leave transformation to governments alone. The responsibility – and the power – is shared.

Audrone Telesiene is a lead author of the 7th edition of the Global Environment Outlook (GEO-7) and a professor of sociology and communication sciences at Kaunas University of Technology, Lithuania.

IPS UN Bureau

 

Follow @IPSNewsUNBureau
!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');  

The General Assembly’s Plenary meeting on Nelson Mandela International Day. Credit: Jennifer Xin-Tsu Lin Levine/IPS

By Jennifer Xin-Tsu Lin Levine
UNITED NATIONS, Jul 18 2025 (IPS)

The United Nations celebrated Nelson Mandela International Day in honor of the activist and politician’s lifelong commitment to peace and democracy.

At the 16th celebration of Nelson Mandela International Day, delegates, representatives and visitors alike reflected on the impact of South Africa’s first black president and leader in a fully representative democratic election.

The activist and politician, who spent 27 years in prison, was a staunch freedom fighter—arguing that freedom was not only an individual mission but also a collective responsibility and communal effort.

These principles were enshrined in the Nelson Mandela Rules, officially called the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, a document protecting humane treatment of individuals without liberty. The document emphasizes respect for human dignity, prohibits torture and promotes fair and just conditions.

Although the Nelson Mandela Rules are “soft law” and not legally binding, the General Assembly has adopted them as universally agreed minimum standards. Many countries have incorporated the rules into domestic law, but many others have violated conditions of healthcare, solitary confinement and ethical working rights. Delegates and various speakers agreed that there was still much work to be done.

Nelson Mandela International Day, established in 2009 by the United Nations General Assembly and officially celebrated in 2010 on July 18th (President Mandela’s birthday), is a holiday encouraging all citizens around the world to engage positively in their communities.

Dr. Naledi Pandor, chair of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, addresses the UN General Assembly Plenary on Nelson Mandela International Day. Credit: Jennifer Xin-Tsu Lin Levin/IPS

From annual volunteer events to the annual Mandela Prize, awarded to two laureates each year who have profoundly impacted their communities by serving humanity, speakers, including the award recipients, the Secretary-General and the chair of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, all reflected on Mandela’s legacy on their own lives and on the UN.

In Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the General Assembly at their plenary meeting, he said, “Power is not a personal possession to be harbored. Power is about lifting others up; it’s about what we can achieve with one another and for one another. Power is about people.” He echoed Mandela’s belief in collective grassroots action to deliver power to the powerless, encouraging member states to bring these principles into practice.

Dr. Naledi Pandor, chair of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, similarly called for action against injustice and inequality. She recalled how the United Nations aided South Africa in ending apartheid as it “stood against apartheid domination, not through arms but through bringing its undeniable moral weight into combat against injustice. That boldness, that courage is needed more and more today.”

Nelson Mandela, then Deputy President of the African National Congress of South Africa, raises his fist in the air while addressing the Special Committee Against Apartheid in the General Assembly Hall, June 22, 1990. Credit: UN Photo/Pernaca Sudhakaran

Pandor went on to recall Mandela’s political views beyond South Africa—his demand for global equity extended to all, and reflecting on how he might feel about the current state of the world, she quoted his 1990 speech to the UN Special Committee Against Apartheid.

Mandela said, “We also take this opportunity to extend warm greetings to all others who fight for their liberation and their human rights, including the peoples of Palestine and Western Sahara. We commend their struggles to you, convinced that we are all moved by the fact that freedom is indivisible, convinced that the denial of the rights of one diminishes the freedom of others.”

Mandela was a strong supporter of Palestine, often comparing its struggle with South Africa’s. South Africa, even after his death, maintained close ties to Palestine and brought the case of genocide against Israel to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 2024.

The 2025 Nelson Mandela laureates, Brenda Reynolds of Saulteaux First Nation and Canada and Kennedy Odede of Kenya, both spoke about how Mandela inspired their respective work. Reynolds, a social worker by trade, led the establishment of a national, culturally grounded mental health initiative for survivors of Indian residential schools.

Reynolds described her work with survivors as an example of Mandela’s notion of moving forward from resentment towards progress—as people found peace with their experiences, they were able to recover and lift up their communities from oppression. She described this as a process of peacebuilding within people, saying, “peace begins with individuals, and from there, you can find peace within your family and within your communities.”

Odede, who founded Kenya’s largest grassroots movement, Shining Hope For Communities (SHOFCO), to empower struggling urban communities, shared how Mandela’s words and experience with struggle inspired him to build within his own life. He found creative ways to organize communities around simple things like soccer, providing hope to people in dire situations.

The representative for The Gambia, who spoke on behalf of the African states, called upon the UN to adhere to Mandela’s principles, particularly on poverty as a man-made horror that can and must be removed by actions of human beings. The representative warned of extreme poverty on the rise, centering the “developing countries and middle-income countries” suffering the most “with unemployment rates beyond records.”

He said, “It is time for solidarity, partnerships and genuine actions where they are most needed,” asserting that poverty and underdevelopment were huge perpetuators of racism, therefore continuing a vicious cycle that oppressed people.

The representative argued, “rising inequity and progressive discrimination are not inevitable; they are a result of decades of policies and dynamics emanating from colonialism, appetite, and discrimination.” Criticizing these practices as misaligned with the UN charter, he pushed the UN to renew their commitment to progressing social development by redistributing wealth.

As the world commemorates Nelson Mandela’s enduring legacy, the message resonating from this year’s observance is clear: his vision of freedom—rooted in dignity, justice and collective responsibility—demands more than remembrance; it requires action. From prison reform to poverty alleviation to indigenous healing to grassroots empowerment, Mandela’s ideals continue to challenge the global community to uphold humanity over power and compassion over indifference. In honoring his life, the UN and its member states are reminded that freedom is not static—it is a continual struggle, a shared pursuit and a moral obligation.

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

Follow @IPSNewsUNBureau
!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById({js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');   Related Articles

• https://www.ipsnews.net/2025/07/man-sea-algae-homo-sargassums-stirring-critique-of-human-culpability-in-the-caribbean/
• HIV/AIDS Funding Crisis Risks Reversing Decades of Global Progress
• Does the UN Overstep Its Responsibility to Protect Mandate?

Excerpt:

For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others. - Nelson Mandela

Microsoft offices in Vancouver, Canada. Credit Unsplash/Matthew Manuel

By Maximilian Malawista
NEW YORK, Jul 18 2025 (IPS)

“The power of AI carries immense responsibilities. Today, that power sits in the hands of a few,” said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the 2025 AI Action Summit, reflecting on a deepening reality as we inch closer to a world in complete digital domination. Today, seven of the world’s top ten most valuable companies are digital giants, focusing primarily on the output of communication, digital manufacturing, artificial intelligence and digital commerce, which is paving the way for a fully digitized life for all.

The top 10 companies include some of the biggest names in information technology and digital commerce:

NVIDIA: 4.002 trillion USD | Information Technology
Microsoft: 3.727 trillion USD | Information Technology
Apple: 3.172 trillion USD | Information Technology
Amazon: 2.359 trillion USD | Consumer Discretionary
Alphabet (Google): 2.161 trillion USD | Communication Services
Meta Platforms (Facebook): 1.828 trillion USD | Communication Services
Saudi Aramco: 1.627 trillion USD | Energy
Broadcom: 1.295 trillion USD | Information Technology
TSMC: 1.191 trillion USD | Information Technology
Berkshire Hathaway: 1.032 trillion USD | Consumer Discretionary

These companies actively reshape nearly every aspect of life, from showing you an ad for the brand-new phone you have been eyeing, to manufacturing the chip inside that very phone, and even delivering it to your doorstep. They are all connected and can be done from a single click of the screen.

Some of these firms have a near-digital monopoly on all aspects of the digital economy. Take Microsoft for example:

E-Commerce and digital payment: Microsoft.com
Digital content and distribution: Xbox Game Pass, Windows Store, Microsoft Store
Social media: Teams, LinkedIn
Online search: Bing
Online Advertising: Bing, Microsoft, LinkedIn Ads
Cloud Services: Azure, Microsoft 365
AI Models: Copilot

Your entire life can be run from one of these services, from finding your local market for groceries, to buying a new laptop for work, to storing your sensitive data, creating visualizations for that new project you’re working on, or even purchasing a video game. It’s all done from one company spread across a few platforms.

Market limitations amid consolidation

The vertical and horizontal consolidation of digital supply chains has made it nearly impossible for new companies to break into just about any of these markets. A lack of competition ultimately fuels higher prices, lower quality, and weakened privacy protection for the consumer.

Consumers often unknowingly support and reinforce this system. If they rely on Google across all their devices, it creates a cycle which lacks digital diversity, increasing the difficulty for smaller entities to innovate and break into the market.

By design, digital ecosystems keep users within the limits of a single company’s platforms, making it easy for the user to move from service to service, but at the hidden cost of freely giving up your data.

Advertising plays a vital role in this campaign for dominance. 97.6 percent of Meta’s revenue and 75.6 percent of Google’s comes just from ads. Just by being on their platforms you’re generating billions of dollars, without paying a single cent for use.

Unchecked growth

From 2020 to 2024, digital multinationals enterprises (MNEs) accounted for one-third of all greenfield data center projects, initiatives built entirely from the ground up. Logistic projects in contrast only accounted for 10 percent. This displays just how massively the digital world is expanding, fueled by investments in immersive online environments where users are increasingly spending money on non-physical assets, creating endless revenues streams out of thin air.

In China, the concentration of digital markets is comparatively extreme than in other countries, given that certain American applications do not work there. A handful of firms — Alibaba, Tencent and ByteDance — control the population’s entire digital ecosystem. As the second-most populous country in the world, this is no small feat. WeChat alone is used by 95 percent of their population, centralizing social media, messaging, payments, and e-commerce into one platform. This means that competition effectively does not exist.

From 2017 to 2025, the combined share of sales between the top five digital MNEs doubled from 21 percent to 48 percent, displaying immense growth in a merely eight-year period. This trend was also observed within asset concentration, where the top five digital firms doubled from 17 percent to now 35 percent during that same period

Artificial Intelligence (AI) consolidation

As digital markets surge, so does dominance in the AI value chain. Just two companies, Microsoft and Alphabet, control 78 percent of AI development from start to finish, largely through their partnerships with startups like OpenAI and Anthropic. This allows them to virtually own every link in the chain, from data collection to model training and deployment, to application.

Generative AI requires massive capital, but also computing power, cloud services, AI chips, talent, and most importantly, data, which only the tech giants control. There is hardly, if any room for smaller firms to compete. This dynamic has shown to have serious market limiting implications, as AI will become necessary to digital expansion.

As UN Secretary General António Guterres warned at the 79th General Assembly in 2024, “A handful of companies and even individuals have already amassed enormous power over the development of AI – with little accountability or oversight for the moment.”

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

Follow @IPSNewsUNBureau
!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');  

Georgios Gerapetritis, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Hellenic Republic, addresses the Security Council meeting on the situation in Syria. Credit: UN Photo/Mark Garten

By Oritro Karim
UNITED NATIONS, Jul 18 2025 (IPS)

Over the past week, the humanitarian situation in Syria has significantly deteriorated, with tensions between the Druze religious minority and the Syrian military reaching new peaks. On July 16, Israel launched a series of powerful airstrikes on Syria’s capital city, Damascus, in defense of Syria’s Druze population, further spurring regional instability and exacerbating the dire scale of needs.

Since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, the security situation for Druze Syrians has been particularly volatile, with hostilities escalating between late April and early May. Clashes between the Druze communities and the Syrian military resulted in numerous extrajudicial killings of Druze civilians.

From July 11 to 16, violent altercations between the Druze and Bedoulin communities erupted in Suwayda and spread to neighboring cities, resulting in the Syrian transitional government deploying its military to restore order. According to figures from the Syrian observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), clashes between the Syrian military and the two minority groups resulted in over 200 deaths.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) adds that residents in Suwayda reported a litany of human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings, burning of civilian infrastructures, lootings, abductions, and incitement to violence.

OCHA spokesperson Eri Kaneko informed IPS that prior to Israel’s bombardment of Syria, roughly 300,000 civilians were in dire need of humanitarian assistance, roughly two-thirds of the nation’s population. Due to heightened insecurity, OCHA and its partners have been unable to assess the severity of the situation from the ground, or deliver humanitarian assistance.

On July 17, Israel launched a series of airstrikes on Damascus, as well as the Suwayda and Dorra governorates, with one of them targeting Syria’s Defense Ministry Headquarters and the vicinity of the Presidential Palace. According to Syria’s Ministry of Health, the attack resulted in at least 3 civilian deaths and 34 injuries, as well as significant damage to surrounding civilian infrastructures.

United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres condemned Israel’s “escalatory” airstrikes and called for an immediate de-escalation of hostilities. He added that Syria’s sovereignty must be respected, and that there must be an orderly political transition to ensure lasting peace.

According to figures from OCHA, nearly 2,000 families have been displaced from Suwayda following Israel’s bombardment, with most migrating to the Salkhad district. These communities face an overwhelming lack of access to basic services, such as food, water, and healthcare.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), only 57 percent of hospitals and 37 percent of primary healthcare centers are fully functional. UN deputy relief chief Joyce Msuya adds that millions of Syrians urgently require medical assistance, with injuries from unexploded ordnance, cholera, and food insecurity running rampant.

UN Spokesperson for the Secretary-General Stéphane Dujarric added that aid workers have faced worsened access constraints due to insecurity and road closures. On July 17, WHO announced that it had dispatched 35 trauma and emergency surgery kits to assist in roughly 1,750 medical interventions. However, the majority of these supplies were halted from reaching Syrian healthcare facilities.

“Syria simply cannot withstand another wave of instability,” said UN Deputy Special Envoy to Syria Najat Rochdi. “The risks of further escalation in the region are not hypothetical – they are immediate, severe, and risk unraveling the fragile progress toward peace and recovery in Syria.”

In a statement shared to X (formerly known as Twitter), Syria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the attack in the “harshest terms”, citing its impact on civilian’s access to public services and violations of international humanitarian law

“This flagrant assault, which forms part of a deliberate policy pursued by the Israeli entity to inflame tensions, spread chaos and undermine security and stability in Syria, constitutes a blatant violation of the United Nations Charter and international humanitarian law.” The Foreign Ministry added that Syria retains its right to defend itself.

Following Israel’s strikes on Damascus, the Israeli government warned that it would scale up its attacks if Syrian militants did not retreat from Suwayda, which borders the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. “We are acting to prevent the Syrian regime from harming the Druze and to ensure the demilitarization of the area adjacent to our border with Syria,” said Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz in a statement shared to X.

Shortly after the attacks, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio informed reporters that the fighting parties had agreed on a ceasefire, with Syrian militants beginning to retreat from Suwayda. Despite Rubio’s belief that the hostilities were headed “towards a real de-escalation”, humanitarian experts have expressed concern over the broader implications of Israel’s intervention in Syria and the wider Middle East.

“Israel’s strikes on Damascus targets reverberated around the region,” said Mona Yacoubian and Will Todman of the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS).

“Many Middle Eastern states fear that ongoing U.S. support for Israel is allowing it to establish itself as the regional hegemon, with an ability to conduct strikes across the region with impunity. These fears have pushed Arab Gulf states to maintain ties with Iran to hedge against Israel’s influence.”

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

Follow @IPSNewsUNBureau
!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');  

The Cauchari Solar Plant in Jujuy, Argentina, located 4,000 meters above sea level with over one million panels, was built with Chinese capital, engineering, and materials. Credit: Casa Rosada

By Humberto Márquez
CARACAS, Jul 18 2025 (IPS)

China, with its investments, products, technology, and innovation focused on solar and wind farms in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as on electricity networks and services, stands out as a driving force for the region’s shift toward energy less reliant on fossil fuels and increasingly cleaner and greener. 

Between 2010 and 2024, China invested US$33.69 billion in renewables in the region, with 70 transactions for as many projects, 54 of which were in non-hydroelectric energy, totaling US$13.138 billion.

These figures alone “highlight China’s importance in supporting the region’s energy transition, both through investments and infrastructure projects,” Enrique Dussel Peters, coordinator of the Latin America and the Caribbean Academic Network on China (RedALC-China), told IPS from Mexico City.“For China, Latin America as a whole is a market that geographically presents many opportunities; first, due to the availability of natural resources, which include critical minerals, and features such as access to water and natural and renewable energy sources”: Ana Lía Rojas.

Beyond money, China “has the capacity to develop technology, implement it, and scale it at the required speed,” said Ana Lia Rojas, executive director of the Chilean Association of Renewable Energies and Storage (Acera).

In a dialogue with IPS in Santiago, Chile, Rojas cited American economist Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University and a United Nations advisor, who has argued that, in short, “the energy transition is Chinese.”

Sachs views China as a “leader in key technologies that will be essential over the next 25 years: photovoltaics, wind, modular nuclear, long-distance energy transmission, 5G (now 5.5G), batteries, electric vehicles, and others.”

The movement toward Latin America has been relentless. While there were no Chinese investments in renewable energy in the region between 2000 and 2009, eight emerged from 2010 to 2014, totaling US$3.298 billion and generating 6,000 jobs, according to RedALC’s Investment Monitor.

Between 2015 and 2019, 25 projects with Chinese financing materialized, totaling US$19.568 billion and creating 9,300 jobs. In the 2020-2024 period, 37 transactions were completed, amounting to US$10.824 billion and generating 15,000 jobs.

Investment volumes dipped in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. However, a revealing contrast emerged: 35 of the 37 renewable energy transactions during this five-year period went to non-hydroelectric projects.

The Lagoinha Solar Complex, inaugurated in July this year and owned by the Brazilian subsidiary of Chinese group CGN. Spanning 304 hectares in Ceará state, northeastern Brazil, it features 337,000 panels that will provide electricity to 240,000 households. Credit: Government of Ceará

 

Interests and challenges converge

The International Energy Agency (IEA, representing major industrialized consumers) reports a “soaring increase in Chinese clean energy investments globally, particularly in renewables,” surpassing US$625 billion in 2024—nearly double 2015 levels and accounting for 30% of the world’s total, cementing China’s leadership.

Traditionally dominated by state-owned enterprises backed by public funding, China’s energy investment landscape is shifting, with the government increasingly encouraging private sector participation.

Meanwhile, Latin America and the Caribbean saw roughly US$70 billion invested in renewables from 2015 to 2024, of which over US$30.3 billion (43%) came from China, according to the IEA.

Yet the agency notes that despite steady growth in renewable investments, the region represents just 5% of global privately funded clean energy investment—a reflection of high interest rates, scarce long-term financing, and costly public debt.

This highlights the intersection between the region’s needs and challenges and what Dussel Peters describes as China’s strategic focus on technological development and disruptive innovations, from nanomanufacturing to aerospace, including new energy sources.

Chinese investment in renewables “delivers multiple benefits by advancing energy sustainability, supporting the transition to a low-carbon grid, providing critical technology, and creating skilled jobs,” Chilean academic Rodrigo Cáceres told IPS in Santiago.

A researcher at  Diego Portales University’s Center for Energy and Sustainable Development, Cáceres observes China’s “sustained commitment” in areas like energy storage, smart grids, and green hydrogen, framing the China-Latin America relationship as “strategic and long-term.”

A key factor enabling this enduring partnership is the vast territorial, demographic, and resource potential Latin America and the Caribbean offers China. “If we look at the per capita income we have in the region and compare it with China’s, we have more or less the same. But Latin America has half the population of China and twice the territory of China,” observed Rojas.

Twice the territory “means that projects can be deployed differently than in the rest of the world,” noted the director of Acera.

According to Rojas, “it is evident that, for China, Latin America as a whole is a market that geographically presents many opportunities; first, due to the availability of natural resources, which include critical minerals, and features such as access to water and natural and renewable energy sources.”

“Second, because it is clearly a less densely populated region, which provides a certain degree of flexibility or freedom to develop projects in the territory that will aid the energy transition, not only for local or national economies but for the world,”she said.

 

The Tanque Novo Wind Complex in Bahia, Brazil, developed by Chinese group CGN. It consists of seven parks with 40 wind turbines, an installed capacity of 180 MW, and can serve 430,000 residents. Credit: Tanque Novo

 

Brazil, a leading hub 

In Brazil, China’s presence in the electricity sector “is deep and strategic, the result of more than a decade of investments by large state-owned companies such as State Grid and China Three Gorges (CTG),” said Tulio Cariello, research director at the Brazil-China Business Council.

“In fact, it has become the main destination for these companies’ assets outside China. Both State Grid and CTG have the majority of their international investments in Brazil, reflecting the country’s structural importance in their global projection,” Cariello told IPS in Rio de Janeiro.

State Grid is now a major electricity transmission operator in Brazil, and its massive entry into that market was solidified with the acquisition in 2016-2018 of CPFL Energia (formerly Companhia Paulista de Força e Luz), one of the country’s leading power distribution companies.

Another flagship project led by State Grid was the construction of ultra-high-voltage transmission systems, connecting the Belo Monte hydroelectric plant in the Amazon (11,200 MW) with the Southeast region, which has the highest electricity demand.

Combined, solar and wind energy sources account for a quarter of Brazil’s electricity matrix, according to its National Energy Balance.

By the end of 2024, Brazil’s installed wind power capacity—over 16% of the national electricity matrix—reached 33.7 gigawatts, with 1,103 wind farms and 11,720 wind turbines. By 2032, cumulative new installed capacity is projected to reach 56 GW.

Chinese wind turbine manufacturer Goldwind established its first factory outside China last year in Bahia, in Brazil’s Northeast, with an investment of over US$20 million to produce 150 turbines annually, ranging from 5.3 MW to 7.5 MW. This decision demonstrates strong confidence in the Brazilian market.

The volume of Chinese investment in Brazil between 2007 and 2023 reached US$73.3 billion—US$33.2 billion in the electricity sector—with 264 confirmed projects, and is on track to reach US$123.2 billion with 342 projects.

Regarding the impact of investments in renewable energy, “it can be seen on several fronts: increased generation and transmission capacity, modernization of critical infrastructure, greater stability in power supply, and job creation and technology transfer,” said Cariello.

The Los Cururos Wind Farm in Ovalle, Chile, is one of dozens of installations generating electricity in Chile thanks to the constant winds in this Pacific-facing region. Credit: Orlando Milesi / IPS

 

Advancing Across the Regional Map 

In Argentina, with initial financing of US$390 million from the China Export-Import Bank (Chexim), construction began in 2018 on the Cauchari solar park—one of the largest in Latin America—in the northwestern province of Jujuy.

Some 4,000 meters above sea level and equipped with 1.2 million panels, Cauchari has an installed capacity of 315 MW (with an expansion planned to add another 200 MWh) and reduces carbon emissions by 325,000 tons.

There are other solar developments with Chinese involvement, while Goldwind has acquired wind farms in the central province of Buenos Aires and the southern province of Chubut.

Researcher Juliana González Jáuregui from the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (Flacso) has highlighted Beijing’s participation in Argentina’s renewable energy projects, focusing on its provinces—even before the country joined China’s Belt and Road Initiative in 2022.

In contrast, “Europe and the United States have yet to grasp the importance of engaging at the subnational level in Argentina, something China achieved quickly and significantly. The provinces hold natural resources, so the subnational component is essential,” González told Dialogue Earth.

Meanwhile, in Chile, “what has happened in the last two years is that Chinese companies have bet on the country as a gateway to Latin America and have set up several companies that create jobs,” said Rojas.

“They are interested in showcasing the quality and technological advancements they’ve achieved in these sectors, focusing on storage, inverter systems, and everything that helps stabilize power grid flows,” she stated.

In this way, China “has increasingly strengthened its presence in the electricity sector, where we have decarbonization efforts and which represents 22% of the country’s energy consumption,” particularly in the distribution segment through the acquisition of key companies to supply the population, explained Rojas.

A notable example is the Chinese group State Grid, which in 2020 acquired Chile’s Compañía General de Electricidad (CGE) from Spain’s Naturgy for US$3 billion and purchased Chilquinta, another electricity distributor in Chile, from the American company Sempra Energy for US$2.23 billion.

Additionally, it holds a stake in Transelec, the largest distributor, giving it a dominant majority position in Chile’s electricity distribution market.

 

Areas of Lima illuminated by the growing integration of renewable energy into electricity generation. The former Enel Perú, now Pluz Perú, was acquired by China’s CSG and serves over 1.5 million subscribers in the metropolitan area. Credit: Perú Inkas Tours

 

In Peru, China Southern Power Grid (CSG) acquired Enel Peru from Italy’s Enel Group in 2024 for US$3.1 billion. The company, now called Pluz Peru, operates in the market with 1,590 MW of generation from various sources and also participates in distribution.

The Peruvian firm includes a solar complex in the southern municipality of Moquegua, with 560,000 panels spread over 400 hectares, capable of generating 440 GWh annually, and a wind farm in the southwestern province of Nazca, with 42 turbines producing up to 600 GWh per year.

In Colombia, another Chinese giant, CTG, promoted the construction of the Baranoa solar plant in the northern department of Atlantico. With an investment of US$20 million and 36,000 modules, it can add 20 MW to the grid.

Though a small project far from major economic and urban centers, it reflects shared interests with Colombia, where President Gustavo Petro champions renewable energy and the decarbonization of the economy and society.

In Nicaragua, it was announced that China Communications Construction Company will build a 70 MW solar plant in the municipality of Nindirí, south of Managua, with 112,700 panels at a cost of US$80 million.

The Managua government—which recently restored relations with China in 2021 after cutting ties with Taiwan—hopes the project will not only feed into the power grid but also support drinking water supply and sanitation in the country.

In a leap across the Caribbean, China’s International Development Cooperation Agency delivered a batch of donated supplies to Cuba last March to support a photovoltaic park project with Chinese assistance in Guanajay, about 50 kilometers west of Havana.

According to data gathered by IPS in Havana, the project includes seven solar parks and will contribute 35 MW to the island’s electricity system. The remaining parks, to be developed by China’s Shanghái Electric and Cuba’s Unión Eléctrica, will add another 85 MW. Cuba’s power demand stands at 3,500 MW, with a deficit sometimes exceeding 1,500 MW.

“We hope to leverage this project as an opportunity to contribute China’s strength in ensuring energy security and promoting sustainable social development in Cuba,” said Hua Xin, China’s ambassador in Havana.

 

A production gondola at the new wind turbine factory in Camaçari, northeastern Brazil, installed by Chinese firm Goldwind. Wind energy is the second-largest renewable source in Brazil’s electricity supply, after hydropower. Credit: Goldwind

 

The Ball on the Roof 

Chilean expert Rojas noted that Chinese companies obviously aim to promote their own brands but also establish research centers or technology transfer hubs to help countries accelerate their energy transition.

“They have cutting-edge technologies that we currently see in PowerPoint presentations—but they’re already implementing them in their own cities,” she pointed out.

Experts agree that, alongside territorial potential, population, and resources, the regulatory framework of the electricity business—which varies across borders—is a key investment attraction.

This becomes even more relevant as major investors like China shift from merely selling products and technology to acquiring more assets, immersing themselves in the complexities of service networks, costs, and pricing.

For many countries in the region, the observation Jorge Arbache, an economics professor at the University of Brasilia, makes about Brazil may resonate. He analyzes how the advantages and resources enabling the energy transition are being mobilized.

He argues that “while China has used the energy transition as a pillar of its national development policy,” Brazil still treats its advantages “mainly as primary, short-term, and predatory assets—with low added value, institutional fragmentation, and a lack of coordinated strategy.”

“What China shows us is that the energy transition and natural capital, when well-coordinated, are more than just a shift in the energy matrix: they are a development strategy, a tool for sovereignty, and a source of geopolitical power,” concluded Arbache.

With reporting by Mario Osava (Brazil), Orlando Milesi (Chile) and Dariel Pradas (Cuba).