Winter in some parts of South Africa is a time of low (or no) rainfall and high fire danger. Sheldon Strydom studies the relationship between weather and fire, in particular how Berg winds, also known as mountain flow events, are linked to periods of enhanced fire danger. Mid-July is typically a high risk period. He…
Coalition governance is messy, but parties should be able to agree on prioritising economic growth and trade into Africa. South Africa’s Government of National Unity (GNU) has just staggered past the one-year mark. Its foreign policy reflects continuity, some change, a steady mismatch between ambition and resources, and little focus on national growth priorities. Disagreements…
The United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) has expressed concern at the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights’ announcement that certain activities mandated by the council cannot be delivered due to a lack of funding. The council has sought clarity on why certain activities had been singled out. Among the activities the commissioner says can’t…
UNAIDS Warns Funding Collapse Puts Decades of HIV Progress at Risk The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has warned that decades of progress in addressing AIDS are at risk after a funding collapse in 2025. According to the UNAIDS report, funding cuts – caused by abrupt and massive cuts from international donors – are already destroying frontline services,…
“One key challenge I remain deeply committed to addressing is ensuring no one is left behind by the health system, no matter where they live,” Dr. Ahmed Ogwell Ouma, the CEO and President of VillageReach, a global non-profit dedicated to strengthening health systems in underserved communities. With over three decades of experience at the forefront of global…
When Natalia Kanem reflects on her eight-year tenure at the helm of the UN reproductive health agency, she doesn’t begin with global statistics, boardroom breakthroughs, or even memories of her visits to refugee camps. She returns, over and over, to a single image: that of a ten-year-old girl – standing on the edge of adolescence,…
GENEVA/JOHANNESBURG – UNAIDS today launched its 2025 Global AIDS Update, AIDS, Crisis and the Power to Transform, which shows that a historic funding crisis is threatening to unravel decades of progress unless countries can make radical shifts to HIV programming and funding. The report highlights the impact that the sudden, large-scale funding cuts from international donors are…
The United States has announced a new $250 Visa Integrity Fee that will apply to most non-immigrant visa categories beginning in fiscal year 2025. The new surcharge will be charged in addition to existing visa application fees, significantly raising the total cost for many applicants seeking to visit, study, or work in the United States….
In response to the investigation by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) revealing how World Bank-backed healthcare investments are deepening poverty and denying care in Africa, Oxfam International’s Health Policy Manager Anna Marriott said: “Oxfam is deeply alarmed by the ICIJ’s findings, which once again show how the World Bank Group and other publicly…
United Nations — UNAIDS called the funding crisis a ticking time bomb, saying the impact of the US cuts to the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) could result in 4 million unnecessary AIDS-related deaths by 2029. A historic withdrawal of global HIV/AIDS funding threatens to derail decades of hard-won progress in the fight…
