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Reporting the underreported about the plan of action for People, Planet and Prosperity, and efforts to make the promise of the SDGs a reality.
A project of the Non-profit International Press Syndicate Group with IDN as the Flagship Agency in partnership with Soka Gakkai International in consultative status with ECOSOC.


SGI Soka Gakkai International

 

Photo: A 'derelict' vessel in Suva Bay. Credit: Josefa Babitu

By Josefa Babitu

Suva (IDN | Wansolwara) — Instead of a safe haven for ships, the famous Suva Bay has become a graveyard for derelict vessels, which pose a major risk to shipping and marine habitat. And there are growing concerns over the impact of derelict vessels on the environment and the safety of ships that sail in.

According to the Clear Seas Centre, a research centre in marine shipping in Canada, abandoned ships can harm tourism and fisheries, damage infrastructure, interfere with navigation and pose safety risks to people.

Goal 13+14+15

Image: IDN-INPS

By Kalinga Seneviratne

SYDNEY (IDN) — The November 2021 issue of Sustainable Development Observer focuses on Climate Change and the COP26 summit in Glasgow. We look at the debate on methane gas reduction from a farming mythology perspective. Indigenous people have called for a stop to ‘war on nature’ and we look at their perspective on climate change.

And, why is a Japanese Buddhist group calling for an annual UN Youth Climate Summit? Find out more about this issue. Also while Greta Thunberg gets all the attention, we look at why youth from the Global South says their voices are ignored at COP26.

Goal 13+14+15

Photo: Soil salinization and sodification are among the most important problems at a global level for agricultural production, food security and sustainability in arid and semi-arid regions. Credit: International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).

Viewpoint by Leigh Ann Winowiecki, Research Theme Leader, Soil and Land Health, World Agroforestry (ICRAF)

LONDON (IDN) — A world without healthy soil is a world in which little grows. Yet, for those who live in the roughly 25 to 40 per cent of the Earth’s surface that is degraded, this is what the future could hold.

Healthy soil stands at the centre of all our pressing global challenges and will be crucial in achieving the aims of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, launched in June this year.

Goal 2

Image source: The Edge Markets

By Reinhard Jacobsen

BRUSSELS (IDN) — International scientists and leaders have urged a "global response of collaboration with Africa on COVID-19 following Omicron outbreak". Over a hundred academics and leaders from Europe, Africa, the US among others say in a joint letter to the European Commission and the World Health Organization (WHO) that they are "concerned with the lack of action for vaccination in Africa and solidarity with Africa".

Goal 3

Photo: Collage of Crafts (left) and Sohibdavlat Qalandarkhonova (right).

By Sharofat Shafieva

KHOROG, Tajikistan (IDN) — The city of Khorog is generally clean, but it has a problem with waste management. Residents leave their garbage on the streets and especially in public places. The central market is one of the places where there is a large garbage dump.

“Passing by garbage is very unpleasant. No matter how much the administration cleans the garbage, it still collects in one day. It is especially terrible in summer when a very bad smell appears,” notes Shafoat Jafoeva a regular visitor to the market. “The waste mostly belongs to the merchants, and it would be good if the sellers of the market find a better way to manage their waste”, she adds.

Goal 16

Photo credit: World Access to Higher Education Days.

By Kalinga Seneviratne

SYDNEY (IDN) — If we are going to create a better world in the post-pandemic era higher education (HE) systems need to be more flexible and accessible, and governments need to be made to understand that funding the public university sector is essential to creating more equitable and socially stable societies. This is the message that came out clearly from the World Access to Higher Education Day (WAHED)—a day-long virtual conference coordinated from London and held on November 17 titled “Who will go to University in 2030?”. (P24) CHINESE | HINDI | JAPANESE TEXT VERSION PDF

Project Articles

Image credit: COP26 | UNFCCC

Viewpoint by Kalinga Seneviratne

SYDNEY (IDN) — About a third of global gas emissions come from agriculture and land use, yet, the final communiqué of COP26 failed to make any direct reference to the relationship between climate action and the world’s food systems. This is at a time, when the World Food Program (WFP) has warned that up to 45 million people in 43 countries are on the brink of a famine. (P23) ARABIC | GERMAN | JAPANESE TEXT VERSION PDF | TURKISH

Project Articles

Photo: The SGI (Soka Gakkai International), SGI-UK and the Centre for Applied Buddhism (CfAB) co-organized youth forum in Glasgow. Photo Credit: SGI-UK

By Kurt Reynolds

LONDON (IDN) — As the COP26 climate summit in Scotland was winding down, the long-term pledges and bountiful promises made by world leaders seemed never-ending—stretching all the way to 2070.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres issued a global roadmap to achieve a radical transformation of energy access and transition by 2030, while also contributing to net zero emissions by 2050. (P22) JAPANESE TEXT VERSION PDF | PORTUGUESE | SPANISH

Project Articles

Photo: Phramaha Hansa with villagers in Khok Nong Na. Credit: Pattama Vilailert

By Pattama Vilailert

SISAKET, Thailand (IDN) — With a series of COVID-19 lockdowns, many workers in Bangkok and other major business cities like Pattaya, Phuket, Chiang Mai, and Samut Prakarn flocked to their hometowns. They are forced to seek ways to begin their new lives and rationalise how to live sustainably in the long term.

In Thailand, it is common to see laypeople giving alms to monks in the morning all over the country as part of merit-making before starting their day. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, some monks have reversed roles in merit-making. (P21) CHINESE | JAPANESE TEXT VERSION PDF | THAI

Project Articles

  1. Mabadiliko ya Tabianchi: Je! Mgogoro Huu Utaathirije Mafanikio ya SDGs?
  2. IDN-INPS Southeast Asia's Second Sustainable Development Observer
  3. Climate Change: How This Crisis Will Impact the Achievement of The SDGs?
  4. Youth Group Fights to Save Indigenous Land on The Palawan Island in the Philippines
  5. Nations Protecting "Greedy" Pharma Companies Threaten Global COVID-19 Recovery

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