Water

By Baher Kamal Paris, Milan, New York, Tokyo… These are just some of the world’s most prestigious fashion catwalks. There, and elsewhere, perfectly – and often unrealistically – silhouetted young women and men graciously parade to impress elite guests and TV watchers with surprising, fabulous creativity of… »

In many ways it is painful to reflect on the year 2018; a year of vital opportunities lost when so much is at stake. Whether politically, militarily, socially, economically, financially or ecologically, humanity took some giant strides backwards while passing up endless… »

By Anna Kucirkova Fresh water is the most important resource for human life on earth. People can survive far longer without food than without water, and virtually all of our food sources require fresh water to grow or create. Global climate change and the exponential increase in population has led… »

By Riccardo Petrella* The first vast work of “worldwide” occupation and predation of the Earth and its inhabitants was that begun in the sixteenth century by a number of European states (Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, England and France). After the First World War, new actors – no less conquerors and… »

Nestled amid the Andean mountains, Cuenca — Ecuador’s third largest city — has long been known for its bounteous sources of fresh water. This is thanks to its privileged location within the Maziso del Cajas, a newly declared UNESCO biosphere reserve. However, over the last decade, its underlying gold… »

FOCUS ON AFRICA Achieving Water Security and Sanitation Goals Africa hosted three major water and sanitation events over the past two months. The theme of the biggest event, Africa Water Week (AWW), was on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals on water security and sanitation. IRC and partners… »

Human Wrongs Watch By Baher Kamal* This is part II of a two-part series of reports focusing on the impact of climate change on the Middle East & North of Africa region, ahead of the signing ceremony of the Paris climate agreement, on 22 April 2016 in… »

Human Wrongs Watch By Francesco Farnè*  ROME, 1 January 2016 (IPS) – “Water is at the core of the Lima-Paris Action Agenda (LPAA), but it is true that for a long time water and oceans issues have… »

Forward-looking reflections In this last issue, we look back on what we have learned in 2015 and can take with us in the new year. CEO Patrick Moriarty reflects on the new Global Goals and climate change. Senior sanitation specialist Erick Baetings shares his insights on urban sanitation, organisational capacities… »

By Rafael Ziegler for Big Jump Challenge In this interview, we spoke with H.E. Jorge Jurado, the first ‘water minister’ of Ecuador from 2008-2010 and since then Ambassador of Ecuador in Berlin. Jurado is a leading political thinker re-envisaging the approach to water in Latin America. He is the… »