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Articles on International development

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Comedians Seth Meyers (far right) and Amber Ruffin (right) spoofed the ‘White Saviour’ complex in a fake movie segment on the ‘Late Night With Seth Meyers.’ Lloyd Bishop/NBC

How white saviourism harms international development

White saviourism is simultaneously a state of mind and a concrete unequal power structure between the Global North and the Global South.
Developing countries are calling for more funding and for changes at the World Bank. Sean Gallup/Getty Images

4 signs of progress at the UN climate change summit

The biggest issues at COP27 involve financing for low-income countries hit hard by climate change. A former World Bank official describes some promising signs she’s starting to see.
People wait in line for a free morning meal in Los Angeles in April 2020. High and rising inequality is one reason the U.S. ranks badly on some international measures of development. Frederic J. Brown/ AFP via Getty Images

US is becoming a ‘developing country’ on global rankings that measure democracy, inequality

The United States came in 41st worldwide on the UN’s 2022 sustainable development index, down nine spots from last year. A political historian explains the country’s dismal scores.
Female police officers working with the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Liberia participate in a parade in 2008. UN Photo/Christopher Herwig

Why men overwhelmingly wear the UN’s blue helmets – a former US ambassador explains why decades of recruiting women peacekeepers has had little effect

The UN has been working for 20 years to increase the number of female peacekeepers – but countries that give their troops to the UN are reluctant to put more women in active combat.
Several countries, including Bangladesh, are facing increasing flooding as sea levels rise. AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu

Wealthy countries still haven’t met their $100 billion pledge to help poor countries face climate change, and the risks are rising

The damage from storms, droughts and sea level rise is in the news almost daily. Some money is flowing to help poor countries, but what isn’t clear is how much impact the funds are having.
Reducing fossil use and increasing renewable energy worldwide are crucial to both sustainable development and fighting climate change. Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

4 strategies for a global breakthrough on energy and climate change

Energy and climate policies aren’t always headed in the same direction, but if they work together they can tackle two of the biggest challenges of our time.
Malala Yousafzai, an honorary Canadian citizen and a UN Messenger of Peace, speaks as she sits with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in his office during her visit to Parliament Hill for her Honorary Canadian Citizenship ceremony in April 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Canada is starting to answer the call on UN Sustainable Development Goals

Even amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada is pursuing its international policy on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and scoring points on the world stage by leading the global support for recovery.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meets with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, in Ottawa in June 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Canada must use its ‘soft power’ to champion global human rights

To bring about genuine change, middle-power countries like Canada must adopt a leadership role in pursuing an ethical agenda to ensure the security and survival of humanity. Is Canada ready to lead?
Haiti had not yet recovered from its devastating 2010 earthquake when it was hit hard by Hurricane Matthew in 2016. It is one of the world’s most vulnerable nations to climate change. AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell

In Haiti, climate aid comes with strings attached

Haiti is extremely vulnerable to climate change. It is also very poor. International donors have stepped in to help the country fund climate mitigation, but is the money going where it’s most needed?
The United Nations says people “left behind” include those vulnerable to the effects of climate change, but aren’t the furthest behind those damaging the environment? Here, a man rides a bicycle through a devastated Homs, Syria. Numerous studies say climate change was a factor in record-setting drought, one of several causes of the country’s civil war. AP Photo/Dusan Vranic

‘Leaving no one behind’ conveys a paternalistic approach to development

The United Nations Declaration on sustainable development stresses “leaving no-one behind,” but what about the factors that cause many to be behind in the first place?

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