Israel/Palestine: Violence escalates
Recent attacks on Israeli citizens by Palestinian teenagers with knives have been widely condemned, while the shooting deaths of dozens of unarmed Palestinian protesters by Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have received less media attention. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and Pax Christi International released statements urging Palestinians and Israelis to deescalate the tensions and work for lasting peace.
Mexico: Costs of immigration enforcement
The U.S. and Mexican governments have not addressed the root causes of the flow of migrants from Central America to the U.S.; rather, they have worked together to stop the flow by force.
Honduras: OAS plan to combat corruption
Despite the growing political volatility in Honduras, President Juan Orlando Hernandez has managed to remain in office by negotiating with the Organization of Americans States (OAS) to adopt a plan to facilitate national dialogue.
Guatemala: Latest election no laughing matter
On October 25, former comedian and television celebrity Jimmy Morales won Guatemala’s presidential election after a rising anti-corruption citizens’ movement helped bring down President Otto Pérez Molina. The underlining challenges and the political views of Jimmy Morales signal major troubles ahead.
Kenya: Peace conference held for teachers
The Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers Society Center in Nairobi recently hosted a five-day interfaith conference to orient primary and secondary school teachers from diverse areas of Kenya to the potential for interfaith-based religious education, as a vehicle for peace-building in Kenya.
Africa: The future of electricity
On October 8 the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved the Electrify Africa Act (EAA), legislation that aims to bring 20,000 additional megawatts of power to sub-Saharan Africa by 2020. Tehre are major concerns that this plan will fail to reach the more than 600 million people in sub-Saharan Africa who have little to no access to electricity.
Zimbabwe: Water, sustainable energy for all
Recently, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns staff member Sr. Claris Zwareva visited her homeland of Zimbabwe. Sr. Claris serves as Maryknoll’s representative at the United Nations where the Maryknoll Sisters and the Maryknoll Fathers & Brothers have consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
Africa: Displacement on the rise
The death and displacement that occurs in the out-migration from Africa and the plight of internally displaced peoples across the continent were the subject of a recent hearing before the House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations. What emerged in the testimony of several governmental and NGO experts was a picture of tragic human suffering.
Malawi: Reflections on Laudato Si’
An excerpt from the article “What does the environment encyclical mean for Malawi?” written by Alex Muyebe, SJ, director of the Jesuit Centre for Ecology and Development, Lilongwe, Malawi, and Peter Henriot, SJ, who works with Loyola Jesuit Secondary School, Kasungu, Malawi, and published in in the August 28 issue of the British Catholic magazine The Tablet.
Climate change: Large-scale dams problematic
With increasing pressure to lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, many countries are planning to increase their reliance on hydropower, meaning more dams. However, large-scale hydroelectric dams are a false solution to the climate crisis.
Road to Paris: Climate justice, natural disasters
November 8 marks the second anniversary of Typhoon Haiyan, the strongest tropical cyclone ever recorded. It devastated portions of Southeast Asia. In the Philippines, more than 6,000 people died and 4.1 million people were displaced. Many of the approximately 16 million Filipinos living in extreme poverty were affected. This article, published by CIDSE as part of their video series “Stories for Climate Justice” tells the story of Dr. Efleda Bautista, a climate activist in the Philippines. Dr. Bautista describes what climate justice means to her.
Road to Paris: Trade deals must protect climate
As countries prepare for the climate negotiations in Paris in December, some experts have called attention to the need for including safeguards to protect nations’ actions to address climate change from legal challenges by trade partners. Without this legal protection, many of the initiatives to decrease climate emissions or to adapt to a changing environment could be overturned by lawsuits.