the unbearable notice is; that you've to make up your mind to be the difference and not the other way round else people will misjudge you even though you're not that person.
Have you ever seen a European Christian call a non-christian European a pagan or idol worshipper?
It was rebranded and given new names and language.
You’ll never ever hear that.
Have you ever heard the Pope or Archbishop of Canterbury call other European traditional worshippers, pagan or idol worshippers? Never.
Have you ever seen churches in Europe or Asia mount big billboards by road and litter the streets with loud noise?
Have you ever seen a European denied a job or attacked online for not being a Christian? Never.
Come to Africa.
A pastor or priest would mount the pulpit and begin to attack the African traditional religions, calling them pagan and Idol worshippers.
Churches would brandish everyone who doesn’t share their faith as a satanic person and they would sing intolerant songs coined to mock and ridicule African religion.
You’d see Catholics arguing if Anglicans should be allowed to receive communion in their church and vice versa.
They forget that both churches are named after two civilisations; Rome and England.
“Western religions taught the African man that his brother was the enemy and that except his brother accepts his own religion, he was evil”
InsiderNotes!
The same Europeans taught their own people that Africans are animals and that we were merchandise to be bought and owned.
You'd never see a European who goes about shouting Holy ghost fire when he sees a cat or owl in the night.
The African man forgets that cats and owls are creatures created by the Almighty and that it’s natural for them to move at night.
Rome colonised Africa but how many of us know this?
Italy, Spain, Germany, France, Netherlands, England, Belgium, Portugal, Switzerland, Luxembourg and about 30 others were all Roman empires.
Remove Switzerland and Luxembourg, the rest on the list colonised Africa.
Today the Roman religion is the most dominant in Africa.
“The Roman Catholic church and the Anglican church are directly controlled by Roman culture“
HRH Omu Onyebuchie Okonkwo! The Omu of Obio Great Kingdom!!
So it means that till date, we’re still under control, this time spiritually and mentally.
I do not say this to incite religious discomfort but rather to buttress the obvious fact.
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All Rights Reserved: HRH Omu Onyebuchie Okonkwo! The Omu of Obio Great Kingdom!!
I've gone through the lists of prominent names of my people who fought in the Ekumeku war and none of the names are Igala, Bini, Yorùbá or Hausa.
They’re all Igbo.
The reason I’m saying this, is because a lot of us do not understand history and how its distortion affects us today.
Today the descendants of these brave men who resisted the British soldiers for 31 years are claiming that they’re no longer Igbo instead they’re Bini.
“I have come across comments accusing me of being sponsored by certain elements to push the Igbo unification agenda“
HRH Omu Onyebuchie Okonkwo Omu of Obio!
I wish such were true because I’d really appreciate the money.
I have seen how ignorance has caused us to reason from our nose and our culture has been ridiculed by our very own people.
Why would a Nwabuokei from Ọnịcha Olona open his mouth to say he's Bini and not Igbo?
I watch his videos and I’m appalled to say the least, at how a sensible person would set up his camera and go on to deny his very identity.
The other day it was the man from Idumuje Unor who was doing the same thing online.
Odiakose is an Igbo word.
Ose/Olise/Osebuwa are Igbo names for the Almighty Creator.
Odi na aka Olise is purely Igbo.💯
I’m happy his king has come out to reaffirm their Igbo identity.
Such elders should be ignored as they do not speak for us.
I am an Igbo woman and I speak the Enuani dialect of the Igbo language.
Someone dropped a video comment of my King saying he’s from Bini and that Obio is from Bini.
I laugh at such people because I have no business with such claims.
If some people say they’re Bini, yet they don’t understand an iota of Bini language, they speak fluent Igbo, they use the Ọfọ, they use the four Igbo native market days and they celebrate iwaji festival, then they are only living in denial and should be ignored.
“It doesn’t matter whether they have a crown on their head or not...”
Read that again, please!
Even if my mother wakes from the grave today and claims Bini, I’m purely Igbo.
I have gone beyond petty blackmail and gaslighting and I know my roots.
“My ancestors were Igbo and if there’s any Bini or Igala blood here, then it is through marriage, assimilation and servitude“
HRH Omu Onyebuchie Okonkwo Omu of Obio!
The Bini people who joined us from Bini after our migration, they have their own quarter here in Obio and we have always been told that they are visitors so how are we now Bini when we acknowledge these people as visitors?
Obio market is on Eke day.
Eke is Bini, abi? I don’t know how most of these Bini apologists think.
You bear Igbo names, speak Igbo and you observe the Igbo calendar, yet you are Bini.
I’ll keep talking and I don’t mind being dragged by unruly elements who lack consciousness and history.
The task ahead is daunting and can only be achieved through consistent teachings and reorientation and hopefully, we would be able to salvage most of our people.
Daalụ nu Umunne m.
All Rights Reserved: HRH Omu Onyebuchie Okonkwo (Omu of ObioKingdom)
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“Disturbingly, many who are returning to Odinani Igbo are not returning to embrace and reflect the highly distinguished Igbo value system”
InsiderNotes
Money💰 has been so elevated in today’s Ndi Igbo that the deep value system that made their ancestors philosophers, spiritual adepts, observers of nature, republicans are hardly found in Ndi Igbo of today.
One of the foremost values of ancient Igbo is, Ome ife jide ofo.
This means in whatever you do, stand on truth.
Truth was highly revered more than anything to the extent, Ozo institution, the most noble class in Igbo society of old, was nothing but an assembly of men of truth.
Today, the words of onye Igbo, old and young, especially those in business, politics, even religious set ups, cannot be relied on.
The ugly impression out there is that an Igbo person can do anything for money.
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This means in whatever you do, stand on truth.
Truth was highly revered more than anything to the extent, Ozo institution, the most noble class in Igbo society of old, was nothing but an assembly of men of truth.
Today, the words of onye Igbo, old and young, especially those in business, politics, even religious set ups, cannot be relied on.
“The ugly impression out there is that an Igbo person can do anything for money”
EyeOpener👀
When fake products are mentioned, the first suspect that comes to mind is an Igbo person.
Moving on, our Igbo ancestors built their lives around, Ometalu ya bulu.
This principle that clearly reminded them, you must reap what you sow, restrained them from indulging in damning acts that will attract curses upon their house.
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Today, many Ndi Igbo have replaced this value system with forgiveness of sin.
Modern Ndi Igbo are prone to commit all manner of sin with hope that their sins will be forgiven once they ask for forgiveness.
Our ancestors feared the retributive justice from the mother earth, izelu mkpu ani.
They were careful not to heap untold hardship upon themselves and their children because they believed you must reap what you sow.
Igbo value system was built on these two principles, Insistence on Truth (Ome ife jide ofo) and Karma (Ometalu ya bulu).
It is on these two principles that societal order and behavioural traits were formed.
Thus, our ancients developed the habit of being restrained and philosophical in their approach to life.
Climate change will cost $1.3 trillion per year by 2035.
Here’s how we can pay for it.
For decades, climate change has been one of the world’s most urgent, existential shared challenges a crisis mandating the world’s 193 countries band together to reign in carbon emissions and, to put it frankly, save the planet.
But there’s one big, glaring problem: Paying for the climate crisis is expensive, and no one wants to cover the bill.
Climate change is accelerating, and so are its costs.
If we don’t fix international accounting fast, we risk both financial and climatic devastation.
Last November, the UN climate change conference COP29 ended with wealthy nations pledging to mobilize at least $300 billion a year to support Global South countries with climate change and support a clean energy transition, with the ultimate goal of reaching at least $1.3 trillion annually by 2035.
Getting there won’t be easy.
And that’s exactly why we need a plan of action.
Enter Global Citizen’s vision for a fair climate finance roadmap.
Submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the “Baku to Belém Roadmap” is a bold, practical guide to finance that lays out exactly how countries can shape policies and budgets to free up that $1.3 trillion and ensure the money reaches those who need it most.
So how does it work? Let’s break it down.
A Broken System Today, traditional sources of funding (like foreign aid and concessional loans) aren’t cutting it.
Global South countries, especially those most vulnerable to climate change, simply don’t have the means to invest in social welfare and climate resiliency all at once.
Why? The global financial system is outdated.
Built over 80 years ago, it wasn’t designed to address today’s challenges.
To find $1.3 trillion, we need a clear timeline, strong accountability measures, new sources of funding, and ambitious NDCs (Nationally Determined Contributions, or plans each country creates to reduce emissions and prioritize strengthening climate resilience).
Because it’s not just about increasing the total pot of money it’s about figuring out where that money should go to have the most impact.
Who Pays the Price;
Climate finance has historically been very unfairly distributed.
Paradoxically, the countries and communities that suffer the most from climate disasters receive the least support.
Here’s how money gets tangled up in the current system:
It’s Too Complicated: Many report that the process is overly complex and technical.
Countries in the Global South face miles of red tape just to access essential climate funding from global institutions.
Getting money from major lenders like the Green Climate Fund can take years, delaying lifesaving projects as approval pipelines slowly chug along.
It’s Too Risk-Averse: Investors tend to chase safe bets.
That leaves vital but low-return adaptation projects, like early disaster warning systems or climate proof infrastructure, underfunded by the private sector.
It’s Too Unfair: Loans dominate climate finance.
Yet countries hit hardest by climate change often have poor credit ratings, meaning they pay the highest interest rates which exacerbate vicious debt cycles.
Worse, global crises like COVID-19 and humanitarian disasters have left many countries drowning in debt, making it harder than ever to invest in climate-proofing a safer future.
The Fix: A New Vision for Global Finance So what’s the solution?
We don’t just need more money we need a plan for better systems.
To truly address climate and development challenges, we need to expand and diversify funding sources, introduce regular monitoring benchmarks, and create greater transparency.
If we do all that, hitting $1.3 trillion a year by 2035 is possible.
To that end, we at Global Citizen believe the world must:
1. Fix the Global Lending System. Approval processes must be faster, simpler, and support climate-impacted nations first and foremost.
Specifically, multilateral development banks (MDBs) like the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) need to:
Lend more and faster, especially in times of crisis.
They can scale up “direct access modalities” (where local financial institutions receive money directly from lenders rather than a middle man).
Major funders like the Adaptation Fund and the Green Climate Fund have made some strides, but we need to see more progress.
Get creative with their money. Business as usual isn’t enough.
We’ll need to embrace innovative financing models, such as blended finance (mixing public and private money) and insurance to attract investment where it’s needed most.
Focus on grants and low-interest loans, especially for climate adaptation efforts.
Expand debt-relief tools like climate debt swaps, where loans are forgiven in exchange for investing in local adaptation projects.
2. Shift the Power Imbalance and Enforce Accountability.
Climate finance is controlled by the wealthiest nations. It’s time to change that.
Empower vulnerable nations by giving them a greater voice in decision-making.
Create stronger oversight.
An independent body (such as the UNFCCC Standing Committee on Finance) could play a referee role, track whether commitments are being met, and prevent misreporting.
3. Champion Community and Indigenous Leadership.
Local actors know local environments best, including how to adapt them to changing climates.
But they’re rarely the focus of climate finance.
Prioritize local action and adaptation projects by channeling money directly to on-the-ground community organizations, and making sure they’re at the heart of both steering and implementing climate action.
Protect vital ecosystems, such as the Amazon.
Indigenous-led conservation is known to help protect biodiversity and fight climate change.
Governments need to back them up with robust policy and financial support.
4. Power a Just Energy Transition.
We need widespread renewable energy access that benefits everyone, including local workers and communities.
Phase out fossil fuels. Retire outdated coal plants and redirect fossil fuel subsidies (which cost the world $7 trillion annually) to climate finance instead.
Scale up Just Energy Transition Partnerships (JETPs).
These renewable infrastructure programs have been successfully piloted in South Africa and Indonesia.
More countries should follow suit.
Join international treaties, such as the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance and the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, which provide clear roadmaps for countries to pursue just energy transitions.
5. Roll Out New Solidarity Financing Tools.
We can put solidarity into practice by introducing taxes that benefit everyone, which we predict could generate more than $100 billion a year alone.
These might include:
Tax high-emissions, luxury goods, such as international airline tickets or maritime shipping fuel.
Make polluters pay by taxing high-polluting industries, such as fossil fuel company profits, and channel that money towards climate funds like the Loss & Damage Fund.
6. Expand Targeted Climate Finance Initiatives.
We need to turbocharge new models in climate finance instead of relying on traditional, outdated ones.
Back proven initiatives that protect the planet. Luckily, there’s a number with established track records of success, such as REDD+, the Amazon Fund, and the Brazilian Podáali Fund.
Reform the MDBs. Initiatives like the G20 Dialogues and Bridgetown Initiative are encouraging MDBs to ramp up their climate lending.
They can also build up their financial toolkit by expanding the use of SDRs (Special Drawing Rights) and debt-pause clauses, offering indebted countries lifelines during crises.
Why We Can’t Wait Global finance can feel technical and distant.
But it impacts all of us and with just five years left to meet the SDGs, the clock is ticking.
The $1.3 trillion goal should be considered the floor of global ambition, not the ceiling.
Countries need to be ambitious and look for extra money to boost climate spending everywhere and anywhere they can.
The concrete steps outlined in this financial roadmap offer both governments and the private sector ways to scale up financing fast, while also knocking down existing barriers for emerging economies.
We have the tools, and we know what to do. Now we just need the political will to get it done.
Because if we can change how money flows, we can change everything.
About 2/3 of the world’s population consumes potatoes as its staple food and nearly 50% of potatoes are used as the household staple food or vegetable.
#Potatoes provide accessible and nutritious food and improved livelihoods in rural and other areas where natural resources, especially arable land and water are limited and inputs are opulent.
The crop’s versatility and ability to grow in a variety of conditions make it an advantageous crop choice. Potatoes are also a climate friendly crop, as they produce low levels of greenhouse gas emissions in comparison to other crops.
Potatoes are also a climate friendly crop, as they produce low levels of greenhouse gas emissions in comparison to other crops.
In the past decade, the global production of potatoes has increased by 10%, leading to growth in employment and income, but more work still needs to be done to harness the full potential of the crop to end hunger and malnutrition globally.
There are over 5,000 improved varieties of potatoes many of which are unique to their original location in Latin America
The 150 wild relatives of the cultivated potato show a wide genetic variation with a range of traits, including the ability to adapt to different production environments, resistance to pests and diseases, and different tuber characteristics.
Drop a 🥔, If potato is your favourite vegetable.
Watch this movie and let’s have your opinion expecting all ya’ feedback👍
Watch this another amazing skit coming from one of the OG’s in the industry.
Music Star and Canadian Rapper, DAX has expressed his feeling for his parents after they decided to immigrate to Canada over 36yrs ago.
The coupled attested to move on with their family over to Canada because of their high taste for excellence and what crave they would’ve wished for their children to grow in, both parent are from the Eastern part of Nigeria a place known for high prioritized culture and Morales.
They’ve now been together for 38 years.
This was the proudest moment of my life.
The day they saw me GRADUATE COLLEGE after going to 3 different universities in 4 and a half years.
DAX
They were both born in NIGERIA…🇳🇬
“My mother was born in Aba and is IGBO and my Father was born in Lagos and is also IGBO but speaks YORUBA as well.
They immigrated to St, Johhn’s, Newfoundland, Canada 🇨🇦 36 Years ago and the rest is history.”
Anyone who has Nigerian parents or just African parents, or just immigrant parents in general knows the expectation they have for their children is very high especially educational wise and occupational wise.
My parents were never excited with my initial decisions to play basketball and then make music but left me alone once they saw how focused I was and that I wasn’t going to quit.
In African culture it’s the child’s responsibility to repay their parents for bringing you into this world. We come in, they take care of us, and as they get older we take care of them.
“NO QUESTIONS ASKED“
That’s always been one of my BIGGEST motivations everyday I wake up and I plan to continue to voice that as a priority for the youth coming up in this generation.
It’s the circle of life.
What they gave me wasn’t a dollar amount and I’m happy and appreciate the struggle and tough times we went through growing up.
“They set an example of how to work hard and expect nothing from anyone”
DAX
Tough times create strong people.
“I went to 3 schools in 4 years and got my degree in 4 and 1/2. I led the league in scoring my senior year and turned down overseas contracts after I found my passion for poetry and motivational speaking.
I jumped in head first. I had no ties or connections to anyone in entertainment so I then built my platform from scratch by myself.”
Thank you Mom and Dad for your sacrifices.
“I love you”❤
And shoutout to all the parents in the world you are doing amazing job tryna raise us up to the standard of top classical despite the surrounded difficult challenges.
The YOUTH are the FUTURE and it’s going to be harder than ever in this social media generation to lead them in the right direction.
As for me,
“I will do my part by continuing to create thought provoking music”
As Sudan experiences a civil war where one of the most severe hunger crises of 2023 (and 2024 so far) is ongoing, access to humanitarian aid is both dire and scarce, and innocent lives are being scraped off the planet every day authorities added insult to injury by shutting the internet down when citizens needed it most.
It was mid-February 2024, almost a year into the ongoing violence, when Sudan’s internet would be disrupted for around 10 days.
While the current civil war has been ongoing for over a year, violence and conflict have clung to Sudan’s back on and off for years, and throughout, internet shutdowns have been the norm.
“Because of the internet shutdown, we are unable to communicate with our volunteers, we are unable to buy food, medicine and deliver these services to those in need.
Most of our soup kitchens in the greater Khartoum are cut off and therefore not working.”
A civilian expressed: “Due to war, using online banking apps for transactions has gained popularity given the lack of liquidity.
Now, however, we are almost starving because of this shutdown, as we can’t even buy food and medicine.
All my interactions, including business and online courses, have come to a stop too.”
Whether or not access to the internet should be considered a human right is no longer up for debate: it should be.
The internet has become a vital part of the engine that propels the world forward, and to block someone’s access to it is to block someone’s access to their already existing human rights.
Access to education, food, employment, health, and humanitarian aid, are all within the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and because the internet has overwhelmingly become the means by which we access these rights, it should suffice that access to the internet itself should be a human right.
So when an entire region or nation has been denied the right to access the internet due to political agendas that are not always in the best interest of the people, we should be worried as a global society.
Internet shutdowns across the African continent are not only frustrating, but they are increasingly harmful.
Here’s what more you should know:
What are internet shutdowns?
We’re not talking about an outage here.
An outage is when an error or accident occurs and the internet goes off as a result, for instance in times of extreme weather where infrastructure is destroyed, or in the case of maintenance repairs.
A shutdown, on the other hand, is the deliberate turning off of the internet to control a population or the information flow surrounding a situation, and is often orchestrated by some form of authority.
Egypt’s authorities at the time caught on to the fact that demonstrators were using the internet to mobilize and multiply the protest movement, and so they shut off the internet directly impacting access to an open civic space for the right to protest and speak freely.
While it wasn’t the first internet shutdown in history, because of the magnitude of the Arab Spring protests, the world opened its eyes to how internet shutdowns can be weaponized.
A similar thing happened in the last African monarchy-state, eSwatini, in 2021, when pro-democracy and anti-police brutality protests erupted, the state shut down the internet citing “security reasons”, depriving children of their education, businesses of their income, and citizens alike of their free speech.
If it’s still not clear why these shutdowns are a bad thing, a Global Citizen from Ghana, who wished to stay anonymous, broke it down for us: “The internet means Information, which means power in the hands of the people.
The reason governments like to impose restrictions is so the information flow can be stagnant, robbing people of their power to be seen and heard.”
They can either rely on what’s called a routing disruption, which is to stop the transmission of information altogether, meaning people using the internet can’t connect to it, and information being sent will not find its destination.
This is largely what we’ve seen across the continent, particularly in the case of Sudan and eSwatini.
Global Citizen
The second is called packet filtering, where parts of the internet or specific sites are shut down, or specific content is targeted, for instance, Nigeria blocking access to Twitter in 2021.
In retaliation (or what the government referred to as protecting the state from “undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence”) the government banned Twitter for the entire country.
At the time, Human Rights Watch and other organizations raised alarm about the impact of freedom of expression and an open civic space, however, these calls were ignored by Buhari’s government.
What’s more is that any use of Twitter, including by journalists and media houses, was deemed “unpatriotic”, and could result in persecution.
We’ll continue the rest of the discussion in our next blog, subscribe to be the first to be notified when it drops.
by Sai Educational Rural & Urban Development Society (SERUDS)
This project intends to give skills training in tailoring, embroidery, and fashion design courses for sustainable livelihoods to over 200 women.
With this vocational skills training, women will live with dignity by earning money themselves.
During this training, women will learn and develop skills in tailoring & embroidery to work on sarees and blouse pieces.
We provide sewing machines and tool kits to survive on their own and live with dignity.
Here Are The Challenges
Women are facing atrocities & harassment at work place and have no role in decision making due to lack of financial independence.
They are treated as second class citizens.
They are working as labourers in market yard, cleaners in hospitals, private enterprises & engaged in beedi (tobaaco) making, a hazardous profession.
Women charge lesser in terms of Economic digressions.
They stand a chance to hold the centre for anarchy in obligation.
They are socially & culturally ill-treated. They lack employable skills & sustainable and dignified livelihoods.
This tailoring & embroidery project intends to create economic development of women & break poverty.
Tailoring & embroidery training will provide self employment at their homes, can give them a daily income and can enable them to buy necessary medicines and make them capable to pay school fee for their growing children.
Investment in these women is a proven path to reduce poverty.
They are disadvantaged when it comes to employment, education, and work skills.
What Can We Do;
This tailoring & embroidery project intends to create economic development of #women & break poverty.
Tailoring & embroidery training will provide self employment at their homes, can give them a daily income and can enable them to buy necessary medicines and make them capable to pay school fee for their growing children.
Investment in these women is a proven path to reduce poverty.
INSIDERNOTES
Here Are The Solutions
The income of these women will be enhanced and they will be independent.
They need not depend on any one else.
With this skills training women will be self reliant and live happily.
mompreneurship is another level of independence and a leak to societal development.
The economic development of women will increase and they participate in decision making process.
They will teach these learnt skills to other woman who are in needy position.
Women all over the world not just in #India, deserves to be given the same measure of attention and proficient supplies as due to anyone promoting useful standards in the community, they deserve to be treated with respect & dignity, equity and not trials.
by Sai Educational Rural & Urban Development Society (SERUDS)
This project intends to give skills training in tailoring, embroidery, and fashion design courses for sustainable livelihoods to over 200 women.
With this vocational skills training, women will live with dignity by earning money themselves.
During this training, women will learn and develop skills in tailoring & embroidery to work on sarees and blouse pieces.
We provide sewing machines and tool kits to survive on their own and live with dignity.
Here Are The Challenges
Women are facing atrocities & harassment at work place and have no role in decision making due to lack of financial independence.
They are treated as second class citizens.
They are working as labourers in market yard, cleaners in hospitals, private enterprises & engaged in beedi (tobaaco) making, a hazardous profession.
Women charge lesser in terms of Economic digressions.
They stand a chance to hold the centre for anarchy in obligation.
They are socially & culturally ill-treated. They lack employable skills & sustainable and dignified livelihoods.
This tailoring & embroidery project intends to create economic development of women & break poverty.
Tailoring & embroidery training will provide self employment at their homes, can give them a daily income and can enable them to buy necessary medicines and make them capable to pay school fee for their growing children.
Investment in these women is a proven path to reduce poverty.
They are disadvantaged when it comes to employment, education, and work skills.
What Can We Do;
This tailoring & embroidery project intends to create economic development of #women & break poverty.
Tailoring & embroidery training will provide self employment at their homes, can give them a daily income and can enable them to buy necessary medicines and make them capable to pay school fee for their growing children.
Investment in these women is a proven path to reduce poverty.
INSIDERNOTES
Here Are The Solutions
The income of these women will be enhanced and they will be independent.
They need not depend on any one else.
With this skills training women will be self reliant and live happily.
mompreneurship is another level of independence and a leak to societal development.
The economic development of women will increase and they participate in decision making process.
They will teach these learnt skills to other woman who are in needy position.
Women all over the world not just in #India, deserves to be given the same measure of attention and proficient supplies as due to anyone promoting useful standards in the community, they deserve to be treated with respect & dignity, equity and not trials.
Exactly six months ago, a new wave of devastation and profound suffering began.
Israeli civilians were targeted and at least 1,139 were killed by Hamas and Palestinian armed groups with hostages being taken and 132 remaining in captivity today.
Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories came under retaliatory attack and continue to face daily horrors more than 32,000 civilians have been killed in Gaza, and over 2.3 million remain at risk of genocide and famine.
Families are waking up every morning without their loved ones, and with uncertainty for their own lives.
I remain heartbroken — and determined to help.
I know you share my sense of moral responsibility.
While the U.S. government and the international community have failed to put an end to the staggering scale of death and devastation, Amnesty International has been responding since day one:
Our call for a permanent ceasefire, unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza, and the release of remaining civilian hostages has mobilized more than 1 million signatures from 167 countries1;
Our investigations have exposed numerous human rights violations and war crimes by all parties — including unlawful attacks by Israeli forces in which U.S.-made weapons were identified2;
Our experts are meeting with U.S. leaders and lawmakers, who are referencing and uplifting our research on the national stage3;
For over six decades4, we have been documenting how Israeli forces have committed grave human rights violations against Palestinians with impunity.
Amnesty is on the ground ensuring violations do not go unchecked all thanks to dedicated people like you and we need your help to continue our lifesaving work.
Tristan: this crisis is devastating but we must not give into despair or assume someone else will come to the rescue.
Behind the stories you read about Israeli and Palestinian civilians being killed in ruthless attacks, we are there, collecting evidence and interviewing survivors so we can seek justice.
Behind the historic number of Palestinians being displaced, we are there, documenting their plight so we can show people in power why a permanent ceasefire is so urgently needed.
And behind Amnesty, there’s YOU. With your help, we can ramp up efforts to protect human rights and demand accountability for the human rights crimes being committed around the world.
Your support will mean more investigations to uncover war crimes, more pressure for a ceasefire, humanitarian access, and hostage release, and more action to shine a light on injustice.
We have no intention of slowing any of this work. Help us maintain the resources needed to continue responding.
Thank you for powering our movement,
Paul O’Brien Executive Director Amnesty International USA
P.S. Not ready to make a donation? Use our simple tool to send a message to your members of Congress calling for an immediate ceasefire, which would help put an end to unlawful attacks, allow for lifesaving humanitarian aid, and negotiate the release of hostages.
As Earth Day approaches, it’s crucial to reflect on the environmental challenges we face and the actions we can take to protect our beautiful planet.
This year the Earth Day theme is Planet vs. Plastics, looking at the impact both on our health and the environment.
FossilFuel🚫
In this special Earth Day edition, we delve into the three main reasons why plastic is harming our planet and share actionable steps we can all take to make a difference.
The production of plastic is heavily reliant on fossil fuels
Most plastics can take hundreds of years to decompose in landfills
Plastic pollution poses a severe threat to nature, especially in our waterways.
Global Citizen
So, what can we do about it?
It can often feel like we don’t have a lot of control over the amount of plastic in the world, and that governments or companies should be the ones making the changes.
But change needs to come from everyone.
We all have an area of influence and control over our own decisions when it comes to things like shopping, or our homes.
And laws are changing! In March at the UN Environment Assembly, #175 nations agreed to develop a legally binding agreement on plastic pollution by the end of this year.
This hugely important resolution addresses the full lifecycle of plastic, including its production, design and disposal.
CustomerRights
Plus, lots of companies are making changes to the amount of plastic in their products, due to increasing public demand. So don’t underestimate what a difference consumer pressure can make!
Things we can do today
Step 1 – Reduce We’ve all heard the phrase ‘reduce, re-use, recycle’, but these are not all of equal importance.
The most important thing we can do is REDUCE the amount of plastic we use.
Synthetic fibres in clothing account for 10% of all plastic usage.
Step 3 – Recycle Finally, when we must buy or use plastic, we should RECYCLE it.
The reason this is the 3rd step is because, whilst recycling is preferable to incineration or landfill, plastic cannot be recycled forever (unlike metal).
So, recycling delays, rather than avoids, landfill.
What happens to our plastic waste?
When we act together, we can accomplish things that seem impossible to achieve alone.
A new way to launch apps and certain iOS features is hidden right behind your screen.
Quickly: Try to turn on your iPhone’s flashlight. If it took you longer than two seconds, you’re probably missing out on one of the iPhone’s best hidden features.
Though the iPhone’s Settings menus harbor many hidden gems, including one that can protect it from thieves, they’re so numerous and buried you’d be forgiven for mostly ignoring them.
Still, those who wish to turn their phone into the fastest flasher in the West needn’t look too hard.
Open Settings, scroll down to “Accessibility,” find “Touch,”
Scroll all the way down and tap “Back Tap.”
You’ll see two options: “Double Tap” and “Triple Tap.”
Each lets you tell your phone to do something when you tap its back twice or three times.
I use the trick for my flashlight, so I can quickly find things in the dark closet under my stairs, but you can customize the taps to do tasks like launch the camera, take a screenshot or mute your ringer.
If you have found uses for Siri beyond reeling off the population of Belgium, you can tap for the voice assistant too.
INSIDERNOTES
You can do even more powerful things with the help of Apple’s “Shortcuts” app.
It lets you create custom automations that you can trigger with the taps.
Open the app, tap the plus arrow to create a new shortcut, then add as many steps as you want.
When you return to your “Back Tap” settings, you’ll see all your saved automations as options.
“My favorite customization allows me to use Shazam, the app that helps identify any song you encounter while walking around, by just triple tapping the back of my phone”
a trick that lets you turn the back of your phone into an app launchpad
I’ve also made one that just starts playing the most recent episode of my favorite podcast and one that tells me the next event I have scheduled in my calendar.
Really, the possibilities are endless.
One small limit: Since you can only tap two ways, you can only use this feature to do two things.
And whatever you build, make sure you practice getting the tap to work before trying it in the wild.
Ensuring it consistently triggers requires finesse.
If you don’t have a case on your phone (you animal!) you can likely get it to work with just a gentle touch.
Those with thick cases might need to tap harder I’ve found it helps to use your fingernail.
A young man by the name AKPA JEREMIAH has disclosed how the economic hardship in his country turned him into Professional Content creator.
Initially, he was into graphics and cinematography, directing sessions of shootings and coverages.
When asked of how he had made the decision on budging from what seemed like a stagnation into a whole new life and to this exquisite experience through a fostering career he said
“No one except God knows what we have sacrificed together for the sake of success in life”
Akpa Jeremiah
Mr. Akpa Jeremiah also stated that all went alright until he felt something like a weight was behind dragging him backward and that made him really felt stagnated despite all his competency.
It’s probably not fair to characterize what happened to him as life handing him a lemon.
“However, the one good thing about being stuck in bed is that you’ve got plenty of time on your hands”
Tristan James Jr.
He went further stressing that;
"It is unfortunate that we have not gotten there even after our sincere services but we still believe in God and the future is bright."
And when asked about his financial status quo as to whether it was part (played a huge role) of his ambitions that made him go scrambling and a pursuer of many odigie on humanitarian efforts turned into a career.
That has been the order of work in today’s world people thriving so hard tryna bring in a good value and endless decisionmaking assistance sprouting to the societal life, and it should’ve been easier that way.
“We decided not to do Ev!| To make money rather we work hard with sincererity” He continues…
JTF
How it all started
I started content creation in the earliest dwindles of 2020 without any help or advice or encouragement either.
Since then, I have struggled and faced many challenges along the line (with few of non lesser successes) and, God has never failed me and I have never given up on anything that patches the tires of mine running wheels.
“I have not made money from my Contents but consistently working hard and believing I will get there soon”
INSIDERNOTES
The digital world today, has generated a common value and leverage to the masses who had nothing to borrow for.
We tried to delve more deeper as to what had birthed this sensational urge to succeed in to a different field.
“What inspired me to start content creation is that I found out it is the easiest way I could express my feelings/rights to the world and equally teach them”
Akpa Jeremiah quoted;
And also exposing how people think, react, behave, and some of the things that could happen in the future or have already happened in the past.
You just had a total of 150K viewers and above now on YouTube being one of the greatest medium for developers especially in this erring age, how does it feel like knowing that you’re on the right path to achieving success?
YouTube Achievements for Akpa Jeremiah
On YouTube after just a short while of beginning this journey.
Well, let me start first by thanking each and everyone of you who is supporting me in one way or the other.
Often the road towards achieving success are filled with many obstacles hindrances and distractions but, one must be ready to overcome those columns of difficulties ignoring their lustful appetites of failures which are seen as distractions and staying focused.
I appreciate your comments, likes, views & shares, it all makes sense and is the reason that am here where I’m today.
I wouldn’t have gotten here if it weren’t for you people, I cannot do this without you, and also, don’t give up on me and please continue to support and share my Contents.
UMB
God bless you all forever amen!
Contact Us via Social Media; Prime:Comedy, Modelling & DOP Youtube:@Akpa Jeremiah Facebook:@Akpa Jeremiah IG:@Akpa_Jeremiah1 WhatsApp:@+2348116765809
Right now, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives are under growing scrutiny.
Some companies are pulling back from DEI initiatives amid nervousness around shareholder activism and possible investor or customer pushback.
The So What
Highlighting the benefits of DEI to an organization’s performance and the wellbeing of employees is the best way to address this negativity, according to Nadjia Yousif, BCG’s Chief Diversity Officer.
“This isn’t about taking sides, but rather making the most of the opportunities to enhance business and societal value. DEI raises standards for everyone by improving innovation, performance, and the workplace experience across the board.”
INSIDERNOTES
DEI initiatives can boost financial performance, according to BCG research based on data from more than 27,000 employees in 16 countries.
Attracting talent. In a world where companies are reporting significant talent gaps, it makes sense to recruit from a more diverse pool. BCG research shows that almost one-third of people from underrepresented groups choose not to apply for or accept a position in companies that do not have inclusive work cultures.
Reducing attrition. Leadership that prioritizes inclusion in the workplace can slash attrition risk by 50%. That’s because employees who witness or experience discrimination, bias, or disrespect are nearly 1.4 times more likely to quit their job.
Increasing motivation. When employees believe that DEI programming is a corporate leadership priority, the number of all employees who are happy increases by 31 percentage points, while the number of those who feel motivated increases by nearly 25 percentage points.
Companies with above+average diversity on their management teams also report innovation revenue 19% points higher than companies with below+average leadership diversity.
“Diversity in business is not about hitting quotas, it’s about assembling the best teams with different backgrounds and perspectives. Just think about developing products or services, for example. A broad range of backgrounds and views will fuel innovation and be better attuned to the diversity of your customer base,”
Yousif
Now What
Measure the leading indicators of diversity and inclusion, not just the outcomes.
Approach DEI as any other business initiative, with KPIs that are measurable and have a set timeframe.
Review the success of different initiatives and learn from what works.
Keep track of your recruiting statistics, and ensure there is equity in pay, promotion, and retention.
It’s also important to measure employee inclusion to ensure underrepresented groups feel included in the workplace keeping in mind that this leads to higher levels of motivation, ambition, and retention.
Communicate what works–and what doesn’t.
Be transparent when communicating the impact of DEI initiatives to staff, the board of directors and/or shareholders.
Be open about areas where it’s taking longer to make progress, and where there’s been success. Using data to demonstrate the impact of DEI initiatives on company performance is the best way to address criticism.
Lead from the front. Senior leaders should openly and publicly commit to the importance of DEI as well as equipping direct managers with the tools to practice empathetic leadership.
Companies also need a clear feedback loop and escalation mechanism to quickly address any instances of discrimination, bias, and harassment that can undermine progress.
Influence your network.
Companies can influence a wider ecosystem beyond their own workforce.
They can expand supplier diversity, for example, and improve the customer experience (and revenues) through more inclusive product design or marketing materials that avoid stereotypes.
By embedding the importance of DEI into all aspects of a company’s operations, organizations can drive broader societal change often an element of organizational purpose statements.
“DEI isn’t a nice to have for companies. In an increasingly complex and competitive market, business leaders need to access and nurture the best talent, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, sexual identity, or disability status. But it’s not just a business imperative, there’s also a moral imperative to ensure all human beings have a chance to flourish and thrive,”
Our World
Beyond the impact we can drive through our client work, we use our expertise, partnerships, and networks to catalyze change, amplifying commitments within industry and investing in diverse communities and customer segments.
The world’s single train refinery, the Dangote Refinery, has made an essential move by issuing tenders to sell its first two fuel cargoes for export in Nigeria.
The development is an essential step for the newly launched refinery, which has generated a buzz in the industry.
A Reuters report quotes three sources saying that the first cargo of 94,000 metric tons of sulphur straight run fuel oil, which Dangote has awarded to Nigeria, is due to load at the end of this week. Before 25th February 2024.
The second tender is for about 70,000 tons of naphtha, which three other sources told Reuters, with the tender started on February 05, 2024.
The development comes after reports emerged that the refinery was preparing to deliver its first fuel cargoes to the domestic market in early weeks today.
“Significant oil marketers in Nigeria had registered with Dangote Refinery to lift and distribute petroleum products from the $20 billion facility”
INSIDERNOTES
The Petroleum Products Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria said that PETROAN has been in talks with the refinery management holding on a conclusion to supply products from the facility as soon as possible.
The report outlined the seven significant marketers, including 11 Plc, Conoil Plc, AA Rano, Ardova Plc, MRS Oil Nigeria Plc, OVH Energy Marketing Limited, Total Nigeria Plc and NNPC Retail.
Adeola Yusuf, Energy Policy expert and Lead of Platforms Africa said the development is good and did say that the move will affect local pricing positive.
In another report the Port Harcourt refinery is set to begin operations after receiving 745,000 barrels of crude oil from #Shell Petroleum Development Company Limited.
The crude oil supply is the first to be made in the past few years due to the poor state of the plant, which called for rehabilitation and testing to ensure readiness for sustainable operations.
Port Harcourt refinery begins production after years of neglect Shell stated that the recommencement of crude oil supply from the BOGT to Port Harcourt Refinery is a significant achievement and a game changer for the industry and Nigeria.
The intensive preparations, partnerships, and dedication of both teams involved were responsible for overcoming challenges and ensuring safe and efficient supply operations.
According to Shell, the move will support the government’s plan of a steady supply of petroleum products to the downstream market and other associated benefits to Nigeria’s economy like the #150naira sale back from October, 7th, 2023.
FG gives oil firms in Nigeria strict orders on Dangote, other refineries as reported that the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has ordered oil companies in Nigeria to supply about 934,000 barrels of crude oil daily to local refineries for the next seven months beginning from January, 1st, 2024.
The initiative is part of Nigeria’s efforts to ensure regular supply to local refiners for domestic consumption.
About 12 local refineries are expected to begin production in the coming weeks, including the 960,000 capacity Dangote refinery and Nigeria’s four refineries in Port Harcourt, 2 in Warri, and 3 in Kaduna.
The economic hardship in Nigeria has proven on over time that “while the seething nectar we drink inn harms no one else but ourselves” every institution from every sector is detrimental to this scourgerous failure.
It’s been an uphill battle over centuries for women to have the right to say and do as they please, and to make decisions over their own bodies, lives, and futures.
When it comes to gender equality, one thing the whole world can agree on is that we’ve not yet achieved it and not one country in the world has reached the milestone of viewing and treating women equally, and acknowledging them as autonomous beings who have a say over their decisions, movements, and bodies.
Few things in this world have been fought over as extensively as women’s bodies.
You’d think by now, in 2023, women would be free to make choices over their bodies and their futures; that we’d have reached a collective understanding that all human beings have the right to do what they want with their own bodies.
Alas, we’re not there yet instead, women’s sexual and reproductive health, their safety, and their rights are at risk the world over.
But to map out our journey to an equitable future, it’s important to know how far we’ve come.
Here are some of the most pivotal moments in recent history that have shaped the fight for women’s bodily autonomy.
This was a huge win after women had fought for it for decades, and scientists had to work around laws that prohibited contraceptive research at the time.
“The ability for women to control their reproductive cycle ushered in a transformation in women’s engagement in society, the economy, and politics in the US”
INSIDERNOTES
1969
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is created.
The UN’s sexual and reproductive health agency has been hard at work for 50 years building knowledge, awareness, and capacity on the importance of bodily autonomy, reproductive health and family planning, and to promote strategies and solutions for developing countries that are based on gender equality and human rights.
1984
The US institutes the “global gag rule”.
A.k.a. the Mexico City Policy, this dangerous policy prevents US aid and support for international organizations and partners whose work involves abortion.
These organizations are often prohibited from sourcing funding elsewhere for this purpose.
Between 1984 and 2022, the rule has been enacted and reversed by Republican and Democratic administrations respectively.
1993-1995
World leaders met at pivotal human rights conferences during this time, in Vienna, Beijing, and Cairo.
Recognizing the world was falling behind on progress towards gender equality, leaders united different agencies and offices to create a new organ of the UN system focused exclusively on gender equality and the empowerment of women.
Over the last decade, UN Women has made sure women’s rights stay on world leader’s agenda while supporting feminist movements and women leaders around the world.
Roe v. Wade was implemented in 1973 to safeguard the constitutional right to abortion across the US.
In 2022, the US Supreme Court overturned this 50 year decision, putting the question of women’s bodily autonomy and rights up for debate once again and putting millions of women’s lives, health, and futures in the balance.
When it was overturned, women in the country and around the world united in protest. The fight continues.
A question for you: have you heard about Zambia’s escalating HIV crisis? No?
Well what about Angola experiencing one of the most intense droughts in its history, have you heard anything about that?
If not, it’s not surprising, because nor have a lot of people.
Despite the world having this wonderful access to information technology where news and stories can be shared globally with just the click of a button, some of the most crucial stories and events are going overlooked.
lobal media attention can be both fickle and fleeting and, often depending on where a crisis is happening or who the people are being impacted, the threat to lives and the urgent action needed can often go unnoticed or underreported.
This in turn, can affect the political and humanitarian attention that each crisis receives.
Humanitarian agency CARE International released a report this month called,
The report dives into the crises that are impacting millions of people yet received the least media coverage of the past year they found that all of them are on the African continent
CARE’s research compares the coverage of these crises to the coverage of major pop culture moments, and the results are… revealing.
In Malawi, for instance, 5.4 million people are facing an acute hunger crisis as a result of tropical storms such as Cyclone Ana with 2,330 articles written about the crisis.
That might sound like quite a lot — until you compare it with the 217,529 articles written about the Chris Rock/Will Smith incident at last year’s Oscars.
That’s almost 93 times more articles than the hunger crisis in Malawi.
According to CARE, the main reason these humanitarian crises don’t get more attention is because they often don’t suit the criteria of being compelling enough news, which, according to experts CARE consulted for the report,
“prioritize dramatic, timely, familiar, unambiguous, and easy to explain stories, which are assumed to resonate with their target audiences.”
InsiderNotes
But now more than ever, as the climate crisis wreaks havoc, the refugee and displacement crisis is the worst it’s been in decades, the global food crisis leaves millions going hungry every day, and conflict is raging across countries and continents we can all play a part in making sure all crises get the attention they need.
And how do we do that? We asked Emily Janoch, Senior Director for Thought Leadership, Knowledge Management, and learning at CARE USA.
“As an individual, diversify your news sources.
Look at what you consume, click on, and share.
If that hasn’t covered one of these crises, start thinking about why, and who might be covering those issues,” she said.
“Also look at who is telling the story,” she added. “Is it someone who is impacted by the crisis?
Does it show the people involved as humans who can act and who deserve better? Or does it only treat them (especially women) as victims?”
This is a result of rising temperatures, with CARE reporting that there’s potential for these droughts to be more frequent due to climate change.
The droughts are causing climate migration, and have impacted food insecurity resulting in 3.8 million people not having enough to eat.
It also doesn’t help that Angola is also one of the countries with the highest food price increases as a result of the war in Ukraine.
2. Malawi: Cyclones, Cholera & Hunger
Health workers treat cholera patients at the Bwaila Hospital in Lilongwe central Malawi on Jan. 11, 2023.
Malawi’s cholera outbreak has now claimed more than 1,000 lives by Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2023 according to the country’s health minister, who warned that some cultural beliefs and hostility towards health workers are slowing down response efforts.
We’ve mentioned that 5.4 million people in Malawi are experiencing an acute hunger crisis as a result of damaging cyclones.
We also need to mention that Malawi’s health care system is under strain due to rising HIV cases and intense cholera outbreaks, seen as a result of not enough access to clean drinking water.
3. Central African Republic: Conflict & Climate Change
One in two people in the Central African Republic don’t have enough to eat.
The changing weather conditions have impacted the soil that the country’s food grows from, while storms and floods have destroyed thousands of homes and left 10,000 children without schools to attend.
The country has also experienced unceasing conflict since 2013, which has resulted in a severe refugee crisis with over 740,000 people seeking refuge across the borders and 500,000 people experiencing internal displacement.
4. Zambia: Increased Poverty, HIV & GBV
More than half the Zambian population lives in extreme poverty — meaning living on less than $1.90 a day and the country is experiencing some of the worst malnutrition rates in the world as a result of economic instability and the climate crisis affecting agriculture.
Meanwhile, more than 10% of people have recently been infected with HIV and, in 2021, around 19,000 people died of AIDS in the country.
Gender-based violence is also highly prevalent in the country, particularly following the #COVID19 pandemic and lockdowns that also saw economic hardship increase across the country.
5. Chad: Unrest & Floods
A top view of one of the biggest camp for people displaced by Islamist extremists in Maiduguri, Nigeria on Aug. 28, 2016.
Droughts, flooding and a shrinking Lake Chad caused in part by climate change is fueling conflict and migration in the region and needs to better addressed, a report said Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023.
Armed conflicts and insurgency have remained a major issue in the Sahel region of North Africa for several years, and right now, 6.1 million people in the region are in need of humanitarian aid as a result.
Over 70% of Burundi’s people live below the poverty line, and 1.8 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance due to the lack of safe drinking water and inadequate access to health care.
Climate migration has also been a major issue, with 85,000 people being forced to leave their homes following extreme flooding.
6. Burundi: Economic Crisis & Natural Disaster
Over 70% of Burundi’s people live below the poverty line, and 1.8 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance due to the lack of safe drinking water and inadequate access to health care.
Climate migration has also been a major issue, with 85,000 people being forced to leave their homes following extreme flooding.
A vendor counts her money after making a sale in Harare, Thursday ,June, 2, 2022. Rampant inflation is making it increasingly difficult for people in Zimbabwe to make ends meet.
Since the start of Russia’s war in Ukraine, official statistics show that Zimbabwe’s inflation rate has shot up from 66% to more than 130%.
The country’s finance minister says the impact of the Ukraine war is heaping problems on the already fragile economy.
High inflation and economic instability mean more than half the Zimbabwean population is living in extreme poverty.
The climate crisis, including intense drought periods followed by heavy rainfall, have impacted food production and food security, resulting in food shortages and insecurity across the country.
8. Mali: Conflict & Climate Crisis
Ongoing violence and two coups in 2020 and 2021 have led to citizens fleeing the country in large numbers resulting in 2.5 million children dropping out of school, and exposing women and girls to the threat of sexual violence.
The climate crisis has also hit Mali hard, with floods and droughts contributing to crop failure and increasing malnutrition and hunger in the country.
Cameroon has faced crisis after crisis over the last decade, and currently 3.9 million people are in need of emergency humanitarian assistance that’s around 14% of the country.
There has been ongoing conflict and political unrest since 2016, resulting in 3,000 schools closing down, and citizens becoming internally displaced this despite the fact that there is already a large influx of refugees entering Cameroon to escape violence in the neighboring Central African Republic.
Water and sanitation is also a major issue, with 1.8 million people unable to access clean water.
10. Niger: Hunger & Lack of Development
“In general, Niger is a country of records: one of the hottest countries, it has the highest fertility rate, and the highest population growth in the world,”
The Report Highlights.
Yet, despite these records, little to no investment has been made into the country’s development and climate adaptation.
Natural disasters such as droughts, together with ongoing conflict and insurgency, have led to food instability 4.4 million people are acutely food insecure, and half the country’s children under the age of 5 are chronically malnourished.
The COP28 climate summit in Dubai, November 2023. Here’s what you should know.
Many countries had their representatives at the COP28, and still yet are with less or zero knowledge about what really went down well, here’s a brief recap if you fall into this category just a two minute read.
Flooding in India, Cameroon, and Libya. Extreme heat across the US, Europe, and Asia.
A cyclone in Myanmar. A tropical storm hitting Japan, Guam, the Philippines, and Taiwan. The list goes on.
This is not exactly the kind of sentence you’d expect from a qualified climate expert, a group that prefers the more austere language of hard facts.
Yet, these days, “climate scientists are struggling for words,” writes climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe.
Instead, she’s started replying to questions about the latest extreme weather event or report about how dire things are with: “I am running out of original things to say.”
This year’s COP is a significant milestone: the first assessment of how countries are faring against emissions cutting commitments made at Paris in 2015 (known as the Paris agreement).
When the Paris agreement was signed in 2015, it was agreed that every five years countries would return with more ambitious plans to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and tackle global warming.
The #COVID19 pandemic caused COP to be canceled in 2020, making COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2021, one of the “big COPs.”
The “small COPs,” held in the intervening years, tend to focus on laying the groundwork for negotiations.
COPs usually open with a ceremonial opening meeting.
This is then followed by days of world leaders on stage talking about climate change, generally concentrating either on what their countries intend to do about it or on the dire consequences they are experiencing.
The remaining days have themes such as finance and energy and see politicians and business leaders stepping up to announce various new promises, pledges, coalitions, and projects.
But outside the doors, activists usually rage against superficial commitments and rally against political inaction.
This time, there’s been significant outrage after it was leaked to the Guardian that the UAE’s state oil company has been able to read emails to and from the COP28 climate summit office and was consulted on how to respond to a media inquiry.
Remind me, what was agreed at Paris?
Under the landmark Paris agreement at COP21 in 2015, nations committed to holding global heating to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre industrial levels, and preferably limiting warming to 1.5 degrees.
Though the deal is legally binding, the commitments that countries have made to cut their emissions are not, unless they are enshrined into national or regional legislation.
INSIDERNOTES
Who takes part?
The attendees at COP are dignitaries and Heads of State and Government as well as tens of thousands of government delegates and representatives of civil society, intergovernmental organizations, NGOs, and the media.
There are 197 parties which are broadly organized in five regional groups: Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Western Europe and Other States (including Australia, Canada, and the US).
At the cluster of COP side events, climate change leaders, experts, and influencers gather to share their stories and solutions at panel discussions, exhibits, cultural events, and more.
What happened at COP27?
After two weeks of fraught negotiations, a “historic pact” was struck at COP27 in which developed countries, which are historically responsible for the climate emergency, agreed to provide climate finance to help poorer countries experiencing climate-related disasters, known as a loss and damage fund.
Alok Sharma, the UK President of COP26, was more scathing about how the conference fared.
“I said in Glasgow that the pulse of 1.5 degrees was weak. Unfortunately, it remains on life support,” he said.
What do we want to happen at COP28?
An End to Fossil Fuels
That means support for the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty from world leaders to ensure a Just Transition away from fossil fuels, an end to fossil fuel subsidies, and robust taxing of remaining fossil fuel production.
Cough Up the Climate Finance
Now isn’t the time for baby steps, it’s time to go big: fund a Just Transition in all countries, help countries adapt to climate change, and fund loss and damage.
Protect Climate Activists and Environmental Defenders
Almost 2,000 environmental activists have been killed over the past decade.
We need a human rights approach to all aspects of climate action.
For me, this will always be the year I became a grandparent.
It will be the year I spent a lot of precious time with loved ones whether on the pickleball court or over a rousing game of Settlers of Catan.
And 2023 marked the first time I used artificial intelligence for work and other serious reasons, not just to mess around and create parody song lyrics for my friends.
This year gave us a glimpse of how AI will shape the future, and as 2023 comes to a close, I’m thinking more than ever about the world today’s young people will inherit.
In last year’s letter, I wrote about how the prospect of becoming a grandparent made me reflect on the world my granddaughter will be born into.
Now I’m thinking more about the world she will inherit and what it will be like decades from now, when her generation is in charge.
I can begin to picture it: the tools she will use, the ways she will stay in touch with her loved ones, the problems these innovations will help solve.
We now have a better sense of what types of jobs AI will be able to do by itself and which ones it will serve as a copilot for.
And it’s clearer than ever how AI can be used to improve access to education, mental health, and more.
It motivates me to make sure this technology helps reduce and doesn’t contribute to the awful inequities we see around the world.
I’ve always been a firm believer in the power of innovation to offer every child an equal chance to survive and thrive. AI is no exception.
Of course, AI is far from the only defining feature of 2023.
We are just at the beginning of this transition right now.
This is an exciting and confusing time, and if you haven’t figured out how to make the best use of AI yet, you are not alone.
I thought I would use AI tools for the foundation’s strategy reviews this year, which require reading hundreds of pages of briefing materials that an AI could accurately summarize for me.
But old habits are hard to break, and I ended up preparing for them the same way I always do.
Millions continue to experience unbearable grief as a result of Russia’s war on Ukraine and in the aftermath of the war in Ethiopia.
My heart is broken for the continued suffering of Israelis and Palestinians, as well as for the people of Sudan.
At the same time, more people are being forced to endure hardship as a result of more frequent extreme weather events caused by climate change.
And families around the world continue to be hit hard by rising inflation and slow economic growth.
There’s no question these are challenging times, but I remain optimistic about the future. The speed of innovation has never been faster.
We’re making big strides on tough problems like Alzheimer’s, obesity, and sickle cell disease that will improve the lives of millions of people.
My friend the late Hans Rosling used to say that
“things can be bad and getting better.”
INSIDERNOTES
It’s a good reminder that progress is not only possible but happening every day.
The team at CAPRISA in South Africa is using data to improve treatments for patients infected with both HIV and tuberculosis.
That’s why I remain dedicated to making sure that, even in the face of setbacks, the world continues to do more to help the poorest people.
I do the bulk of this work through the Gates Foundation, where my colleagues remain dedicated to improving global health, education, gender equality, and more.
While I could write a thousand pages about the incredible work they’re doing with our partners, this letter focuses on just a few of the most exciting breakthroughs.
I also write about why I’m optimistic about the world’s climate progress.
Most of my climate and energy work is done through Breakthrough Energy, although the Gates Foundation is helping people in low- and middle income countries adapt to a warming world.
I also continue to privately fund research into other areas like Alzheimer’s disease.
And I still get to advise Microsoft, which gives me insight into what’s coming down the pipeline and how it can be used to make the world a more equitable place.
I’m lucky that my work gives me insight into all the ways the world is getting better.
The challenges we face feel a lot less daunting when you understand what exactly it will take to tackle them.
In this letter, I will share just a few reasons I am optimistic about the year ahead.
I hope they make you as excited about all the progress to come as I am.
AI Is About To Supercharge The Innovation Pipeline.
My work has always been rooted in a core idea: Innovation is the key to progress.
It’s why I started Microsoft, and it’s why Melinda and I started the Gates Foundation more than two decades ago.
Innovation is the reason our lives have improved so much over the last century.
From electricity and cars to medicine and planes, innovation has made the world better.
Today, we are far more productive because of the IT revolution.
The most successful economies are driven by innovative industries that evolve to meet the needs of a changing world.
My favorite innovation story, though, starts with one of my favorite statistics: Since 2000, the world has cut in half the number of children who die before the age of five.
How did we do it? One key reason was innovation.
Scientists came up with new ways to make vaccines that were faster and cheaper but just as safe.
They developed new delivery mechanisms that worked in the world’s most remote places, which made it possible to reach more kids.
And they created new vaccines that protect children from deadly diseases like rotavirus.
In a world with limited resources, you have to find ways to maximize impact. Innovation is the key to getting the most out of every dollar spent.
And artificial intelligence is about to accelerate the rate of new discoveries at a pace we’ve never seen before.
One of the biggest impacts so far is on creating new medicines.
Drug discovery requires combing through massive amounts of data, and AI tools can speed up that process significantly.
Some companies are already working on cancer drugs developed this way.
But a key priority of the Gates Foundation in AI is ensuring these tools also address health issues that disproportionately affect the world’s poorest, like AIDS, TB, and malaria.
“We’re taking a hard look at the wide array of AI innovation in the pipeline right now and working with our partners to use these technologies to improve lives in low- and middle income countries”
Bill Gates
In the fall, I traveled to Senegal to meet with some of the incredible researchers doing this work and to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the foundation’s Grand Challenges initiative.
When we first launched Grand Challenges the Gates Foundation’s flagship innovation program it had a single goal: Identify the biggest problems in health and give grants to local researchers who might solve them.
We asked innovators from developing countries how they would address health challenges in their communities, and then we gave them the support to make it happen.
Many of the people I met in Senegal were taking on the first-ever AI Grand Challenge.
The foundation didn’t have AI projects in mind when we first set that goal back in 2003, but I’m always inspired by how brilliant scientists are able to take advantage of the latest technology to tackle big problems.
It was great to learn from Amrita Mahale about how the team at ARMMAN is developing an AI chatbot to improve health outcomes for pregnant women.
Much of their work is in the earliest stages of development there’s a good chance we won’t see any of them used widely in 2024 or even 2025.
Some might not even pan out at all. The work that will be done over the next year is setting the stage for a massive technology boom later this decade.
Still, it’s impressive to see how much creativity is being brought to the table. Here is a small sample of some of the most ambitious questions currently being explored:
Can AI combat antibiotic resistance? Antibiotics are magical in their ability to end infection, but if you use them too often, pathogens can learn how to ignore them. This is called antimicrobial resistance, or AMR, and it is a huge issue around the world especially in Africa, which has the highest mortality rates from AMR. Nana Kofi Quakyi from the Aurum Institute in Ghana is working on an AI-powered tool that helps health workers prescribe antibiotics without contributing to AMR. The tool will comb through all the available information including local clinical guidelines and health surveillance data about which pathogens are currently at risk of developing resistance in the area—and make suggestions for the best drug, dosage, and duration.
Can AI bring personalized tutors to every student? The AI education tools being piloted today are mind-blowing because they are tailored to each individual learner. Some of them like Khanmigo and MATHia are already remarkable, and they’ll only get better in the years ahead. One of the things that excites me the most about this type of technology is the possibility of localizing it to every student, no matter where they live. For example, a team in Nairobi is working on Somanasi, an AI-based tutor that aligns with the curriculum in Kenya. The name means “learn together” in Swahili, and the tutor has been designed with the cultural context in mind so it feels familiar to the students who use it.
Students interact with an AI tutor in a classroom in Nairobi, Kenya.
Can AI help treat high-risk pregnancies? A woman dies in childbirth every two minutes. That’s a horrifying statistic, but I’m hopeful that AI can help. Last year, I wrote about how AI-powered ultrasounds could help identify pregnancy risks. This year, I was excited to meet some of the researchers at ARMMAN, who hope to use artificial intelligence to improve the odds for new mothers in India. Their large language model will one day act as a copilot for health workers treating high-risk pregnancies. It can be used in both English and Telugu, and the coolest part is that it automatically adjusts to the experience level of the person using it whether you’re a brand-new nurse or a midwife with decades of experience.
Can AI help people assess their risk for HIV? For many people, talking to a doctor or nurse about their sexual history can be uncomfortable. But this information is super important for assessing risk for diseases like HIV and prescribing preventive treatments. A new South African chatbot aims to make HIV risk assessment a lot easier. It acts like an unbiased and nonjudgmental counselor who can provide around-the-clock advice. Sophie Pascoe and her team are developing it specifically with marginalized and vulnerable populations in mind—populations that often face stigma and discrimination when seeking preventive care. Their findings suggest that this innovative approach may help more women understand their own risk and take action to protect themselves.
Could AI make medical information easier to access for every health worker? When you’re treating a critical patient, you need quick access to their medical records to know if they’re allergic to a certain drug or have a history of heart problems. In places like Pakistan, where many people don’t have any documented medical history, this is a huge problem. Maryam Mustafa’s team is working on a voice-enabled mobile app that would make it a lot easier for maternal health workers in Pakistan to create medical records. It asks a series of prompts about a patient and uses the responses to fill out a standard medical record. Arming health workers with more data will hopefully improve the country’s pregnancy outcomes, which are among the worst in the world.
Tonee Ndungu whose team is developing Somanasi shows off the latest version of their personalized education tutor.
We can learn a lot from global health about how to make AI more equitable.
The main lesson is that the product must be tailored to the people who will use it.
The medical information app I mentioned is a great example: It’s common for people in Pakistan to send voice notes to one another instead of sending a text or email.
So, it makes sense to create an app that relies on voice commands rather than typing out long queries.
And the project is being designed in Urdu, which means there won’t be any translation issues.
If we make smart investments now, AI can make the world a more equitable place.
It can reduce or even eliminate the lag time between when the rich world gets an innovation and when the poor world does.
We know Flutter devs love a good challenge, so just in time for the new year to really get going, we’re super excited to announce the next Flutter challenge!
The Global Gamers Challenge is an 8-week contest to design, build, and publish sustainable games, sponsored by Flutter and Global Citizen. Inspired by the mission of the United Nations-facilitated Playing for the Planet Alliance, which Google joined in 2023, international advocacy organization Global Citizen and Flutter, Google’s open-source framework for building multi-platform applications are partnering to host the Global Gamers Challenge.
What are sustainable games?
Sustainable games use the power of play to inspire positive environmental action. Imagine Candy Crush, but instead of crushing candies, you’re crushing plastic pollution! Or picture a game like Super Dash, but instead of collecting acorns, you’re turning off lights left on. Here are some more ideas inspired by Global Citizen campaigns running right now!
Encourage a reduction in home energy use
Data shows that American homes use an average 3x more kwh than the average home across the rest of the globe. Can you build a game that helps to reduce people’s reliance on inefficient energy sources?
Encourage a reduction in use of single-use plastics
Southeast Asia has some of the highest levels of plastic pollution in the world. Consider building a game that encourages players to make swaps to reduce reliance on single-use plastics.
Encourage use of public transportation and overland options for longer distances
Europe is home to many of the world’s greatest public transportation systems. Effective games can encourage people to use public transit rather than overland transport, like taking the train rather than flying for longer distances.
Just like Global Citizens do every day, we’re confident that games can encourage players to take small actions for the environment that when done collectively, lead to a large impact.
Tips on Getting Started!
SUPER DASH
Play Super Dash, a game we built to inspire you for this challenge. Help Dash capture the golden feather and watch nature be restored as she avoids enemies!
PRIZES
Winners will receive a trip to NYC in September 2024 to meet the Flutter team for a day of workshops and mentorship followed by the opportunity to celebrate their achievements with up to 60,000 other Global Citizens at Global Citizen Festival 2024!
GOOGLE WALLET CHALLENGE
If you’re up for extra credit, we’ve partnered with Google Wallet to offer an additional challenge to deploy an innovative integration of the Google Wallet API in your game. For eligible apps that feature Google Wallet, you will have a chance to win up to $30,000!
Whether you’re a Flutter developer who’s new to games, a game developer who is new to Flutter, or new to both game development and Flutter, you’re bound to learn something new while creating a positive impact on the world!
Zimbabwe | 61-year-old Esther is a married grandmother of two young grandchildren (Rudo and Munashe), and also looks after two nieces (Faith and Nicole). She struggles to feed her family and worries a great deal about where she will find food to feed them all. She has very little food supplies left, and her granddaughter Rudo needs to go out and collect termites for their family to eat. She makes a living supervising other farmers’ livestock, and is usually paid in food. | John Hewat/CARE International
Picture the map of the world. If you’re having trouble remembering the details, we’ll provide a visual aid. Have a look at this map of the world.
Graphic by Darnelle Fortune.
Situated right in the center, and taking up the second-most amount of space is Africa.
It’s a continent that, when you consider it next to the others, is almost impossible to overlook.
You’d have to be trying really hard not to see the continent at all. But that is what happens, isn’t it?
Africa and her issues go unseen by so much of the world and a major reason for this is mainstream media not creating the space to cover Africa and her crises.
At the beginning of every year, the humanitarian organization CARE International releases a report that lists 10 of the world’s most underreported crises from the previous year.
This is not to say that other continents and the countries within them don’t have crises, or that one crisis is more harmful than another, it’s to highlight that there is a great deal of need that is going unnoticed and the longer need goes unnoticed, the longer it takes to resolve.
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