Western debt killed Sri Lanka. Others will fall too.
Tag Archives: Third World and Developing Countries
Our Leaderless Free World
Biden seems to be mastering the trick of turning lemonade into lemons.
Congo to Auction Off Oil and Gas Blocks In a Step Back for Climate Change
Peatlands and rainforests in the Congo Basin protect the planet by storing carbon. Now, in a giant leap backward for the climate, they’re being auctioned off for drilling.
How Demand for Twigs Is Bringing Down a Rainforest
In the Congo River Basin, people who collect bundles of wood to make charcoal are playing a surprisingly large role in the deforestation of a region that rivals the Amazon in importance.
On Inflation and the Food Crisis, the World Can Work Together or Fall Apart
No single country can solve the problem of rising food and fuel costs.
Global Growth Will Be Choked Amid Inflation and War, Says World Bank
Global economic growth will be choked as war, inflation and ongoing supply chain problems take a toll.
Poor Countries Face a Mounting Catastrophe Fueled by Inflation and Debt
Russia’s war in Ukraine is combining with a global tightening of credit and an economic slowdown in China to sow misery in low- and middle-income countries.
Why Did a U.N. Agency Give a Family $61 Million?
A little-known United Nations agency decided to make an impact by doling out loans and grant money — all to a single family. It did not go well.
Governments Tighten Grip on Global Food Stocks, Sending Prices Higher
Dozens of countries have thrown up trade barriers in the past two months to protect scarce supplies of food and commodities, but experts say the policies will only exacerbate a global food crisis.
America’s Inflation Solution Could Become the World’s Problem
Why raising interest rates here could lead to a lot of misery elsewhere.
The Drive to Vaccinate the World Against Covid Is Losing Steam
Rates are stalling in most low-income countries well short of the W.H.O.’s goal to immunize 70 percent of people in every nation. Some public health experts believe the momentum is gone forever.
A Door-to-Door Effort to Find Out Who Died Helps Low-Income Countries Aid the Living
Many developing countries don’t keep official death records. A novel effort uses “electronic autopsies” to count deaths, and record their cause.
The Unbelievable Stupidity of Ending Global Covid Aid
Republican intransigence could help incubate a new variant.
This Psychiatric Hospital Used to Chain Patients. Now It Treats Them.
Sierra Leone, one of the world’s poorest countries, is working to build a modern mental health system from scratch.
The U.S. Has Made Big Climate Promises. Where’s the Money?
The latest spending bill in Congress contains far less money to help developing countries than President Biden had pledged. That fits a pattern.
In Africa, a Mix of Shots Drives an Uncertain Covid Vaccination Push
Supplies are more plentiful now but they are unpredictable and often a jumble of brands. Many places can’t meet the W.H.O.’s recommended dosing schedules.
Nations Plan a Global Treaty to Curb Plastic Pollution
The pact would be legally binding and could go beyond cleaning up plastic waste to curbs on future production.
Paul Farmer, Pioneer of Global Health, Dies at 62
As a medical student, Dr. Farmer decided to build a clinic in Haiti. It grew into a vast network serving some of the world’s poorest communities.
Rich Countries Lure Health Workers From Low-Income Nations to Fight Shortages
Huge pay incentives and immigration fast-tracks are leading many to leave countries whose health systems urgently need their expertise.
Omicron Is Not the Final Variant
The world cannot afford to be so unprepared ever again.
Critics Say I.M.F. Loan Fees Are Hurting Nations in Desperate Need
Democratic lawmakers say the global fund’s surcharges for emergency relief siphon away money that countries need to fight the pandemic.
World Bank Warns Pandemic Will Slow Economic Growth in 2022
Global growth is expected to slow to 4.1 percent this year, from 5.5 percent in 2021, a projection underscores the stubborn nature of the public health crisis.
Omicron Prompts Swift Reconsideration of Boosters Among Scientists
Many public health experts were opposed to a boosters-for-all approach. The new variant is changing some minds.
Vaccine Hesitancy Hurts Covid Fight in Poorer Countries
Vaccines are finally available in many African countries, but some people there, as well as in South Asia, are wary of taking them.
Where Are Young People Most Optimistic? In Poorer Nations.
More than half of Americans, young and old, say children today will be less economically successful than their parents, a global survey shows.
Pfizer Will Allow Its Covid Pill to Be Made and Sold Cheaply in Poor Countries
The company announced a deal that could help significantly expand access to the Covid-19 treatment, but the agreement excludes a number of countries hit hard by the pandemic.
Negotiators Strike a Climate Deal, but World Remains Far From Limiting Warming
Some activists called the agreement in Glasgow disappointing, but it establishes a clear consensus that all countries need to do much more.
Glasgow Climate Talks Are Down to the Wire on Money, Ambition and Fossil Fuels
At COP26, negotiators from about 200 countries worked overnight, hashing out differences in the quest for a new global climate agreement
Calls for Climate Reparations Reach Boiling Point in Glasgow Talks
For decades, vulnerable countries and activist groups have demanded that rich polluter countries pay for irreparable damage from climate change. This year, there may be a breakthrough.
China and the United States Agree to Work Together to Tackle Climate Change
As nearly 200 nations struggle over global climate negotiations, the world’s two biggest polluters sign an agreement that is short on details..
The Developing World Is Falling Short on Emissions Reductions
Plans for new power generation won’t meet global climate goals.
Can Glasgow Deliver on a Global Climate Deal?
Negotiators from about 200 countries are entering Week 2 of climate talks trying to resolve big issues around money, transparency and timelines.
At COP26, Africa Needs Decisive Action
World leaders must seize the moral imperative and commit to action on climate change.
Will the Glasgow Climate Summit Be the Breakthrough We Need?
Time is running down rapidly for the nations of the world to get control of their emissions.
Pressure Grows on G20 Nations to Get Covid Vaccines to the Poor
The world’s leaders are focusing on preventing future pandemics, but experts say rich nations are not doing enough to help the poor survive the current one.
Merck Will Share Formula for its Covid Pill With Poor Countries
The company announced a licensing deal that will allow the drug, molnupiravir, to be made and sold cheaply in 105 developing nations.
The Rich World’s Promise of $100 Billion in Climate Aid Inches Forward
Diplomats announced a plan to make good on an unkept promise of climate aid, a key point of tension in upcoming global climate talks.
Heavy Rains in India and Nepal Kill Dozens
The death toll continued to rise on Wednesday as landslides and flooding damaged homes and stranded thousands of people.
U.S. Renews Its Support for the World Trade Organization
Trade Representative Katherine Tai outlined her vision for the battered World Trade Organization, saying the U.S. wanted to re-engage and address working people’s concerns.
Rich Countries’ Climate Change Responsibility
What it will take: $100 billion from well-off nations.
I.M.F. Lowers Its Global Economic Growth Forecast
The global growth forecast was pared to 5.9 percent from 6 percent because of the Delta variant and supply chain bottlenecks. The U.S. growth prediction was cut to 6 percent from 7 percent.
Moderna, Racing for Profits, Keeps Covid Vaccine Out of Reach of Poor
Some poorer countries are paying more and waiting longer for the company’s vaccine than the wealthy — if they have access at all.
Global Supply Shortages Reach All the Way to a Haitian Aid Group
Continuing disruption to factory production and bottlenecks in shipping are leaving nonprofit groups short of goods for vulnerable communities worldwide.
Booster Shots for Covid Leave Africa Hanging in Wind
Just 20 percent of people in low- and lower-middle-income countries have received a first Covid-19 vaccine dose — compared to 80 percent in high-and upper-middle income countries.
Covid Trash Isn’t Always Dangerous. Not Everyone Got the Memo.
Overblown fears that the coronavirus could be transmitted through surfaces have created a stigma around handling nonhazardous trash, experts say. Some recyclable waste has been junked or burned.
The Pandemic Has Set Back the Fight Against H.I.V., TB and Malaria
Prevention and treatment fell in poor countries last year as access to health care declined, according to a new report.
It Seems Odd That We Would Just Let the World Burn
Where is the urgency on climate change?
I.M.F. Board Backs $650 Billion Aid Plan to Help Poor Countries
The expansion of emergency reserves to fund vaccines and pay down debt has emerged as a political flash point in the United States.
The Struggles of India’s Vaccine Giant
How an export ban has left millions of people without coronavirus vaccines and imperiled the reputation of the Serum Institute of India, world’s largest vaccine maker.
I.M.F. Presents Plan to Help Poor Countries During Pandemic
A proposal advanced by the International Monetary Fund aims to supply the developing world with extra money to buy vaccines, pay down debt and expand relief programs.