EU banks funding illegal deforestation

Kimberley Evans

In the developed world, we enjoy the luxury of choice and unending supply when it comes to food. The problem is the palm oil, cocoa, soy, beef, leather, biofuels and other agricultural products that fill our lives and stomachs are coming from lands that have been illegally cleared, and are accelerating the destruction of our planet.

Extreme poverty affects 1 in 8 people in the world

Monica Straniero

According to the first progress report on Goals for a Sustainable World released by the UN,nearly 800 million people suffer from hunger, 5.9 million children die before they reach the age of five. The report provides the most up-to-date statistics on poverty, hunger, education and sanitation, among others, so that the world can address urgent global challenges over the next 15 years.

Malnutrition key obstacle to development, says WHO

Staff

"Improved nutrition is essential for achieving the ambitions of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and ensuring that no-one is left behind. Malnutrition, in all its forms, represents a significant barrier to equitable and sustainable social and economic development," states the World Health Organization.

A poor welcome from rich countries

Staff

The six wealthiest nations host less than 9% of the world’s refugees while poorer countries shoulder most of the responsibility. The world's richest countries can and should do much more to help the world’s most vulnerable people who have fled their homes because of violence and conflict.

Commissioner Mimica and young activists cook up a storm

Staff

The One Campaign teams up with the EU Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development to raise awareness of the importance of a nutritious, balanced diet, in our partner countries.

Disability, the glass half full and half empty

Staff

Praise and delusion. The implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities voted by the European Parliament according to civil society organizations.

World Population Day: Investing in teenage girls

Staff

On World Population Day this year, the UN is focusing on investing in teenage girls, with 1 in 3 girls in developing countries being already married by the age of 18. "I urge all Governments, businesses and civil society to support and invest in teenage girls. Everyone deserves the benefits of economic growth and social progress. Let us work together to ensure a life of security, dignity and opportunity for all," says UN Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon.

The best time for humans to be alive

Staff

According to key scholars, we have never had it so good. Life expectancy has risen by more in the past 50 years than in the previous 1,000. One-eighth of the globe lived in extreme poverty as opposed to two-fifths at the time of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Global illiteracy has dropped from one-half to one-sixth in the same span of time. In today's world, a child born almost anywhere today can expect to grow up healthier, wealthier and smarter than at any other time in history.

Elderly people and poverty: Current levels and changes since the crisis

Staff

Poverty for those aged 65 or older (65+) in the European Union has significantly reduced between 2007 and 2014, in contrast to increases in poverty for people aged under 65.

Cooperatives ? If they were a State they would be the third most populous one

Staff

The International Day of Cooperatives was celebrated this weekend. With over 250 million jobs, every ten workers in the world is employed in a cooperative. If they represented the economy of a country, they would be entitled to a place in the G8.