The Human Consciousness Now...Our World in the Midst of Becoming...to What? Observe, contemplate Now.
UNITED NATIONS, Nov 12 2026 (IPS) - On October 30, the 45th annual meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR-45) concluded in Hobart, Australia. After another year of negotiations without a consensus reached on Antarctic marine protection measures or krill fishing regulations, conservation groups are urging consumers and retailers to boycott all krill products.
Widely regarded as a vital, shared global commons, the Antarctic is home to trillions of krill. A keystone species, krill from the Southern Ocean form the backbone of the polar ecosystem, sustaining nearly every major predator, from seabirds and seals to whales. Antarctic krill possess one of the largest biomasses of any wild animal on Earth, measuring between 379 and 500 million tonnes.
In an exclusive interview with IPS, marine biologist, policy expert, and Antarctic Wildlife Alliance Executive Director Ally Kristan explained that Antarctic krill act as a “tremendous” carbon sink and are critically important for the health of the Southern Ocean. She stressed that the stability of Antarctic marine ecosystems is a major climate driver for the entire globe.
“If you lose krill, you lose the foundation of the entire Southern Ocean food web. So then, all of the predators who feed on krill and the predators who feed on the predators who feed on krill would all be decimated,” said Kristan. “So we do need a healthy Southern Ocean ecosystem, biologically and chemically, to have a healthy climate and to have as much carbon absorbed into these nutrient-rich cold waters of the Southern Ocean.”
Despite their ecological importance, industrial fishing fleets harvest hundreds of thousands of tonnes of krill annually. Given the abundance of krill biomass in the Southern Ocean, Kristan noted that the species is “probably” not being overfished, but the central issue lies with how they are being fished.
She explained that industrial krill fishing is often heavily concentrated in small areas, which can have devastating localized impacts on regional marine fauna. With krill fishing often overlapping with wildlife feeding grounds, polar predators have been increasingly forced to compete with commercial supertrawlers for food.
“Science shows us that the krill fishery and the recovering whale population both probably can’t be supported by krill populations, especially as the climate continues to change,” she said. “Fisheries have a huge compounding impact on all the climate pressures whales are already facing.”
IPS also spoke with Max Bello, an international ocean policy expert and Blue Marine Foundation’s Global MPA Specialist. He underscored the ethical concerns surrounding Antarctic krill extraction, noting that it supplies high-end consumer products, such as omega-3 supplements, pet food, and farmed fish feed, even though viable alternatives exist.
Kristan added that krill fishing has no direct use for addressing human food security. Instead, fleets from wealthy nations in the Global North—primarily Norway and China—exploit this shared global resource to supply high-end markets, risking potentially dire environmental consequences.
She highlighted the commercial market for the luxury Antarctic toothfish—commonly sold under the market name of “Chilean Seabass”—as a key example. Bello echoed these concerns, emphasizing that up to 70 percent of harvested krill goes toward salmon aquaculture, a market “which has proven to be extremely destructive around the entire world, highly polluted.”
Bello stressed that unsustainable krill fishing practices coupled with the Antarctic’s position as an Area Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ) set an alarming precedent, with global powers relying on a shared resource to enrich themselves.
“This definitely creates a big question about our governance of the oceans around the world, where we keep seeing wealthy nations and companies that have the technology and resources to exploit an area that belongs to us all,” said Bello. “So that sends a really worrisome message. A message to our nations that we are basically spectators or witnesses of how other countries continue to build wealth out of the destruction of a common resource.”
He added that the exploitation of Antarctic marine ecosystems has ripple effects that go “beyond money” that we all depend on, such as oxygen, biodiversity, and the “stability of our very vulnerable ecosystem.”
Seventeen years after CCAMLR members pledged to implement a comprehensive network of MPAs, only two have been established. In 2024, CCAMLR allowed the expiration of a critical safeguard designed to spread krill catches across four distinct management zones, which has elicited significant pushback from conservation and environmental justice groups.
Ahead of the summit, conservation groups called on governments to implement four marine protection measures: reinstating restrictions separating industrial fishing areas from wildlife feeding grounds, adopting the Antarctic Peninsula Marine Protected Area (MPA), setting a firm roadmap for completing a network of Southern Ocean MPAs, and introducing caps on krill catch limits. None of these calls were answered.
As CCAMLR continues to fail to deliver meaningful action, a growing global initiative has formed to protect Antarctic marine ecosystems by directly challenging consumer support in the markets. During NYC Climate Week in September, oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle and the Antarctic Avengers—a coalition of ocean leaders, policymakers, scientists, and public figures—launched a global boycott of Antarctic krill, urging consumers and retailers alike to reject all krill-derived products.
Several major retailers in the Global North have shown support for this growing movement. In April, Holland & Barrett—one of the United Kingdom’s leading international health and wellness retailers—entirely withdrew from the krill market, ceasing the sale and production of all krill-derived products.
Approximately 94 percent of German drugstores have also announced commitments to cease selling krill products. Two of Australia’s largest supermarket chains—Coles and Woolworths—followed suit. The Antarctic Wildlife Alliance continues to call on American retailers to take similar action.
IPS UN Bureau Report
ADDIS ABABA & CAPE TOWN, South Africa, Nov 12 2026 (IPS) - Although Africa and Asia face different demographic challenges, they share a common imperative: ensuring that legislation, policies and budgets translate into tangible improvements in people’s lives.
This was the central message of Dr Abdul-Rashid Hassan Pelpuo, Ghana’s Minister of State for Special Initiatives and President of the African Parliamentary Forum on Population and Development (FPA), in his opening address to the two-day Africa–Asia Parliamentarians’ Conference on Population and Development, held earlier this month in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The conference opened with a moment of silence in honour of former Japanese Prime Minister Fukuda Yasuo, Honorary Chair of the Asian Population and Development Association (APDA), who was remembered for his contributions to international cooperation, particularly in population, development and sexual and reproductive health.
The opening session also featured addresses by Shibata Hironori, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Ethiopia, and an opening statement by Ahmed Shide, Speaker of the House of Peoples’ Representatives, Ethiopia.
A recurring theme was the importance of reliable demographic data to guide policies, budgets and long-term planning.
Shibata Hironori, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, said Japan has supported international cooperation and development efforts in Africa and Asia. Credit: APDA
Summing up the conference, Dr Claudia Shilumani, Africa Regional Director of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), noted that Africa’s population was expected to grow by one billion by 2050, yet only about half of births were registered. She urged parliamentarians to advocate for modernised data systems, stressing that reliable information and transparent reporting were essential to measuring progress.
But data alone was not enough.
Dr Ikegami Kiyoko, Vice-Chair and Secretary-General of APDA, drew on Japan’s experience of an ageing population to demonstrate the importance of anticipating demographic change.
“Understanding population trends today helps parliamentarians anticipate future needs,” she said.
Her presentation also brought a deeply personal perspective to policymaking. Recounting her mother’s recovery from a stroke, she described how home-based medical care, rehabilitation, nursing and family support had helped her mother regain some independence and remain connected with her family.
Dr Claudia Shilumani, Africa Regional Director of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), succinctly summarised a central message of the African and Asian Parliamentarians’ Meeting: Policy Dialogue on Population, Development, SRHR and Gender Equality, stating that rights need resources and resources need accountability. Credit: APDA
“Policies are ultimately about the people’s lives and dignity,” she said, emphasising that Japan’s goal was not simply to extend life expectancy but to enable people to remain healthy and independent for as long as possible.
The conference also showcased how cooperation between Africa and Asia was translating development commitments into practical interventions.
Mr Koffi Kouame, UNFPA Country Representative, highlighted an initiative involving the Ethiopian Government, UNFPA, Japan, JICA and Japanese private-sector companies to improve menstrual health while creating economic opportunities for women and girls.
Seng Nhak, an MP from Cambodia, outlined an ambitious programme to equip 1.5 million young people with vocational skills, including free training and financial support for disadvantaged participants at the African and Asian Parliamentarians’ Meeting: Policy Dialogue on Population, Development, SRHR and Gender Equality. Credit: APDA
ITOCHU Corporation provided technical training in producing absorbent sanitary shorts, while JICA, Safaricom and Sumitomo Corporation supported digital solutions, including smartphones and mobile money services that enabled women to purchase materials, manage finances and market their products.
The initiative has trained 485 women in sanitary shorts production and menstrual health management, with nearly 45 000 shorts produced across 17 workspaces in Amhara and Tigray. Approximately 33 000 people received training on reproductive and maternal health, rights and gender-based violence, while 500 women are now producing and selling the products in their communities.
Investing in young people emerged as another critical priority, particularly for Africa, where a rapidly growing youth population presents both opportunities and challenges.
UNFPA’s Jacques Emina noted that Africa’s population could reach 2.5 billion by 2050, with approximately 60% under the age of 25. He warned that youth unemployment and the mismatch between education and labour-market needs could undermine the continent’s prospects of harnessing a demographic dividend.
Drawing on South Korea’s experience, Young Hong, Deputy Regional Director, UNFPA ESARO, emphasised that building human capital required sustained investment over decades, rather than short-term projects. She highlighted how long-term investment in education, voluntary family planning and primary healthcare had contributed to the country’s economic transformation and helped break cycles of intergenerational poverty.
Yakushi Hiroyuki, Chief Representative, JICA Ethiopia Office, and Koffi Kouame, Country Representative of UNFPA, gave delegates at the African and Asian Parliamentarians’ Meeting: Policy Dialogue on Population, Development, SRHR and Gender Equality examples of pilot projects that benefit youth and women. Credit: APDA
Presentations from Ethiopia and Cambodia demonstrated how countries were working to equip young people with marketable skills.
Safaricom Ethiopia Foundation’s Bethlehem Tameru reported that more than 1 000 young people had completed foundational digital-skills training and over 1 700 had completed advanced training.
However, she stressed that success should be measured not simply by the number of people trained but by whether they secured employment, started businesses or improved their livelihoods.
“Training should not be the end of the intervention. It should be the beginning of the pathway.”
Seng Nhak, Cambodia’s MP, outlined an ambitious programme to equip 1.5 million young people with vocational skills, including free training and financial support for disadvantaged participants. He reported that 80% of graduates found employment in the companies where they had trained within six months, illustrating the importance of linking skills development directly to labour-market opportunities.
Across the presentations, a common message emerged: demographic change can create opportunities, but realising them requires sustained investment, effective partnerships and policies informed by reliable evidence.
Ultimately, as delegates repeatedly emphasised, the success of these commitments will be measured not by the promises made at international conferences but by the improvements they bring to people’s lives.
Note: The Policy Dialogue on Population, Development, SRHR and Gender Equality was organised by the Asian Population and Development Association (APDA) in collaboration with the African Parliamentary Forum on Population and Development (FPA). It was hosted by the House of Peoples’ Representatives of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. The UNFPA East and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO), the Japan Trust Fund (JTF) and the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) supported the meeting.
IPS UN Bureau Report
ANTALYA, Türkiye & BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe, Nov 12 2026 (IPS) - Floods. Extreme heat. Droughts. African communities have experienced it all and more.
And as has come to be expected, humanitarian agencies have responded by providing essential emergency assistance such as food aid and other critical needs for affected communities amid increasingly dwindling funding.
Amid those challenges, researchers are now calling for a shift in how African governments and aid agencies respond before and after extreme weather events by focusing on mental health challenges that emerge as a direct result of floods.
According to the Africa Centre for Strategic Studies, 27 African countries “experienced unusually heavy rainfall in 2024” and affected 11 million people. Floods left more than 2,500 dead, four million displaced, and communities lost hundreds of thousands of livestock.
The extent of such losses is enough to break the stoicism of families already struggling to make ends meet in a continent where millions live in extreme poverty.
A cohort of African researchers in diverse fields that include psychiatry, epidemiology, climate science and medicine are pointing to these figures to investigate the impact of extreme weather on the mental health of flood and extreme weather victims.
And ahead of COP31 underway in Türkiye, the link between climate change and mental health in countries on the receiving end of what is considered human-driven nature’s fury is gaining traction as researchers explore the resilience of flood victims beyond relief aid.
While this year’s Conference of the Parties has “resilient health infrastructure and climate-resilient cities” as part of “action agenda priorities”, African researchers are pushing for the inclusion of mental health and psychosocial support as a critical flashing point that demands more attention in climate change discussions.
The new study led by Professor Collins Iwuji of the Africa Health Research Institute under a project called Weather Events and Mental Health in Africa (WEMA) that brought together academics and nongovernmental organisations provides insights into the devastating effects of floods in Burkina Faso, Mozambique, Kenya and South Africa.
Members of civil society demonstrate in the corridors. Credit: UN Climate Change/Kubilay Ciftci
“There is a need to explore the lived experiences of people and communities impacted by climate change, especially those living in communities facing social and structural vulnerabilities,” the study found.
WEMA researchers say the findings are not representative of the whole African continent but “broaden the evidence on flooding and mental health across these regions.”
It raises questions about how the continent is handling the psychological impact of flooding on vulnerable communities with families losing their homes and livelihoods and how they deal with grief.
Last year, research by the United for Global Mental Health consortium found that “mental health was not included in the majority of national adaptation policies and, when it was included, it was often mentioned superficially and with no corresponding adaptation action.”
Dr Sanae Okamoto, a researcher at the United Nations University in Maastricht specialising in climate change and mental health, has observed that globally, governments were only allocating “around two percent of their health budgets to mental health, a number that will need to increase as climate change intensifies.”
Amid that deficit, WEMA scientists say the study seeks to change this situation, especially as the link between climate and mental health is also attracting the attention of European experts who are intensifying their research on the psychological effects of climate change.
And with the spectre of a super El Nino, preparing for climate-induced mental health challenges has become even more urgent.
The WEMA study notes that “the risks and impacts of climate change on mental health are already rapidly accelerating, resulting in several direct, indirect, and overarching effects that disproportionately affect those who are most vulnerable and marginalised.”
This report also comes as other researchers say new ideas such as “climate change anxiety” have entered the lexicon as part of efforts to understand the wider psychological impact of extreme weather.
“Across four countries we found that individuals exposed to flooding have a higher burden of mental disorders compared to individuals that were not,” said Professor Collins Iwuji of the Africa Health Research Institute, the WEMA research project lead.
“If you took away flooding, you would reduce the number of mental disorders in our study population by 25 percent,” Iwuji told Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism, the WEMA media partner.
A 2021 study covering young people aged between 16 and 25 years carried out in Australia, Brazil, Finland, France, India, Nigeria, the Philippines, Portugal, the UK, and the USA found that “climate change has important implications for the health and futures of children and young people, yet they have little power to limit its harm, making them vulnerable to climate anxiety.”
WEMA says the study was carried out because the “limited data on the specific effects of EWEs on mental health in Africa highlights the need for more research to guide policy and practice.”
“Mental health support must be integrated into disaster preparedness and response and the provision of psychological first aid in the immediate aftermath of these events, not six months later,” Owuji said.
Meanwhile, Oxfam reports that there have been more than 8,000 flood deaths this year (the highest level since 2013) and that monthly temperature records are being recorded in more than 100 countries, despite the toll 87 private jets have so far landed at Antalya Airport during the UN climate summit (COP31).
It says the carbon pollution of a person in the richest 1 percent has contributed 34 times more to today’s extreme heatwaves than the average person and 100 times more than someone in the poorest 50 percent.
“These records are not accidents of weather. They are the foreseeable consequences of a fossil-fuelled economy in which those who pollute most are also the best protected from its consequences,” said Oxfam International Executive Director Amitabh Behar.
Oxfam’s analysis of data from Polluterjet reveals that 87 private jets have landed at Antalya Airport since 7 November, emitting an estimated 777 tonnes of CO₂, which is equivalent to flying around the world more than three times.
Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote’s private jet flew approximately 4,370 kilometres from Lagos to Antalya, emitting an estimated 30 tonnes of CO₂, which is roughly the same as the average person emits in six years. During COP30 last year, 66 private jet journeys were recorded.
IPS UN Bureau Report
BENGALURU, India, Nov 12 2026 (IPS) - Four years after Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine, the human cost of the war keeps rising. Even though the global public eye is primarily glued to the progress of the conflict itself, its geopolitical implications and territorial bargaining, the millions of Ukrainian women and children experience the burden of this war that changed their lives and future forever.
Oleksandra Matviichuk, Nobel Peace Laureate & Head of the Centre for Civil Liberties
Matviichuk believes that until the war goes on, Ukrainian women would keep paying an unusual price for the opportunity to raise their children safe from Russian aggression.
Women were actively involved in humanitarian activities in Ukraine; they took care of displaced people and continued providing basic services to communities, as well as taking on duties that traditionally belong to men who either fight in the army or have fallen during the war.
However, their participation in the conflict is a huge personal sacrifice for women.
The war aggravates inequalities faced by women and girls as it makes them more vulnerable to gender-based violence, poverty, internal displacement, and psychological distress. Besides, women-led NGOs, which provide vital services ranging from psychosocial help, violence prevention, and humanitarian aid, face serious difficulties with funding in times of increased needs.
From Matviichuk’s perspective, the implications of the war go far beyond the humanitarian crisis. For her, it is the clash between two opposing systems – democracy and authoritarianism.
Matviichuk talks about the freedoms that Ukrainian women have in family and social life, comparing them with the limitations of women living in authoritarian states.
“We are fighting for our daughters. We want our daughters would never appear in situation when they have to prove someone that they also are human beings and have all freedom and all rights,” she says.
Probably there is no place where the costs of this war will become more obvious than in the life of Ukrainian children.
Children displaced, interrupted in their studies, separated from family members, attacked, and witnessing the destruction of infrastructure have lost all sense of stability and security. Many Ukrainians are forced to spend childhood in the world of air raid sirens, uncertainty and continuous loss of relatives.
According to Matviichuk, the psychological consequences of living in such conditions for a long time can cause terrible damage because trauma leaves a person trapped in the past, depriving of any future.
For the families living in Ukraine, the war has stripped them of one of the most basic necessities that can exist for anyone in this world, that is, the assurance of security in terms of knowing that they would be alive the next day. Talking about the kind of life that they have to lead today, Matviichuk explains that they go to sleep without knowing whether they or their children will wake up on the next day. “It’s very difficult to live like us when we go to bed and our children go to bed, we have no idea whether or not we will get up next morning because war is lottery and probably it will be your residential building that would be hit this night,” she explains.
However, Matviichuk says that the first sign of healing is when children start dreaming.
Collaborating with colleagues who work as psychological support for children, she asked them to record what Ukrainian children dream about.
As the result, it became clear not only how devastating war could be but how simple the children’s wishes are.
Some children dream of going to school without the need of studying online anymore. Others want to become football players in order to make their deceased parents proud of them. There is also a dream of inventing something that will help to save other people, while another dreams of becoming Secretary-General od the United Nations to prevent wars.
Others simply want their loved ones back.
“I dream that my grandmother, my best friend Misha and my dog would be alive,” reads one child’s response.
Another dreams of a new computer, Lego and, most importantly, “that Russia would stop sending missiles and drones at us.”
These are not extraordinary aspirations. They are the ordinary dreams of children who want safety, education, family and the freedom to imagine a future.
Besides the direct ramifications of displacement and violence, Matviichuk brings up another issue that is even more serious: the fate of Ukrainian children who live under the control of Russian occupation.
She says that there are systematic measures aimed at eliminating the identity of Ukrainian children through education, prohibition of language and culture, and militarization.
Matviichuk points out that children are being educated with the help of Russian textbooks which do not recognize the existence of Ukraine as a separate country. In addition, there have been reports of sending the children to Russian re-education camps where they undergo military training and identity reshaping.
According to her, the problem might be far-reaching: these children will get Russian passports and might be conscripted into the Russian army in the future.
“This is not just a human rights problem. This is a security problem.”
The issue requires the immediate international response, especially concerning the protection of children under occupation, their reunification with families, preventing forced transfer and preserving their cultural identity.
The humanitarian disaster is even further compounded by the uncertainties associated with international peace talks. Even though diplomatic endeavors have led to some hope regarding the possibility of stopping the ongoing war, Matviichuk seems to question the adequacy of such peace talks to address the problems of the people affected by the conflict.
According to Matviichuk, there is a need for continued pressure on Russia through international sanctions and confiscation of frozen Russian assets to end the war.
The international community needs to create economic and political costs that exceed the gains in the continuation of the war for the Kremlin.
Apart from these measures, it is essential to increase humanitarian efforts, empower women organizations, prevent violence against children, and provision of education, health and psychological services.
It is also important for the international community to focus on war crime prosecution, repatriation of deported children, and freeing illegally detained people.
Women and children who have been experiencing the impacts of war for years cannot only recover from rebuilding of their dilapidated structures. There is a need for the restoration of their dignity, security, economic independence and active participation in their nation-building process.
As Matviichuk explains, the effects of the war will be felt by many generations to come. Children who will lose several years of learning and who will feel the loss of their families and security will require support for many years to come even after the war ends.
The real question, however, is not only how fast Ukraine will recover, but also if the international community is ready to invest in the future that is free from fears for women and children.
A sustainable peace should guarantee not only the end of the war but also justice, accountability, freedom, and respect for the dignity of people.
Most importantly, a sustainable peace should give Ukrainian children something which they lost because of the war, the right to dream about their future.
Sania Farooqui is an independent journalist and host of The Peace Brief, a platform dedicated to amplifying the voices of women in peacebuilding and human rights.
IPS UN Bureau Report
GENEVA, Nov 12 2026 (IPS) - This is the final article in a four-part series with related titles, highlighting the responsibility of mainstream media and religious leaders for the world’s current appalling state and the calamities that may await future generations if proper measures are not taken in time. When megalomania is given a “human face,” historical facts are distorted, acts of aggression are whitewashed, unlawful wars are portrayed as vehicles of “democracy, human rights, and morality,” other people’s intelligence is undermined and mocked, bias overshadows international norms, and religion becomes an instrument of bigotry, I sustain my accusation:
Saber Azam
The media is often described as a primary mechanism for informing the public about crucial social, political, and economic issues that can directly or indirectly affect society. Across mass, community, and small- and medium-sized outlets, it also educates and connects people, shapes public opinion, and gives whistleblowers a platform. Impartiality, truthfulness, and investigative rigor are among the principal pillars of its credibility. The most important red lines no media outlet should cross include the propagation of hatred in any form, racism, lies and defamation, deliberately false information, and violations of privacy and personal data. Core principles also include freedom of expression, pluralism, and fact-based reporting.
To date, no single body of international legislation governs the media. Countries and regions apply their own laws and regulations. Since World War II, many powerful countries have funded mainstream media outlets that primarily serve as tools for domestic and foreign-policy propaganda and narrative control. Some wealthy individuals and institutions have done the same to advance their own interests.
In some wealthy and powerful countries, domestic injustices and violations of human dignity are often overlooked, while political assassinations, bloody regime changes, covert subversive operations, denial of facts, and other harmful policies and practices carried out abroad against less powerful countries have been presented to the public as necessary responses to alleged “violations” of certain principles or rights.
In many cases, blatant falsehoods have been transformed into absolute truths, and unlawful acts of aggression have been whitewashed. Without diminishing the good work they have accomplished, these media networks bear responsibility for “justifying” many unjustifiable acts, resulting in countless deaths, material destruction, and shattered lives. The tragedy is that this continues: even when hundreds of journalists are brutally murdered, many mainstream media outlets still fail to denounce these misdeeds.
However, with the rise of the internet, mobile phones, social media, independent podcasters, alternative news networks, and other tools, timely information can now reach vast audiences instantly, while independent audio and video creators and hosts dig deeper to uncover facts. Anyone can capture a photo or video of an event and share it immediately on social media. Younger generations across continents seek facts about the past and present to build a better future. They consult historical archives and draw on multiple sources to form informed opinions on issues that matter to them. Of course, they are not immune to misinformation or malicious manipulation. Yet many people can find accurate information from well-informed alternative sources, even if those outlets lack the political backing and financial power of mainstream media organizations, which bear an even greater responsibility to speak the truth, especially when it matters most.
I Accuse the Religious Leaders
Religion may be understood as a divine philosophy through which God establishes principles intended to ensure harmonious, respectful, equitable, and peaceful living. It can also define the relationship between the Creator and the created, among human beings, and between humans and their environment. Some religions also outline political, economic, and scientific frameworks or rules. Scholars have long sought to explain the foundations of religious belief and have advanced testimonial, philosophical, and extraordinary arguments. Faith, however, is rooted in a profound qualitative appreciation of life and its meaning. Human values and dignity form important common ground among monotheistic, polytheistic, pantheistic, and atheistic convictions. Therefore, those who carry the banner of any belief bear a great responsibility to denounce violations of the principles they profess.
Over time, politics intruded into the sphere of faith and influenced decision-makers, business leaders, and society at large. Rulers often defined their own versions of particular beliefs. Divisions followed, and people of the same religion began killing one another in the name of God. Later, interfaith conflicts arose, leading to devastation and massacres.
One of the most despicable developments in recent human history was the initiation, expansion, and full implementation of the Doctrine of Discovery, through which faith became a justification for bigotry, discrimination, oppression, and expansionism, contributing to centuries of slave trading, gratuitous exploitation, and the devastation of the colonial era. Shamefully, some so-called scholars have characterized the decrees issued in this regard as “international law,” enabling the promulgation of appalling “codes,” political statements, and acts of violence. In the process, hundreds of millions of people were massacred, their treasures looted, and their capacity for self-defense crushed. In some parts of the world, native peoples were nearly erased. Serious crimes continue to be committed in the name of religion; yet, for various reasons, few leaders have come forward to say, “Not in our name!”
The intertwining of religion with politics and business has pulled faith away from its moral and social foundations and placed it in the service of those in power. In some cases, religious principles are invoked to sow division and violence among peoples.
Many faith leaders who persuade people to accept their teachings fail to demonstrate the moral courage and vision needed to take concrete action against injustices committed in the name of their beliefs and to oppose present-day misdeeds. They bear a heavy responsibility for the loss of innocent lives and for the world’s deteriorating condition.
Final Words
It is painful to witness dictatorships commit transgressions, but it is even more devastating to see “democratic societies” commit or condone similar acts. We may be approaching a major and extremely violent global calamity. Will the leaders mentioned in my four-part series of related articles realize they have strayed, take the needed corrective actions, or step aside and let younger, talented, and responsible generations take over and lead our world toward a more secure, promising, and prosperous future? If not, will the world’s youth launch a billion-signature vote-of-no-confidence petition to help save the planet and humanity?
Saber Azam is a former UN official. He is the author of Soraya: The Other Princess and Hell’s Mouth: A Journey to the Heart of West African Jungles. His third book, Nowhere to Go, will be published soon.
IPS UN Bureau
Excerpt:
This is the final article in a four-part series.
ANTALYA, Türkiye, Nov 12 2026 (IPS) - The world cannot claim to protect the climate and nature while opening Indigenous Peoples’ and local communities’ territories to industrial activities that threaten their rights, livelihoods and ways of life. Yet governments increasingly recognize these communities’ contributions to climate and biodiversity protection while authorizing mining, oil drilling, industrial agriculture and infrastructure projects that can undermine the very territories they safeguard.
Last year, at COP30 in Belém, governments took an important step toward addressing the historical injustice of insecure land tenure. Through the Intergovernmental Land Tenure Commitment (ILTC),17 countries and one subnational government have now committed to advancing territorial rights across 160 million hectares by 2030: recognizing tenure across at least 80 million hectares and strengthening governance and protection across another 80 million hectares where rights are already recognized. A complementary $1.8 billion Forest and Land Tenure Pledge for 2026–2030 offers resources to support this work.
One year later, as governments gather for COP31 in Antalya, the challenge is to turn this landmark commitment into lasting territorial security.
For Indigenous Peoples, local communities and Afro-descendant Peoples, territories are inseparable from identity, culture, livelihoods, knowledge and, for many, spirituality and self-determination. Securing these rights, alongside recognizing and upholding the rights of nature, is fundamental to protecting both communities and the territories they have stewarded for generations.
Our new research shows that forests within established and proposed reserves for Indigenous Peoples in Isolation and Initial Contact (PIACI) in the Peruvian Amazon experienced 16 times less forest loss than forests outside these areas. Across the tropics, communities are recovering ancestral lands, exercising customary governance, monitoring threats, and restoring ecosystems. Their stewardship sustains biodiversity, carbon storage and water cycles essential to climate resilience.
Yet industrial pressures threaten these achievements. Our research has found that oil and gas blocks overlap approximately 31 million hectares of Indigenous and community territories in the Amazon Basin, while mining concessions overlap 18.7 million hectares in Mesoamerica. In the Congo Region, oil and gas blocks overlap 38% of mapped community forests and mining concessions 42%. In Indonesia, wood concessions overlap approximately 6 million hectares of Indigenous territories. These overlaps highlight potential conflicts between industrial development and territorial rights.
The proposed Yavarí-Tapiche Territorial Corridor illustrates what is at stake. This Indigenous-led initiative spans approximately 16 million hectares across Peru and Brazil, including territories of Indigenous Peoples in isolation and initial contact. Yet oil and gas blocks overlap approximately 10% of the proposed corridor, alongside logging and infrastructure pressures. Industrial development can affect entire watersheds, ecosystems and livelihoods through roads, pollution and habitat fragmentation.
From Recognition to Territorial Security
Legal recognition is a fundamental achievement and the foundation of territorial security. But rights recognized on paper must also be respected in practice. When energy, mining, infrastructure and investment decisions disregard rights-holders’ authority, the benefits of recognition can be undermined. The ILTC gives signatories an opportunity to align tenure recognition and governance with land-use planning, licensing, and investment decisions, while respecting the rights and priorities of affected peoples and communities.
Five Priorities for Action
First, accelerate recognition of Indigenous Peoples’, local communities’ and Afro-descendant Peoples’ territorial rights, including customary tenure. Recognition and restitution must respect rights-holders’ institutions, priorities and applicable human rights standards.
Second, strengthen governance and protection alongside recognition. Newly recognized and existing territories need sustained legal, institutional and financial support so rights-holders can exercise their authority, advance their priorities and protect their lands.
Third, align industrial licensing, infrastructure and investment with territorial rights. Governments must address conflicting concessions, qrespect territorial governance plans and fulfill applicable consultation and free, prior and informed consent obligations, including respecting rights-holders’ decisions to reject unwanted industrial activities.
Fourth, ensure financing reaches rights-holders. Governments and donors must provide direct, flexible and sustained funding for communities’ priorities, including governance, territorial protection, monitoring and sustainable economies.
Finally, measure more than hectares. Progress must reflect whether rights-holders can exercise their authority, industrial threats are addressed and financing reaches communities.
Delivering these priorities requires coordinated government action so that land, energy, mining, infrastructure and investment decisions reinforce territorial rights. Building on the leadership of Indigenous Peoples, local communities and Afro-descendant Peoples, the ILTC can help align policies and financing with their priorities. By 2030, success should be measured not only by hectares recognized, but by whether rights-holders can exercise their rights, govern their territories and determine their own futures free from extractive and large-scale industrial activities.
The commitment was made in Belém. Antalya is an opportunity to turn it into lasting territorial security.
Juan Carlos Jintiach is Executive Secretary, Global Alliance of Territorial Communities and M. Florencia Librizzi is Deputy Director, Earth Insight
IPS UN Bureau
ANTALYA, Türkiye, Nov 11 2026 (IPS) - As COP31 gets underway in Antalya, two realities demand attention. The World Meteorological Organisation reports that 2015–2025 were the 11 hottest years on record, with 2025 about 1.43°C above pre-industrial levels.
The World Health Organisation projects that the number of people aged 60 and over will rise from one billion in 2020 to 1.4 billion in 2030 and 2.1 billion in 2050, roughly one in five people.
These trends are connected: together, they define the population that climate policy must serve. Yet representation in climate negotiations has barely changed.
The UN climate process recognises nine NGO constituencies, including women and gender, youth, Indigenous Peoples and farmers, but none for older people. These constituencies coordinate interventions, nominate speakers and facilitate participation in mandated events. An older minister at the negotiating table cannot be assumed to represent older people facing drought, displacement or unaffordable electricity.
Source: WHO, Ageing and health, 2030 and 2050 values are projections.
There are reasons to defend the COP process. Dubai’s COP28 operationalised the loss and damage fund and agreed a transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems. Baku’s COP29 established a goal of at least $300 billion annually for developing countries by 2035, with developed countries taking the lead, alongside efforts to scale finance from all sources to $1.3 trillion a year. Belém’s COP30 called for tripling adaptation finance by 2035, adopted 59 adaptation indicators and agreed a just transition mechanism.
Yet appearing on a list of vulnerable groups is a limited form of inclusion. Recognition must bring authority, resources and accountability across climate institutions, long after a summit closes
These decisions offer a route from dialogue through consensus towards delivery, although targets are not disbursements and promises are not protection.
The COP31 agenda brings finance, adaptation measurement, emissions cuts and a just transition into focus, alongside loss and damage funding. Its action priorities include food security, resilient cities, health systems, clean energy and youth and education. Each has an ageing dimension. The test is whether the institutions delivering these priorities explicitly recognise older people as rights holders and partners, and reflect that recognition in investment.
Recognition has consequences. Women have a Gender Action Plan; Indigenous Peoples have dedicated institutional spaces; children and youth have an established constituency and a youth climate champion in the presidency. These gains were won through sustained advocacy and remain incomplete.
They demonstrate that institutions can change. Recognition exists in fragments: the Sharm el-Sheikh Adaptation Agenda identifies older people among populations requiring heat protection. But being named in a vulnerability list is a limited form of inclusion. Recognition must carry authority, resources and accountability across climate institutions, long after a summit closes.
Source: Falchetta, G., De Cian, E., Sue Wing, I., & Carr, D. (2024). Global projections of heat exposure of older adults. Nature Communications, 15, 3678.
WHO reports that heat-related mortality among people over 65 increased approximately 85% between 2000–2004 and 2017–2021. Europe’s summer of 2022 brought an estimated 61,672 heat-related deaths. The 2025 Lancet Countdown, summarised by WHO, estimates an annual global heat death toll of 546,000 across all ages. “Every fraction of a degree of warming costs lives and livelihoods,” WHO’s Jeremy Farrar warned.
The risks accumulate. Heat can aggravate heart, lung and kidney disease. Isolation, inaccessible transport, inadequate housing and interrupted electricity or health services can turn exposure into catastrophe.
An early warning delivered only through a smartphone, or an evacuation plan that assumes everyone can walk, can exclude precisely those it is meant to protect.
A 2024 Nature Communications study projects that by 2050 more than 23% of people aged 69 and over will live in climates where the hottest days exceed 37.5°C, compared with 14% in 2020. Depending on the scenario, an additional 177–246 million older adults could face this acute heat exposure.
Population ageing magnifies the consequences of delayed adaptation. Every clinic without backup power, every unshaded settlement and every inaccessible shelter becomes a longer-term liability as the population it serves changes.
Ageism or institutional inertia?Is this exclusion ageism? The UN’s Global Report on Ageism estimated that one in two people worldwide holds ageist attitudes towards older people. That does not establish climate negotiators’ motives. It does make it implausible to assume that climate institutions are insulated from a prejudice embedded elsewhere in society.
Perhaps overloaded institutions have developed inclusion fatigue: another constituency, another consultation, another demand on scarce finance.
But population ageing is not a fashionable new issue. It is a foreseeable transformation of the societies that these institutions exist to serve. The division between “today’s older generation” and “tomorrow’s climate victims” is also false. Someone aged 40 today will be 64 in 2050. Adaptation that neglects ageing fails both people who are older now and those who will grow old under harsher conditions.
The people still tending the landThe case for inclusion goes beyond preventing deaths. Older people continue to produce food and sustain the knowledge on which adaptation depends. Eurostat found that 33.2% of EU farm managers were at least 65 in 2020; they managed 16.9% of utilised agricultural land.
Furthermore, Japan’s agriculture ministry reports that 71.7% of its core agricultural workers were 65 or older in 2024, with an average age of 69.2. These are different statistical categories, not a global comparison. Both findings expose the folly of designing agricultural resilience without older producers. In remote rangelands, forests and mountain environments, experience can be an adaptation resource.
UNESCO’s African climate work identifies elders as holders of detailed, often undocumented knowledge about weather and coping practices. The IPCC finds that exchanges between Indigenous elders and youth can strengthen adaptive capacity, and that pastoralists’ local knowledge can complement scientific research.
The ecological stakes are substantial: IPBES estimates that Indigenous Peoples traditionally own, manage, use or occupy at least a quarter of global land. That figure describes Indigenous Peoples collectively, not older people alone. It nevertheless underlines the importance of supporting the elders who help transmit ecological knowledge within these communities. Excluding elders can weaken the transfer of knowledge needed to sustain landscapes. Their expertise should be tested alongside contemporary climate science, supported and remunerated, rather than treated as a free substitute for investment.
Recognition must change where the money goesClimate funding criteria should recognise older people and include them in decisions. The Green Climate Fund and Adaptation Fund should require proposals to assess age-related risks, consult older people’s associations and fund relevant measures.
Country programmes should support heat plans with home outreach, accessible cooling and evacuation, and resilient primary health and care services. Projects should report spending and outcomes by age, sex and disability, distinguishing older age groups.
Loss and Damage applicants should involve older people in assessing losses and selecting responses, including accessible temporary housing, livelihood recovery, and continued access to medicines and care. Assessments should capture non-economic losses, including cultural knowledge and community ties, not only wages and property.
Eligibility and delivery must not depend on employment records, land titles or digital access. The Santiago Network should help countries and communities assess older people’s losses and plan responses. National adaptation plans and early warning systems should identify who needs accessible information, transport or assistance, and release finance when agreed forecast triggers are met. Fund older people’s associations to plan, conduct outreach and monitor outcomes.
Finally, the UNFCCC should establish a transparent, time-bound pathway towards recognising an older people’s constituency. Meanwhile, governments and climate bodies should include representatives of older women, Indigenous elders and older people with disabilities in national delegations, adaptation consultations and relevant advisory processes, with accessible participation and travel support.
Intergenerational programmes should pay elders and young people to combine ecological knowledge with climate science. None of this requires postponing action until another negotiating agenda is created. It requires institutions to recognise the demographic reality already before them and make existing commitments serve it.
The writing is on the wall: the world is growing hotter and older. How many more summits will pass before climate institutions let that reality shape who decides, what is funded and whose lives are protected?
Hari Krishna Nibanupudi is a global climate change and ageing adviser with HelpAge International
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The world is growing hotter and older. Climate institutions must recognise both realities in whose voices count and where their money goes.