Human rights advocates have criticised the Uzbek cotton industry for its reliance on forced-labour including the mandatory employment of school children, college and university students, and civil servants. Workers face terrible conditions and are barely paid enough to survive.
NGO representatives meet in Laos, for the First Meeting of States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions – which basically means the first annual meeting since the cluster bomb treaty was agreed.
In less than a month the major United Nations climate change conference of 2010 will commence in Cancun, Mexico. Many eyes will be on the negotiations as governments from around the world try to find common ground on key issues to keep the negotiations moving forward.
Campaigners, NGO’s and the governments of nations most at risk have once again been disappointed by the outcomes (or lack thereof) from this week’s round of G20 meetings.
Sindh was the region worst-affected by the Pakistan floods; and in many areas flood waters still remain stubbornly high, refusing to drain away. Now as people look to return home, new disputes could arise over land as many boundaries, previously marked by irrigation channels, have been washed away and ownership records destroyed.
Should rich high greenhouse gas polluting countries provide funding, above their existing aid budgets, to assist poor communities adapt to climate change? With the support of local development organisations and the government, the people of Bac Ai in Vietnam have invested in new ways to manage their access to water, and are planting different crops which can survive with less rain and are more resilient to changing weather patterns.
Where Underpants Come From takes us on a journey to discover the origin of undies. This journey begins when author Joe Bennet purchases a 5-pack of Made in China underpants for $8.59 at his local New Zealand supermarket.
These days community development is far more than just teaching a person to fish. In Cambodia it’s locally run fish ponds that are feeding families.
If you believe that the exploitation of garment workers only takes place in developing countries—think again. In Australia homeworkers are mostly women who make clothes in their houses commonly situated in the outer suburbs of Sydney and Melbourne. They often work up to 18 hours a day, 7 days a week, receiving as little as $3 an hour.
Fremantle Mayor Brad Pettitt recently joined Oxfam supporters to pose in a mock battle between bankers and Robin Hoods in a visit to Federal MP Melissa Parke, to campaign for the Robin Hood Tax.
