Global Stories

Fast growing cities in South East Asia are responsible for as much as 60% of plastic waste leakage into the environment. 75% of land-based sources of marine plastic pollution in the region originates from uncollected waste and 25% from leakages in the municipal waste management systems. Plastic pollution is also transboundary - up to...

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) India has pledged financial aid of nearly INR 2 crore towards supply of medical kits, personal protective equipment (PPE), dry food, hygiene essentials and hospitalization for those most in need during the pandemic in Mumbai, Pune and Chennai. Specifically, FCA India Engineering has partnered with nonprofits Sevalaya in Chennai and United...

Climate activist Greta Thunberg today launched a child rights driven campaign with Danish NGO Human Act to support UNICEF’s efforts to address the COVID-19 pandemic and protect children from its direct and knock-on consequences. These include food shortages, strained healthcare systems, violence and lost education. “Like the climate crisis, the coronavirus pandemic is a child-rights crisis,” said...

The health and economic consequences of COVID-19 have highlighted the critical need to support vulnerable populations, many of whom are disproportionately impacted. In this time of global crisis, Mastercard has expanded its worldwide commitment to financial inclusion, pledging to bring a total of 1 billion people and 50 million micro and small businesses into...

Climate change has become a major concern in this century. The Paris Agreement sets forth efforts to limit the global temperature rise to “well below” 2 °C in the present century, compared to pre-industrial levels. To realise the climate targets of the Paris Agreement, a complete transition in the global energy landscape is essential. Wind...

The coronavirus global pandemic has brought sharp focus on the shortage of nurses and the health workforce the world over. Contrary to the long-standing notion that it represents a cost to be contained, in 2016 the United Nations High-Level Commission on Health Employment and Economic Growth published evidence that jobs and employment in health...

There is overwhelming evidence that the Asia-Pacific region needs to accelerate action on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and substantially reverse current negative trends, especially those which are depleting and degrading its environmental resources, according to a new report released today by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific...

As the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, was announcing one of the longest and strictest lockdowns in the world to the protect the citizens of the country, the opposition was busy raising their demand for financial compensation for the poor of the country. While the government has rolled out some relief measures such...

March 5th was World Energy Efficiency Day 2020. Of course, many of you may have never heard of it. However, this day has been observed across the world since 1998 and, as our fuel sources continue to deplete, the relevance of World Energy Efficiency Day increases year on year. Besides, energy efficiency is an...

Today, we celebrate World Wildlife Day, which has become the most important global annual event dedicated to wildlife! What is World Wildlife Day? On 20 December 2013, at its 68th session, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) proclaimed 3 March – the day of signature of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild...

1st March is celebrated as Zero Discrimination Day all around the world to promote diversity and recognize that everyone counts. Butterfly has been accepted as the symbol for this day. It is celebrated by the United Nations and other international organizations with an aim to recognize and celebrate everyone’s right to live a life...

More than 50% of the world’s population is now online; roughly one million more people join the internet each day. Fourth Industrial Revolution or 4IR technologies are already bringing tremendous economic and societal benefits to much of the global population. Data are increasingly being collected on citizens by government and business alike, and these data...