| CLIMATE CHANGE: Dealing with loss and damage |
 | DOHA، 3/12/2012 (IRIN) - In a formal letter to Qatar - host of the 18th conference of the parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) - a coalition of 40 NGOs, backed by academics, has called for urgent action on loss and damage caused by climate change. The NGOs have drawn up a framework to help country negotiators address the contentious issue. full report |
| COTE D'IVOIRE: Marital equality law sparks controversy |
 | ABIDJAN، 4/12/2012 (IRIN) - The adoption by Côte d'Ivoire’s parliament of a law on equality between legally married couples has sparked anger, especially among religious people. For them, this law will create more problems in the home than it will solve. full report |
| CLIMATE CHANGE: Agriculture takes a backseat again |
 | DOHA، 5/12/2012 (IRIN) - Discussions about much-needed support for agriculture - which is seen both as a victim and a cause of climate change - at the UN’s climate change conference in Doha have been postponed until next year. full report |
| Lorpu Kah – Single mum, Liberia |
 | MONROVIA، 6/12/2012 (IRIN) - Lorpu Kah is a single mother to three sons living in Harper, Maryland County, a suburb of the capital Monrovia. full report |
| John Tamba – Teacher, Liberia |
 | MONROVIA، 6/12/2012 (IRIN) - John Tamba teaches mathematics at an elementary school in Paynesville, a Monrovia suburb. He supports four children and his wife with his salary and they live in a small two-room house. full report |
| Chaka Dagnoko – Mechanic, Mali |
 | BAMAKO، 6/12/2012 (IRIN) - Chaka Dagnoko is a mechanic living in Yirimadjo in Commune Six of the Malian capital, Bamako. full report |
| MALI: Tembely Coulibaly – Restaurateur, Mali |
 | BAMAKO، 6/12/2012 (IRIN) - Mama Tembely Coulibaly is a restaurant-owner in Sabali Bougou in Mali’s capital, Bamako. full report |
| SLIDESHOW: Illegal fishing hits fish stocks, livelihoods in Sierra Leone |
 | FREETOWN، 6/12/2012 (IRIN) - Fishing communities in Sierra Leone have been hit hard by illegal and unregulated fishing off the West African coast. Unsustainable local fishing practices and the activities of foreign trawlers engaged in so-called “pirate fishing” have led to a significant decline in fish stocks in Sierra Leone, environmental groups and local officials say. full report |
| SIERRA LEONE: Diamonds lure children out of school |
 | KOIDU، 6/12/2012 (IRIN) - Sierra Leone’s diamonds fuelled the 1991-2002 civil war, and are now boosting economic growth, but at the same time they are keeping thousands of children out of school. full report |
| IDPs: African IDP Convention comes into force |
 | NAIROBI، 6/12/2012 (IRIN) - The African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) 2009, also known as the Kampala Convention, came into force on 6 December; it is the world’s first legally binding instrument to cater specifically to people displaced within their own countries. full report |
| LIBERIA: Call for tougher drug laws |
 | MONROVIA، 7/12/2012 (IRIN) - Liberia's Drugs Enforcement Agency (DEA) has been trying to crack down on local drug dealers since the civil war ended but there are significant challenges due to weak laws and logistical problems. full report |
| DISASTERS: Slow-onset disasters take toll |
 | DHAKA/BANGKOK، 7/12/2012 (IRIN) - In southwestern Bangladesh, recent large-scale water-logging - stagnant flood water that fails to recede - threatens agriculture and public health for years to come. It is a crisis in the making, highlighting the risks slow-onset natural disasters pose to poor countries, and how ill-prepared officials are to respond - even with ample early warning. full report |