Analysis: Bridging the development-versus-pollution gap in Pakistan

LAHORE, 18 June 2013 (IRIN Asia) - “I don't let them drink this water,” Muhammad said, gesturing towards a group of water-buffaloes cooling off in a canal not far from Pakistan’s eastern city of Lahore. “This water is from the city. All of its garbage comes into it,” he explained. full report

Atrocious conditions in Bangladesh tanneries

DHAKA, 7 June 2013 (IRIN Asia) - Despite working 12 hours a day and exposing herself to toxic chemicals, 55-year old Taslima Begum, a tannery worker in Hazaribagh, an industrial neighbourhood in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka, earns just US$40 per month. full report

Senegalese gear up for likely flooding

DAKAR/PIKINE, 7 June 2013 (IRIN Africa) - Senegalese authorities and aid organizations say they have begun preparing for what will likely be another round of heavy flooding during this year's upcoming rainy season, but observers and local residents say not enough has been done to reduce the risk of annual floods ruining their homes. full report

Rising Niger Delta oil theft threatens security

WARRI/DAKAR, 4 June 2013 (IRIN Africa) - Oil theft - known as bunkering - in Nigeria’s Niger Delta region is soaring following a brief lull, leading residents and community leaders once again to call on the federal government to do more to address the area’s chronic under-development. full report

Reshaping the fight against poverty

JOHANNESBURG, 31 May 2013 (IRIN Global) - After nine months of consultations, the UN High Level Panel on determining the world’s post-2015 development agenda has issued a report calling for a path to sustainable development which will transform the lives of the very poorest. full report

Equity takes centre stage

JOHANNESBURG, 30 May 2013 (IRIN Global) - As aid officials haggle over ways to reduce developing countries’ disasters risks, they are increasingly looking to target the inequalities that make some communities more vulnerable than others. full report

Global land treaty aims for more teeth

JOHANNESBURG, 29 May 2013 (IRIN Global) - Talks have begun on giving a global treaty on land degradation more teeth. full report

The making of the Hyogo2 disaster prevention framework

JOHANNESBURG, 17 May 2013 (IRIN Global) - A month after the Indian Ocean tsunami struck in December 2004, affecting millions, 168 countries signed on to a 10-year plan to make the world safer from natural hazards. Yet the plan, the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) 2005-2015, focused primarily on “what to do to prevent disasters, but not enough on how to implement it,” says Neil McFarlane, chief coordinator and head of all regional programmes at the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR). full report

Pastoralism’s economic contributions are significant but overlooked

NAIROBI, 16 May 2013 (IRIN Africa) - Pastoralism is often regarded as an antiquated practice ill-suited to the modern economy, yet trade between pastoral communities in Africa - much of it informal and illegal - generates an estimated US$1 billion each year, according to a new book published by the Futures Agriculture Consortium. full report