News

"ReconAfrica's oil exploration activities have damaged homes, devastated subsistence crops, and destroyed land, illegally and without the consent of local Indigenous communities. They’ve demonstrated a complete lack of concern for the impact that their actions have on the fundamental rights of the local communities and the protected species will be driven closer to extinction." – Rob Parker, member of Saving Okavango's Unique Life (SOUL)

After years of persistent advocacy by GRAN and partners, a formal complaint against the Canadian oil and gas company Reconnaissance Energy Africa Ltd. (ReconAfrica) has now been lodged with the Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise (CORE), alleging human rights abuses in Namibia.  

This complaint to the Ombudsperson is a critical step in protecting the ecologically sensitive Okavango Delta region and the rights of Indigenous small-scale farmers and fishers who live and work within it. Click here to learn more about this important human rights case and the GRAN partner organizations that are working to protect the Okavango Delta and its people.

Tuesday’s federal Budget contained a modest increase to Canada’s investment in humanitarian assistance. This was welcomed by Canadian civil society organizations, and was especially good to see, given the very concerning recent cuts to foreign aid by other G7 countries such as France and the UK.  

Click here to read further analysis, and comments from International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen and NDP foreign affairs and international development critic Heather McPherson.

“Canada’s ongoing support for gender equality, the empowerment of women and girls, a greener economy and economic resilience in Africa is unwavering. My recent visit to Benin and the Democratic Republic of Congo brought visibility to our shared goals and was a reminder of how together, we continue to work toward a more equitable future for all.” -- Ahmed Hussen, Minister of International Development

Click here to read the Global Affairs Canada news release for details about the projects this funding will support.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled on Tuesday in favour of a group of more than 2000 older women from Switzerland who had argued that their government's inadequate efforts to combat climate change put them at risk of dying during heat waves. The European court's decision could have a ripple effect across Europe and beyond, setting a precedent for how some courts deal with the rising tide of climate litigation argued on the basis of human rights infringements. Click here to read more.

Tremendous politicized hype and disinformation have been hitting the airwaves and social media lately around Canada's climate policies and, in particular, carbon pricing. Climate policies have nothing to do with the economic hardships Canadians are facing, yet some Canadian politicians are ignoring the real causes of the cost of living crisis and scapegoating carbon pricing to score political points. It is so important that these "bad faith" attacks on carbon pricing be countered with correct information, and that stronger action be taken to address the cost of living concerns of Canadians. Climate Action Network has issued a statement correcting the disinformation and suggesting policies that will tackle the climate and affordability crises simultaneously. GRAN has signed on to the statement. To read it, click here.  Please consider sharing it broadly with your networks.

 
“To support women’s health, we need to protect women’s rights.  And to protect women’s rights we need to support the women frontline defenders of these rights.” --  Winnie Byanyima, UNAIDS Executive Director
UNAIDS’ call this International Women’s Day is to protect women’s and girls’ health and to protect women’s and girls’ rights. In doing so, the world will end AIDS, and will overcome the inequalities driving it.
Click here to read UNAIDS’ statement for International Women’s Day and do not miss the hard-hitting and inspiring 5-minute video message from UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima provided at the end of the statement.

“Meeting after meeting, resolution after resolution, this body has failed to effectively address this conflict. We have watched members of this Council deliberate and delay while civilians die. This death, destruction, and forced displacement are the result of military and political choices that blatantly disregard civilian lives. These choices could have been—and still can be—made very differently.” – Christopher Lockyear, Secretary General MSF

In a searing address to the UN Security Council yesterday, Christopher Lockyear, Secretary General of Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), called for an immediate and sustained ceasefire in Gaza and the protection of medical facilities, staff, and patients.

“We demand the protections promised under humanitarian law.
We demand a ceasefire from both parties.
We demand the space to turn the illusion of aid to meaningful assistance.
What will you do to make this happen?”

 Click here to read more and to listen to Lockyear’s impassioned address.

“This week, we celebrate the people and organizations advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Guided by their compassion and belief in a better world, they are catalyzing positive change at home and abroad. " -- Canada's Minister of International Development, Ahmed Hussen

Click here to read the Minister's full statement for International Development Week (IDW).

And here to go to GRAN's Learning Events page to check out some of the IDW events you can take part in this week.

“Having an inclusive policy environment is one of the first steps to ensuring refugees have access to the same learning opportunities as host country
nationals.” – Global Partnership for Education

Currently, more than half of the world’s 15.5 million refugee children are not in school.

The Global Partnership for Education (GPE) is the world’s largest partnership solely dedicated to transforming education systems. The GPE supports refugee-hosting countries to help strengthen their capacity and resources to ensure a quality education is available for all, including the children living as refugees within their borders.

Click here to find out how the countries of South Sudan, Djibouti, and Ethiopia are focusing on supporting the education needs of refugees.

A recent photo series by Maasai photographers Claire Metito and Irene Naneu chronicles the growing care burden facing pastoralist women in Kenya who are on the frontline of the climate crisis. Visual storytelling is a powerful tool for their community, which faces marginalisation and illiteracy, and a way to disrupt the barriers that often keep their realities and perspectives from full view. Capturing the everyday experiences of two older women, the photographers provide an intimate view of the increased, and often undervalued, domestic load that they are shouldering to secure food, water, and fuel for their families.

“Getting behind the camera and hearing how people are being affected, that’s when I truly understood the extent of the situation we are facing with climate change.” – Irene Naneu

Click here to view Claire Metito’s and Irene Naneu’s images and to learn more about the daily lives of the women they have photographed.

And click here to learn about the non-profit organization Lensational, whose mission is to equip women from underrepresented groups and communities with cameras and photography training so they can express themselves and represent themselves with dignity.