Reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan besieged by corruption, poor oversight, says U.S. auditor
After five years tracking U.S.-led reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan, John Sopko refuses to downplay his disappointment with the pace of advancement. While he has seen some improvements, Mr. Sopko, who leads the U.S. government’s Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, says the country continues to face steep challenges, namely with deteriorating security, corruption, and a struggling economy. […]
Budget shows signs of life for international development
While waiting for the federal government’s new international assistance policy, we can see some clues about it in the recent federal budget. Canadians interested in reducing global poverty were disappointed most by the numbers. There was no increase for international assistance, nor was a plan announced for future increases. Canada’s official development assistance as a […]
South Sudan deserves your attention
South Sudan, the world’s newest country, is in crisis, and not many people are paying attention. The landlocked African country broke apart from Sudan after decades of war in 2011. But within a couple years, innocent civilians were once again stuck in a country in full-fledged conflict, this time between political and ethnic factions internally and […]
Canada should lead in getting rid of polio
Imagine a world with smallpox. Now imagine a world without polio. In 2016 fewer than 40 children were infected by polio during the entire year. This is amazing progress from the thousands infected in years earlier, and we are actually poised to eradicate this disease from the face of the earth, such as we did […]
Canada should jump back into Afghan security picture
Allegations have surfaced that aid funds intended to help Afghan children return to school were embezzled, pointing to large-scale corruption inside the country’s education department. Despite a World Bank initiative to establish an international trust fund to minimize corruption, Canada’s funds may have been misappropriated. The Canadian government is “undertaking due diligence” to ensure that, […]
Why the world isn’t in as bad a state as you think
The bursts of terrorism, bombings, and political turmoil in today’s world have convinced many people that peace is impossible. I dissent from this view. We are not having a “clash of civilizations.” There are many reasons to express a realistic hope that a safer world can be built. We must be able to see beyond […]
Canada’s leadership on sexual and reproductive health must be matched by healthy development budget
On International Women’s Day, Prime Minister Trudeau made an important pledge towards supporting a key set of rights that so often go neglected—sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). Yesterday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, alongside Minister of International Development and La Francophonie Marie-Claude Bibeau, announced that the government would be committing $650-million in funding over three […]
On foreign aid, PM Trudeau should follow in his dad’s footsteps
It was Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau that reached the highest level under any federal Canadian government of giving internationally. Under his leadership, Canada was giving nearly 55 cents on every $100 we made to international assistance. Now, his son is estimated to be giving less than half that, at 26 cents on every $100, and […]
Poverty is sexist: what Canada can do this Women’s Day to fight it
Globally, 130 million girls are denied the basic right to education, meaning 130 million missed opportunities for girls to reach their full potential and help their communities and countries grow. Before launching a career in television, I was an electrical engineer and still have a passion for math, science (and weather patterns, of course). I’m […]
Why famines hit Africa
LONDON, U.K.—For the first time in six years, there is famine in the world: a real, United Nations-declared famine, with more than 30 per cent of the affected population suffering acute malnutrition and more than a thousand people dying of hunger each day. And there are three more countries where famine may be declared any […]
