G20 needs new blood, sense of mission
As China prepares to host the G20 leaders’ summit for the first time this week, it’s promising a different kind of summit, one focused on global development and the challenges of implementing the pro-poor goals of the UN’s new Agenda 2030. But China seems fated to do little better than past chairs. The G20 is […]
Making Canada’s foreign aid more effective, innovative, and transparent
OTTAWA—The end of July marked the wrap-up of public consultations held as part of Global Affairs Canada’s International Assistance Review, the first major examination of our international co-operation agenda in over two decades. Civil society groups in the international development sector engaged fully in the process during the past months, contributing to a lively discussion […]
As Syrian hospitals are destroyed daily, the world’s apathy is horrifying
The images shown in the media of parents crying over their lost children, of civilians being attacked in a war they didn’t sign up for, of bodies left in the streets are not an exaggeration. I cannot shake the image of water washing down the steps of a building, tainted red with the blood of […]
Foreign aid must promote, not threaten, human right to water
When Justin Trudeau came to power last fall, the mere fact that the Canadian prime minister called himself a feminist and acknowledged climate science was celebrated around the world. Among other promises, Trudeau pledged to transform Canada’s role in the world. He recently told the Toronto Star that the UN’s expectation that wealthy states spend […]
How agricultural research reduces poverty
On the dusty backroads of Kenya, farmers with one or two acres of land talked about some of the difficulties they face: a disease in cassava, inadequate fodder for their animals, degraded soils and moulds in maize. And in two world-class research centres nearby, scientists from the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research talked about […]
Dion’s Sri Lanka visit: Step in right direction, but more must be done
Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion’s visit to Sri Lanka last week was a welcome symbol of the important steps that Canada is taking to help support reconciliation efforts in the island nation. Although Sri Lanka’s devastating civil war ended in 2009, post-conflict rebuilding efforts remain unfinished and a lasting and permanent peace has yet to […]
If working with mining, Canadian aid needs to get more sophisticated
In the Canadian government’s current review of international assistance, there is a great deal of discussion on the role that the private sector can play in global development. This review is taking place in the context of the United Nations’ recently launched Sustainable Development Goals, which correctly recognize that the private sector must be involved […]
What we really, really want is an end to violence against women
To mark its 20th anniversary, artists from India to Nigeria recently revamped the Spice Girls’ world-famous Wannabe video. What they “really, really want” this time around is an end to violence against women. I really, really want that too. Because I know that our world continues to be an unequal, dangerous, and even deadly place […]
How Canada should support low-carbon growth abroad
At last year’s Paris climate change agreement, all countries committed to help adapt to climate change and reduce emissions. Canada’s official development assistance (ODA) now needs to focus on realizing these commitments. Ensuring maximum impact will require attending to areas where need is greatest and where Canada has particular expertise. A core focus should be […]
Feminist approach to peace, security requires more than words
On July 1, we marked the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme. The slaughter of hundreds of thousands of young men echoes through the century. I am Canadian because of my Scottish grandmother. She turned 19 the year the First World War ended. She looked around and saw that “there were no young […]
