Development and
Cooperation

Popular

On this page you can find the most popular texts of the past six weeks.

Indigenous voices

“If all that is lost, then I am lost”

Sonami Baski, a student from West Bengal, says that her Indigenous community and its culture define her entire being – and despite challenges, she takes pride in belonging to it. She spoke with Ipil Baski.

Women's rights activists

“We need to move beyond simply talking about FGM”

A survivor of female genital mutilation living in the UK, Shamsa Araweelo spent years desperately seeking proper medical treatment. She became an advocate for survivors of violence – and is hugely successful on social media.

D+C

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Health

Homosexuality is not a disease

The World Health Organization considers homosexuality as normal behaviour

Diverse society

White South Africans generally accept majority rule today

South Africa’s white minority has lost its political dominance, but is still privileged in terms of wealth and opportunity

Slavery

The forgotten Arab slave trade

The transatlantic slave trade had a devastating impact on Africa and affects the continent to this day. The fact that the Arab slave trade also took a terrible toll on millions of Africans is often overlooked.

History

No trust in institutions

The anti-democratic legacy of Spanish and US colonialism in the Philippines

Teenager

What sex education is really about

Pakistan shows why comprehensive sex education would improve young people’s lives

Prejudice

Mexico’s racial divide

Mexico’s ideology of mestizaje, or racial mixing, obscures ingrained racism

Rural development

Africa must move on from subsistence farming

For too long, sub-Saharan governments have seen farming as something poor villagers do to feed themselves and their families.

Fact checking

Combating fake news

In Africa, political rhetoric, dubious health claims and geopolitical interests fuel the spread of misinformation. Africa Check regularly exposes lies and works to (re)build media literacy to hold those in power accountable with facts.

Summer Special

A shy girl becomes the face of anti-racist protests

The movie “The Hate U Give” addresses racism in today’s society in an entertaining way

Climate conference

“If only privileged voices are heard, measures remain one-sided”

Kenyan environmental and climate activist Joyce Koech is committed to the reforestation of mangroves. At the UN mid-term Climate Change Conference, she lamented that climate negotiations often ignore the reality of those affected.

Our view

Humanity needs Indigenous role models

Indigenous ways of life have withstood difficult conditions and outside pressure for centuries. The global community must do more to protect them – and learn from them in light of looming social and ecological crises.

Demographic change

Slow decline of African birth rates

High fertility correlates with poverty – and compounds it

Africa strategies

Taking a chance on the private sector

The cuts that Western countries are currently making to their development budgets are hitting Africa particularly hard. More people are looking to the private sector to fill the gaps.

Financial justice

A global minimum tax rate for the super-rich

Taxes and fiscal policies play a crucial role in development financing. While there are viable ideas for introducing a global wealth tax, the biggest obstacles to its implementation are geopolitical.

Informal sector

Women in India’s informal sector are fighting for better working conditions

A union for informal workers – how does that work? For more than 50 years, women in India have been supporting each other. Their latest challenge: climate change.

Sexual abuse

How some Nepali girls end up as prostitutes

After being trafficked into sex work, women are often trapped in slavery-like conditions in a foreign country

Mental health

When divorce becomes a stigma

Divorce is still a taboo in Pakistan. Divorced women are ostracised. Social pressure drives them into depression, loneliness and even suicide. More psychological support services and destigmatisation are needed.

Agriculture

How Malawi embraces AI to support smallholder farmers

The new AI-powered app “Ulangizi” helps Malawian smallholder farmers to get real-time advice in their local language, improving yields and resilience.