The Week with IPS 11/14

	War-ravaged South Sudan Struggles to Contain AIDS Charlton Doki Dressed in a flowered African print kitenge and a blue head scarf, Sabur Samson, 27, sits pensively at the HIV centre at Maridi Civil Hospital in South Sudan’s Western Equatoria state. Today she paid 20 South Sudanese pounds (about six dollars) for a bodaboda (motorbike taxi) ride to the centre ... MORE > >
	High Expectations At the World Parks Congress Marshall Patsanza Conserving the world's most valuable natural resources is the focus of the sixth World Parks Congress 2014, taking place Sydney, Australia. The congress, which takes place once every 10 years, is convened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). MORE > >
	How a Small Tribe Turned Tragedy into Opportunity Malini Shankar When the Asian tsunami washed over several Indian Ocean Rim countries on Boxing Day 2004, it left a trail of destruction in its wake, including a death toll that touched 230,000. Millions lost their jobs, food security and traditional livelihoods and many have spent the last decade trying to ... MORE > >
	Legal Vacuum Fuels Conflicts Over Water in El Salvador Edgardo Ayala Rural communities and social organisations in El Salvador agree that the lack of specific laws is one of the main hurdles to resolving disputes over water in the country. “If the right to water was regulated in the constitution, we wouldn’t be caught up in this conflict,” David Díaz, a ... MORE > >
	How SADC is Fighting Wildlife Crime Mabvuto Banda "We are underpaid, have no guns and in most instances are outnumbered by the poachers," says Stain Phiri, a ranger at Vwaza Marsh Wildlife Reserve — a 986 km reserve said to have the most abundant and a variety of wildlife in Malawi — which also happens to be one of the country’s biggest game ... MORE > >
	U.N. Chief Eyes Upcoming Summits to Resolve Development Crisis Thalif Deen The continued widespread economic recession - aggravated by the recent Ebola outbreak in West Africa - is threatening to undermine the U.N.'s highly-touted post-2015 development agenda. Still, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is placing his trust and confidence on two key upcoming summit meetings: ... MORE > >
	Kenya on the Right Economic Path But Challenges Abound Miriam Gathigah Each year on Dec. 10, Lucy Mwende and her two children hop aboard a night bus and travel to the white sandy beaches and warm waters of Kenya’s Indian Ocean, some 441 km from the capital, Nairobi. But this year they will miss that bus because Mwende says, “crowded places increase the risk of ... MORE > >
	A Fair Climate Treaty or None at All, Jamaica Warns Desmond Brown As the clock counts down to the last major climate change meeting of the year, before countries must agree on a definitive new treaty in 2015, a senior United Nations official says members of the Alliance of Small Island Developing States (AOSIS) “need to be innovative and think outside the box” if ... MORE > >
	Filipinos Take to the Streets One Year After Typhoon Haiyan Diana Mendoza People covered their bodies with mud to protest against government ineptitude and abandonment; others lighted paper lanterns and candles and released white doves and balloons to remember the dead, offer thanks and pray for more strength to move on; while many trooped to a vast grave site with white ... MORE > >
	Trapped Populations – Hostages of Climate Change Ido Liven Climate change is projected by many scientists to bring with it a range of calamities – from widespread floods, to prolonged heatwaves and slowly but relentlessly rising seas – taking the heaviest toll on those already most vulnerable. When a natural disaster strikes, people are sometimes left ... MORE > >
	OPINION: Bringing More International Pressure to Bear on Wildlife Crime Bradnee Chambers A surge in wildlife crime is fuelling criminal syndicates, perpetuating terrorism, and resulting in the loss of major revenues from tourism and industries dependent on iconic species while also endangering the livelihoods of the rural poor. But this surge in wildlife crime is not only ... MORE > >
	Disciples of John the Baptist also flee ISIS Karlos Zurutuza "Going back home? That would be suicide. The Islamists would cut our throats straight away," says Khalil Hafif Ismam. The fear of this Mandaean refugee sums up that of one of the oldest yet most decimated communities in Mesopotamia. "We had our house and two jewellery shops back in Baiji – 230 ... MORE > >
	More Economic Equality Brings Greater Political Polarisation in Brazil Fabiana Frayssinet “If I had to choose today I would stay back home, I wouldn’t come to look for work here,” said Josefa Gomes, who 30 years ago moved from Serra Redonda, a small town in Brazil’s semiarid northeast, to the city of Rio de Janeiro, 2,400 km away. She reached that conclusion as a result of the ... MORE > >