Yesterday, India saw record levels of Covid-19 infections for the fifth day in a row, reporting over 300 thousand new cases and almost 3 thousand deaths in a single 24-hour period. Cases began to climb in February from a low point of under 10 thousand cases, and have since skyrocketed at an almost exponential rate,…
In another sign of the US “coming back from the cold” and reembracing multilateralism, President Biden has invited 40 Heads of State or Government to participate in a virtual “Leaders Summit on Climate” on 22-23 April 2021. This landmark event, which coincides with Earth Day 2021, underscores the United States’ commitment to re-joining the fight…
On 24 March, I had the privilege to moderate a fascinating virtual conversation on the role of narratives in shaping societies. Titled ‘Stories of Love and Hatred – Narratives that Shape our Present and future,’ (Historias de amor y odio – las narratives que dan forma a nuestro presente y futuro), the panel was made…
The overall context regarding the SDGs The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and associated 169 targets were adopted by the UN General Assembly in September 2015. Though not legally binding, the SDGs have become de facto international obligations with the potential to reorient the domestic priorities of countries during the subsequent fifteen years. Countries are…
This Saturday, on 27th March 2021, we mark the 15th annual Earth Hour. At 8:30pm local time, participants across the world will turn off all non-essential lights in their homes and offices in an effort to draw attention to the ongoing climate crisis that is ravaging our planet. The event first took place in Sydney,…
Para leer este artículo en español, haga clic aquí People all over the world tell one another – and ourselves — stories, both explicit and implicit, that shape the way we look at the world around us. Narratives about how that world came about and how it works, who its heroes and villains are,…
The world’s governments will come together in Glasgow in November to re-energize international cooperation on climate change. The gathering, “COP 26” in its climate negotiations nomenclature, comes at a critical time. Humanity’s response to the climate problem, manifestly now a “crisis”, has fallen far short of what is required, a fact that is increasingly recognized…
In these trying times of COVID-19, nurses have rightly come to be heralded as heroes, not only of their communities, but of the world at large. It is apt, therefore, for Katoikos to look at this profession today, on the International Day of Women and Girls in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and for…
History cannot be allowed to repeat itself The detention of State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and other leaders of the civilian government in a military coup staged earlier this week put Myanmar’s young and fragile process of democratic transition at serious risk. Suu Kyi, de facto leader of the country, and President Win…
Pandemic-related lockdowns have had devastating effects on education systems around the globe. Overnight, everyone was required to go digital, exposing the gap between our fast-changing and increasingly digital world and the infrastructure under which education is delivered. While this issue is not new, the pandemic has emphasized its urgency. The need to transform educational systems…
