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Countries with the Most Hurricanes


While natural disasters always leave devastation in their paths, the recovery is always harder for the world’s poor. The countries with the most hurricanes are, in increasing order, Cuba, Madagascar, Vietnam, Taiwan, Australia, the U.S., Mexico, Japan, the Philippines and China.

The storms may be unbiased when they hit, but the work to recover is nowhere near equal. This is why it is detrimental that the countries with the most hurricanes are also those with the least amount of preparation for them. This is evident because of events such as Hurricane Matthew. Although it created damage to the southeastern portion of the U.S., the devastation in Haiti was unparalleled.

Between 1996 and 2015, more than a million people were killed by natural disasters. Ninety percent of the deaths occurred in low and medium income countries.

In countries such as the Philippines, which can expect between eight and nine hurricanes a year, the population isn’t prepared for the devastation these storms bring. The majority live in homes that are weakly constructed and do not stand a chance against nature’s wrath. With a population of 96 million, of whom 19.2 percent fall below the poverty line, it is impossible to recover from one storm before the next strikes.

Behind Mexico’s brightly decorated resorts and tourist destinations, there is a population of more than 40 percent living in poverty. Although preventive measures lessened the blow from Hurricane Patricia in 2015, the nation is still recovering from its wake.

Global organizations are quick to respond to disasters all over the world. The U.N. and the Red Cross work to have people on the ground in the affected country immediately.

UNICEF takes the preventative path to these problems and works with some of the countries with the most hurricanes to improve emergency response strategies and prepare them for the natural disasters that are sure to come.

The organization also works to develop indications for the decision-makers in the least developed countries to follow when assessing the needs of children during disasters.

– Emily Trosclair

Photo: Flickr

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10 Facts About Female Genital Mutilation


No one knows for sure when female genital mutilation (FGM) began. Egyptians practiced the procedure as a way of differentiating the aristocracy as far back as 2000 years ago. People practice FGM for cultural and social reasons, but there is no evidence that it is based in religion. Neither the Bible nor the Quran mention FGM. There are also no reasons to perform FGM for medical reasons. Here are 10 facts about FGM.

10 Facts About Female Genital Mutilation

  1. Female genital mutilation occurs when part or all of the female genital organs are cut or removed. In some cases, the vaginal opening is sewn together using folds of the surrounding skin. A small opening is left where urine and menstrual blood trickle out.
  2. The practice of FGM is found mainly within 30 countries of Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Today, over 200 million girls are alive who have had the procedure.
  3. The procedure is most often practiced on girls between infancy and the age of 15. Belief in the benefits of the procedure varies from culture to culture. Some believe it suppresses sexual impulses, guarantees virginity until marriage or reduces the potential for extra-marital affairs.
  4. The four countries where the highest percentage of women and girls have been cut are in Africa. Those countries are Somalia, Guinea, Djibouti and Sierra Leone.
  5. The United Nations campaigns against the practice of FGM and believes it is a violation of human rights.
  6. In 2008, the United Nations Population Fund and the United Nations Children’s Fund created the largest joint program to increase the abandonment of the practice and also to provide care for the consequences. Together these groups published the piece  “Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: Accelerating Change.” The program’s major accomplishments, as summarized in a report published in 2014, were enacting better policy and legal environments to eliminate FGM, providing greater healthcare and social services and increasing acceptance amongst the population against the practice.
  7. The United Nations passed a resolution in December 2012 that officially banned the practice of FGM.
  8. The U.N. General Assembly adopted Resolution A/RES/67/146 in 2012 to observe February 6 as the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation to enhance awareness and begin taking steps against FGM.
  9. In 1996, the U.S. passed a law making female genital mutilation illegal. It is also illegal to leave the U.S. for the procedure. However, only 24 U.S. states have enacted laws to make FGM a crime.
  10. In April 2017, two doctors and the doctors’ wives were arrested in Detroit on the grounds of performing FGM. This is the first case in the U.S. of an arrest since the passage of the law.

There is good news to report on FGM. As awareness of the issue has increased, the percentage of girls aged 15-19 that have been cut has declined in the countries where FGM is most prevalent. Unfortunately, just the opposite is happening in the U.S. The number of cases of female genital mutilation has tripled since 1990 as the number of people from countries who practice FGM immigrate to the U.S. Efforts must continue to decrease or entirely end this practice.

– Jene Cates

Photo: Flickr

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6 Things to Know About Hunger in Guinea-Bissau

6 Things to Know About Hunger in Guinea-Bissau
Located on the Atlantic coast of West Africa, the Republic of Guinea-Bissau lies between Senegal and Guinea. Since establishing independence from Portugal in 1974, the fledgling nation has struggled to maintain a stable government, most recently experiencing a military coup in 2012. Constant infighting among the country’s leading political factions and the Civil War of 1998, have exacerbated issues of hunger in Guinea-Bissau.

6 Things to Know About Hunger in Guinea-Bissau

  1. Since Guinea-Bissau gained its independence more than 40 years ago, no elected leader has served a full term. Military coups and constant political upheaval have plagued the fragile democracy. Without a steady government, promises to eradicate poverty and hunger, like the one made by current President José Mário Vaz in a speech following his election win in 2014, have gone unfulfilled.
  2. Sixty-nine percent of Bissau-Guineans live below the poverty line used by the World Bank and over a quarter of the population suffers from chronic malnutrition. According to UNICEF, chronic malnutrition is a form of growth impediment that occurs over a long period of time, showing how persistent food insecurity and hunger in Guinea-Bissau has led to harmful long-term effects for its residents.
  3. In addition to subsistence farming in Guinea-Bissau, agriculture is the main source of income for approximately 85 percent of the population, with cashew nuts as the primary crop. Since many Bissau-Guineans depend on farming for income, irregular rainfall and volatility in the cashew market lead to periods of severe food insecurity.
  4. According to the World Food Programme, 11 percent of homes in Guinea-Bissau are food insecure, meaning they lack reliable access to proper nutrition. Issues of food insecurity in Guinea-Bissau are worsened by political instability, which disrupts governmental nutrition programs.
  5. In coordination with the government of Guinea-Bissau, the U.N. implemented a strategic five-year plan in 2015, aimed at promoting government and community collaboration in programs that improve nutrition and food security. The U.N. program is part of the Zero Hunger Challenge and the World Food Programme’s Regional Roadmap for West Africa.
  6. To support local agriculture production, the World Food Programme subsidizes the production of fresh vegetables like spinach and okra, and purchases locally produced rice for school meals. This support makes farmers less vulnerable to volatile price changes.

In 2014, Guinea-Bissau held its first elections since the military coup in 2012, and former finance minister José Mário Vaz won easily. As long as he is leading the country, foreign aid will be vital in keeping President Vaz committed to his people and solving hunger in Guinea-Bissau.

– Yosef Gross

Photo: Flickr

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10 Facts About Refugees in Taiwan

Taiwan
Taiwan, officially known as the Republic of China (ROC), is not a United Nations member and therefore does have a United Nations High Commission for Refugees office. However, the country has made great strides to provide for refugees all over the world. Here are 10 facts about refugees in Taiwan.

10 Facts About Refugees in Taiwan

  1. Taiwan does not yet accept refugees into the country, but, in July 2016, draft legislation for a refugee law passed its first of three legislative committee reviews. This new law, if passed, would ease the asylum process into Taiwan and allow it to take in more refugees.
  2. However, in 1981, Taiwan was one of the only Asian countries to grant temporary asylum to refugees and offered permanent settlements to all who reach its shores. However, this stopped after several hijackings of planes by Chinese asylum seekers in the 1990s.
  3. In addition, in January 2009, the Legislative Yuan passed an amendment to the National Immigration Act to allow anyone who is persecuted in their country to apply for residency. This really only involved the neighboring those from Myanmar, Tibet, Chinese dissidents or others in a “refugee-like situation,” rather than actual refugees.
  4. Although Taiwan currently does not accept refugees, since 1963, approximately 150,000 illegal Chinese immigrants have entered the country seeking refuge from the communist government.
  5. As a result of this huge annual illegal immigration rate, Taiwan has cracked down on illegal Chinese immigrants since 2003. This crackdown includes the trend of “foreign brides” that has risen in the last two decades.
  6. To compensate for not accepting refugees, two Taiwanese organizations, The Rising People Foundation and a nonprofit organization established by William Hsieh, have launched “Casa di Love,” to build a refugee facility on the Italian island of Lampedusa. The organizations will spend $0.37 million over the next three years to build the facility that will give shelter to refugees all over the world.
  7. In addition, Taiwan donated 10 prefabricated houses to Caritas, an organization in Jordan, to provide housing for 41 Syrian refugees.
  8. In 2013, Taiwan donated 5,000 sets of solar-LED lights to the Azraq Refugee Camp. In 2015, Taiwan signed a $100,000 grant with the International Medical Corps Jordan Country Office to support Syrian and Iraqi refugees.
  9. With the recent movements trying to ban refugees in the United States, Taiwan is now trying to push its own refugee law through the legislative process to allow refugees to seek permanent settlements in the country. Taiwan hopes the acceptance of refugees will stimulate the economy and help the country to become a tech power and be able to further separate itself from China.
  10. Although Taiwan helps refugees all around the world, many of its own citizens have fled the country due to China’s hold on the territory. More than half of all Taiwan refugees reside in the United States, accounting for around 360,000 Taiwanese people.

These 10 facts about refugees in Taiwan show the evolution of Taiwan from a place of solitude to quite the opposite in the 1990s, to once again trying to reinstate the country as a “land of fortune” for both global refugees and its own citizens.

– Amira Wynn

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What Are Sustainable Development Goals?


The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as “Transforming Our World”, are part of a U.N. initiative adopted in September 2015. The SDGs are designed to build on the Millennium Development Goals.

As former U.N. Development Program (UNDP) administrator Helen Clark explained, the goals “provide us with a common plan and agenda to tackle some of the pressing challenges facing our world such as poverty, climate change and conflict.” The 2030 Agenda for the Sustainable Development Goals includes 17 global goals, which are as follows.

17 Sustainable Development Goals

  1. No Poverty: An end to global poverty means ensuring a sustainable livelihood for all people.
  2. Zero Hunger: Work to achieve food security, improved nutrition, and the promotion of sustainable agriculture.
  3. Good Health and Wellbeing: Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing through universal health coverage, production of safe and affordable medicines and vaccines and funding for research and development.
  4. Quality Education: Ensure that all boys and girls get free primary and secondary education and access to affordable vocational training, without experiencing gender and wealth biases.
  5. Gender Equality: Gender equality and female empowerment is a human right, as well as a necessity for sustainable development.
  6. Clean Water and Sanitation: Universal access to safe and affordable water requires investment by the international community in infrastructure and sanitation facilities, and taking steps to protect and restore forests, mountains, wetlands, and rivers.
  7. Affordable and Clean Energy: Critical to the achievement of many other SDGs, investing in infrastructure and technology to provide clean energy will also cause economic growth in developing countries.
  8. Decent Work and Economic Growth: Promoting inclusive and sustainable economic growth and employment for all people.
  9. Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure: Industrialization creates jobs and generates income, reducing poverty and increasing living standards for all people. Technological innovation encourages development and provides new jobs.
  10. Reduced Inequalities: Reducing income inequality, as well as inequalities based on race, sex, age, and other statuses, requires improvement in policies and regulations, promoting economic inclusion.
  11. Sustainable Cities and Communities: Most of those who are living in extreme poverty reside in cities. Achieving sustainable development in cities requires providing access to affordable housing, investing in public transportation, and improving urban planning.
  12. Responsible Consumption and Production: Countries must change the way they produce and consume goods, minimizing the toxic materials used and waste generated in the production and consumption processes.
  13. Climate Action: Climate change affects every country. The international community is working together to develop sustainable low-carbon pathways to the future, and mobilizing $100 billion annually, by 2020, to meet the needs of developing countries.
  14. Life Below Water: Marine pollution has reached critical levels – every square kilometer of the ocean has an average of 13,000 pieces of plastic litter. Sustainable management and protection of marine and coastal ecosystems from pollution and the impact of ocean acidification is extremely important.
  15. Life On Land: Forests make up 30 percent of the Earth’s surface. They provide habitats for millions of animal, insect, and plant species, and are sources for clean air and water. The goal is to conserve and restore forests, wetlands, drylands and mountains by 2020.
  16. Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all, and build effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels.
  17. Partnerships for the Goals: Strengthen the means of implementation, and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development.

These 17 SDGs are bold and will require continued strong leadership to achieve. Many countries succeeded in achieving their Millennium Development Goals, so while there is a difficult road ahead it is not an impossible task to create a more prosperous and sustainable world for all.

– Mary Barringer

Photo: Flickr

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How to Improve Health in Developing Countries


Despite the modern advancements of this era, developing countries still have poor access to quality, cost-effective healthcare. Attempting to close the socioeconomic gap created by poverty, there are three initiatives that governments and national organizations can take to improve health in developing countries.

3 Ways to Improve Health in Developing Countries

  1. Investing in Education: One of the most important ways to improve health in developing countries is by educating citizens. Educating people enables them to obtain safer jobs, increased health literacy, take preventive healthcare measures, avoid riskier health behaviors and demand better-quality health services.This is especially true for women living in developing countries, from girls entering puberty to pregnant mothers. Most deaths that occur in developing countries are neonatal, or during the first five years of life. By “providing formal or vocational education, adequate family planning, and antenatal services can break the cycle of poverty and empower women”, this type of education would begin providing soon-to-be mothers with the necessary knowledge to keep her family, future children, and self both safer and healthier.
  2. Increasing Health Benefits for the Poor: Poorer countries receive much lower health benefits than richer countries. In developing areas, the poor are subjected to higher risk of contracting diseases and lower access to quality healthcare. This is solely due to the cost of medicine, treatments and vaccinations. Through the creation of targeted systems that strategies identify who is poor and eligible for lower-cost health care. Another attribute of this system is directing programs directly towards lesser developed areas. This targeting system has the potential to “eliminate poverty at less than 10 percent the cost of development programs that do not discriminate between poor and rich”. These systems are done on different levels: most specifically they target individually poor, geographically poor, what diseases need to be prioritized, and the age of those that need health care the most.
  3. Promoting Primary and Essential Healthcare: A way to improve health in developing countries involves governments providing cost-effective health packages for everyone. An example of this would be Ethiopia and Malawi, where governments have focused on achieving universal vaccine coverage, developing cleaner water supplies and creating better sanitation practices.On a broader scale, as part of the Sustainable Development Goals, the U.N. has agreed to pursue universal healthcare by 2030. The initiative to create universal healthcare includes “access to quality essential healthcare services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all”. By making availability universal, resources can be directed towards primary-level facilities of care that strengthen the overall treatments that people will be receiving.

These are not the only ways to improving health in developing countries. Governments and organizations have taken many different initiatives to closing the socioeconomic gap. With the Sustainable Development Goals, there should be a significant increase of developed countries contributing to establishing safe, quality healthcare systems.

– Taylor Elgarten

Photo: Flickr

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Education in Gabon


On the western shores of Central Africa — bounded by the Atlantic Ocean, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and the Republic of Congo — is a nation covered in dense forests and home to a wealth of natural resources. With a population over 1.7 million, the Gabonese Republic is Africa’s fifth largest oil producer and is known for its manganese, uranium and lumber exports. It is one of the most stable nations in Africa and has been a member of the U.N. since 1960. In 2014, government education expenditure was 2.67 percent of GDP. Here are five facts about Education in Gabon:

  1. According to the Global 2016 Human Development Report, Gabon ranked 109 out of 188 nations. This is an incremental improvement from 2015 when the nation was ranked 110; a change which may be attributed to the Gabonese Republic’s 2014 Human Investment Strategy (SIHG).
  2. The French Ministry of National Education, Higher Education, Technical Education and Vocational training oversees the compulsory school system, which is structured in a 5-4-3-year fashion for primary, lower secondary and upper secondary school, respectively. The academic year runs from October to June.
  3. Primary school education in Gabon begins at age six and lasts until age 11. Primary school students earn two certificates, the Certificat d’Etudes primaires élémentaires (CEPE) and the concours d’entrée en sixième. The latter determines their secondary school progression. At the secondary level (ages 12-18), students earn a baccalauréat after successful completion of their schooling.
  4. With respect to higher education in Gabon, there are 11 universities, four institutes (medicine, business, economics, computer science), a National School of Law and Secretary Learning National School. Technical and vocational education opportunities are available in administrative, forestry, medical, management and biotechnology-related fields.
  5. Gabon has one of the highest primary enrollment rates in Africa: 96.4 percent. However, the school system is plagued by high repetition and low completion. According to UNESCO, Gabon also has a significant science graduate deficit.

The nation depends on global oil demand for its economic health and remains highly susceptible to changes in the energy market. Effects of oil price sensitivities on the nation’s social development is not well-documented or properly defined. Moreover, reliable (and current) socioeconomic and educational data is not readily available.

Data collection on poverty, infrastructure, price indices and income distribution are needed to improve fiscal policy and private sector investments in education.

– JG Federman

Photo: Flickr

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A Resolution to the Quality of Water in Sri Lanka

A Resolution to the Quality of Water in Sri Lanka
The U.N. estimates that in just nine years, half the people in the world will not have access to safe water. Water sources will be affected by climate change, pollution, war, over-development and unsustainable agriculture. Sri Lanka has an abundance of safe water resources, however, the water is not distributed equally.

Almost 90 percent of the people living in urban areas have access to safe water, compared with 60 percent of rural communities. The quality of water in Sri Lanka for the three million people living in dry zones can only be described as contaminated. There is no safe water source within a 200-mile radius, leaving people in the dry zones dependent on groundwater from dug wells and tube wells.

Chemicals, such as fluoride, nitrates and arsenic, are present in groundwater at very high levels as a result of their geogenic origin. Consequently, these chemical contaminants affect the quality of water in Sri Lanka’s dry zones and in turn, the health of people who get their water in dug wells and tube wells. An increase in kidney diseases and cancer in Sri Lanka has been attributed to exposure to these chemicals.

People have attempted to resolve issues with the quality of water in Sri Lanka with bowser-driven water distribution, residential rainwater harvesting plants and bottled water, but a long-term solution is needed. The Sri Lankan National Water Supply and Drainage Board awarded Veolia, a French firm, a $164 million contract to design and build five water treatment plants, 12 service reservoirs, five pumping stations and 430 kilometers of transmission and distribution pipes. The water treatment plants will be located in Matale, Ambangang, Ukuwela, Udatenna and Rattotta. The plants will provide clean safe drinking water to more than 350,000 people in the agricultural area of Greater Matale in central Sri Lanka.

Clean, safe water is critical to the health of a nation and its people. The five water treatment plants are just the beginning of efforts to provide a sustainable solution to the quality of water in Sri Lanka that provides the entire population with a clean, safe water.

– Mary Barringer

Photo: Flickr

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6 Facts About Education in Montenegro


Montenegro, a country in the Balkans, has experienced immense economic growth in recent years. The newly independent nation joined the U.N. in 2006, and various efforts to advance education in Montenegro have been made since then.

  1. In 2001, Montenegro passed the Book of Changes of the Education System of Montenegro, which promised improved education access and greater education quality. The reform prioritized educational equality as well.
  2. Montenegro’s Plan of Action for Children 2004-2010 was developed with the Millennium Development Goals in mind. Its goal was to fight child poverty by improving health and education for children.
  3. According to a UNICEF report, the primary school net attendance ratio (NAR) in Montenegro is 98 percent and the regional average is 90 percent. The secondary school NAR is 84 percent, and the regional average is 83 percent. Attendance in preschools is lacking, however, with only 29 percent of three-to-five-year-olds attending primary school. The regional average for preschool attendance is 41 percent.
  4. Young people between the ages of 15 and 24 made up 9.92 percent of Montenegro’s 2016 population of 644,578. The youth unemployment rate in the same age range sits at 41.1 percent.
  5. The literacy rate among young people in Montenegro is high. Of those 15 years old or older, 98.7 percent of the population can read and write. Of men, 99.5 percent are literate and of women, 98 percent are literate.
  6. According to a 2012 study by the Montenegro Statistical Office, those between the ages of 25 and 29 hold the highest level of education, and 28 percent of this age group are college-educated.

Improving education in Montenegro continues to be a priority for the country and aid groups. UNICEF priorities include increasing enrollment and attendance rates, raising quality of education and developing an efficient national system to monitor and evaluate education.

– Mikaela Frigillana

Photo: Flickr

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The Current Water Quality in Tajikistan


Tajikistan has a population of 8.3 million, with an average life expectancy of 68 years. In the past 15 years, the country’s health policies were targeting many issues, including the water quality in Tajikistan.

The country has plentiful water resources through its two main river systems — the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya. These rivers account for 90 percent of Central Asia’s river water and 75 percent of the water used in irrigated agriculture, which account as fresh water reserves. The hydro-graphic network of Tajikistan is comprised of more than 25 thousand rivers, which mostly originated from glaciers totaling 69,200 km in length.

Despite the abundant water resources in the country, the drinking water supply system in rural areas remains underdeveloped. As much as 57.6 percent of the population had access to safe drinking water in Tajikistan in 2011.

After the first visit of Léo Heller, a U.N. expert on the right to safe drinking water and sanitation in 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) had launched a support program for Tajikistan. The program particularly focuses on water quality in Tajikistan’s rural areas, which includes nearly 72 percent of the country’s population.

Water Safety Plan, one of the main guidelines on managing drinking water quality and sanitation developed for Tajikistan is supported by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU). The plan was adopted by the government to be utilized prior to 2020. This was “a critical moment for the realization of the human rights to water and sanitation in Tajikistan,” Heller said.

Meanwhile, water in Tajikistan is mainly used for irrigation, as the water traveling through pipes is not safe for consumption. The government of Tajikistan is attempting to prioritize its budget to help fundamental human rights and slow the spread of water-borne diseases through allocating its budget for sanitation and water supply. These measures are to ensure access to drinkable water in every part of the country.

– Yana Emets

Photo: Flickr