Food, sleep and health: The future belongs to those who wake up early for they’ll eat and sleep healthily
The future, my mom used to say, belongs to those who wake up early. L’avenir appartient à ceux qui se lèvent tôt. She’d say this as we drove to early ice-skating practices on those cold winter mornings growing up in Quebec. As it turns out, science may be proving her...
To policymakers: Abandon this stifling stereotype that all refugees are passive victims in need of help
Refugee participation can help transform the global refugee system to be more equitable, effective, responsive, and legitimate. Together, we need to reimagine a system where refugees have a seat at the table and can add our expertise and lived experience to a system we depend on for protection and that...
Equality: It’s racism, not race, that’s at the root of persistent disparities in physical, mental well-being
The scientific evidence is crystal clear: Early experiences literally shape the architecture of the developing brain. This widespread understanding is driving increased public support for universal pre-K to enhance school readiness for all children and level the playing field for kids who face adversity. But here’s something that’s less well-known...
Human rights: Ongoing genocide Tigrayan is an indictment on the collective conscience of the world
A full year has passed since Eritrean government forces massacred Tigrayan civilians in Ethiopia’s historical town of Axum. But survivors of the massacre and of other atrocities in Tigray are still no closer to accessing justice and redress – an accountability shortfall that is fuelling further abuses as conflict spreads....
We have witnessed corruption and cannot imagine a Kenya where looters are in charge
We, the leaders from Mt Kenya region, have gathered here for consultations and to take a common position on our shared political future and destiny ahead of the Azimio La Umoja forum on Friday at Kasarani. We want to thank all the stakeholders who have participated in today’s deliberations. We...
Inequality: Punitive laws hit on sexual orientation, gender identity, HIV status, drug use and sex work
From my life, in my own deepest being, I know the power of stigma, discrimination, hatred and exclusion. And, after 25 years as a judge, I have been witness to three facts. First, the destructive power of stigma and shame. Second, the damage punitive and discriminatory laws inflict on public...
Aids inequality: Punitive laws hit on peoples’ sexual orientation, gender identity, HIV status, drug use and sex work From my life, in my own deepest being, I know the power of stigma, discrimination, hatred and exclusion. And, after 25 years as a judge, I have been witness to three facts....
Access to ARVs is linked to democratic values, rule of law, freedom of expression and freedom to protest
On December 1, we marked World AIDS Day. This year marks a sombre anniversary. On June 5, 2021, it was 40 years since disturbingly unexplained cases of illness and death – later called AIDS – were first officially tabulated. These four decades have yielded enormous medical and scientific progress, but...
How HIV activists transformed response to the global coronavirus pandemic; lessons we have yet to learn
It’s over a year since the World Health Organization declared a worldwide pandemic on March 11, 2020, and only a few months since Pfizer and BioNTech released data showing their vaccine was highly effective at preventing Covid-19, with other companies following soon after. Merely weeks after the initial announcements, shots...
UN agencies have become helpless bystanders in crises – refugee situation in Libya tells it all
The situation for asylum seekers and migrants in Libya has been bad for years, but it recently became even worse. I grew up and live in the capital, Tripoli, where refugees and migrants – most of them from sub-Saharan Africa – have been part of our society for decades. Many...
