Global Initiative Bi-weekly site Newsletter
November 20th - November 27th 2024
Kenya
With over 30 years of hosting refugees and asylum-seekers, Kenya continues to be one of the largest asylum countries in Africa and the world.
In fact, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the number of refugees and asylum-seekers entering the country has continued to increase, despite years of calls to close down the camps. At the end of October 2024, Kenya was host to 812,910 registered refugees and asylum-seekers, a significant rise from the 796,331 recorded at the end of August 2024. The increase highlights the region’s ongoing instability and Kenya’s crucial role as a haven for those fleeing conflict and persecution. According to data from the UNHCR, 73% of the total population held official refugee status, while 27% were asylum-seekers.
Malawi
Refugees at Malawi's only refugee camp, Dzaleka, have started receiving their first-ever insurance payouts to mitigate the impact of the El Nino weather pattern, which has destroyed their crops.
The payouts, amounting to nearly $408,000 in total, were facilitated by the African Risk Capacity Group and KfW Development Bank, after the U.N. refugee agency office in Malawi leveraged the group's innovative Replica program. This program enables humanitarian actors to purchase insurance on behalf of countries to address climate-related disasters. Officials of the U.N. refugee agency, the UNHCR, say the beneficiaries will receive approximately $33 per household per month for three months to enhance food security.
Rwanda
Lebanon
A US-backed ceasefire has begun between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, marking a major breakthrough in the devastating conflict that has gripped the Middle East.
For more than a year, near-daily rocket fire, ferocious airstrikes, and on-the-ground battles between Israeli forces and the militant group have claimed the lives of thousands of people, nearly all in Lebanon. In the tense hours before the truce came into effect Israeli airstrikes continued to pound the Lebanese capital Beirut where the Israeli military issued a record number of evacuation orders. Rocket sirens blared in northern Israel.
Israeli warplanes struck areas in Syria near the border with Lebanon overnight, ahead of a ceasefire expected to be announced between Israel and Hezbollah. However, observers said it was unlikely any truce would also extend to Israeli attacks targeting the group elsewhere in the region.
Israel has acknowledged carrying out hundreds of strikes in Syria over the past decade, claiming to have targeted Iran and allied groups including Hezbollah. However, strikes on Syria have been more frequent since Hezbollah started attacking Israel in support of Gaza in October last year, sparking the current cross-border war. The latest strikes hit Qusayr in western Syria, destroying infrastructure reportedly used by the Iran-backed group to transport weapons crucial to its 13-month fight with Israel, sources say.
South Africa
The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) has defended its decision not to extend scholar transport to learners travelling less than 5km to school.
Their defence follows criticism from the Good Party after 378 children from Ceres were informed they no longer qualify for free learner transport. GOOD Party Secretary-General Brett Herron on Thursday raised concerns about learners from Vredebes, a Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) housing community, who now face a 9.6km daily round trip to school.“They don’t just walk; they risk life and limb, navigating ganglands and crossing highways, because their homes fall 200m short of the five-kilometre distance required to qualify for learner transport,” said Herron in the Western Cape Provincial Parliament.
Vietnam
Vietnam leads member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the number of students studying in the US, with nearly 50% pursuing majors in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). This aligns with Vietnam's goals to develop a workforce for high-tech industries, according to a report released this month by the Institute of International Education (IIE). The number of Vietnamese students studying at universities and colleges in the US has continued to grow, reaching 22,066 in the 2023-2024 academic year. When considering all education levels, the total number of Vietnamese students in the country exceeds 31,000.
India
The Union Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has announced the launch of the One Nation One Subscription (ONOS) scheme, a transformative step to enhance research and academic access across India.
This Central Sector Scheme, starting in 2025, aims to provide over 1.8 crore students, faculty, and researchers access to nearly 13,000 e-journals from 30 renowned international publishers. Covering more than 6,300 higher education institutions and central government R&D laboratories, including those in rural and Tier 2 and 3 cities, ONOS ensures equitable availability of high-quality academic materials.
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