Author: Richa Bijlani

SEATTLE — Indigenous peoples and local communities hold at least half of the world’s land but legally, they own just one-fifth. Insecure land rights for the millions of indigenous people and local communities present a global crisis affecting not just those who live on the land, but the 2.5 billion people who depend on it. Overall, fair land rights increase economic development in various communities across the globe. This gap in ownership and dependence contributes to social dysfunction, entrenched poverty, provoking conflict, and exacerbated environmental destruction. The land held by indigenous peoples and local communities also can provide natural resources…

AMSTERDAM — While the current migrant crisis is often characterized by facts and figures, the numbers are almost unfathomable to most people removed from the issue. Reports of well over one million migrants arriving in Europe by sea, often on flimsy rubber dinghies or small wooden boats, and almost 35,000 by land can seem so distant that they do little to evoke empathy for the individual people who comprise the data. Sometimes, though, a picture is worth a thousand statistics. Using Art as a Medium for Struggle  Among these refugees, who have fled their homes for reasons ranging from genocide…

SEATTLE — Paraguay has recently battled an ecological crisis: severe drought. The Pilcomayo River, which descends from the Bolivian Andes Mountains, hit its lowest level of the past 19 years in 2016. The river suffered an extensive die-off of wildlife (including caimans and capybara), with 98 percent suspected dead and 80 percent dead. As the once permanent layer of water dried up into mud, livestock also began to suffer from water scarcity. Dealing with Drought in Paraguay The drought alone posed a widespread threat to wildlife and agriculture, and has become a major contributor to hunger in Paraguay. But when…

SUVA — Contrary to the paradisiacal palm tree beaches and vacation resorts to which many tourists flock each year, a poverty rate of 28.1 percent afflicts the island nation of Fiji as of 2017. Similar to other Pacific islands, Fiji’s economy relies heavily on tourism and exports, such as sugar. Compared to other South Pacific island countries, though, Fiji boasts well-developed infrastructure and various natural resources that should support economic development. However, these industries have borne the brunt of racial and governmental instability that often agitates the country, thus leading political turmoil to become one of the dominant causes of…