This week’s news in which NGO surveys and recommendations were taken up. Issues that NGOs are speaking out on lined up, including poverty in Japan, children in conflict, health care in developing countries and climate change.
Food spending in struggling households falls below 500 yen per person per day, NGO survey finds
From the editors: This article reports NGO survey findings that food spending in struggling households falls below 500 yen per person per day. Showing the reality of poverty in Japan in numbers is an important step toward connecting it to support and policy.
Russia “brainwashing abducted children into soldiers,” NGO helping their return says (Mainichi Shimbun)
From the editors: The article reports on the appeal of an NGO that supports the return of children taken to Russia. NGOs continue to speak out to protect the rights of children, who are placed in the most vulnerable position in conflict.
Three Swiss NGOs developing new drugs for “neglected diseases” to join forces
From the editors: This is a collaboration among NGOs working on the development of new drugs for “neglected diseases,” where research is slow because it is not profitable. It is an example of NGOs filling in for medical care that market mechanisms alone fail to deliver.
Pears discolored by sunburn… warming hits autumn’s flavors: international environmental NGO urges “faster transition to renewable energy”
From the editors: The article takes up the effects of warming on a familiar fruit, as an international environmental NGO calls for a shift to renewable energy. You can sense the effort to convey climate change as something that concerns each of us.
Nepal debris flow: whose responsibility is the 750 billion yen reconstruction cost? New disasters also feared
From the editors: This article asks who should bear the reconstruction costs of a disaster to which climate change is said to have contributed. It is a weighty theme that overlaps with the international debate on “loss and damage.”
International Criminal Court a leading candidate for Peace Prize
From the editors: The article reports that the International Criminal Court is being named as a leading candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize. Appreciation of systems that protect human rights and international law also connects to the work of the civil society that supports them.
Headlines belong to the respective news outlets and sources (copyright remains with each). Please read the full articles at the linked pages. The “From the editors” comments were written by the NGO Network Japan editorial team based on the headlines.