News Deeply

More than half of the world’s 25.4 million refugees are children. They often spend years, if not their entire childhoods, displaced. What does this mean for early childhood development? How are they affected by lack of access to education or psychological help? And how does toxic stress impact the rest of their lives? Joining this discussion are Lynne Jones, writer, aid worker and visiting scientist at FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University, and Sweta Shah, global lead of early child development for the Aga Khan Foundation.

Building on our reports for Peacebuilding Deeply in 2018, we hosted a special Discussion Forum on Women & Peacebuilding in association with the Permanent Mission of Ireland to the United Nations, looking at the politics of women’s participation in major peace talks. There’s clear evidence that having women at the table enhances the success of negotiations and leads to longer-lasting peace agreements. Yet women still make up only 2% of chief mediators and just 9% of negotiators in major peace processes, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. Drawing from cases of conflict and peacebuilding around the world, we examined the factors holding back women’s participation at all levels of the process. Featured speakers: - H.E. Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason, Ireland’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and the Chair of the Commission on the Status of Women - H.E. Ambassador Lang Yabou, Permanent Representative of The Gambia to the United Nations - Mavic Cabrera Balleza, founder and CEO of the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders - Dr. Bilqis AbuOsba, assistant professor of political sciences and gender at Sana'a University and head of the Awam foundation for Development and Culture Moderator: - News Deeply’s CEO and Executive Editor Lara Setrakian

As European countries are finding grounds to refuse asylum to more and more Afghans, even children are being sent to Kabul. We use the word "returnees" cautiously, as many Afghans were born outside the country and are being sent 'back' to a country they have never been to. The first detailed research on Afghan child returnees, by Samuel Hall and Save the Children, points to worrying gaps in protection and planning that expose under age returnees to an array of dangers. The findings come at the same time as a Refugees Deeply investigation, The Vulnerability Contest, found Afghan minors in Greece's refugee camps facing possible asylum rejection and return. The Samuel Hall team spoke with 57 Afghan children, finding that nearly three-quarters of them did not feel safe during the returns process; and that more than half reported instances of violence and coercion. Nearly half of the children arrived in Afghanistan alone and on arrival, the children received little or no support. On this episode of Deeply Talks, Samuel Hall’s lead author Marion Guillaume, in Kabul, discusses these findings with Daniel Howden, senior editor of Refugees Deeply and author of our report on Afghan child soldiers in Greece’s asylum system.

On this episode of Deeply Talks, News Deeply CEO and Executive Editor Lara Setrakian talks to Cynthia Nimmo, president and CEO of the Women’s Funding Network, which was born with the intention of bringing "together the financial power and influence of funders of gender equity in order to address and solve critical and complex social issues ranging from poverty to global security.” The network, which is now a growing community of more than 100 women’s funds and foundations spanning 14 countries, currently invests over $400 million a year to eradicate violence, end poverty and increase access to education, health and the resources every woman and girl has the right to have to achieve her full potential.

Snowmelt is shrinking and runoff is coming earlier on the Upper Colorado River, source of 90 percent of the water for 40 million people. This is leading to vegetation changes, water-quality issues and other concerns. But it may be possible to operate reservoirs differently to ease some of these effects. On this episode of Deeply Talks, Water Deeply managing editor Matt Weiser talks to Bhavna Arora, hydrological scientist, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, and Jack Schmidt, professor of watershed sciences, Utah State University.

Resilient cities have become a hot topic. But a hard truth is that resilient cities require resilient housing to cope with disasters such as earthquakes and hurricanes, which can overwhelm local resources such rescue teams and hospital emergency rooms, especially in developing countries. As World Bank Urban Development Specialist and Deeply Talks panelist Luis Triveno has noted: "If governments could apply triage to substandard housing, medical triage would be a much less frequent occurrence – because in the developing world, it is mainly housing that kills people, not disasters." On this special episode of Deeply Talks, we discuss the key components of resilient housing, including the people, funding, technology and policies that are shaping this crucial emerging sector. Panelists include: Elizabeth Hausler, founder and CEO of Build Change Stephen Bessette, Construction Subject Matter Expert at Autodesk Luis Triveno, Urban Development Specialist at the World Bank Moderator: Lara Setrakian, CEO and executive editor, News Deeply

As millions of migrants workers - including domestic and care workers grows - continue to flow into Arab Gulf countries, so does the number of stories of abuse, harassment and exploitation of migrant women who emigrate to the region in search of economic security for themselves and their families. On this month's episode of Deeply Talks, we discuss a new long-form investigation, in which our reporters tracked what happens when women leave countries like Nepal, Bangladesh and the Philippines to take on domestic work in the Gulf. Read more at www.newsdeeply.com/womensadvancement

The West has entered an era of permanent water scarcity and is facing more frequent, larger wildfires. Crystal Kolden, associate professor of forest, range, and fire sciences in the College of Natural Resources at the University of Idaho, and Van Butsic, cooperative extension specialist at the University of California, Berkeley, explain how these challenges - and our approaches to managing them - are intertwined.

On our Deeply Talks: Women and Negotiating Peace, we discuss questions such as why it is important for peace talks and negotiations to incorporate women’s voices and what, specifically, people and organizations can do to include women in these processes. Our editors Alessandria Masi and Hashem Osseiran speak with Manal Omar – former associate vice president for the Middle East and Africa Center at the United States Institute of Peace and founder of Across Red Lines – about the importance of including women in peace negotiations.

Latin America has a long tradition of regional solidarity and openness to migration. Most countries in the region have responded to Venezuelans fleeing their country's economic and political crisis by keeping borders open and offering Venezuelans various forms of legal residency. The world has much to learn from Latin America in this regard. At the same time, the growing number of Venezuelan refugees has put pressure on this solidarity, exposing tensions between domestic politics, regional alliances and historical values. With no end to the crisis in sight, it is a critical moment to seek a better understanding of these dynamics. Joining the discussion are UNHCR Deputy Representative Chiara Cardoletti and Universidad del Pacífico’s Luisa Feline Freier. It is moderated by Christine Mendonça, CEO & co-founder of Humans on the Move.

In this episode, we speak to Kathleen Pellechia, a nutrition knowledge management specialist at Alive & Thrive, to understand the challenges on both an international and national level to encouraging exclusive breastfeeding.

The global movement for women's rights is, thanks in part to #MeToo, more energized and prominent than ever. But as we look at solutions to issues such as the gender pay gap, the unequal distribution of unpaid care, and the effects of sexual harassment at work on women's careers, we often leave out one important factor: men. What can men do to advance women's economic equality worldwide? In our July episode of Deeply Talks, three experts join us to discuss how to engage men in the pursuit of women's rights, as well as their own journeys as male advocates for gender equality. Learn more here: https://www.newsdeeply.com/womensadvancement

Statewide regulations and local innovations are all contributing to making water conservation a “California way of life.” Water Deeply managing editor Tara Lohan discusses California’s statewide and local conservation efforts with Cynthia Koehler, cofounder and executive director at WaterNow Alliance, and Erik Porse, a research engineer in the Office of Water Programs at California State University, Sacramento.

Plastic straws are designed to be used once, but they remain in the environment forever, contributing to the ocean pollution crisis. In recent weeks, multinational corporations like Starbucks, Bacardi, Alaska Airlines and others have committed to addressing the problem at its source by pledging to eliminate single-use plastic straws. In this episode of Deeply Talks, Todd Woody, News Deeply’s executive editor for environment, discusses this phenomenon with Dune Ives, executive director of the environmental group Lonely Whale, whose “Stop Sucking” campaign helped kickstart the movement.

For this episode of Deeply Talks, Andrew Green the managing editor of Malnutrition Deeply, spoke to researchers Irakli Loladze, associate professor at the Bryan College of Health Sciences, and Dr. Kristie Ebi, director of Center for Health and the Global Environment (CHanGE) at the University of Washington to explore what impact climate change will have on food and nutrition.

In many parts of the world, the loss of a husband is just the first in a lifetime of tragedies a widow must endure. Widows can be stigmatized, stripped of their inheritance and property rights, and denied the chance to find work. Neglected by authorities and overlooked by researchers, widows are often invisible, left to raise their children and care for their relatives in poverty. In this episode of Deeply Talks, we explore issues affecting widows and the unique disadvantages they face as they try to earn a living and care for their families. Read more at www.newsdeeply.com/womensadvancement

In 2014, California voters approved a water bond that allocated $2.7 billion to fund the public benefits of new water storage projects. The California Water Commission has been reviewing a list of potential projects and will be announcing how much funding eligible projects will receive. Will California get its first new dam in decades? Will groundwater storage projects receive a boost? And how are the “public benefits” of these projects being evaluated? Tara Lohan, Water Deeply’s managing editor, discusses these questions and more with Jay Lund, a professor of civil and environmental engineering and director of the Center for Watershed Sciences at the University of California, Davis, and Rachel Zwillinger, water policy adviser for Defenders of Wildlife.

A conversation with Tiffany Easthom, Executive Director of Nonviolent Peaceforce, about the role of unarmed civilian protection in peacebuilding. As the methodologies of unarmed civilian protection become more accepted into the mainstream peacebuilding community, we examine how it impacts local communities and how it helps to lay the groundwork for further peacebuilding initiatives.

In this episode of Deeply Talks, Tara Lohan, Water Deeply’s managing editor, speaks with author and water expert Sandra Postel about her newest book, Replenish: The Virtuous Cycle of Water and Prosperity, and about today’s major water problems, and solutions.

Every week, we hear about gridlock in Washington, D.C., attacks on science and new environmental rollbacks. As ocean issues become more prominent on the global stage, will the United States be left behind? Are there areas where progress can be made? After spending a week in Washington for Capitol Hill Ocean Week (CHOW) and moderating a Congressional roundtable on bipartisan action, Jessica Leber, deputy managing editor of Oceans Deeply, discusses these questions with CHOW organizer Kristen Sarri, chief executive of the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation.

This edition of Deeply Talks: Lessons from Europe’s Migration Laboratory, features a conversation with Bram Frouws, Head of the Mixed Migration Centre, and Elizabeth Collett, Director of the Migration Policy Institute Europe, moderated by Daniel Howden, Refugees Deeply’s senior editor and co-author of Europe’s Migration Laboratory.

As more and more investors decide to put their money behind women entrepreneurs worldwide, the emerging field of gender lens investing is taking hold. In 2017 alone, investment focused on women and girls eclipsed $2.2 billion, an all-time record. In this episode of Deeply Talks, we explored the history of this field and why 2018 is such a big year for investing in women.

We discussed the latest Access to Nutrition Index with Inge Kauer, executive director at the Access to Nutrition Foundation, Paul Vos, senior research manager at the Access to Nutrition Foundation, and Simon Wright, the director of international development at Save the Children.

Tara Lohan, Water Deeply's managing editor, speaks with U.C. Davis fisheries experts Peter Moyle and John Durand about the challenges and opportunities for restoration in the California Delta and a new roadmap to get us there.

Peacebuilding Deeply Talks with J.J. Messner of the Fund for Peace about the 2018 Fragile State Index, and how data can help inform policy decisions and peacebuilding efforts.

On this episode of Deeply Talks, Managing Editor Megan Clement speaks with Deepta Chopra, Research Fellow at the Institute for Development Studies, and Chidi King, Equality Director at the International Trade Union Confederation, about the burden of unpaid care for women, and the consequences of outsourcing that care. For more information on issues affecting women & girls in the developing world, visit www.newsdeeply.com/womensadvancement and subscribe to our weekly emails.

In this episode of Deeply talks for Malnutrition Deeply, Meera Shekar, the global lead for nutrition with the World Bank’s Health, Nutrition and Population Global Practice explains the need for nutrition funding, and the way ahead.

Jessica Leber, Oceans Deeply’s deputy managing editor, talks with Vicki Ferrini, a research scientist at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and Seabed 2030’s regional coordinator, and Samuel Georgian, a marine biogeographer at the Marine Conservation Institute, about the Seabed 2030 project – how it will works and how the ocean community can participate.

5 of 6 - Deeply Talks: Making Sense of the Strike in Syria On this episode of Deeply Talks, Syria Deeply discusses the fallout of the joint U.S., U.K. and France strike in Syria, and what it could mean for the conflict at large, the welfare of civilians, the persistence of ISIS and jihadi groups and the growing footprint of Iran and Russia in Syria. For more information on the war in Syria, visit www.newsdeeply.com/syria and subscribe to our weekly emails.

4 of 6 - Deeply Talks: Making Sense of the Strike in Syria On this episode of Deeply Talks, Syria Deeply discusses the fallout of the joint U.S., U.K. and France strike in Syria, and what it could mean for the conflict at large, the welfare of civilians, the persistence of ISIS and jihadi groups and the growing footprint of Iran and Russia in Syria. For more information on the war in Syria, visit www.newsdeeply.com/syria and subscribe to our weekly emails.

1 of 6 - Deeply Talks: Making Sense of the Strike in Syria On this episode of Deeply Talks, Syria Deeply discusses the fallout of the joint U.S., U.K. and France strike in Syria, and what it could mean for the conflict at large, the welfare of civilians, the persistence of ISIS and jihadi groups and the growing footprint of Iran and Russia in Syria. For more information on the war in Syria, visit www.newsdeeply.com/syria and subscribe to our weekly emails.

3 of 6 - Deeply Talks: Making Sense of the Strike in Syria On this episode of Deeply Talks, Syria Deeply discusses the fallout of the joint U.S., U.K. and France strike in Syria, and what it could mean for the conflict at large, the welfare of civilians, the persistence of ISIS and jihadi groups and the growing footprint of Iran and Russia in Syria. For more information on the war in Syria, visit www.newsdeeply.com/syria and subscribe to our weekly emails.

2 of 6 - Deeply Talks: Making Sense of the Strike in Syria On this episode of Deeply Talks, Syria Deeply discusses the fallout of the joint U.S., U.K. and France strike in Syria, and what it could mean for the conflict at large, the welfare of civilians, the persistence of ISIS and jihadi groups and the growing footprint of Iran and Russia in Syria. For more information on the war in Syria, visit www.newsdeeply.com/syria and subscribe to our weekly emails.

In this episode of Deeply Talks, Ian Evans, Water Deeply’s community editor, speaks with Tara Lohan, Water Deeply’s managing editor and John Fleck, the director of water resources at the University of New Mexico, about the status of this year’s snowpack, what that can tell us about the water year to come and how that fits with long-term climate change trends.

People smugglers use social media to advertise their services to refugees and migrants and quickly responding to changing routes and official restrictions. Smugglers and traffickers have also used social media to broadcast the abuse of migrants in order to extort their families. On this episode of Deeply Talks, we discuss how companies like Facebook should respond to the use of their platforms by people smugglers. Has social media made the journeys of migrants and refugees safer or more dangerous? The conversation with Leonard Doyle, spokesperson and director of media and communication at the U.N. migration agency (IOM), and Tuesday Reitano, deputy director at the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime and co-author of the book “Migrant, Refugee, Smuggler, Saviour”, is moderated by Refugees Deeply’s managing editor, Charlotte Alfred. For more information on the global refugee crisis, visit www.newsdeeply.com/refugeesdeeply and subscribe to our weekly emails.

After at least 11 Congolese refugees were killed during a protest in Rwanda in February, Rwandan government and U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) representatives met with refugees at a football stadium near the Kiziba refugee camp on March 15. UNHCR Representative in Rwanda Ahmed Baba Fall responded to refugees' questions about whether they were under the responsibility ("in the hands of") the government of Rwanda or the UNHCR.

In our latest episode of Deeply Talks, we explored how a project in Timor Leste uses technology in a stunting reduction intervention. David Roach, the co-founder of Catalpa International spoke to our editors about the project and the lessons learnt.

This episode of Deeply Talks is live from the Economist World Ocean Summit in Mexico! Todd Woody, News Deeply’s executive editor for environment, talks with Fernando Secaira, director of climate & risk resilience Mexico for the Nature Conservancy, Mark Way, corporate climate lead at The Nature Conservancy, about a new public-private consortium that is taking out an insurance policy on a 37-mile (60km) section of the Mesoamerican Reef off Mexico’s Yucatán peninsula. We’ll talk about why the government, the tourism industry, insurer Swiss Re and the Nature Conservancy have joined forces to insure a section of the reef, how the insurance policy will help preserve the corals and whether such financial innovations could help protect imperiled coral reefs elsewhere.

On this episode of Deeply Talks, which aired on the first day of the 62nd session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), our editors examine this year’s theme: rural women and girls. Senior Editor Jumana Farouky and Community Editor Jihii Jolly examine the key questions we’re going to be covering on this issue in the coming months, from obstacles to obtaining land rights, to challenges in accessing decent infrastructure, and the impact of climate change. We are joined by humanitarian leader Vivian Onano and Beth Roberts, Attorney and Land Tenure Specialist at the Landesa Center for Women's Land Rights. For more information on issues affecting economic advancement for women, visit www.newsdeeply.com/womensadvancement and subscribe to our weekly emails.

On this episode of Deeply Talks, Syria Deeply speaks to Dr. Annie Sparrow, a critical-care pediatrician and public health professional, and Dr. Mohamad Katoub, advocacy manager for the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS), about the deteriorating healthcare situation in East Ghouta, where hundreds of people have been killed over a period of just a few days. You can read up on our recent interview with Annie Sparrow here: https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/community/2018/01/31/no-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel-in-eastern-ghouta-sparrow For more information on the war in Syria, visit www.newsdeeply.com/syria and subscribe to our weekly emails.

Most images of refugees focus on “boats and camps,” even though this represents a fraction of the lives of the displaced. On this episode of Deeply Talks, Refugees Deeply's senior editor Daniel Howden discusses how to picture refugees differently with Kalpesh Lathigra, photographer, teacher and World Press Photo winner, and Jelena Jovicic, PhD candidate at the Stockholm University. For more information on the global refugee crisis, visit www.newsdeeply.com/refugeesdeeply and subscribe to our weekly emails.

In our first episode of Deeply Talks, we discussed we discussed whether taxes on sugary drinks are working to curb consumption and if that translates into reduced rates of overweight and obesity. Our guests were Dr Lisa Powell, the division director of health policy and administration in the University of Illinois at Chicago’s School of Public Health, and Dr. Laura Cornelsen, an assistant professor in public health economics at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

In this episode of Deeply Talks, Tara Lohan, Water Deeply's managing editor, speaks with Philip Bachand, a water engineer and founder of the environmental engineering firm, Bachand & Associates, Daniel Mountjoy, the director of resource stewardship at Sustainable Conservation and Don Cameron, vice president and general manager of Terranova Ranch, about recharging groundwater and the crucial role that farms can play in this important effort.

On this episode of Deeply Talks, Managing Editor Megan Clement speaks with Alan Gelb, director of studies at the Center for Global Development, Debdatta Saha, assistant professor of economics at South Asian University, and Atika Kemal, researcher at Anglia Ruskin University, how biometric ID systems can help, or hinder, women’s economic advancement. For more information on issues affecting economic advancement for women, visit www.newsdeeply.com/womensadvancement and subscribe to our weekly emails.

In this episode of Deeply Talks, Todd Woody, News Deeply's executive editor for environment, discusses how satellites, sensors, artificial intelligence and DNA scanners are creating powerful new tools to fight illegal fishing, with Mark Powell, Vulcan's senior ocean researcher, and Jake Hanft, an analyst at Schmidt Marine Technology Partners.

On this episode of Deeply Talks, we take a closer look at the major issues and milestones to watch in 2018, including the Global Compacts on Refugees and Migration and alternative models of refugee support, from development approaches to private sponsorship of refugees. The 30-minute conversation with Kathleen Newland, Senior Fellow and co-founder of the Migration Policy Institute, and Daniel Howden, Refugees Deeply’s senior editor, is moderated by Charlotte Alfred, Refugees Deeply’s managing editor. You can read our earlier outline of the top refugee issues to watch in 2018 here: https://www.newsdeeply.com/refugees/articles/2018/01/12/the-top-refugee-issues-to-monitor-in-2018 For more information on the global refugee crisis, visit www.newsdeeply.com/refugeesdeeply and subscribe to our weekly emails.

On this episode of Deeply Talks we announce the launch of our newest platform: Women's Advancement Deeply, which will focus on women's economic advancement in the developing world. Managing Editor, Megan Clement, and Senior Editor, Jumana Farouky, discuss some of the crucial issues we'll dig into in 2018, including the social, political and cultural barriers women and girls face in securing full economic equality. Our CEO and Executive Editor Lara Setrakian joins the call from the World Economic Forum in Davos, providing a look-back at the biggest discussions of the week with a focus on gender, in conversation with Alison Holder, director of Equal Measures 2030. For more information on women's economic advancement, visit www.newsdeeply.com/womensadvancement and subscribe to our weekly emails.

Through our partnership, Syria’s Women: Policies & Perspectives, the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP) and News Deeply challenged the stereotypes and generalizations about the impact of war on Syrian women and their role in the country’s future. Over the course of five months, we curated in-depth analysis, on-the-ground reporting and policy briefs, providing new perspectives on the role of Syrian women in education, peacebuilding, media, preserving cultural heritage, politics and the economy. We also covered underreported issues related to violence against women and barriers to women’s advancement to foster a nuanced and comprehensive understanding among the public and policymakers working to change these realities. You can catch up on the series here: www.newsdeeply.com/syria/series/syrias-women-policies-and-perspectives-syria www.timep.org/syrias-women/ On this episode of Deeply Talks in Partnership with TIMEP, Syria Deeply’s managing editor, Alessandria Masi, speaks with Hassan Hassan, senior fellow at TIMEP, Yisser Bittar, director of Development at Karam Foundation, Marvin Gate, founder of Humans of Syria, and Anna Lekas Miller, journalist and contributor to our series, about the changing role of women in the humanitarian, media and public sector and the future challenges women face in having a voice in traditionally male-dominated fields. For more information on the war in Syria, visit www.newsdeeply.com/syria and subscribe to our weekly emails.

On this episode of Deeply Talks, we take a closer look at some of the crucial issues we'll dig into in 2018, including reconciliation and de-escalation, development and reconstruction, and continued military conflicts across the country. Alessandria Masi, Syria Deeply’s managing editor, and Hashem Osseiran, deputy managing editor speak with Faysal Itani, Resident Senior Fellow at the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East of the Atlantic Council. For more information on the war in Syria, visit www.newsdeeply.com/syria and subscribe to our weekly emails.

As California and other Western states begin to measure the (so far slowly) accumulating snowpack, we’re turning our attention to some of the biggest water issues that will be facing the region in 2018. What’s the fate of California WaterFix? Will California decide to allocate money to build its first big dam in decades? How will Western states cope with an increase in catastrophic wildfires and fund needed forest restoration? Tara Lohan, Water Deeply's managing editor, speaks with Jeffrey Mount, senior fellow with the Public Policy Institute of California, and Kimery Wiltshire, CEO and director of Carpe Diem West, about big issues to keep an eye on in 2018.

On this episode of Deeply Talks, we discuss our latest in-depth investigation: The Compact Experiment: Push for Refugee Jobs Confronts Reality of Jordan and Lebanon. Billions of dollars in aid and concessional loans were pledged to Lebanon and Jordan to create jobs for Syrian refugees, with some unexpected and often misunderstood results. Our reporting uncovered critical lessons for development economists, humanitarians and policy-makers. You can find the long read here: http://issues.newsdeeply.com/the-compact-experiment For more information on the global refugee crisis, visit www.newsdeeply.com/refugeesdeeply and subscribe to our weekly emails.