By SWAN
PARIS, Jul 31 2024 – As cheers from beach-volleyball fans fill the air at the Eiffel Tower Stadium on a steamy, sunny day, pedestrians just down the road are enjoying another kind of show: an outdoor exhibition of huge photographs gleaming on the metal railings of UNESCO headquarters.

Titled Cultures at the Games, the exhibition is among hundreds of artistic and cultural events taking place across France during the 2024 Olympic Games (hosted by the French capital July 26 to Aug. 11), and they’re being staged alongside the numerous athletic contests.

The events even have an umbrella name – the Cultural Olympiad – and include photography, painting, sculpture, fashion, and a host of attractions linking art and sport. Most are scheduled to run beyond the closing ceremony of the Games.

UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is a “partner” in the Cultural Olympiad, arranging not only the usual meetings where bureaucrats give lofty speeches, but also showcasing a series of works to highlight diversity and inclusion.

Cultures at the Games, for instance, comprises some 140 photographs portraying memorable aspects of the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics since 1924 and is presented in association with the Olympic Museum of Lausanne.

Images show how national delegations have transmitted their culture during these extravaganzas, and the pictures depict athletes such as Jamaica’s Usain Bolt, whose “lightning bolt” pose has become part of the Games’ folklore even as he has helped to make the green, gold and black colours of his country’s flag more recognizable.

Inside UNESCO’s octagonal building, meanwhile, a collection of panels focuses on how sport can “Change the Game”, a theme running across all of the organization’s “Olympiad” events. (At the “World Ministerial Meeting” that UNESCO hosted on July 24, just ahead of the Olympics, officials discussed gender equality, inclusion of people with disabilities, and protection of athletes, for example.)

A notable section of the indoor exhibition features historic photographs that pay tribute to athletes who sparked change through their achievements or activism. Here, one can view an iconic picture of American athlete Jesse Owens, the “spanner in the works that completely disrupted the Nazi propaganda machine set up during the 1936 Berlin Olympics,” according to the curators.

Owens won four medals at the Games, but “received no immediate (official) recognition from his own country” despite being welcomed as a hero by the public, as the exhibition notes. The racism in the United States meant that President Franklyn D. Roosevelt refused to congratulate him “for fear of losing votes in the Southern states.” The photo shows him standing on the podium in Berlin, while behind him another competitor gives a “Hitler salute”.

Jesse Owens at the Berlin Olympics, in Athletes who changed the world at UNESCO;

Athletes who changed the world equally features boxer Mohammad Ali, who in 1967 refused to fight in Vietnam and was stripped of his world championship title and banned from the ring for three years.

Perhaps the most famous image, however, is that of athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos at the 1968 games in Mexico City. They “removed their shoes and walked forward in socks to protest against the extreme poverty faced by African Americans,” as the caption reminds viewers. “With solemn faces, Smith and Carlos bowed their heads and raised their gloved black fists, aiming to raise global awareness about racial segregation in their country.”

A photo of Tommie Smith, in Athletes who changed the world at UNESCO

The exhibition outlines the long battles faced by women athletes as well, and it highlights the work of Alice Milliat who, as president of the French Women’s Sports Federation, “campaigned for women’s inclusion in Olympic sports”. She organized the first Women’s Olympic Games in Paris in 1922, bringing together five countries and 77 athletes.

Although Milliat “died in obscurity” in 1957, her “legacy endures today, with the Paris 2024 Games highlighting gender equality in sports, largely thanks to her visionary efforts,” says the photo caption.

Similarly, the exhibition spotlights the contributions of disabled athletes such as Ryadh Sallem, who was born without arms or legs, a victim of the Thalidomide medication that was prescribed to pregnant women in the 1950s and Sixties and caused deformities in children.

Sallem won 15 French championship titles in swimming and later turned to team sports such as wheelchair basketball and rugby. At UNESCO, his photograph is prominently displayed, along with the story of his hopes for the 2024 Paralympics and his mission to “promote a positive vision of disability”.

Elsewhere in the city, artists and museums are also paying tribute to Paralympic competitors, ahead of the Paralympic Games from Aug. 28 to Sept. 8 in Paris.

On the fencing around the imposing Gare de l’Est (train station), colourful works by artist Lorenzo Mattoti show disabled athletes competing in a variety of sports, while the Panthéon is presenting the “Paralympic Stories: From Sporting Integration to Social Inclusion (1948-2024)”. This exposition relates the “history of Paralympism and the challenges of equality,” according to curators Anne Marcellini and Sylvain Ferez.

For fans of sculpture, Paris has a range of “Olympiad” works on view for free. In June, the city unveiled its official “sculpture olympique” or Olympic Statue, created by Los Angeles-based African-American artist Alison Saar, who cites inspiration from Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America.

The sculpture, located near the famed Champs Elysées avenue, depicts a seated African woman holding a flame in front of the Olympic rings, and it “embodies Olympic values of inclusivity and peace,” according to the office of Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo.

When it was inaugurated on June 23, however, it sparked a flurry of hostile remarks from some far-right commentators on social media, who apparently felt threatened by the work.

Another statue of a woman, that of Venus de Milo or the mythical goddess Aphrodite, has been “reinterpreted” in six versions by artistic director Laurent Perbos to symbolise “feminine” sporting disciplines, including boxing, archery and surfing. The statues stand in front of the National Assembly, and the irony won’t be lost on most viewers: French women secured the right to vote only in 1944.

Of course, Paris wouldn’t be Paris without another particular artform. As the much-discussed Opening Ceremony of the Olympics showed, fashion is an integral part of these Games, and those who didn’t get enough of the array of sometimes questionable costumes can head for another dose with “La Mode en movement #2” (Fashion in Motion #2).

This exhibition at the Palais Galliera / Fashion Museum looks at the history of sports clothing from the 18^th century, with a special focus on beachwear. Among the 250 pieces on display, viewers will surely gain tips on what to wear for beach volleyball.

For more information, see: Olympiade Culturelle (paris2024.org)

By Esther Ngumbi
URBANA, Illinois, US, Jul 31 2024 – Kenyan Gen Z recently led a series of historic protests that resulted in Kenya’s President rejecting the Finance Bill 2023 and dissolving his cabinet.  These protests are inspiring a wave of change, revolutions, and optimism in Kenya and the African Continent.

Importantly, these protests present Kenyans with a chance to reflect on governance and other fundamental issues including food insecurity and hunger, youth unemployment and an agricultural sector that is yet to deliver for Kenyans and the African continent.

The agricultural sector, that is a source of livelihood for over 70% of African citizens if tapped upon by Gen Zs can offer a crucial part of the solution to this dilemma.

For one, as a sector, agriculture provides multiple avenues for Gen Zs and youth to tap in- from the production all the way to marketing agricultural products to the consumers.

Further, according to the African Development Bank, and The World Bank this sector is projected to be worth around one trillion dollars by 2030, with opportunities at every stage of the agricultural value chain.

Gen Zs possess the energy and creativity needed to revolutionize African agricultural sector. They have college degrees, are tech-savvy, purpose-driven and entrepreneurial

At the same time, according to the world bank’s “Unlocking Africa’s Agricultural Potential” report, there are enormous opportunities stemming from the several areas where the sector is currently lagging.

These include the gap between regional demand and supply, the low adoption of irrigation technologies and climate-smart farming practices, limited use of inputs and new technologies including precision technologies, ranging from remote sensing platforms, use of sensors and drones, automated mechanical weeders drones, satellite powered weather stations, soil health determination and monitoring tools and artificial intelligence.

Gen Z and the youth can view these as opportunities that can be tapped on and leveraged to bring upon this agricultural revolution.

But to tap onto these opportunities presented by the agricultural sector value chain and to transform the sector into a high-technology powerhouse of innovation and a global food powerhouse, Gen Z will need to access financial capital and other investments.

Governments in African countries, including Kenya and other credible development funding agencies such as USAID, The Rockefeller foundation, and the African Development Bank, must finance entrepreneurial efforts and agriculture-focused startups launched by Gen Zs.

Indeed, Kenya’s and Africa’s Gen Zs have the potential to lead the much-needed Africa’s agricultural revolution that will see Kenya and other African countries produce abundant, safe and healthy food that will not only meet the continent’s food needs, but also be of such taste, class and distinction that the whole world will want it.

Gen Zs possess the energy and creativity needed to revolutionize African agricultural sector. They have college degrees, are tech-savvy, purpose-driven and entrepreneurial.

Time is ripe to tap on this youthful Gen Z generation and ensure that they are supported financially and with the knowledge they need to lead the much-needed African agriculture revolution. It will do more than produce food. It will create jobs, wealth and bring the much-needed makeover of the agricultural sector in Kenya and Africa.

Esther Ngumbi, PhD is Assistant Professor, Department of Entomology, African American Studies Department, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

By Ed Holt
MUNICH, Jul 31 2024 – Jay Mulucha, Executive Director of FEM Alliance Uganda, gave an impassioned plea to governments around the world to push lawmakers in his home country to reverse punitive new legislation criminalizing the LGBT+ community.

He became the first trans man to speak at the opening ceremony when he addressed the 25th International AIDS Conference in Munich last week (July 22)—the world’s largest conference on HIV and AIDS, attended by an estimated 10,000 people.

Mulucha spoke about how he and other members of the LGBT+ community in Uganda live in constant fear, and the impact of Uganda’s 2023 Anti-Homosexuality Act, which outlaws sexual relations among members of the same sex and imposes the death penalty for “serious homosexual acts.”

IPS spoke to Mulucha at the conference about how he and other activists refuse to give up their fight for acceptance and their determination to help others despite the dangers and challenges they face on a daily basis.

Jay Mulucha, Executive Director of FEM Alliance Uganda. Courtesy: Jay Mulucha

IPS: Were you surprised at the reception you got today when you spoke?

Jay Mulucha (JM): I was very surprised because this is a really big conference that brings together a lot of people. But at the same time, I am very pleased that I am here.

IPS: Today, we heard you talk about the repression that you and other members of the LGBT community face in Uganda. But of course, Uganda is not the only place where there are such laws. Do you think that your activities and what you are doing can be an inspiration for other LGBT+ people facing repression in other countries?

JM: Yes, it can. What I have achieved today by telling the world about what we are going through is going to make a change. That’s because I have made sure that we are getting opportunities (to speak out). This is the first time that a trans person has been part of the opening ceremony at [the annual IAS AIDS Conference] and it is very important that these opportunities be given to us so that they can hear our voices. You see, it’s not only in Uganda—people in other countries are suffering. Our voices are being trodden on, so if we are given the chance to speak, it gives us a greater opportunity to let the world know that things are not going well for people like us.

We work with different people in different countries to get out the message of what we are doing to counter the anti-gender movements that are rising up. This movement is really hurting us and we are doing what we can to try and stop them from spreading their hate.

IPS: Do you see any hope that the situation in Uganda for LGBT+ people will change any time soon?

JM: I joined the LGBTQI activist movement in Uganda more than ten years ago. When I joined, the situation was worse than it is today. Today, we are doing a lot of advocacy work, helping different people, and I can say that though the situation is not good, I am happy to say that there are some people who used to be homophobic and transphobic, and their minds and narratives have been changed through the advocacy work that we have done. Compared to ten years ago, at least now people know about the LGBT community. Back then, no one would even say it because people thought it was a sin to even mention the LGBT+ community. Right now, they are talking about us, the health service providers, and the government knows about LGBT—they are saying it. Even if it’s negative, at least they are saying it; they know that we exist and that we need services. So, I have a feeling that if we keep on doing our work, our advocacy, and we keep on talking about all these issues in different forums, at some point things will change. I can give an example of countries that have better laws, but those laws didn’t come about suddenly; it’s not like everyone woke up one morning and they were suddenly in place. People had to fight [for these laws] and go through a lot until things were better. I have a feeling that one day things in Uganda are going to change. We’re not going to give up; we’re going to continue the fight until we get what we want. We call upon different missions, different countries, in Europe, and the whole world to stand with us in this fight until we get what we want.

IPS: What impact are these laws going to have, or are already having, on the HIV situation in Uganda?

JM: These laws are making things worse. Different government officials are on record castigating and telling health service providers not to attend to any LGBT people, meaning that access to services is a challenge. The LGBT community is kept from accessing health services. This is because they know that once they try to access these services, they are going to be arrested, that they are not going to get these services, that they are going to be tortured, that they are going to be discriminated against, and (that they will be) told lots of homophobic things. These laws have really impacted health service provision for LGBT+ people. It’s so bad that some people are resorting to self-medication, which, of course, is bad and very dangerous.

IPS: How does someone in Uganda from the LGBT+ community who has HIV access the HIV care they need?

JM: There are drop-in centres that are being funded by international organizations. We also educate some health service providers. Some healthcare providers are welcoming; they welcome us and give us the services we need. The pop-up centres have supported the community. The community feels safe accessing services in places where they feel comfortable. Finding a doctor is done by word of mouth. There are some physicians that are welcoming [of LGBT+ people] but those doctors also have challenges; they have to give us services sometimes secretly because they don’t want to be seen supporting us.

IPS: Do you think that homophobia and transphobia are very prevalent in Uganda, or is it really the case that there is just a very visible and very vocal minority that thinks like that and is spreading anti-LGBT+ hate, and most other people are just silent on the issue?

JM: Homophobia and transphobia were very prevalent in Uganda even before LGBT+ people were as open as they are now. But with the anti-rights movement, it has just increased. There was already hate, but this movement that has come up has increased the hate, transphobia and homophobia. The anti-gender and anti-gay movements have just increased and fueled everything. The rise of those movements among the politicians and the ‘evangelicos’—like the religious leaders and the cultural leaders—has fired up everything. Nowadays, they are so vocal because they are being funded. They have these huge donors and people are bribed to support them. This is just increasing the hate.

Another thing—the reason these people are silent is because these anti-gay and anti-gender movements are being funded and they are bribing people to stand with them and for people to be silent about the whole situation. People are not standing with us because some of them have been bribed to do so. That is why the LGBT community in Uganda asked different governments in different countries to speak up about these repressive laws in Uganda and other places. But instead, some countries, especially European countries, have been silent on it, including Germany. They are welcoming parliamentarians from Uganda, like the vice speaker of parliament, who was welcomed with open arms by the German government recently. And Germany is still funding our government. Why is that happening?  They are hiding behind the US, which put sanctions on the government figures who were involved in the passing of the [anti-homosexuality] laws. Germany just put out statements on this. We don’t want statements; we want Germany to put sanctions on these people. And they should stop funding them. Instead, Germany should fund the LGBT+ organizations that are struggling. And they’re doing all this thinking that we won’t, or don’t, know about it. We call on the German government to stop this.

IPS: You spoke about waking up every day and wondering whether you were going to be safe. How do you and other activists function and do your jobs when you have to worry all the time about your safety?

JM: We are trying to do our work in hiding because we need to continue the struggle; we need to continue to stand with the LGBT community here. We find ways to operate safely. We try our best to make sure we aren’t discovered because the moment the government finds out about our work, they will close the organization, arrest us, or cancel our permission to work. So we do our work in hiding. The second thing we do is look out for each other and each other’s security and try to find new ways to keep ourselves safe. Safety is a major concern for us. The situation is not good, but we are not giving up. We tried to also make sure that we advocate and that we also help educate people in institutions, like the police for example. We speak to people and we try to make them understand who we are and why they should not be violent towards us. We are going through a lot of challenges at the moment, but we go on because we know that at some point this is going to change and everything is going to be okay with us.

IPS: What message would you like to give to people from this conference?

JM: I would like to say thank you to the conference organizers for allowing me to be a speaker here and hope people like me continue to get opportunities like this to speak, because whenever we do, it takes things to another level. Every time we get the chance to speak out, it allows our voices to be heard, and it is through our voices being heard that we get support.

IPS UN Bureau Report

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By Oritro Karim
NEW YORK, Jul 31 2024 – Global warming, widely believed to be a universal crisis, will actually impact girls and women far more than boys and men. It is already known that we live in a patriarchal world, one in which men are afforded far greater opportunities for success while women generally hold less societal power and have access to fewer resources. This especially pertains to developing countries in which agriculture related work, usually delegated to females, depends on a variety of environmental factors and subsequently, significantly hurts their livelihoods.

In addition, women are generally far more susceptible to poverty, discrimination, and social injustice, all of which are magnified by the climate crisis. It is also important to note that global warming puts reproductive health in jeopardy as rising temperatures and a lack of resources increase the chances of miscarriage, gestational diabetes, and maternal mortality.

Moreover, there is a direct correlation between environmental harm and domestic violence, sexual exploitation, and a loss of education for women. Furthermore, answers to the climate crisis are generally male-centered and do not keep these inequities in mind. It is essential for the future of the planet that we come up with universal solutions to reverse global warming, ones that yield benefits for all.

As stated, global warming and the climate crisis has a significant impact on the livelihoods of women. As the climate crisis causes temperatures to rise globally, jobs in agriculture diminish in frequency. Climate change is directly linked to higher rates of drought, famine, flooding, erosion, and a loss in crop yields. Women constitute the majority of agriculture jobs globally, accounting for approximately 45-80 percent of all food production in developing countries, according to the UN article, “Women, Gender Equality, and Climate Change”. This often displaces women financially as their job security is highly dependent on a stable environment and natural resources.

Additionally, the consequences of this familial financial displacement often causes girls to be pulled out of school, which essentially keeps them from gaining employment in fields beyond agriculture. The CNN article, “How the climate crisis fuels gender inequality” states that communities that are affected by environmental harm are often faced with the decision to place their young children into the workforce early in order to support their households. In developing countries, such as Nigeria, girls are discouraged from pursuing an education and therefore, the climate crisis only amplifies that sentiment.

Habiba Mohammed, the director of the Center for Girls’ Education, states, “when we give the girls education on climate change, how to mitigate it, it will go a long way in helping the girls in how to support themselves in times of difficulties, and even help them prepare for it”. It is apparent that the climate crisis strips women in developing countries of their opportunities and essentially keeps them in a state of economic vulnerability.

The climate crisis also has a far greater detriment on the physical health and wellbeing of women than men. For example, women are afforded far fewer resources than men, including access to clean water and food. The UN article states “global warming is one of the leading causes and greatest contributors to world hunger, malnutrition, exposure to disease, and declining access to water. Moreover it poses limitations to adequate housing, spurring the loss of livelihoods as a result of permanent displacement”. As essential resources diminish, the remainder is often left to those at the top of society, men. Therefore, women have much higher chances of dying from these consequences.

It is also important to note that the climate crisis has a disastrous effect on reproductive health. In the United States, BIPOC communities are more likely to be placed in lower income neighborhoods, which have higher levels of pollution and restricted access to clean living. This causes Black women to be 2.6 times more likely to die from childbirth related complications due to environmental factors caused by climate change. Furthermore, women in developing countries are highly susceptible to complications due to high temperatures. The article, “How the Climate Crisis Affects Reproductive Rights” states that rising temperatures are responsible for an increase in stillbirth, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, malaria, fibrosis, and stress related illnesses.

Additionally, it is stated that pregnant women are far more likely to die from the spread of disease due to flooding, which is a consequence of climate change, and are less likely to receive prenatal care. Therefore, the climate crisis not only limits a woman’s access to healthcare but also disproportionately exacerbates rates of disease and death for women.

It is also crucial to acknowledge the link between the climate crisis and gender related abuse. Cases of gender discrimination, domestic violence, and sexual exploitation are already massive concerns globally but are only exacerbated by environmental devastation and natural disasters. The article, “How Climate Change and Instability Exacerbate Sexual- and Gender-Based Violence and Violence Against Women and Girls” states that climate change often causes women and children to migrate away from their families and into unfamiliar and potentially dangerous areas, greatly increasing the risk of abuse, stalking, sexual trafficking, and even “female genital mutilation”.

In addition, these women are far more likely to turn to sex work in order to support themselves, which can not only be potentially dangerous but also increases their chances of developing STDs and HIV. The article also states that in Ethiopia, due to dire conditions caused by famine, sexual violence has run rampant and there aren’t systems in place to protect them or let them acquire justice.

It is imperative that we find sustainable solutions to climate change that not only include fe male perspectives but also tackle issues of gender inequality. As Earth begins to be stripped of her resources, so do women, and therefore, we do not have any time to waste.

Sources Used:
1. https://www.un.org/womenwatch/feature/climate_change/downloads/Women_and_Climate_Change_Factsheet.pdf
2. https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2023/11/world/climate-gender-inequality-cnnphotos-as-equals-intl-cmd/
3. https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/02/09/how-climate-crisis-affects-reproductive-rights
4. https://now.org/blog/how-climate-change-and-instability-exacerbate-sexual-and-gender-based-violence-and-violence-against-women-and-girls/

Oritro Karim is a recent graduate from Rochester Institute of Technology and a working illustrator, graphic designer, painter, and writer.

IPS UN Bureau

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By Alon Ben-Meir
NEW YORK, Jul 31 2024 – Within the Democratic field, no potential candidate for president is better-positioned, at this juncture, to defeat Trump more skillfully and pointedly than Kamala Harris. She is writing a new chapter in American history that will chart a new national course impacting future generations.

When it became clear that President Biden would likely drop out of the race, I hoped that some shining, younger, experienced, and inspiring Democratic candidate would emerge to assume Biden’s mantra and crush Trump.

Once Biden endorsed Kamala Harris, within hours, she responded to the call of a party saddled with uncertainly and sorely in need of coalescing around a leader with qualities to galvanize and unite a party; she rose to the occasion and stymied every potential rival from challenging her.

Her subsequent performance on the stump has demonstrated that she is not only up to the task but also the candidate who will give Trump a run for his money and expose him for what he really is: a man who will not ‘make America great again’ but the one who will bring shame to America and destroy its greatness.

Before I expound on why Harris is the right candidate for the right time, when everything—the Supreme Court, House, and Senate are on the ballot—it is critical to contextualize the social and political environment in which we find ourselves today.

Trump’s dire divisiveness and polarization that is tearing America apart and what the horrific domestic and international ramifications will be should Trump be elected place a formidable burden on Harris to literally save America from the pandemic that has infected the majority of the Republican party.

Yes, a Black and South Asian woman is now tasked to save America from a wannabe dictator, a fascist bent on destroying America’s democracy and its unique standing in the world only to serve his cultish, sickening ego.

No one but Harris can possibly fathom how fateful her mission is and how arduous the road she must travel to restore America’s political and social civility and its leadership in the world will be. She knows she is writing a new chapter on America’s destiny and why she cannot fail.

Harris enjoys many professional skills and attributes and can build on Biden’s legacy and remarkable achievements over the past four years. Here are nine reasons Harris can, and most likely will, crush Trump in the upcoming elections and win.

Harris is inspiring

There was a hunger among the Democratic party to desperately find someone other than Biden to coalesce around without infighting, a candidate that could restore dignity to politics. Harris has engendered tremendous enthusiasm and many qualified voters will vote for her just for that reason.

The polls have already reflected the public fervor for change, a trend that she can sustain as we edge closer to election day. Moreover, the enthusiasm she evoked has also translated to raising a record amount of money during the last week since she became the presumptive nominee.

The age advantage

Harris is relatively young (59) and energetic, with charisma, stamina, and natural flair. She has no age problem that has been haunting Biden. She can now turn the table on Trump and use the age issue against him—he is old (77), fumbles, goes off on tangents, and is generally incoherent, all of which reflects that his age caught up with him prematurely.

Harris’s advantage as a woman

Post-Hillary Clinton, many voters of all ethnicities and ages have become more comfortable with a woman as president. Moreover, at a time of extreme political tension and divisiveness, where compromises are hard to come, women tend to work out compromises and keep a respectful tone in politics, which is particularly needed, thanks to Trump, in this poisonous political atmosphere. She will be in a perfect position to deal with an angry, unhinged, and temperamental fool like Trump and play the adult in any setting with him.

Skilled prosecutor

As an experienced prosecutor in California and attorney general, Harris is best positioned to prosecute the case against Trump, probably like no other. She has prosecuted, over the years, sex offenders, grand larcenists, tax evaders, and swindlers. As she recently said, “I know his type.” Trump will sweat it out with her and not know where the next punch is coming from.

Energizing young Democrats

Many young Black women have been reinvigorated by Harris’ campaign, in part due to her race and gender, with a “Win With Black Women” Zoom fundraising event raising over $1.5 million for the Harris campaign the same day Biden endorsed her. Many young Black men who were disenchanted by Biden and considered giving Trump a chance have returned to the fold and will vote for Harris in droves.

They sought someone to inspire them, and Harris came to quench their yearning. Moreover, younger people are generally less inclined to judge an individual based on gender. In this case, Harris may have an added advantage.

Galvanize Democrats on the fence and anxious Republicans

Given the concerns of a growing number of Democrats about Biden’s age and frailty when he was still the de facto nominee of his party and many Republicans’ anxiety over Trump’s unfitness to serve another term as president, many eligible voters have been swayed to stay out and not vote at all. That has changed with the rise of Harris to the top of the ticket. She has now offered a viable alternative and fundamentally altered the election’s trajectory in her favor.

Harris can speak about abortion freely

Biden, who is a Catholic, supports women’s right to choose and stated last year that the now-overturned Roe v. Wade “got it right,” but is not the strongest Democratic orator on the issue, given his personal religious beliefs on the issue, which is critical for women of all colors and ethnicities.

Harris, on the other hand, has already been Biden’s surrogate on the issue, becoming the first vice president to visit a Planned Parenthood clinic in March, and has made women’s right to abortion one of her central themes. Approximately 65 percent of all women oppose the Supreme Court’s decision to annul Roe v. Wade and found many of the red states passing draconian laws against abortions as despicable and chauvinist. The majority of these women will flock toward Harris, giving her a significant advantage on election day.

Harris has more time and energy to campaign

Unlike President Biden, who must still deal with increasingly mounting domestic and foreign policy issues, Harris has considerably more time to campaign nearly full-time, with the resilience and energy needed to campaign in every swing state time and again. Harris is engaging, and an increasing number of undecided voters in these crucial swing states find her refreshing with solid ideas that address their concerns.

Harris is an excellent debater

As California’s attorney general, she honed her public speaking and debating skills and became an excellent debater who is engaging, charismatic, and an outstanding communicator. Harris is very good at punching back forcefully, which puts her opponent on the defensive. In any debate with Trump, all he will be able to do is bark back and keep trying to change the subject. But he is no match for Harris’ piercing counter-attack, which may force him to lose his composure and badly expose his vulnerabilities.

Combating prejudices and mitigating disadvantages

Many Republicans have spared no time criticizing her on a range of issues, claiming that she has presumably failed in addressing the immigration problem, she is too liberal, has no experience in foreign policy, comes through as ingenuine, is fully supportive of Biden’s policies, which they consider to be an utter failure, and that she will be unable to distance herself from his agenda.

Harris will need to overcome several of these disadvantages, real or perceived. She will continue to face prejudices, particularly racism and sexism, which are hard to mitigate, as old white men would want to stop her. However, Harris can overcome most of the ideological obstacles, provided she projects herself as a uniter who is out to mend the horrific social and political schism that has affected this country to the core.

Harris needs to demonstrate that she is a moderate, mainstream Democrat, defend democracy, and draw a clear contrast with the extremist Republicans. She must focus on the economy as people are hurting and need relief. She must keep Biden’s promise to put a cap on rent increases, limit income tax on those earning less than $400,000 a year, ensure that the rich pay their fair share of taxes, ban medical debt from credit reports, and forgive student loans that have saddled borrowers with endless debt as their minimum payments hardly cover the interest they pay.

Finally, Harris knows that millions of Republicans despise Trump and wish that he would disappear from the political scene and restore sanity to a party that has lost its way—a party that stood for constructive conservatism, respected the rule of law, assumed fiscal responsibility, stood for fair and free elections, strengthened America’s alliances and leadership in the world, and stood firm against Russia and China.

These Republicans are not Hillary Clinton’s “deplorables.” They are dedicated Americans to whom Harris must appeal and solicit their involvement and even offer high-profile positions to those who want to share her vision about America’s future. As an example, she could invite Senator Mitt Romney, a staunch anti-Trump Republican and one of the few voices on the right calling to combat climate change, to serve as her Climate Czar.

Harris must now articulate that new vision for America and explain why she would be the best person to lead the country at this historic, fateful time in American history. Harris must make a new contract with America founded on unity of purpose, growth, and prosperity while safeguarding our democracy with zeal.

Harris can win this election; I believe she will because America is desperately ready for change, and Harris is best positioned to lead the way.

Dr. Alon Ben-Meir is a retired professor of international relations, most recently at the Center for
Global Affairs at NYU. He taught courses on international negotiation and Middle Eastern studies.

IPS UN Bureau

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By Betty Kabari
NAIROBI, Jul 31 2024 – International African Women’s Day on July 31 recognizes the contribution of African women toward political, social, and economic freedom on the continent. But gender equality is still not a reality for most African women.

Many countries still have regressive laws, and even the more progressive laws in other countries are often poorly carried out. There is a lack of supportive frameworks to promote and safeguard women and girls’ equality, such as research into rights violations and public education on gender equality and women and girls’ rights.

The Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, or the Maputo Protocol as it is known, provides a framework for fulfilling and upholding the rights of women and girls.

The lack of adequate progress is a reminder that governments have not met their obligation to address meaningfully the ways that laws, policies, and practices propagate patriarchal systems that discriminate against women and girls and entrench gender inequality in every aspect of life

It identifies various areas in which women and girls are denied equality and calls on governments to take legislative, institutional, and other measures to combat all forms of discrimination.

Forty-four out of 55 African countries have ratified the Maputo Protocol and some have made progress in enacting legislation in the two decades that it has been in force.

But the lack of adequate progress is a reminder that governments have not met their obligation to address meaningfully the ways that laws, policies, and practices propagate patriarchal systems that discriminate against women and girls and entrench gender inequality in every aspect of life.

Article 4 of the Maputo Protocol recognizes women’s and girls’ rights to life, integrity, and security of their person, some of the most fundamental, foundational rights. Yet violations of these rights are frequent and manifest in a number of ways including femicide – gender related killings of women and girls; what is called obstetric violence – ill treatment of women and girls when seeking reproductive health services; and lack of access to safe, legal abortion care.

In 2022, the United Nations identified Africa as the continent with the highest incidence of femicide. More than 20,000 women and girls on the continent were killed by intimate partners or family members that year, averaging more than 54 deaths daily – the highest in absolute numbers of any continent.

However, only the government of South Africa has consistently collected data on femicide or made any efforts to develop laws, policies, or programs that address femicide, such as in its National Strategic Plan on Gender Based Violence and Femicide. Other governments, such as Kenya, fail both to collect the relevant data and to effectively investigate and prosecute femicide.

African countries have also been slow to respond to mistreatment of women and girls during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care, including verbal and physical abuse, neglect, and non-consensual and medically unnecessary procedures.

Insufficient data  hampers conclusions on the exact scope of the problem but global studies have found that, depending on the country,  between 15 and 91 percent of women experience mistreatment during childbirth. There is also a dearth, globally, of data on abuses that occur when women and girls seek other maternal health services, including abortion services.

In Malawi, a 2019 report from the Office of the Ombudsman documented various forms of abuse and mistreatment during labor and delivery, including forced Cesarean sections and hysterectomies.

The causes included negligence by overworked and underpaid healthcare workers and a lack of medication and emergency obstetric care. Five years later, Malawi is lagging in carrying out the report’s recommendations.

Article 14 of the Maputo Protocol recognizes women and girls’ right of access to abortion care in cases when the pregnancy is a result of sexual violence or when the pregnancy endangers the physical or mental health of the woman, or the life of the woman or the fetus. But fewer than half of the countries that have ratified the Maputo Protocol have incorporated this right into their domestic law, and even fewer have implemented it.

In the absence of legally protected abortion care, 75 percent of all abortions on the African continent are unsafe. This results in maternal mortality as well as complications that require over 1.6 million African women and girls to seek post-abortion care each year.

In Zambia, which is considered to have some of the most liberal abortion laws on the continent, unsafe abortion remains prevalent and accounts for 30 percent of the country’s maternal mortality.

The law limits the availability of facilities and healthcare providers who can legally provide abortion services, contrary to guidance from the World Health Organization.

In addition, the government has not taken sufficient measures to address stigma against abortion or raise awareness of the country’s laws on abortion, leading to many women, girls, and even healthcare providers believing incorrectly that abortion is illegal.

If Africa is to achieve the milestones under the UN 2030 Agenda for sustainable development or the Africa Union Agenda 2063, the continent’s strategic framework to achieve inclusive and sustainable socio-economic development over a 50-year period, countries urgently need to recommit themselves to carrying out the Maputo Protocol. That means including taking immediate action to address femicide, obstetric violence and inaccessibility of safe, legal abortion care.

Betty Kabari is a women’s right researcher at Human Rights Watch.