Mukesh Kapila

No short cuts to lasting peace in Tigray, but each day of silenced guns is a small victory for humanity

29 January 2023 – Mukesh Kapila First released 26 January in The Daily Maverick The Ethiopian Federal Government and Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) confounded the sceptics by signing the 3 November 2022 Pretoria “agreement for lasting peace through a permanent cessation of hostilities”, followed by agreeing to implementation modalities in Nairobi on 12 November 2022. Why didContinue reading “No short cuts to lasting peace in Tigray, but each day of silenced guns is a small victory for humanity”

The World Economic Forum: Looking Down from the Heights of Davos

A reform of globalisation is long overdue – and it will not come from Davos Man at the World Economic Forum. What does the new globalisation – bottom-up not top-down look like?

By halting aid over Afghanistan’s absurd gender rules, agencies let the Taliban win

Mukesh Kapila – 17 January 2023 First published 12 January 2023 on The National News Photo by AFP via The National News Should we stop funding all education in Afghanistan because the Taliban prohibited girls from school? To seek an answer was why I was in Afghanistan in 1997. This was during the first coming ofContinue reading “By halting aid over Afghanistan’s absurd gender rules, agencies let the Taliban win”

Finding New Year hope amid the global polycrisis

Why is there so much gloom when the world has made so much progress?

Why is modern humanitarianism failing, even as we give more and more aid?

Mukesh Kapila – 30 December 2022 First published, 28 December in The National News In Munigi, Congo, displaced people wait for food & non-food items for Unicef distribution, 5 Dec, AFP Never has the world been more generous, with UN humanitarian appeals receiving $24.1 billion this year compared to $5.8 billion 10 years ago. ButContinue reading “Why is modern humanitarianism failing, even as we give more and more aid?”

Lessons from AIDS can help us defeat other diseases

The experience of tackling AIDS has profoundly changed science, society and politics. But our successes against AIDS will not mean as much if we don’t use them to also try to take on other conditions.

Food for thought: Ten ways to address the crisis of global hunger

We have the knowledge and means to feed everyone. Why dont we?

Cop27 should lead by preparing us for an over-heated world

30 November 2022 – Mukesh Kapila First published, 13 November 2022 on The National News Limiting global warming to 1.5°C is no longer possible. We must prepare to endure difficult times ahead Flood-affected people wait for food distributed by army troops in a flood-hit area of Punjab, Pakistan, on August 27. AP The 27th ConferenceContinue reading “Cop27 should lead by preparing us for an over-heated world”

How the culture of fear and abuse of power ruled UNOPS

We know now what went wrong and how, and who was responsible? But we don’t know why? Without answering that question and getting genuine accountability, there will be no closure for UNOPS .

The rocky road to peace between Ethiopia and Tigray

The brutal civil war in Ethiopia’s Tigray region is nearly two years old. South Africa is hosting African Union mediated peace talks in Pretoria this week. What progress can be expected?