Iraq is facing one of the most severe climate crises in the world. Lakes, rivers, and marshlands are shrinking, sandstorms are becoming more frequent, and extreme heat and drought are damaging agriculture across the country. The United Nations ranks Iraq as the fifth most vulnerable country to global warming, and the impacts are already affecting millions of people. Water shortages, desertification, and crop failures now threaten 92% of Iraq’s agricultural land, forcing many

This week’s Field Notes point to something I’ve been thinking about a lot: human rights issues today don’t exist in isolation. Whether we’re talking about education, digital spaces, or economic systems, they all come back to one core question,who has access, and who gets to participate. Education is one of the clearest examples. Around the world, youth activists are pushing for greater investment to close gender gaps and expand opportunities for girls. At the same time, initi

In the Dominican Republic, more than 500 teachers and school leaders recently took part in training programs focused on bringing human rights into education. Organized by the Ministry of Education in partnership with UNESCO and national institutions, the program went beyond theory,helping educators understand how to apply human rights principles in real school settings, from classroom discussions to school policies. What stood out is how this initiative redefines the purpose

A recent report by Amnesty International shows how digital platforms—often seen as tools for youth empowerment—can also be used to suppress it. Between June 2024 and July 2025, Gen Z–led protests in Kenya spread across most of the country, largely organized through hashtags like "RejectFinanceBill" and "EndFemicideKE". For many young people, social media became a space to speak, organize, and demand change. But that same space quickly turned hostile. Activists faced coordinat

Around the world, young activists are raising a clear demand: governments must invest more in education to achieve gender equality. At the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) in Seville, youth leaders from the SDG4 Youth & Student Network joined gender justice advocates to highlight a critical issue,education systems remain deeply underfunded. According to the FundEducation campaign, low- and middle-income countries face a $97 billion annual gap i