Latest news with #MarshallIslands
Arab News
11 hours ago
- Business
- Arab News
War-torn nations face growing poverty and hunger crisis
WASHINGTON: The world's most desperate countries are falling further and further behind, their plight worsened by conflicts that are growing deadlier and more frequent. That is the sobering conclusion of the World Bank's first comprehensive study of how 39 countries contending with 'fragile and conflict-affected situations'' have fared since the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020. 'Economic stagnation — rather than growth — has been the norm in economies hit by conflict and instability,' said Ayhan Kose, the World Bank's deputy chief economist. Since 2020, the 39 countries, which range from the Marshall Islands in the Pacific to Mozambique in sub-Saharan Africa, have seen their economic output per person fall by an average 1.8 percent a year. In other developing countries, by contrast, it grew by an average of 2.9 percent a year over the same period. The World Bank finds that countries involved in high-intensity conflict — which result in more than 150 deaths per million people — experience a cumulative drop of 20% in their gross domestic product, or the output of goods and services, after five years. More than 420 million people in the fragile economies are living on less than $3 a day — the bank's definition of extreme poverty. That is more than the combined total of everywhere else, even though the 39 countries account for less than 15 percent of the world's population. Many of these countries have long-standing problems with crumbling infrastructure, weak governance, and low educational standards. People in the 39 countries get an average of just six years of schooling, three years fewer than those in other low- and middle-income countries. Life expectancy is five years shorter, and infant mortality is twice as high. Increasing conflicts have made things worse. In the 2000s, the world saw an annual average of just over 6,000 conflicts — in which organized groups used armed force against other groups or civilians and caused at least one death. Now the yearly average exceeds 20,000. The conflicts are more lethal, too: In the 2000s, they took an average of fewer than 42,000 lives a year. From 2000 through 2024, the number averaged almost 194,000. Of the 39 countries, 21 are involved in active conflicts, including Ukraine, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Gaza. The World Bank finds that countries involved in high-intensity conflict — which result in more than 150 deaths per million people — experience a cumulative drop of 20 percent in their gross domestic product, or the output of goods and services, after five years. More conflict also means more hunger: The World Bank estimated that 18 percent — around 200 million — of the people in the 39 countries are 'experiencing acute food insecurity'' compared with just 1 percent in other low and middle-income countries. Some countries have managed to escape the cycle of conflict and economic fragility. Kose cites Nepal; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Rwanda; and Sri Lanka as relative success stories. And the World Bank report notes that the 39 countries do enjoy strengths, including natural resources such as oil and natural gas, and a lot of young, working-age people at a time when many economies are aging. 'Some of them are very rich when it comes to their tourism potential,'' Kose said. 'But you need to have security established. You and I are not going to go and visit these places unless they are safe, even though they might be the most beautiful places in the world.''
The Independent
12 hours ago
- Politics
- The Independent
World Bank warns that 39 fragile states are falling further behind as conflicts grow, get deadlier
The world's most desperate countries are falling further and further behind, their plight worsened by conflicts that are growing deadlier and more frequent. That is the sobering conclusion of the World Bank's first comprehensive study of how 39 countries contending with 'fragile and conflict-affected situations'' have fared since the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020. 'Economic stagnation —rather than growth —has been the norm in economies hit by conflict and instability,' said Ayhan Kose, the World Bank's deputy chief economist. Since 2020, the 39 countries, which range from the Marshall Islands in the Pacific to Mozambique in sub-Saharan Africa, have seen their economic output per person fall by an average 1.8% a year. In other developing countries, by contrast, it grew by an average 2.9% a year over the same period. More than 420 million people in the fragile economies are living on less than $3 a day — the bank's definition of extreme poverty. That is more than everywhere else combined, even though the 39 countries account for less than 15% of the world's people. Many of these countries have longstanding problems with crumbling infrastructure, weak governments and low levels of education. People in the 39 countries get an average of just six years of schooling, three years fewer than those in other low- and middle-income countries. Life expectancy is five years shorter and infant mortality is twice as high. Increasing conflicts have made things worse. In the 2000s, the world saw an annual average of just over 6,000 conflicts — in which organized groups used armed force against other groups or against civilians and cause at least one death. Now the annual average exceeds 20,000. The conflicts are more lethal, too: In the 2000s, they took an average of fewer than 42,000 lives a year. From 2000 through 2024, the number averaged almost 194,000. Of the 39 countries, 21 are involved in active conflicts, including Ukraine, Sudan, Ethiopia and Gaza. The World Bank finds that countries involved in high-intensity conflict — which kill more than 150 out of every 1 million people — see a cumulative drop of 20% after five years in their gross domestic product, the output of goods and services. More conflict also means more hunger: The World Bank estimated that 18% -- around 200 million – of the people in the 39 countries are 'experiencing acute food insecurity'' compared with just 1% in other low and middle-income countries. Some countries have managed to escape the cycle of conflict and economic fragility. Kose cites Nepal; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Rwanda; and Sri Lanka as relative success stories. And the World Bank report notes that the 39 countries do enjoy strengths, including natural resources such as oil and natural gas and a lot of young, working-age people at a time when many economies are aging. 'Some of them are very rich when it comes to their tourism potential,'' Kose said. 'But you need to have security established. You and I are not going to go and visit these places unless they are safe even though they might be the most beautiful places in the world.''
ABC News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- ABC News
VT1S singer Liz Vamarasi searches for Fiji's lost mythical island of Burotukula
Fijian reggae singer Liz Vamarasi takes us deep into the spirit world of Burotukula — Fiji's mythical sunken island said to be home to ancient ancestors and forgotten gods. With her soulful voice and deep cultural roots, Liz guides us through legends that still echo across the Pacific. Then, we turn up the volume as Kiribati's newest singing sensation, Katangiman Emosi, drops her debut single — an electrifying blend of island rhythm and raw emotion that's already making waves. And Marshallese singer and climate activist Carnie Reimers has been gaining recognition across the Pacific. Her music is deeply rooted in the themes of island identity, climate change and cultural resilience and this week she welcomes a brand-new wave of listeners tuning in from the Marshall Islands on 106.7FM, marking a powerful new chapter in Pacific broadcasting.
ABC News
5 days ago
- Business
- ABC News
Radio Australia finishes Pacific expansion with Marshall Islands launch
ABC Radio Australia has completed its expansion of services across the Pacific with the Marshall Islands set to host broadcasts for the first time in more than five years. A new FM transmitter means residents of Majuro atoll are the latest listeners to join the network, which has doubled in two years and now extends to 25 locations across the region. Audiences in Majuro can now tune into ABC Radio Australia on 106.7FM. The launch is the final part of an expansion which kicked off with Ghizo Island in the Solomon Islands in September 2023 and has been rolled out to the Federated States of Micronesia (Pohnpei), Palau (Koror), Nauru, Kiribati (Tarawa), Tuvalu (Funafuti), Cook Islands (Rarotonga), Auki in the Solomon Islands and three additional Papua New Guinea locations, in East New Britain (Kokopo), Manus Island (Lorengau) and the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (Buka). Radio Australia now has a network of transmitters in the Pacific, like this one in Tarawa, Kiribati. Head of ABC International Services, Claire Gorman, hailed the project as a "landmark success". "In the 85 years since ABC Radio Australia first broadcast across the region, the network has undergone significant changes with this latest expansion in transmission sites," she said. "This represents the next chapter for ABC Radio Australia, providing new audiences with our slate of trusted news and Pacific-focused radio programming." ABC Radio Australia Manager Justine Kelly said teams had been working hard for two years to deliver the project. "We are proud to be available across even more locations throughout the Pacific as our talented team of presenters and comprehensive suite of shows, share the incredible stories and voices from across the region," she said. The full radio service offers listeners an extensive schedule of bespoke programming covering the latest in news, music, sports, culture, health, science and faith. Tumultuous times for broadcasters The completion of the project comes after a tumultuous few months for independent media in Asia and the Pacific. US President Donald Trump slashed funding to multiple media organisations including Voice of America, Benar News and Radio Free Asia earlier this year, which risked leaving millions of people across the region without access to independent news. The US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which funded these organisations, employed roughly 3,500 people and had an $US886 million budget before it was gutted. Aleksandra Bielakowska from Reporters Without Borders told the ABC at the time the cuts "threaten press freedom worldwide" and were a "gigantic gift" for authoritarian regimes in Beijing and Moscow. As VOA director Michael Abramowitz, said: "For the first time in 83 years, the storied Voice of America is being silenced.'' The project began with the launch of Radio Australia in Gizo, Solomon Islands, in 2023. ( Radio Australia ) The state of the media in the Pacific The State of the Media: Pacific Region report found that, despite advancements in the Pacific media sector, it remains fragile in the face of digital disruption and additional loss of advertising revenue due to the COVID-19 pandemic, creating an existential crisis. The study found there had been a sharp increase in internet access across the region over the previous decade. In Samoa, for example, internet access had soared from 7 per cent in 2013 to 75 per cent in 2025. It also found misinformation and disinformation were bigger challenges in larger countries such as Fiji, Solomon Islands, and Samoa, which have active diasporas and higher penetration of foreign media sources, particularly on social media platforms owned by big tech companies. There were also concerns about media freedom which influenced audience trust in mainstream media, particularly government-owned media organisations. Why an independent voice is important Radio Australia was launched at the start of World War II to counter propaganda from the Axis powers. For decades it provided an independent news service in multiple languages to people across the region. Around a decade ago, Australian government budget cuts forced ABC Radio Australia to wind down its coverage and services to focus solely on the Pacific and Timor Leste. ABC technicians install a transmitter in Nauru. With extra funding in 2022 and 2023, it has been able to expand the footprint and the amount of content designed for Pacific audiences. This international broadcasting is important as it can break stories and hold power to account across the region, in a way that local media at times may not be able to. ABC Radio Australia also supports local radio services by providing relevant valuable content for local audiences and can tell uniquely Pacific stores. It also acts as a counterweight to anti-democratic information and disinformation. Indeed, when the US government cut funding to its broadcasters, authoritarian regimes including Beijing-backed media celebrated the decision, while activists and analysts warned the closures would create information "black holes" that could be filled by Russian or Chinese services. There are multiple ways to listen to ABC Radio Australia across the Pacific – live via internet streaming, through 24-hour FM stations in your area, or by catching up with full episodes on ABC Pacific online.
ABC News
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
ABC Radio Australia's Marshall Islands launch completes historic Pacific expansion
ABC Radio Australia's ambitious two-year FM expansion project in the Pacific has concluded with the recent launch in the Marshall Islands of a new FM transmitter. Residents of Majuro atoll are the latest listeners to join the network, which has doubled and now extends to 25 locations across the region. The expansion project was funded by the Australian Federal Government's Indo Pacific Broadcasting Strategy and began in 2023, when ABC Radio Australia established an FM service in Gizo, Solomon Islands. Since then, the ABC has partnered with broadcasters and transmission providers across the region, to develop and launch services in Federated States of Micronesia (Pohnpei), Palau (Koror), Nauru, Kiribati (Tarawa), Tuvalu (Funafuti), Cook Islands (Rarotonga), Auki in the Solomon Islands and three additional Papua New Guinea locations, in East New Britain (Kokopo), Manus Island (Lorengau) and the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (Buka). Alongside its investment in broadcast and delivery infrastructure, ABC Radio Australia has also tripled its Pacific content offering, launching new news, music, sport and cultural programming to better entertain and inform its growing audiences. ABC Radio Australia celebrated the milestone by co-hosting an event with the Australian Ambassador to the Marshall Islands, Paul Wilson, at his residence in Majuro. The event was attended by representatives of the Marshall Islands Government. ABC International Head Claire M. Gorman said: 'The completion of the ABC Radio Australia FM transmission expansion project has been a landmark success – allowing the network to significantly grow its reach and listenership across the Pacific. In the 85 years since ABC Radio Australia first broadcast across the region, the network has undergone significant changes with this latest expansion in transmission sites. This represents the next chapter for ABC Radio Australia, providing new audiences with our slate of trusted news and Pacific-focused radio programming.' ABC Radio Australia Manager Justine Kelly said: 'Across the past two years, our ABC Radio Australia teams have been working incredibly hard to deliver this remarkable project. We are proud to be available across even more locations throughout the Pacific as our talented team of presenters and comprehensive suite of shows, share the incredible stories and voices from across the region. We deliver the latest in breaking news, sports coverage, new music and conversations about culture, the environment, health, faith and science.' WAYS TO LISTEN: Audiences in Majuro can now tune into ABC Radio Australia on 106.7FM. There are multiple ways to listen to ABC Radio Australia across the Pacific – live via internet streaming, through 24-hour FM stations in your area, or by catching up with full episodes on ABC Pacific online. For all media enquiries, contact: Annalise Ramponi, Marketing and Communications Coordinator, ABC International We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn and work.
