Christian Aid Global

For five years, Christian Aid supporters have been calling for UK-listed businesses to be required to publish how much carbon they release. This demand was finally answered at the Rio+20 summit, when Nick Clegg announced that from April next year, mandatory carbon reporting for UK-listed companies would be introduced. In this podcast, members of the Christian Aid campaigns, climate change and media teams celebrate this victory for people power and examine its importance in the fight against climate change.

In the second of two podcasts on Christian Aid's involvement at Rio+20, we discuss why the green economy will be such a contentious topic and what we can realistically hope to get out of the conference.

Zambia is rich in natural resources, and is the 7th largest producer of copper globally. However, despite having this potential source of wealth, ordinary Zambians are not benefitting. This is largely due to the shockingly low amount of tax that Zambia is able to collect from the extractives industry. Mineral loyalty rates are set at just 3%, despite the price of copper rising steadily in the world economy. Adding to the problem is the issue of tax dodging by some unscrupulous companies, which the Zambian government estimates has cost them around $1 billion in lost revenue.

The failure to raise revenue through taxation has restricted the ability of the Zambian government to invest in public services that could help lift people out of poverty. Many people lack access to basic services like education, healthcare and sanitation facilities.

As the world's most powerful leaders meet in Mexico at the G20 summit in June, we're calling on them to make sure that tackling tax dodging is on their agenda. You can add your voice to our campaign at www.christianaid.org.uk/tax

Christian Aid recently launched a report called “The Scandal of Inequality in Latin America and the Caribbean” which seeks to identify both the progress that has been made in the region, but also to expose the areas that remain and, in some cases, are becoming even more unequal. Christian Aid’s Gaby Drinkwater who helped to write the report summarises the report findings, and Rhian Holder, Christian Aid’s Country Manager for Jamaica, gives her opinion on the inequality which she sees in Jamaica.

To see the full report visit http://www.christianaid.org.uk/images/scandal-of-inequality-in-latin-america-and-the-caribbean.pdf

In April, eastern DRC was plunged into fresh chaos when factions of the Congolese army mutinied, reigniting fighting in the area. The conflict has displaced thousands of ordinary Congolese people and many civilians have lost their lives. Salome Ntububa, Christian Aid's regional emergency manager for central Africa, describes the situation.

In July 2011, South Sudan separated from Sudan to become the world’s newest state. This was the culmination of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement which ended decades of civil war. But the months since separation have not been peaceful and more than 120,000 people have been displaced by violence. Many of those displaced are living in desperate conditions in camps. Christian Aid's Communications Officer Antoinette Powell caught up with Regional Emergency Manager Maurice Onyango and Support Officer Rosie Crowther who recently visited camps in Jonglei and Warrap states.

50,000 people will converge on Rio in mid June for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development. But what will Rio+20 involve and how is it connected to Christian Aid's work? Listen to this podcast to find out.

In this podcast, Nadjiba Shirinbekova of Christian Aid partner Rights and Prosperity, explains how the organisation is helping to tackle corruption in Tajikistan and empower people to know their rights and demand them.

Many people believe that if people in the developing world had fewer children, they would be less likely to live in poverty. It sounds like common sense but masks a far more complex relationship between poverty and population growth. In this podcast, Felicia Price, advisor on community health and HIV, discusses Christian Aid's stance on the poverty and population debate and explains why our assumptions about family planning in the West don't always apply elsewhere in the world. For more information on Christian Aid's work tackling poverty around the world, visit our website www.christianaid.org.uk

West Africa is in the grip of a severe food crisis with more than 15 million people facing hunger. Niger is among the worst affected countries. Christian Aid programme officer Philippe Bassinga describes the situation in northern Niger following a recent visit to stricken communities. For more information on Christian Aid's work tackling poverty around the world, visit our website www.christianaid.org.uk