It’s getting harder to wish someone a Happy New Year these days.
The final days and weeks of 2022 were marked by Russian missile strikes in Kyiv, crackdowns on and executions of young Iranian protesters, reversals for women’s rights in Afghanistan — where the Taliban have prevented women from working on aid projects — and ongoing missile tests in North Korea.
For now, there is little hope that 2023 will usher in a new season of peace in Ukraine, mark the retreat of global poverty, or provide fresh evidence that existential threats to humanity, such as global warming, will be nipped in the bud before the planet and its inhabitants endure further irreversible losses.
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About the author
Colum Lynch
Colum Lynch is an award-winning reporter and Senior Global Reporter for Devex. He covers the intersection of development, diplomacy, and humanitarian relief at the United Nations and beyond. Prior to Devex, Colum reported on foreign policy and national security for Foreign Policy Magazine and the Washington Post. Colum was awarded the 2011 National Magazine Award for digital reporting for his blog Turtle Bay. He has also won an award for groundbreaking reporting on the U.N.’s failure to protect civilians in Darfur.
