Where did International Cooperation go?

As we are all highly aware, the COVID-19 pandemic has risen unemployment levels worldwide. It is no secret that the consequences of this pandemic have been terrible, nevertheless, some countries found a way to lower its impact, while other countries, dare I say like Colombia, used possible money reserves and budget into other unnecessary investments, while its people are having a really hard time. According to DANE (2021), the Statistics Department of Colombia, the unemployment rate in February of 2021 increased 3,7 percentage points compared to the previous year, reaching 15,9% (para. 1). In fact, from the members of the members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Colombia was the country that reached the highest level of unemployment, with a 16,13% rate for the year 2020 (OECD, 2021).  Unfortunately, we do not have to see statistics to be aware of how difficult the situation has become. I am thankful to say, I have been one of the few lucky people that ...

Yes, it is 2021 and we are still debating over gender inequality. This situation happens in several dimensions, including access to education, wages, forced marriage, managerial positions and other kinds of participation, victims of violence,  reproductive rights, among others (UNSD, 2020). Yes, all these dimensions are taken into account when talking about gender equality, and sadly happens everywhere, not only in Colombia or in less developed countries. For example, women in Europe are earning almost 15% less, on average, than a man, which is generally attributed to the fact that women usually assume the responsibility of childcare, which leads to reducing their working hours, in fact, 30% of women in Europe work part-time, compared to 8% of men, resulting in setting aside their personal goals (Euronews, 2021).  On the other hand, statistics before the COVID-19 pandemic showed that fewer women were being forced into marriage, especially at a young age and more wome...

There is a famous quote that says "Imagine if trees gave free wifi. We'd all be planting them like crazy. It's a pity they only give us the oxygen we breathe"; and no matter how sad it is, I believe it to be completely true. Trees are vital for existence and our lives, but we tend to ignore that when we cause deforestation we are not just cutting trees down, we are destroying the habitats of millions of species. For example, the species population in 2010 was estimated to be between 3 million and 100 million, and 80% of these species inhabit these forests (FAO, 2020). In fact, 45% of all tree species are members of ten families (par. 12). It is relevant to highlight that trees are relied on for food, shelter, and livelihoods by over one billion people in the world, so it goes beyond just protecting animals, which is indispensable, but also protecting our own species (WWF, n.d).                            ...

Globalization has proved that countries did establish a level of interdependency, showing how the flap of a butterfly that happens anywhere in the world, has huge consequences somewhere else, and let me say education is no exception. The whole world is currently experiencing a global pandemic as well as the challenges it represents; and an aspect that has been deeply affected has been education, losing both its reach and quality. As we are highly aware, most of the classes have been moved to an online modality becoming a great advantage for those who have the necessary technological resources, as well as a peaceful and secure home environment that allows them to attend a class without going to the classroom. I am thankful to say I am one of those few lucky people that have these advantages. In fact, EAFIT University has been supportive in several aspects. For example, it has offered services on physical and mental health which I believe were essential in those times of uncertainty and ...