Journalists working for Thomson Reuters Foundation's AlertNet and TrustLaw news services cover humanitarian issues, climate change, women's rights and corruption around the world.
We asked the team to highlight some of the stories on their radar in 2013. See their responses below.
2013 pressing issues
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We'd love to hear your thoughts too. Send your "pressing issues" to contribute@youtrust.org by Jan. 18. We'll consider them for publication.
Here are a few issues our journalists thought of:
1/ Countries in transition: Our eyes are on South Sudan as violence threatens to erupt along its disputed northern border; Myanmar as foreign money flows in; Arab Spring nations as they finish new constitutions; Afghanistan as it braces for NATO troop withdrawals; Pakistan as aid diminishes and cracks widen between military and judiciary… And of course Syria, where it's hard to imagine the humanitarian situation getting any worse. Sadly it can.
2/ The temperature in Pyongyang: Is North Korea coming in from the cold – or at least thawing slightly? Signs are mixed. Yes, new leader Kim Jong-un has called for an end to confrontation with the South. Heck, the boss of Google even visited Pyongyang. But that didn't stop North Korea lobbing a long-range rocket into space in December. Meanwhile, what's the latest on the country's chronic hunger crisis?
3/ Aid crunch: Will this be the year we see the full impact of the financial crisis on global aid? Official development assistance from major donors has already fallen more than $4 billion, according to last year's data. Humanitarian aid is also down. But the full brunt of austerity budgets is only starting to hit, and we may see savage cuts in 2013.
4/ Waking up to women's rights: The brutal gang rape of a young woman in Delhi in December has sparked unprecedented public outrage and national debate in largely patriarchal India. For the first time, India is heading to a national election due by May 2014 with women's rights as an issue. Will those demanding better protection for women, larger gender budgeting, stricter laws for rape and more opportunities for women be able to keep up the pressure? Will women's rights become a permanent part of the political agenda?
5/ Mali insurgency: Finally, I'll be curious to see whether the warning made by Paris' top anti-terrorism judge comes true in 2013. Marc Trevedic has said insurgency in the north of Mali is paving the way for attacks on France (the former colonial ruler) as more French Muslims of African origin are finding a cause in the conflict.
6/ Violent weather: Australia's weather forecasters had to add two new colour bands to their reports in January – purple and magenta – to reflect the continent's first-ever-recorded temperatures above 50 degrees Celsius. As climate change drives more extreme weather, what will 2013 bring? Bet on worsening floods and droughts – including quick switches between the two extremes in some places – as well as record high temperatures and strengthening storms.
7/ Arab Summer? Will instability and change reach more countries in the Middle East and North Africa? Is there hope for stability in the region and what will happen with the much-talked about issue of women's rights?
7/ Anti-corruption gets sexy this year. Anger over inequality and unemployment fuels the growing wave of anti-corruption protests. Watch for Indonesia to join Russia, India and China. And Saudi Arabia?
9/ Myanmar reforms: I'll be focused on Myanmar after a year of unprecedented reforms – political prisoners released, censorship laws relaxed, demonstrations allowed, peace negotiations with ethnic rebels…
But 2012 ended with worrying signs, including a violent crackdown on protests, air strikes against Kachin rebels and bloody sectarian conflicts between Buddhist Rakhines and stateless Muslim Rohingyas. Land grabs continue. How will a country perceived as one of the world's most corrupt deal with expected inflows of aid and investment?
10/ China cracks: The diet of four-course meals plus soup ordered up by President Xi Jinping to curb the greed of public officials won't sate China. The new middle class's popular disgust over rampant corruption will threaten the Communist Party's grip on power. Educated and social-media savvy Chinese citizens are hungry for a more accountable government. Can Red Capitalism reform in time?
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