Nations

This archive collects stories from Good News for Humankind involving nations — countries and their governments — as key actors in progress. Across 1,807 articles, you’ll find reporting on policy wins, international cooperation, and measurable improvements in health, climate, rights, and more.

Contraceptives

Free contraception initiative helps Finland reduce teenage abortions by 66%

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The number of abortions among women under 20 rose during the 1990s in Finland, leading the Nordic country to make morning-after pills available without prescription from 15 years of age and sexual education compulsory in all schools. As a result, the number of abortions fell 66% to 722 in 2023 from 2,144 in 2000 among all teenagers aged 19 or younger in Finland, while the drop was even steeper at 78% among those under 18 in the same period.

Claudia Sheinbaum

Mexico elects Claudia Sheinbaum as first female president

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Mexico’s official electoral authority said preliminary results showed the 61-year-old former mayor of Mexico City winning between 58% and 60% of the vote in the recent election. That gives her a lead of about 30 percentage points over her main rival, businesswoman Xóchitl Gálvez. Ms. Sheinbaum will replace her mentor, outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, on 1 October.

School of fish

Peru approves the creation of long-awaited marine protected area

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After 10 years of negotiations, Peru’s Council of Ministers has approved the creation of the Grau Tropical Sea National Reserve. To Peruvians, it is a much-awaited marine protected area, as it’s one of the most biodiverse stretches along the country’s coastline. The reserve covers over 285,000 acres of sea off the departments of Piura and Tumbes in northern Peru. The IUCN ranked the area among the 70 most important places in the world for marine biodiversity conservation.

IRS tax filings

U.S.’s Internal Revenue Service to make its free tax filing program permanent

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A pilot version of the online program, known as Direct File, launched earlier this year. It provides step-by-step guidance to taxpayers filing their federal tax returns.

A pilot version of the online program, known as Direct File, launched earlier this year. It provides free step-by-step guidance to taxpayers filing their federal tax returns. Last year, more than 140,000 people across 12 states successfully filed their federal tax returns using Direct File, exceeding the agency’s expectations. Next year, the IRS plans to allow some taxpayers in all states and Washington, DC, to use the program.

A researcher handling a vaccine vial in a clinical lab for an article about cancer vaccine trials

NHS launches world-first cancer vaccine matchmaking program in England

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Cancer vaccine trials are now being fast-tracked through a landmark NHS program in England that matches patients with personalized mRNA vaccines built around their individual tumors. The Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad, operating across 30 hospitals, uses the same mRNA technology behind COVID-19 vaccines to design custom treatments targeting each patient’s unique cancer mutations. The program aims to eliminate remaining cancer cells after surgery before they can return. Early immune response data is encouraging, and a 2024 trial showed a 44% reduction in melanoma recurrence when similar vaccines were combined with immunotherapy.

Aral Sea time lapse 1989 2014

Uzbekistan plants millions of acres of forest where the Aral Sea once lay

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Instead of trying to restore what used to be the world’s third largest lake, officials from the Uzbekistan Forestry Agency and locals are trying to plant a new forest where it once rested. The main purpose of the afforestation project it to curb the harmful sandstorms and improve the ecosystem by planting desert-tolerant plants. The initiative has so far planted 4.2 million acres of forest, with up to 494,000 acres of new forest planned for 2024.

Flags of European nations at the United Nations General Assembly for an article about Palestinian statehood recognition — 12 words.

Ireland, Norway, and Spain jointly recognize Palestine as a state

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At a time when European capitals are divided over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the initiative aims to relaunch the peace process on the basis of the two-state solution. The State of Palestine is now recognized as a sovereign state by 145 of the 193 member states of the United Nations. It has been a non-member observer state of the United Nations General Assembly since November 2012.

Ukrainian flag

Spain to give Ukraine €1 billion in military aid in decade-long defense deal

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Although the precise details of the agreement have not been made public, the Spanish government said its assistance would “allow Ukraine to prioritize its capacities, including its air defenses.” The bilateral deal was agreed two days after Russia’s onslaught in the north-eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv killed 18 people, and as E.U. leaders grow increasingly exasperated with Hungary’s efforts to block aid to Ukraine.

Plant coming out of concrete

‘Absolute miracle’ breakthrough provides recipe for zero-carbon cement

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Concrete is the world’s most used building material, and making it is a particularly dirty business – concrete production alone is responsible for about 8% of total global CO2 emissions. But according to new research from the University of Cambridge, throwing old concrete into steel-processing furnaces not only purifies iron but produces “reactivated cement” as a byproduct. If done using renewable energy, the process could make for completely carbon-zero cement.

Good news for public health

HIV transmissions in the U.S. dropped 12% between 2018 and 2002

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According to recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) HIV Surveillance Supplemental Report, the largest decrease in HIV infections from 2018 to 2022 was among men ages 13 to 24, where HIV infections decreased by 30%. In another recent report, the CDC found that over 80% of people diagnosed with HIV had access to care within one month of diagnosis. Furthermore, 65% had achieved viral suppression in 2022.