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Islamabad (18 June, 2014): Sustainable power generation is a top priority of the current government of Pakistan to address the energy crisis in the long run. This was stated by Prof. Ahsan Iqbal, Federal Minister for Planning and Development at the International Wind Energy Conference organized by World Wind Energy Association (WWEA), Alternate Energy Development Board (AEDB) and Heinrich Boll Stiftung Pakistan in Islamabad.

Free media are essential for India, the world's largest democracy. But religious intolerance, political influence and corporate control over the media constitute a common set of factors which harm freedom of expression.

In its attempt to undermine a pluralistic media environment the Hungarian government launched an offensive against the Norwegian NGO Fund operating in the county. It started as a usual political battle, but behind the scenes there is going on much more.

"In a globalised world that is closely interconnected through trade, investment, migration and the Internet, a ‘without us’ attitude just isn’t realistic", emphazised Ralf Fücks in his opening speech of our 15th Annual Foreign Policy Conference, which asked for current status of Germany's foreign policy.

In his speech at the opening event of the 15th Annual Foreign Policy Conference Prof. Dr. Heinrich August Winkler illustrates the historical development of Europe. The German opening towards the political culture of the West is the most important lesson drawn from the Age of Extremes, according to the historian.

Officially there are no legal obstacles to women participating in politics in Afghanistan. However only one woman registered as a presidential candidate among many men, making discrimination against women in Afghan politics obvious.

Analysts believe that the sex market will be very active during the World Cup. In Brazil, prostitution is not a crime, but it is not regulated as a profession either.

Video:  At the opening event of our 15th Annual Foreign Policy Conference, international guests discussed whether German foreign policy is ready to respond appropriately to current challenges

Yaseen Samim is a politician and the spokesperson for the "Solidarity Network for Change". He hopes for the engagement of the new generation and a professionalization of politics in Afghanistan.

Avani Tewari is a 19 year old law student from New Delhi, pursuing her studies from Jindal Global Law School in Sonipat. In this web dossier Avani is writing down her reflection on the main debates in the media after the elections and her personal impression of the political discussion.

With a favourable ratio between the working age population, children and senior citizens India is at the onset of a "demographic bonus". Will the new government be able to utilise this advantage for sustainable economic growth?

Basigul Sharifi writes poems about love and tragedy in life. She has experienced the life of a refugee and is a sensitive, calm but highly motivated person. In the interview she talks to us about poetry, peace and suffering.

The Brazilian government has planned a "sustainable World Cup". Great distances for the visitors and participants, and the immense construction works make it difficult to comply with the green agenda. Moreover: civil society actors have been largely ignored by the government initiative.

Brazilian athletes and activists choose sport trainings as a form of creative protest. They want to call attention to the dismal training conditions for the mega-event and they demonstrate: sport is more than a commercial spectacle.

In this interview professor Orlando Alves dos Santos Júnior (Research Institute of Urban and Regional Planning at Rio de Janeiro University), talks about the violations against citizen's rights that are happening in Brazil.

Elisangela's story is one among many of women heads of families who live in favelas of Brazilian cities, and who are suffering with the forced removals being carried out give way to World Cup-related construction works. Marilene de Paula tells her story.

In honour of Anne Klein the Heinrich Böll Foundation has created the Anne Klein Women’s Award. Anne Klein, a dedicated lawyer and openly lesbian politician, has been a pioneer of feminist causes. She served as the first feminist Women’s Senator in Berlin’s state government. The prize is annually awarded to women who have shown exemplary commitment for making gender democracy a reality.

Opening Speech of our 3-day-conference by Mekonnen Mesghena, Department Head Migration & Diversity of the Heinrich Böll Foundation.

Avani Tewari is a 19 year old law student from New Delhi, pursuing her studies from Jindal Global Law School in Sonipat. In this web dossier Avani is writing down her reflection on the main debates in the media after the elections and her personal impression of the political discussion.

The Round table discussion was organized with the students of Gilgit Baltistan on 27th May 2014 at Heinrich Boll Stiftung liaison Office in Lahore. This event was arranged by the Heinrich Boll Foundation (HBF) in collaboration with the Interactive Resource Centre (IRC) and Mountain Youth Resources & Social Welfare Organization (MYRO). A large number of youth from Gilgit Baltistan with different educational and political backgrounds participated in the discussion. Participants also included Mr. Didar Ali, Chairman Gilgit Baltistan Youth Council (GBYC) along with the executive committee of GBYC.

The EP election in Hungary resulted in a clear victory for the governing party Fidesz. The national vote was characterised primarily by an internecine competition on the left and secondarily by a battle between the far-right and the left - an analysis by Tamás Boros.

Antonieta Rodriguês is a former resident of Campinho, a community located in Madureira, north of Rio de Janeiro City. The woman lost her home and is now engaging against the removals and the injustices arising from the construction works.

According to the National Movement of the Popular Committees of the Cup 170,000 people are affected by evictions and lost their homes. Despite international standards for forced removals which are recognized in the Brazlian law, a majority of the affected will not be compensated adequately.

The burden for Brazil's costly stadiums is mainly carried by the habitants of the poorest neighborhoods, the favelas. That the habitants generally had little or no formal education and were insufficiently informed of their rights was exploited by the authorities.

Even though Recife holds the most remote stadium built for the World Cup, thousands of people were evicted from their homes. Activist Rudrigo Rafael explains how the government ignores human rights and why development projects in Recife are killing jobs.

One question that concerns many Brazilians is about the true cost of the 2014 World Cup. The data gathered by the NGO PACS shows where investment money for the World Cup comes from and where it is going. It proofs how companies profit from billions of public money.

The rural community of São Lourenço in Recife was chosen as the place for the construction of a stadium and a real estate mega-project named World Cup Village. Hundreds of families were transferred without any alternatives or financial compensation.

The Four Sisters, Brazils largest construction companies, are the big donors to political campaigns. And also they are the big winners, as a study showed: for every dollar donated the companies recieved 6.5 half dollars back in public works contracts.