Sanitation challenges are growing at unprecedented rates in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, specifically in the country of Jordan, where more adversities are faced in the provision of inclusive and sustainable sanitation for marginalized communities. The overloaded water supply systems, strained by high population density in the face of political instability manifests itself in poor public health. How countries in the MENA region plan to handle these problems and improve the sanitation infrastructure is the starting point for this work. We aim to develop a comprehensive and multidisciplinary framework between stakeholders, aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a specific emphasis on SDG 6, for providing feasible, community-oriented approaches to sanitation issues in disenfranchised communities in Jordan through the Initiative Sanitation and Hygiene Networking in Jordanian Poverty Pockets (ISNJO) project. The findings will be used to formulate strategic guidelines and inform the development and subsequent initiation of innovative and multidisciplinary initiatives to tackle the sanitation and water scarcity challenges at hand.

Compared with their fellow citizens in the city, rural residents are more likely to be affected by ecological restoration programs and policies. Yet no one has conducted a large-scale study of how ecological conservation impacts rural livelihoods and the economic status of rural households, especially in China. To fill that knowledge gap, I collected and analyzed relevant data from 2007 to 2018 for western and eastern China. I found that the relationship between western China’s green coverage rate and rural income followed an inverted U curve whereas that between its green coverage rate and urban-rural income gap was instead U-shaped, suggesting that ecological restoration has come to eventually negatively impact the economic welfare of rural residents in western China; however, the complete opposite was found in eastern China. Greater urbanization, financial support, and infrastructure such as education, medical, and Internet services would help to improve the current situation in western China. This suggests the government should take actions—such as improving the quality of farmer training to the rural residents and improving infrastructure construction—to help farmers acquire a new source of income and narrow the urban-rural income gap in parallel to implementing ecological restoration projects.

The journey towards better healthcare sustainability in Asian nations demands a comprehensive investigation into the impact of urban governance, poverty, and female literacy on infant mortality rates. This study undertakes a rigorous exploration of these key factors to pave the way for evidence-based policy interventions, utilizing data from a panel of six selected Asian countries: Pakistan, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines, spanning the years 2001 to 2020. The findings reveal that adequate sanitation facilities, higher female literacy rates, and sustained economic growth contribute to a reduction in infant mortality. Conversely, increased poverty levels and limited women’s autonomy exacerbate the infant mortality rates observed in these countries. The Granger causality analysis validates the reciprocal relationship between urban sanitation (and poverty) and infant mortality rates. Furthermore, the study establishes a causal relationship where female literacy rates Granger-cause infant mortality rates, and conversely, infant mortality rates Granger-cause women’s autonomy in these countries. The variance decomposition analysis indicates that sustained economic growth, improved female literacy rates, and enhanced women’s empowerment will likely impact infant mortality rates in the coming decade. Consequently, in low-income regions where numerous children face potentially hazardous circumstances, it is imperative to allocate resources towards establishing and maintaining accessible fundamental knowledge regarding sanitation services, as this will aid in reducing infant mortality rates.

Contract workers are the direct victims of casualization but beyond that, the effects they suffer transcend to their families and the larger society. The study examined the effects of casualization on the contract workers of banks in Sokoto, Nigeria. The primary methods of gathering data for the study were in-depth and key informant interviews, with sixty individuals who were specifically chosen. Following content analysis, the gathered data were presented narratively with verbatim quotations. According to the study, there are a number of negative effects of casualization, such as low wages that contribute to a low standard of living and the inability of employees and their families to adequately meet their basic needs, the arbitrary termination of casual employees without cause, and the lack of a claim for work-related injuries or diseases in the event of an accident or death. The overall inference is that the temporary employees are working in appallingly subpar conditions. The study suggests that in order to raise the living standards of their temporary employees, banks should provide welfare packages. Additionally, because inflation is on the rise, contract employees’ compensation should be reviewed upward.

Finance is the core of the modern economy and the bloodline of the real economy; adherence to the people-centered value orientation and the financial services of the real economy as the fundamental purpose is an important connotation of the road of economic development with Chinese characteristics. Financial work is distinctly political and people-oriented, and must consciously practice the concept of the people, serve agricultural and rural development and farmers to increase their income and contribute to the common prosperity of farmers and rural areas. This study is based on the key factors affecting the multidimensional poverty of rural households—external rural financial resources availability and internal rural household entrepreneurship, rural household risk resilience, and rural household financial capability joint analysis. Based on financial exclusion theory, financial inclusion theory, poverty trap theory, and financial literacy theory, to build a logical framework between the rural financial resources availability, farmers’ financial capability, farmers’ entrepreneurship, farmers’ risk management capability, and farmers’ poverty, and then empirically explore the optimization mechanism of poverty reduction for farmers, and analyze the heterogeneity of the financial resources availability, to reduce the return to poverty caused by the lack of entrepreneurial motivation and the low level of risk resilience of rural households. The study aims to improve the farmers’ financial capability and promote sustainable and high-quality development of rural households. In this study, we modeled financial resource availability and rural household poverty using structural equations and surveyed rural households using a scale questionnaire. It was found that financial resource availability significantly affects rural household risk resilience, farmers’ entrepreneurship, and rural household poverty and that rural household risk resilience significance mediates the relationship between financial resource availability and rural household poverty, financial capability plays a significant moderating role. However, the mediating effect of farmers’ entrepreneurship on the availability of financial resources and farmers’ poverty is insignificant. Here, we put forward corresponding countermeasures and recommendations: guiding the allocation of financial resources to key areas and weak links; optimizing financial services; and building a long-term mechanism.

Cooperatives have become significant contributors to the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals No. 1: No Poverty. Transitioning associations to cooperatives is crucial for promoting sustainable economic development, empowering communities, and enhancing collective well-being. This research assessed the readiness of Small-Scale Fisheries (SSF) communities in the Global South to form a cooperative. This research employed an exploratory research approach in six coastal Barangays of Batad, situated in the 5th District of Iloilo Province. The findings indicated that respondents have a slight level of awareness with regard to the advantages and economic advantages associated with becoming part of a cooperative. On the other hand, there was a clear difference in members’ perceptions of the benefits and financial returns that comes with belonging to a cooperative. According to the study, females are more likely to support the association’s move towards a cooperative structure, especially younger individuals. The main issue highlighted was the lack of skilled officers and inadequate resources and training for association members. A lecture on Cooperative Awareness and capability trainings on financial management, bookkeeping, and credit management should be organized in order to increase associations readiness to be a cooperative.