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+ {"source_url": "https://www.sootoday.com", "url": "https://www.sootoday.com/global-news/its-not-so-bad-here-are-some-things-that-improved-in-2019-1993179", "title": "It\u2019s not so bad. Here are some things that improved in 2019", "top_image": "https://www.vmcdn.ca/f/files/shared/feeds/global/2020/01/nyye164.jpg;w=1200;h=800;mode=crop", "meta_img": "https://www.vmcdn.ca/f/files/shared/feeds/global/2020/01/nyye164.jpg;w=1200;h=800;mode=crop", "images": ["https://www.vmcdn.ca/f/files/shared/feeds/global/2020/01/nyye164.jpg;w=1200;h=800;mode=crop", "https://shawglobalnews.files.wordpress.com/2019/12/raw_3q02_year_end_good_news_2.jpg?quality=70&strip=all&w=683&h=1024", "https://www.vmcdn.ca/files/sootoday/layout/sootoday_white.svg", "https://sb.scorecardresearch.com/p?c1=2&c2=21059523&cv=2.0&cj=1", "https://www.vmcdn.ca/f/files/shared/feeds/global/2020/01/nyye164.jpg;w=960", "https://shawglobalnews.files.wordpress.com/2019/12/raw_3q02_year_end_good_news_11.jpg?quality=70&strip=all&w=1024&h=880", "https://www.sootoday.com/images/blank.gif"], "movies": [], "text": "While it may seem as though 2019 was just one negative news story after another, it wasn\u2019t all bad.\n\nWhile it may seem as though 2019 was just one negative news story after another, it wasn\u2019t all bad.\n\nAmid the divisive politics, violent uprisings and devastating natural disasters there were moments of levity and, believe it or not, concrete improvements.\n\nIt\u2019s easy for good news to be overshadowed, so Global News has made a list.\n\nHere\u2019s a look at some of the ways things improved last year.\n\nRate of extreme poverty on the decline\n\n\n\nAccording to the United Nations, the rate of extreme poverty across the globe is on the decline.\n\nREAD MORE: Pregnant teens face higher rates of depression, poverty and substance use, study says\n\nIn its Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) report for 2019, the organization said the share of the world\u2019s population living in extreme poverty decreased to 10 per cent in 2015, from 16 per cent in 2010 and 36 per cent in 1990.\n\nAccording to the report, the 2018 rate of extreme poverty was down to 8.6 per cent.\n\nThe report said that over the past 25 years, more than one billion people have lifted themselves out of poverty.\n\nFewer children dying\n\n\n\nWhen it comes to child survival rates, the United Nations said the world has made \u201cremarkable progress.\u201d\n\nAccording to the SDG report, the under-five mortality rate has fallen by 49 per cent \u2014 from 77 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2000 to 39 deaths in 2017.\n\nThe global neonatal mortality rate also fell from 31 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2000 to 18 deaths in 2017, representing a 41 per cent reduction.\n\nStriving for gender equality\n\n\n\nEach year the World Economic Forum releases a Gender Parity Report that benchmarks 153 countries on their progress towards gender parity.\n\nIn its 2020 report, the forum found that overall, the quest for equality has improved. Of the countries ranked, 101 improved their scores over the previous year.\n\nThe report said 25 countries have mostly closed the gender gap in education at 96.1 per cent. Health care was also close to parity at 95.7 per cent. It will, however, take 99.5 years to achieve gender parity worldwide \u2014 but that number is down from the 108 years projected in the forum\u2019s 2018 index. READ MORE: Canada falls 3 spots in global gender parity rankings to 19th place\n\nWhile we may not see gender parity in our lifetime, a number of steps in the right direction were made this year:\n\nIn January, a record 102 women took seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.\n\nIn November, Canada\u2019s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appointed his second gender-balanced cabinet.\n\nEarlier this month, 34-year-old Sanna Marin was sworn in as prime minister of Finland. She now leads a coalition government with five women (four of whom are under the age of 35) occupying top spots.\n\nAccording to the United Nations, as of Jan. 1 2019, women\u2019s representation in national parliaments ranged from 0 per cent to 61.3 per cent, averaging at 24.3 per cent, an increase of five percentage points since 2010.\n\nHealth victories\n\nThis year also saw a number of notable achievements when it comes to health:\n\nIn March, doctors reported a London man appeared to become the second person ever to be cured of the AIDS virus after receiving a bone marrow transplant\n\nIn October, the world\u2019s first Ebola vaccination received conditional authorization in what the World Health Organization (WHO) called a \u201ctriumph for public health.\u201d\n\nLater that month, the WHO announced a strain of polio known as poliovirus Type 3 (WPV3) was eradicated worldwide.\n\nA month later, the world\u2019s first HIV-positive sperm bank launched in New Zealand.\n\nResearchers also unveiled a long-awaited therapy to treat cystic fibrosis that has proven to dramatically improve patients\u2019 lung function, instead of just helping to manage symptoms.", "keywords": [], "meta_keywords": [""], "tags": ["Finland", "Hong Kong", "Russia", "France", "United Nations", "Lebanon", "Iran", "Iraq"], "authors": ["Global News"], "publish_date": null, "summary": "", "article_html": "", "meta_description": "While it may seem as though 2019 was just one negative news story after another, it wasn\u2019t all bad.", "meta_lang": "en", "meta_favicon": "https://www.vmcdn.ca/files/ui/icons/fav/at.png", "meta_data": {"referrer": "always", "viewport": "width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0", "og": {"site_name": "SooToday.com", "type": "article", "title": "It\u2019s not so bad. Here are some things that improved in 2019", "description": "While it may seem as though 2019 was just one negative news story after another, it wasn’t all bad.", "url": "https://www.sootoday.com/global-news/its-not-so-bad-here-are-some-things-that-improved-in-2019-1993179", "image": {"identifier": "https://www.vmcdn.ca/f/files/shared/feeds/global/2020/01/nyye164.jpg;w=1200;h=800;mode=crop", "width": 1200, "height": 800}}, "fb": {"app_id": 253883948067202}, "twitter": {"site": "@SooToday", "card": "summary_large_image"}, "description": "While it may seem as though 2019 was just one negative news story after another, it wasn’t all bad.", "article": {"section": "Global News"}, "apple-mobile-web-app-title": "SooToday.com", "msapplication-config": "https://www.vmcdn.ca/files/ui/icons/fav/browserconfig.xml", "theme-color": "#ffffff"}, "canonical_link": "https://www.sootoday.com/global-news/its-not-so-bad-here-are-some-things-that-improved-in-2019-1993179"}