The IPS Columnist Service supplements the IPS News Service with the production of exclusive op-ed pieces written by authors of international acclaim who analyse changes and new trends in politics, culture, and the economy all over the globe, with a particular focus on the South. Content is provided by: statesmen/women, officials, opposition leaders, opinion-makers, leading cultural figures and experts.

Every week the IPS Columnist Service distributes two opinion columns written by renowned international figures. Prominent columnists have included Leonardo Boff, Eduardo Galeano, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Irene Khan, Wangari Maathai, Mary Robinson, Vandana Shiva, Desmond Tutu and many others. Since it was founded, in 1990, the IPS Columnist Service has expanded its list of contributing authors to several hundred, many of whom are leaders or prominent participants in the events or processes they write about. Authors and topics are selected in such a way as to ensure the widest possible expression of different cultural, geographic and ideological backgrounds.

The IPS weekly columns are published by over 200 media outlets, both in the North and the South. The service is distributed through the IPS global telecommunications network and is marketed separately from the agency’s daily news service.

The IPS Columns pages, available both in English and in Spanish, contain abstracts of the Columnist Service. Editors of print media outlets interested in reading the full text of a column are kindly invited to contact the IPS Columnist Service, specifying the name and address of the publication as well as a proposed rate for use.

Individuals or organisations that do not represent print media outlets can also gain access to the full IPS Columnist Service, as well as a host of other products, by making a subscription to the IPS Premium Service Package (in English or Spanish).