ritu

The latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis shows a severe deterioration in food security and malnutrition across Kenya, driven by consecutive failed rainfall seasons. While Kenya is not typically seen among the world’s worst hunger crises, the rapid decline in conditions highlights the growing urgency. In northern and north-eastern counties, families are witnessing… [Read More]

Three months ago, a women-led organisation in rural Malawi closed after eight years of running a girls’ education programme. The organisation had reached over 3,000 girls, trained 50 educators, and built trusted partnerships with local schools. When its main funder withdrew, the organisation had only 90 days of runway. The founder reached out, not for… [Read More]

Ipswich Borough Council’s Executive is set to decide how to allocate grant funding from the £1.5 million Pride in Place Impact Fund, following strong interest from local organisations. The fund, provided by the Government, is intended to improve community spaces and revitalize public areas across the town. Since the fund’s launch, the Council has engaged… [Read More]

Successful mission-oriented innovation policy requires a government policy mix and budget that are both targeted and sufficient to support transformative goals. Dedicated multi-year funding provides companies with certainty about the government’s commitment and can be flexibly used across programmes and ministries. Austria’s Transformative Missions use a centralized budget structure to allocate funds to specific missions,… [Read More]

The United Nations is set to hold elections in April for the 19-member UN Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations, which oversees accreditation for civil society groups. This election comes at a time of increasing pressure on human rights and civil society organizations globally, as governments restrict funding, block foreign grants, and criminalize activist work. Most candidates… [Read More]

Southern Transitional Council (STC) in February 2026, Human Rights Watch stated. Protests occurred across Aden, Shabwa, and Hadramout governorates, with government forces firing at demonstrators, killing at least six people, injuring dozens, and detaining many without due process. In Aden and Hadramout, detained protesters were held for days without charges or access to legal counsel,… [Read More]

Amnesty International has condemned the US for a deadly airstrike on Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School in Minab, Hormozgan province, Iran, which killed 168 people, including over 100 children. Evidence indicates that the school, though previously part of an IRGC compound, had been a separate civilian facility for several years, and US forces failed to take… [Read More]

Amnesty International has warned that Bangladesh could face serious human rights abuses unless Meta takes timely and effective action to address harmful content on Facebook. In the lead-up to the country’s 12 February parliamentary elections, observers noted a surge in misleading and inflammatory content targeting political parties and minority communities. Much of this content reportedly… [Read More]

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has been working to strengthen the cashew nut value chain in Guinea-Bissau, the country’s main export product, under the “One Country, One Priority Product” (OCOP) initiative led by FAO Director-General Dr. Qu Dongyu. Launched in August 2023, the project aims to increase productivity, sustainability, and… [Read More]

Rotavirus vaccination continues to have a major impact on child health in Ghana, significantly reducing hospitalisations and deaths from severe diarrhoeal disease. Since the introduction of the vaccine in 2012, over 1.8 million cases have been averted, and rotavirus-related hospitalisations have dropped by 42%. Sustained surveillance is critical to maintaining these gains, guiding national immunisation… [Read More]

The Minister of Health, Hon. Sarah Cleto Rial, accompanied by senior officials from the National Legislative Assembly, Council of States, and the World Health Organization (WHO) Representative in South Sudan, Dr. Humphrey Karamagi, concluded a two-day high-level visit to Rumbek Centre in Lakes State and Gogrial West County in Warrap State from 11–13 March 2026…. [Read More]

EIB Global has committed €40 million to Speedinvest’s first dedicated Africa-focused investment vehicle, aimed at financing high-growth technology startups across the continent. This initiative strengthens EU–Africa ties, promotes digital transformation, and supports inclusive economic growth, enabling African innovators to scale regionally and globally. At least 30% of the fund’s capital will target companies advancing gender… [Read More]

The European Union and ALIPH have launched 29 new cultural heritage projects across Central Asia, co-funded with a total of EUR 1.5 million—EUR 1.1 million from the EU and the remainder from ALIPH. These projects will be implemented in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, aiming to safeguard both tangible and intangible heritage threatened by… [Read More]

The European Commission has confirmed €450 million in humanitarian aid for 2026 to support Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt, ensuring life-saving assistance continues amid a challenging regional context and the withdrawal of major donors. The funding addresses urgent humanitarian needs and reinforces compliance with International Humanitarian Law while sustaining critical support for millions affected… [Read More]

Minister for Education and Youth Hildegarde Naughton TD has announced the opening of applications for a €100,000 grant fund to support organisations delivering non-mainstream music education. The funding is designed for groups with limited or no access to other public funding and can be used to cover music classes, instruments, and equipment for out-of-school programmes…. [Read More]

The UK government has announced a £31.6 million funding boost to provide vulnerable women caught in cycles of crime with targeted support, including drug rehabilitation, employment assistance, and housing. The investment will enable women’s centres and charities across the country to deliver specialist help to female offenders, most of whom are themselves victims of crime…. [Read More]

The UK government has confirmed over £50 million in targeted support for low-income households that rely on heating oil to help tackle surging fuel prices. The price of kerosene, used for heating oil, has risen sharply due to the conflict in the Middle East and is currently double the cost of crude oil. Unlike gas and… [Read More]

The UK Foreign Secretary, Yvette Cooper, has announced over £5 million in additional emergency humanitarian funding to support vulnerable and displaced civilians across Lebanon. The funding will be delivered through partners including the World Food Programme (WFP), the Lebanese Red Cross via the British Red Cross, and the UN OCHA Lebanon Humanitarian Fund. Cooper warned… [Read More]

The UK government has announced a £1.4 billion investment in flood defences for 2026/27, aimed at protecting tens of thousands of homes and businesses across England. This funding, part of a record £10.5 billion programme running from 2024 to 2036, will support the construction of new flood schemes and upgrades to existing defences, including flood… [Read More]

At the 2026 Green Growth Summit in Brussels, Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), highlighted the strategic importance of renewable energy amid global energy volatility. Speaking to European climate ministers, investors, and stakeholders, he emphasized that renewables offer countries energy independence, reducing reliance on vulnerable shipping routes and… [Read More]

The fighting in the Middle East has intensified into what experts describe as a regional “spiral of conflict,” involving Iranian drone and missile attacks on Gulf States and Israeli strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. On 28 February, the US and Israel launched a major aerial campaign against Iran, targeting military and nuclear sites. Over… [Read More]

At least 1.4 million people, mostly in the capital Port-au-Prince, have been forced to flee their homes due to escalating gang violence, creating what the UN’s Designated Expert on human rights in Haiti, William O’Neill, describes as an “unprecedented level of internal displacement.” Speaking from UN Headquarters in New York after a 10-day mission to… [Read More]

The Ontario government is ending provincial funding for seven drug injection sites located in communities already served by Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hubs, part of a broader strategy to prioritize treatment, recovery, and public safety. With nearly $550 million invested to establish 28 HART Hubs across the province, these centers provide integrated mental… [Read More]