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The side event “Building a Culture of Preparedness for a Sustainable Future for All” held during the 13th Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development focused on the critical role of schools in disaster preparedness. Organized by UNDP and the Government of Japan in collaboration with ESCAP, UNESCO, UNESCO-IOC, and JICA, the event highlighted how schools serve… [Read More]

The WHO Foundation has announced a collaboration with Eli Lilly and Company to strengthen global health systems for obesity prevention and care. The initiative aims to assess gaps in healthcare systems and develop sustainable, equitable approaches to obesity management, particularly in resource-limited settings. Obesity is a growing global health crisis, with over 2.5 billion adults… [Read More]

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan, together with various non-governmental organizations, launched a series of gender equality events in New York to coincide with the 70th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women. Taiwan Gender Equality Week (TGEW) officially kicked off in Times Square on International Women’s Day, one day before… [Read More]

Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, has highlighted Nigeria’s worsening socio-economic situation, describing the country as one of the poorest in the world despite its abundant natural and human resources. Obi emphasized that millions of Nigerians are trapped in poverty, warning that the nation has become one of the worst-performing countries globally and… [Read More]

Each year on International Women’s Day, global attention turns to the progress and ongoing challenges in achieving gender equality. In the Arab States, this reflection comes amid escalating conflicts and crises that threaten to undo hard-won development gains. These challenges deepen social and economic fragility, heighten insecurity, and exacerbate existing inequalities, with women and girls… [Read More]

The Ontario government is providing the Township of Nairn and Hyman with up to $90,000 in disaster recovery funding to support emergency response efforts and repairs to critical infrastructure following the July 2025 flooding. The funding is part of the Municipal Disaster Recovery Assistance (MDRA) program, which helps municipalities cover extraordinary costs from natural disasters… [Read More]

Women and girls with disabilities in Kyrgyzstan face alarming levels of harassment, physical and sexual abuse, and economic discrimination, despite recent legal reforms aimed at protecting their rights. Human Rights Watch highlighted that progress on paper has not translated into meaningful protection, as many survivors remain unheard and unable to access the justice system. Research… [Read More]

Since the Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling that the US Constitution does not guarantee a right to abortion, state restrictions have put pregnant people at serious risk, leading to preventable deaths when abortion care is denied or delayed. Thirteen states now enforce complete abortion bans, while others impose strict limits on when a pregnancy can be… [Read More]

Last week, a St. Petersburg court, in a closed-door hearing, designated the prominent Russian LGBT rights group Coming Out as an “extremist organization,” delivering a severe blow to a community already targeted by the Kremlin’s “traditional values” agenda. This marks the first time an LGBT rights organization has been formally labeled extremist since Russia’s Supreme… [Read More]

Authoritarian regimes consistently impose harsher restrictions on women’s and girls’ rights compared to democracies, but modern authoritarian governments differ from those of the 20th century. Whereas past restrictions on women were often tied to broader ideological struggles, today gender and sexuality are directly targeted as political enemies. Leaders such as Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin… [Read More]

Iranian authorities have imposed a widespread internet shutdown and severe communications restrictions, which Human Rights Watch warns put civilians at serious risk. On February 28, 2026, internet traffic in Iran dropped by 98 percent following strikes by the United States and Israel, signaling a near-total blackout. State-affiliated media reported that only pre-approved websites remained accessible… [Read More]

Human Rights Watch has urged the Australian government to strengthen gender-focused approaches across all crisis responses, emphasizing that gender equality is critical to global peace, security, and justice. Following a February 2026 submission to the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defense and Trade, the organization highlighted the disproportionate impact of conflict, crisis, and climate… [Read More]

Amnesty International has warned that the Nigerian government must urgently investigate gas leaks in the Bille community, located in the Niger Delta, which are endangering residents’ lives. Reports dating back to October 2025 describe bubbling water and a sulphurous smell across mangrove swamps, rivers, and the town itself, with some residents even able to ignite… [Read More]

Over the past four days, Israel’s military has issued repeated, overly broad evacuation orders across Lebanon, affecting more than 100 villages and towns in the south, east, and the entirety of Beirut’s southern suburbs, displacing hundreds of thousands of people. Kristine Beckerle, Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International,… [Read More]

The Taliban has endorsed a new Criminal Procedure Regulation of the Courts, which Amnesty International warns will deepen discrimination and violence against women and minority groups. The regulation imposes harsh and vague punishments, criminalizing domestic violence only when women suffer visible injuries, and restricting women’s freedom of movement by penalizing visits to family without a… [Read More]

Trần Thị Thu Quỳnh grew up in a small family in Lạng Sơn, northern Vietnam, and defied local norms by completing high school and pursuing electronics and telecommunication engineering at university. Her studies were nearly derailed when both her parents were diagnosed with cancer, but a scholarship from The Asia Foundation allowed her to continue… [Read More]

Timed to coincide with World Seagrass Day, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has announced fourteen new locally-led seagrass conservation projects across Africa under the Great Blue Wall initiative. Although seagrasses cover only 0.1% of the ocean floor, they play a critical role in storing nearly 18% of the ocean’s carbon and providing… [Read More]

Women play a central role in local economies across Sub-Saharan Africa, yet persistent barriers in access to finance, energy, and productive assets limit their economic potential. In energy-poor contexts, women bear disproportionate unpaid labor, health risks, and financial exclusion, even as they form the backbone of household and small enterprise activity. Limited access to reliable… [Read More]

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, is financing the development of the Olavarría Wind Farm in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, alongside investments to expand transmission capacity along the Bahía Blanca–Abasto high-voltage corridor. The US$275 million project, co-developed with PCR (Petroquímica Comodoro Rivadavia S.A.) and Acindar Industria Argentina de Aceros… [Read More]

The Social Investment Fund (SIF) in Guernsey has increased its grant funding for 2026 to a total of £1.67 million, offering significant support to charities and not-for-profit organizations. Of this, £330,000 is designated for small grants of up to £15,000, while £1.34 million is allocated for major grants exceeding £15,000, aimed at groups providing essential… [Read More]

Lebanon is facing a rapidly escalating humanitarian crisis as renewed hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel intensify across the region. Since early March, airstrikes have targeted several areas including southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley, and the Beirut–Mount Lebanon region. Evacuation orders affecting more than one hundred villages have forced tens of thousands of families to flee… [Read More]

Angola has taken an important step toward strengthening its national health security by completing the 2025 State Party Annual Report (SPAR), a key assessment tool under the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005). The report evaluates the country’s capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to public health threats. Through this process, Angola has reviewed its progress… [Read More]

The Government of Canada has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that people across the country can live free from violence by strengthening support for individuals experiencing gender-based violence. As part of this effort, the federal government has announced an investment of $630,976 for the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters to address service gaps affecting at-risk… [Read More]