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On Bundjalung Country in northern New South Wales, a youth-led and Indigenous-designed initiative has supported Aboriginal girls to reconnect with culture on Country while developing practical skills for the future. The Bundjalung Bush Food Youth Program was established in response to significant challenges facing Indigenous young people in the Northern Rivers region, including high rates… [Read More]

Recovery in small regional communities extends far beyond the immediate aftermath of disasters, even as the early days are often marked by remarkable generosity and local solidarity. While emergency response and short-term assistance are critical, the true recovery process is slow, deeply rooted in relationships, and often invisible from the outside. Rebuilding homes, businesses, and… [Read More]

Agriculture remains the backbone of Kenya’s economy, contributing 22 percent of GDP and employing more than 70 percent of the rural population. Despite this importance, most smallholder farmers depend on rain-fed agriculture, leaving them highly exposed to erratic rainfall and recurring droughts. Although irrigation could significantly reduce these risks, only a small portion of Kenya’s… [Read More]

Indian non-profit organisation Educate Girls has been awarded the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award, dedicating the honour to its 55,000 field coordinators, volunteers, and youth mentors who have played a critical role in bringing millions of girls in India back to school. Often described as Asia’s Nobel Prize, the award was announced on 31 August and… [Read More]

Vice President JD Vance announced that the Trump administration is expanding the Mexico City Policy to restrict U.S. government funding not only for organizations that perform or promote abortions abroad, but also for those the administration says promote diversity, equity and inclusion and what it describes as “gender ideology.” The announcement was made at the… [Read More]

The United Nations Development Programme in Seychelles convened an event with small and medium-sized enterprises on 23 January at UNDP House in Bel Eau to celebrate entrepreneurship, gender equality, and regional trade integration. The gathering brought together senior government officials, diplomatic representatives, development partners, and participants of the Xport Accelerator Programme, reflecting strong national and… [Read More]

Ari starts his day navigating Jakarta’s streets, collecting recyclable waste from homes and small businesses. He is a waste picker, and he lives with a visual impairment. In a system that often overlooks both informal workers and persons with disabilities, his work is rarely seen. Yet without people like Ari, Indonesia’s recycling system would be… [Read More]

Bangladesh is advancing toward a more inclusive justice system by integrating digital solutions to better serve marginalized communities. With support from the European Union, the National Legal Aid Services Organization and UNDP Bangladesh are implementing a pilot initiative to introduce digital legal aid services across eight districts. The effort aims to simplify access to justice,… [Read More]

This report presents an in-depth analysis of how 54 selected Albanian businesses engage with sustainability, offering insights to inform future policy and programme design. For most firms, sustainability action is primarily driven by internal economic considerations, particularly energy efficiency and cost savings, rather than external regulatory pressure or consumer demand. More advanced sustainability practices are… [Read More]

Between 2024 and 2025, Albanian consumer confidence faced significant challenges due to a series of high-profile food safety incidents, domestic fraud, and controversies in waste management. Reports of Albanian agricultural exports being rejected in Europe for pesticide residues or heavy metals, cases of expired food being relabeled and resold domestically, and Salmonella contamination in imported… [Read More]

Uzbekistan has launched the second phase of its “Islands of Integrity” anti-corruption methodology, expanding a local governance approach that has already delivered practical results in several regions. The launch in Turtkul District brought together national and international partners, including government officials, the UNDP Resident Representative, and EU representatives. The initiative builds on a pilot phase… [Read More]

When Klint Reci returned to his hometown of Rrëshen, Albania, he faced the question many young returnees share: what comes next? At 30, he invested in himself by enrolling in a professional cooking course at Vocational High School “Shën Jozefi Punëtor,” part of a UNDP-supported initiative under the LEAP Albania programme, funded by the Joint… [Read More]

The Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) agenda has gained notable momentum in 2025, marking the 10-year anniversary of UN Security Council resolution 2250 and the adoption of resolution 2807, which emphasizes greater youth participation and leadership in peace processes. In the Arab States, recent regional commitments and ongoing crises have highlighted young people’s critical contributions… [Read More]

As the Hong Kong BN(O) visa scheme approaches its fifth anniversary, more than 180,000 people have moved to the UK under the program following restrictions on democratic freedoms in Hong Kong. Many of the first arrivals are now preparing applications for Leave to Remain, with the intention of becoming British citizens in 2027. While the… [Read More]

The East African Science and Technology Commission (EASTECO), in collaboration with the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA), will host the 4th East African Community (EAC) Regional Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) Conference from 4th to 6th March 2026 at the Kigali Convention Centre in Rwanda. Under the theme “Harnessing Artificial Intelligence for a Resilient,… [Read More]

On January 27, 2026, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) announced its investment in FIBRA Macquarie to expand energy-efficient industrial infrastructure across Mexico’s key economic hubs. The initiative aims to support job creation, strengthen local value chains, and advance sustainable development, leveraging the role of industrial parks as engines of inclusive economic growth. These parks currently… [Read More]

With an estimated USD 700 billion needed annually to protect and restore nature and over half of global economic value dependent on natural systems, closing the nature finance gap represents both a major challenge and opportunity for the financial sector. Banks, insurers, and investors can reduce material risks, strengthen sustainability strategies, and unlock investable projects… [Read More]

In 2023, the World Heritage Institute of Training and Research for the Asia and the Pacific Region under UNESCO (WHITR-AP, Shanghai Center) launched the “World Heritage Contribution to Sustainable Development Goals” project (2023–2028) to help heritage practitioners integrate sustainable development perspectives into World Heritage conservation and management. The project aims to translate the 2015 UNESCO… [Read More]

On 15 January 2026, the Africa–Europe Partnerships for Culture project formally launched its implementation phase, initiating a multi-country effort to harness culture and heritage for sustainable tourism, inclusive development, and youth employment across six Southern African countries. The launch established governance, delivery, and partnership frameworks, validating the project’s roadmap and coordination mechanisms to enable structured… [Read More]

Women’s leadership in peace processes delivers clear and proven results, yet women continue to be systematically excluded from decision-making spaces. Addressing this gap has been central to the work of the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD), which has taken consistent steps to promote women’s full and meaningful participation in politics and peace. Between 2021… [Read More]

Climate change is no longer a distant or abstract threat; it is part of everyday life. From unpredictable weather patterns to rising air pollution, communities across Thailand and around the world are already experiencing its impacts. As these challenges intensify, education is emerging as one of the most powerful starting points for meaningful climate action…. [Read More]

Kenya’s exceptional biodiversity, spanning forests, rangelands, wetlands and marine ecosystems, is one of the country’s most valuable assets, yet it is under increasing pressure from a complex mix of human and environmental stressors. Rapid population growth, competing land uses, weakly enforced and unharmonized conservation laws, over-exploitation of natural resources, unsustainable recreational activities and accelerating deforestation… [Read More]

As sustainability regulations tighten and geopolitical tensions continue to reshape global trade, companies are under growing pressure to demonstrate credible Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence (HREDD) across increasingly complex value chains. Eneco’s early adoption of HREDD shows how organisations can move beyond compliance and turn sustainability obligations into resilience and long-term value creation. The… [Read More]