In 2025, Japan made significant strides in advancing its sustainable finance agenda, focusing on consolidating progress and accelerating action. The Climate Bonds Japan Team played a pivotal role in strengthening the market, supporting new climate policies, and aligning national goals with international best practices through collaboration with local partners. Japan’s leadership across the Asia Pacific… [Read More]
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Empowering Communities: MALO Project for Tongan and Pacific Islanders Funded by Grant
Lolofi Olo Soakai, the Founder and Executive Director of MALO (Motivating Action Leadership Opportunity), brings a fierce yet grounded dedication to her work. Growing up in a family rooted in heritage, faith, and hospitality, she has shaped MALO into an organization that champions social justice and community empowerment. As a first-generation Tongan American, Soakai envisions… [Read More]
EBRD, EU and GCF Upgrade Jordan’s Solid Waste Services to Boost Sustainability and Climate Resilience
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), together with the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the European Union (EU), is supporting an upgrade of solid waste services in Jordan through a financing package for the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM). The EBRD will provide a sub-sovereign loan of up to US$ 6 million to finance… [Read More]
Digital Solutions for Africa’s Water Management: Key Insights from the IWMI Report
Africa’s water resources are under growing strain as rising demand, climate variability, and declining water quality intensify pressures across the continent. Persistent gaps in reliable data on water availability and scarcity have limited the ability of governments and institutions to plan effectively and respond to these challenges. At the same time, rapid advances in digital… [Read More]
How Systems Thinking Can Strengthen Pakistan’s Path to Water Security
An integrated systems approach is increasingly recognized as essential for addressing complex development challenges, particularly where siloed policies risk creating unintended consequences. In Pakistan’s Indus Basin, fragmented governance, deep inequalities and disconnected interventions have weakened water and food security, heightened climate risks and threatened livelihoods. Growing evidence shows that systems thinking, which considers the interlinkages… [Read More]
Just Water Partnerships in Action: Moving from Principles to Practice
The International Water Management Institute and WaterAid marked a significant step toward more equitable water governance with the launch of the “Principles for Just Water Partnerships” at COP30 in November. The launch translated an emerging global concept into an actionable framework aimed at embedding justice and social equity at the center of water-related investments. Just… [Read More]
Nigeria’s Food Crisis Spurs Farmer-Driven Irrigation Solutions
Nigeria is facing a severe food security crisis, with an estimated 30.6 million people experiencing acute hunger as a result of conflict, high inflation, and the intensifying effects of climate change. Increasingly frequent floods and droughts have damaged agricultural production and heightened the vulnerability of rural communities. In this context, irrigation has emerged as a… [Read More]
Kenya Plans to Transform Irrigation into a Catalyst for Economic Growth
Kenya’s irrigation sector is entering a decisive phase as climate variability, growing water demand, and ambitious national development goals converge. Increasing droughts and floods are placing pressure on agricultural systems and rural livelihoods, prompting the government to position irrigation as a central pillar of development. The National Irrigation Sector Investment Plan provides a long-term roadmap… [Read More]
CGIAR Partners with Nepal to Develop Country Strategy Framework
CGIAR has launched a pilot initiative to develop Country Strategy Frameworks (CSFs), a new mechanism aimed at consolidating research, partnerships, and investments around nationally owned priorities to achieve impact at scale. These frameworks are intended to move beyond fragmented pilot projects and create coordinated, system-wide approaches that align with CGIAR’s 2030 Research and Innovation Strategy,… [Read More]
How One Woman is Driving Male Engagement and Advocating for Rural Women and African Girls
Hon. Rebecca Mwicigi’s journey from rural Kenya to global recognition reflects decades of progress in gender equality across Africa. When she traveled to Beijing in 1995 for the Fourth World Conference on Women, educational and leadership opportunities for girls and women in the region were extremely limited. Since then, significant strides have been made: gender… [Read More]
Marshall Islands Receives Key UNDP–GEF Investment to Strengthen Climate Resilience for Water, Land, and Atoll Communities
The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) has secured a landmark investment to strengthen climate resilience, protect water security, and restore critical ecosystems across its atolls. The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) of RMI, in partnership with the UN Development Programme, obtained approval from the Global Environment Facility Trust Fund and the Special Climate Change Fund… [Read More]
Horn of Africa Faces Rising Food Insecurity Amid Historic Dry Rainy Season
The eastern Horn of Africa is currently experiencing one of the driest October-December (OND) rainy seasons on record, driven by La Niña conditions and an exceptionally strong negative Indian Ocean Dipole. This severe drought is compounding the impacts of the historic 2020–2023 drought, putting local agricultural productivity at serious risk. FEWS NET estimates that between… [Read More]
$101 Million Strategic Investments Approved by EBID to Support Sustainable Development
The ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) has approved over $101 million in funding for key infrastructure and development projects in Sierra Leone and Guinea. Announced during the Bank’s 94th Board Session, these approvals demonstrate how regional development institutions are supporting global priorities, from clean energy transitions to digital governance, through strategic, high-impact investments…. [Read More]
$213 Million Federal Award Supports North Carolina Rural Health Transformation
The federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has awarded North Carolina $213 million through the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) to improve health care access in rural communities. North Carolina submitted its application for the 2026 funding with bipartisan support from the state’s congressional delegation and will be eligible for additional funds annually… [Read More]
Get Outside and Explore: $10 Million Available Through New Municipal Parks and Recreation Grants
Governor Kathy Hochul announced that $10 million will be available for the second round of the Municipal Parks and Recreation (MPR) Grant Program, aimed at funding the development and improvement of municipal parks and recreational sites across New York State. The funding, provided through the Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act,… [Read More]
San Diego Safety Net Strengthened with Over $3 Million in Final 2025 Unity Fund Grants
In its final funding round of 2025, the San Diego Foundation announced over $3 million in Unity Fund grants to support local nonprofits strengthening the city’s food, housing, and healthcare safety net amid ongoing federal funding cuts. Since the launch of the San Diego Unity Fund, the Foundation has raised more than $32 million and… [Read More]
$50 Billion in CMS Funding to Boost Rural Healthcare Nationwide
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that all 50 states will receive funding under the Rural Health Transformation Program, a $50 billion initiative established through President Trump’s Working Families Tax Cuts legislation (Public Law 119-21). The program aims to strengthen and modernize health care in rural communities nationwide. In 2026, states… [Read More]
Venable Foundation Commits $4.1 Million to Charitable Initiatives in 2025
The Venable Foundation, the philanthropic branch of law firm Venable LLP, announced its final round of giving for 2025, awarding $1.5 million in grants to 159 U.S.-based nonprofits. This brings the Foundation’s total charitable contributions for the year to nearly $4.1 million, supporting 465 organizations across multiple cities. Bob Waldman, President of the Venable Foundation,… [Read More]
iScoil Receives Government Funding Increase, Ministers Naughton and Moynihan Confirm
Minister for Education and Youth, Hildegarde Naughton, and Minister of State for Special Education and Inclusion, Michael Moynihan, have announced a funding increase for iScoil, aimed at expanding home tuition for children who have been out of school for extended periods due to mental health challenges. The additional support will help more students re-engage with… [Read More]
EU Commits €175 Million to Upgrade Montenegro’s Bar-Golubovci Rail Infrastructure
The European Union is investing €175.6 million to modernize the Bar–Golubovci railway line, a key 39-kilometre section of Rail Route 4 on the extended TEN-T Core Network. This strategic corridor connects Belgrade to the Port of Bar, linking Montenegro and the Western Balkans with Central Europe. The upgrade aims to increase train speeds, enhance reliability… [Read More]
UN Secretary-General Appeals to World Leaders to Choose Peace Over War in New Year Message
UN Secretary-General António Guterres opened his New Year message by emphasizing that the world is at a critical crossroads, with conflict, climate breakdown, and widespread violations of international law undermining trust in leadership. He questioned whether global leaders are truly listening and prepared to act in the face of escalating crises. Guterres highlighted the scale… [Read More]
ENOUGH Campaign 2025: Advancing Accountability and Protection Against Abuse
In 2025, the ENOUGH Campaign made significant strides in advancing global nutrition, child-focused food security, and humanitarian assistance. Ahead of the Nutrition for Growth Summit in Paris, World Vision and partners engaged more than 12,000 people across 54 countries, including 40% children, in nutrition dialogues. These discussions highlighted lived experiences of hunger and generated practical… [Read More]
From Early Lessons to Lasting Impact: Pearl Tiwari’s Work at Ambuja Foundation
Pearl Tiwari’s journey into social impact began in her school days when she supported tribal children with their studies, an experience that gave her an early sense of purpose and the joy of collective action. These formative experiences laid the foundation for a career where community well-being, rather than corporate profit alone, defines success. In… [Read More]
