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Croatia has signed an agreement with the World Bank to strengthen the country’s disaster preparedness and overall resilience. The Disaster Preparedness and Resilience Development Policy Loan, combined with a Catastrophe Deferred Drawdown Option (Cat DDO), will allow the government to quickly mobilize resources to manage the fiscal and social impacts of disasters, facilitating faster emergency… [Read More]

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has received a new contribution of GBP 1.1 million (US$1.4 million) from the UK government to support its life-saving food assistance for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. This follows an earlier allocation of GBP 8.7 million (US$11.6 million) in 2025 for WFP’s response to the Rohingya crisis. British officials… [Read More]

The African Development Bank Group has approved the reallocation of $98 million in savings from the completed Transport Sector Support Program to finance the Bulamata–Uvinza Road Upgrading Project in western Tanzania. The project, with a total cost of $129 million, includes upgrading the Bulamata–Msombwe road to bitumen standard, constructing a 250-metre bridge over the Malagarasi… [Read More]

The Kremlin appears to be closely observing Iran’s recent protests to draw lessons on maintaining regime stability under economic and social pressure. One key takeaway is the prioritization of price stability over economic growth, as Iran’s soaring inflation—peaking at 46% and currently at 33%—triggered widespread unrest, despite moderate economic growth. Russia, with much lower inflation… [Read More]

EQT Foundation has opened applications for its Science Grants program, offering €25,000 to €100,000 to support high-risk, high-impact deeptech research aimed at reducing dependence on critical minerals in climate technologies. The grants target scientists at accredited nonprofit institutions worldwide who are developing innovative solutions that can replace or significantly reduce the use of scarce raw… [Read More]

The Greek government is moving to toughen penalties for migrant smuggling, with a new bill submitted to parliament proposing life imprisonment for those found guilty of trafficking migrants. The legislation also targets migrants who commit offenses, allowing for direct expulsion, and criminalizes assistance provided by migrants with legal status. Aid workers and NGO staff who… [Read More]

Partners of the European Union–funded Agri-food Business Development Programme convened in Baghdad at a high-level event organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to review progress in strengthening Iraq’s agri-food value chains and to advance dialogue on mobilizing private sector investment. The event brought together representatives from Iraqi ministries, the European… [Read More]

Understanding histories of violence is essential for making sense of contemporary societies, as legacies of genocide, war, colonialism, enslavement, and other forms of mass violence continue to shape inequalities, social divisions, political tensions, and cultural attitudes. When these histories are oversimplified or excluded from education, learners miss critical opportunities to reflect on injustice, understand the… [Read More]

International development work is increasingly shaped by pressure on large Global North–based NGOs to localise their operations and decision-making. However, localisation is not simply a technical process of shifting responsibilities or adapting programmes to local contexts. It also exposes deeper organisational contradictions around power, identity, and coherence that can slow or distort change if left… [Read More]

ActionAid’s Scaling Up of Public Investments in Agriculture (SUPIA II) project supported improved access to essential agricultural services for 2,913 smallholder women farmers between July 2022 and December 2025, marking a significant step toward inclusive agricultural development in Nigeria. The project, implemented by ActionAid Nigeria in collaboration with ActionAid International, focused on strengthening political commitment… [Read More]

Industrialized, Western-style food systems are placing enormous pressure on the planet by driving greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity loss, pollution, and unhealthy dietary patterns, while marginalizing small-scale farmers and concentrating power in multinational corporations. For decades, governments largely avoided intervening, framing food as a matter of free markets and individual choice. Recently, however, cities have emerged… [Read More]

Since 2015, UN Women Ukraine has played a central role in advancing the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda by placing women and girls at the heart of decision-making, humanitarian response, and recovery efforts amid prolonged conflict and Russia’s full-scale invasion. Despite operating under active war conditions, Ukraine has demonstrated strong political commitment to gender… [Read More]

Children’s health is increasingly understood to be shaped by social, environmental, and economic factors that extend well beyond clinical care. Many children’s hospitals are exploring partnerships with schools, housing providers, legal services, and food programs to address these broader drivers of health. While the opportunities for impact are significant, hospitals often face persistent challenges such… [Read More]

In a market dominated by large corporations, entrepreneurial ventures continue to demonstrate strengths that many mature companies struggle to replicate. Small businesses often excel at building authentic customer relationships, adapting quickly to change, and innovating strategically under constraints. These qualities allow them to stay closely connected to customer needs and market shifts, offering valuable lessons… [Read More]

Jordan hosts one of the largest refugee populations per capita in the world, primarily Syrians, alongside tens of thousands from other countries and over 2.39 million registered Palestine refugees. These populations are largely concentrated in urban areas. Jordan’s healthcare system, which serves citizens, refugees, and foreign residents, is delivered through a combination of public facilities… [Read More]

Minister Darragh O’Brien has unveiled a comprehensive package of new and enhanced grants under the National Residential Retrofit Plan 2026, aimed at making home energy upgrades more affordable and accessible to homeowners across Ireland. Administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), these grants are designed to make homes warmer, more comfortable, and cheaper… [Read More]

India and the European Union have reached a landmark free trade agreement after nearly two decades of negotiations, signaling a major strengthening of economic and strategic ties. The deal, hailed by EU officials as the “mother of all deals,” is expected to impact up to 2 billion people and will take several months to come… [Read More]

Oxfordshire Youth, a charity dedicated to transforming young people’s lives, promoting community cohesion, and addressing inequality of opportunity, has been awarded £150,000 in funding by Oxfordshire County Council. The grant, distributed as £50,000 annually over three years, will support the charity’s Business Guardians programme, enabling it to expand its reach and engage with more companies… [Read More]

Malala Fund, the global education advocacy organization founded by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai, has announced support for a youth-led coalition in Nigeria aimed at reducing child marriage by keeping more girls in school. The Fund will provide a two-year Joint Action Grant (JAG) to four Nigerian civil society organizations to activate the country’s… [Read More]

From 25–26 January 2026, a Southern African Development Community (SADC) team, accompanied by South African officials, conducted a mission to assess the impacts of recent floods and the humanitarian priorities of affected communities in Limpopo Province. The objective was to gain a comprehensive understanding of the flood situation, its consequences, and the immediate needs of… [Read More]

In 2025, UNESCO Islamabad framed the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence around the increasingly complex challenge of digital violence. The campaign went beyond a single event, using high-level advocacy, artistic expression, and youth empowerment to create a practical “survival framework” for women and marginalized groups navigating online spaces. Symbolic gestures, such as illuminating… [Read More]

From 20–22 January 2026, countries from West and Central Africa convened in Dakar for the Regional Expert Meeting on Early Childhood Education and Development (ECED) to reaffirm the strategic importance of ECED for equity, human capital development, and regional resilience. With just five years remaining until the 2030 Agenda, participants emphasized that the priority is… [Read More]

Amid escalating climate impacts, socio-economic shocks, and political instability, government representatives across Asia-Pacific are intensifying efforts to adopt integrated, people-centred approaches to resilience in the region’s increasingly complex poly-risk environment. In this context, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security (UNTFHS) convened the “Regional Knowledge-Sharing Workshop on… [Read More]