The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Board of Executive Directors approved projects totaling approximately US$1.27 billion across 12 member countries in Asia, Africa, and the MENA region. The approvals, made during the Bank’s 362nd meeting chaired by President H.E. Dr. Muhammad Al Jasser on 29 September 2025, include a multi-country program addressing sustainable agriculture and food… [Read More]
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IDB Approves Financing to Drive AI and Digital Transformation in Piauí, Brazil
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has approved a $50 million loan to support the digital transformation of Piauí through the “Piauí Mais Digital” project. The initiative aims to expand digital connectivity, improve the supply and use of digital public services, enhance public management through digitization, and strengthen the digital capabilities of local businesses. The project… [Read More]
Boosting South American Growth: IDB Group Unveils ‘South Connection’ Project
The Inter-American Development Bank Group (IDB Group) has launched the South Connection regional program to enhance connectivity and competitiveness across South America, aiming to foster sustainable economic growth. The initiative responds to long-standing structural challenges in the region, including high trade costs, fragmented regulations, weak transportation and digital infrastructure, limited energy connectivity, low investment levels,… [Read More]
Plastic Burning in Gaza Sparks Severe Health Emergency
Doctors in Gaza are raising alarms over a sharp rise in respiratory illnesses as families, cut off from basic necessities, burn plastic and cardboard to cook and keep warm. Medical professionals warn that the health crisis will worsen unless life-saving medicines, fuel, and food are allowed into the territory, which continues to face severe shortages…. [Read More]
Global Summit on Traditional Medicine 2025: WHO and India Sign MoU to Strengthen Collaboration
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Government of India have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to co-host the Second WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine, scheduled to take place in New Delhi from 17–19 December 2025. This initiative marks a key step in advancing global collaboration and dialogue on traditional medicine. The signing ceremony… [Read More]
Emergency Medical Support: WHO Assists Health Services in Savannah Conflict Zone
The recent inter-ethnic conflict in Ghana’s Savannah Region has displaced families, destroyed homes, and severely strained public services. Districts such as Sawla-Tuna-Kalba and Bole have been particularly affected, with local health facilities overwhelmed by a surge in injuries, trauma cases, and medical needs. Clinics and hospitals, already operating with limited resources, are struggling to provide… [Read More]
Strengthening Health Systems: WHO Supports Angola in Medicines and Health Technology Oversight
Access to safe, effective, and quality medicines and health technologies is a cornerstone of public health and Universal Health Coverage. In Angola, this goal is being advanced through the structured institutional strengthening of the Regulatory Agency for Medicines and Health Technologies (ARMED), with ongoing technical and financial support from the World Health Organization (WHO), co-financed… [Read More]
Taliban-Imposed Internet Blackout in Afghanistan Sparks Crisis Amid Rising Humanitarian Needs
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has urged Taliban leaders to immediately restore Internet and telecommunications services across the country. As of 1700 hours on the previous day, connectivity was suspended, leaving most of Afghanistan cut off, including aid teams operating in remote areas to assist survivors of last month’s earthquake in eastern… [Read More]
Youth-Driven Change in Nepal: A Call for International Support
Nepal’s recent challenges and achievements were framed as part of a broader call for strengthened multilateral action. Ambassador Thapa highlighted the youth-led political movement earlier this month, known as the “Gen-Z protests,” which demanded transparent governance, equal opportunities, and an end to corruption. While he praised the aspirations of young Nepalese for a fair, just,… [Read More]
Global Cultural Policy Conference Highlights ILO’s Role in Cooperatives and Decent Work
At a side event during the UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development (MONDIACULT 2025), the International Labour Organization (ILO) highlighted the pivotal role of cooperatives in promoting cultural rights, decent work, social justice, and inclusive development. The session, held on 26 September 2025 and titled “Cooperatives in Culture for Diversity, Cultural Rights… [Read More]
Thailand’s Auto Sector Boosted by ILO Mentorship Programme on Responsible Business
A pioneering mentorship initiative in Thailand’s automotive sector has provided key stakeholders with knowledge and tools to improve workplace practices, strengthen industrial relations, and support responsible business. The International Labour Organization (ILO) implemented the social dialogue mentorship programme, reaching over 350 managers, HR professionals, trade unionists, and worker representatives across the automotive supply chain. The… [Read More]
Empowering Care Through Cooperatives: Insights from South4Care Initiative
The ILO Cooperative, Social and Solidarity Economy Unit (COOP/SSE) highlighted the role of cooperatives in care provision during the South4Care: Strengthening South-South Cooperation for the Care Economy event held from 15 to 18 September 2025 in Doha, Qatar. The event marked the launch of the ILO South-4-Care Platform and the first edition of the Learning… [Read More]
ILO Applauds Papua New Guinea’s New National Minimum Wage Policy
The International Labour Organization (ILO) has welcomed Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) recent increase in its national minimum wage as a landmark achievement for labour rights and social development. Announced on 18 September 2025 during PNG’s 50th Independence celebrations, the new minimum wage will rise from PGK 3.50 (US$0.84) to PGK 5.00 (US$1.20) in 2026, with… [Read More]
Myanmar’s Rohingya Plight: Urgent Call for International Action
The deepening crisis in Myanmar has intensified the suffering of the Rohingya Muslim community, who continue to face statelessness, displacement, and persecution. More than a million Rohingya now live as refugees in Bangladesh, while countless others remain internally displaced under dire and unsustainable conditions. UN leaders have warned that the ongoing crisis threatens regional stability… [Read More]
Haiti: UN Security Council Authorizes ‘Suppression Force’ to Combat Rising Gang Attacks
The UN Security Council has authorized the creation of a new multinational Gang Suppression Force (GSF) in Haiti to replace the Kenyan-led security support mission, amid escalating gang violence, widespread human rights abuses, and a severe humanitarian crisis affecting all aspects of life in the country. The resolution, co-sponsored by Panama and the United States… [Read More]
Scaling Up Renewable Energy and Low-Carbon Solutions in East Asia and Pacific
Strong economic growth in the East Asia and Pacific region has been accompanied by increasing fossil fuel consumption and rising greenhouse gas emissions, with the region now responsible for over a third of global emissions. To sustain growth, reduce poverty, and meet nationally determined climate commitments, decarbonizing the power sector is essential. The World Bank… [Read More]
South Kivu, DRC: UN Warns of Harassment and Abuses Targeting Women Human Rights Activists
A UN expert has raised serious concerns over the abduction and alleged sexual violence inflicted on four women human rights defenders in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as the killing of the mother of one of the activists. The Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Mary Lawlor, described these… [Read More]
Development at Risk: UN Committee Calls for Action to Protect the Planet
The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) has issued new guidance emphasizing that climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution are directly undermining fundamental human rights, including access to food, housing, health, education, and cultural practices. The guidance, contained in General Comment No. 27, stresses that a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment is… [Read More]
Global Call: Amnesty International Demands FIFA and UEFA Suspend Israeli Football Association
Amnesty International has called on FIFA and UEFA to suspend the Israeli Football Association (IFA) from all competitions until it removes clubs based in illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) from Israel’s football leagues. The organization highlighted that at least six clubs from settlements continue to compete in Israeli leagues, violating both international… [Read More]
Systematic Repression: How China Uses Courts Against Human Rights Activists
Amnesty International has released a report revealing that Chinese courts are systematically used to suppress human rights defenders through vague national security and public order laws. The briefing, How could this verdict be ‘legal’?, analyzes over 100 judicial documents from 68 cases involving 64 activists over the past decade, showing that courts frequently convict peaceful… [Read More]
UNDP and Japan Hand Over Mobile Offices to Support Human Rights Protection in Ukraine
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine, with support from the Government of Japan, has handed over three mobile reception offices to the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights. These mobile units are designed to operate in areas with high numbers of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and at evacuation sites, providing rights-based consultations and… [Read More]
Václav Havel Prize 2025 Goes to Ukrainian Journalist for Courage in Journalism
Ukrainian journalist and human-rights defender Maksym Butkevych has been awarded the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize, which recognizes outstanding civil-society action in defense of human rights. The prize was presented on 29 September during the opening day of the autumn plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in Strasbourg. Butkevych… [Read More]
Yemen: Second Polio Vaccination Campaign Begins with WHO, UNICEF, and MoPHP Support
The Ministry of Public Health and Population (MoPHP), together with the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, launched the second round of Yemen’s polio vaccination campaign across 12 government-controlled governorates. Running from 29 September to 1 October 2025, the three-day campaign aims to immunize over 1.3 million children under the age of five against poliovirus…. [Read More]
