The World Bank has approved the Paraíba Sustainable Rural Development Project – Phase II to promote more inclusive and climate-resilient growth in rural areas of Paraíba, in Brazil’s Northeast. The project aims to help family farmers increase their incomes, strengthen their resilience to climate shocks, and gain improved access to infrastructure and essential rural services,… [Read More]
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Energy Project in Larimaat Spurs Social, Economic, and Environmental Transformation
In the remote community of Larimaat, Eastern Central Pentecost, women have emerged as central agents of resilience and empowerment, demonstrating how access to electricity can transform lives beyond infrastructure. After a failed pilot electrification project years ago, a new initiative—funded by the Government of Japan under UNDP’s Pacific Green Transformation Project and Vanuatu Green Transformation… [Read More]
Sustainable Agriculture in India’s High-Biodiversity Landscapes: Strategies and Insights
Agriculture and biodiversity are deeply interconnected, each influencing the productivity, resilience, and health of the other. Sustainable food and agricultural systems support thriving ecosystems, while intact natural landscapes enhance farm productivity and climate resilience. However, this interdependence is increasingly threatened by unsustainable agricultural and livestock practices, which IUCN’s Vision 2045 identifies as major global drivers… [Read More]
Urban Sustainability in Focus: Key Lessons from the 2025 Trans-Pacific Dialogue
The fourth annual Trans-Pacific Sustainability Dialogue (TPSD) brought together stakeholders from national and local governments, private sector, civil society, development organizations, and academia to discuss sustainable urban development across the Asia-Pacific region. Hosted in Manila, Philippines, by the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center and the Ban Ki-moon Foundation for a Better Future, the dialogue… [Read More]
Bridging Divides: Peace Initiatives in Yemen, Libya, and Sudan
Yemen, Libya, and Sudan are experiencing prolonged armed conflicts that have weakened state institutions and fragmented central authorities. International peace efforts over the past decade have largely failed to resolve these crises, highlighting the importance of local mediation mechanisms. These grassroots initiatives have shown potential in managing and resolving domestic conflicts where national and international… [Read More]
Flexible Support in Crisis: The Role of Cash-Based Interventions in Mobility and Protection
Over the past decade, cash-based interventions (CBI) have become a widely recognized method for delivering humanitarian aid, valued for their cost-effectiveness, flexibility, and ability to give recipients agency over their own needs. While CBI has long been used to support refugees and internally displaced persons, its application within broader migration contexts remains inconsistent. Humanitarian practitioners… [Read More]
Organic Farming Insights: What the Plains Teach About Sustainable Agriculture
At the Transitioning to Organic Farming Conference held at the Eastern Nebraska Research, Extension, and Education Center in Ithaca, Nebraska, experienced farmers shared insights on the benefits and challenges of organic agriculture. Tom Schwarz, a fifth-generation farmer from southern Nebraska, emphasized how organic farming has allowed his family to reinvest in their own future rather… [Read More]
Fossil Fuel Ban in Costa Rica at Risk: What’s Next for the Country’s Green Policy
For over twenty years, Costa Rica has maintained a ban on oil and gas exploration and production, set to run until 2050. However, this moratorium is based on a presidential decree, making it legally fragile, as any president can revoke it without parliamentary approval. Recognizing this vulnerability, the former government pledged in 2020 to codify… [Read More]
Refugee Rights and Justice: Protecting Lives in Crisis
Globally, crises such as wars, persecution, and natural disasters have forced millions from their homes, with the latest UNHCR report noting that 117.3 million people are displaced worldwide, including nearly 42.5 million refugees. For those uprooted, access to justice is crucial, providing protection against exploitation, statelessness, and violence while helping them secure housing, identity, and… [Read More]
UNDP Brings Solar Energy to Buin, Empowering Nurses and Healthcare Services
The Buin District Health Centre, a level 3 medical facility serving around 200 patients monthly, has long been a crucial lifeline for residents of Southern Bougainville. Built in the 1960s, the centre provides essential health and ambulatory care but has faced persistent challenges, particularly frequent power outages that disrupt daily operations, water supply, cold storage… [Read More]
How Community Empowerment Drives Sustainable Poverty Reduction
In Villa Rosario, Talugtug, Nueva Ecija, residents once relied on hand pumps that provided rusty, mud-tasting water, causing widespread illness from diarrhea and vomiting. Community members, with financial and technical support from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), decided to prioritize and construct their own water supply system, ensuring safe and clean water… [Read More]
Hope in 2025: Positive Developments Despite a Difficult Year
Throughout 2025, the world faced record levels of conflict, climate crises, and humanitarian challenges, with millions at risk due to steep cuts in aid and rising digital violence against women and girls. Yet amid these crises, individuals and communities demonstrated resilience and courage, taking extraordinary actions to protect lives and promote well-being. From midwives delivering… [Read More]
$372 Million in Funding Greenlights GEF’s Next Phase of Global Environmental Initiatives
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has approved over $372 million in funding to implement 36 new programs and projects targeting urgent environmental challenges across Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America and the Caribbean. These initiatives are supported through the GEF Trust Fund, the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF), the Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF), and… [Read More]
Sri Lanka and World Bank Collaborate to Boost Digital Services and Economic Growth
The World Bank Board of Executive Directors approved a $50 million project to support Sri Lanka’s digital transformation, aiming to modernize government services, enhance accessibility, and make public services more responsive to the needs of citizens and businesses. The initiative will promote innovation and investment in the country’s digital sector while strengthening the foundations for… [Read More]
Famine in Gaza Pushed Back, Yet UN Warns Fragile Gains Could Reverse Without Aid
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), UNICEF, the World Food Programme (WFP), and the World Health Organization (WHO) have highlighted that, while famine has been temporarily averted in the Gaza Strip following the October ceasefire, the gains remain extremely fragile. Despite improved humanitarian and commercial access, the population continues to face widespread infrastructure destruction, collapsed… [Read More]
Funding Shortfall Pushes Ethiopia’s Refugee Response to Breaking Point
The Government of Ethiopia’s Refugees and Returnees Service (RRS), UNHCR, and the World Food Programme (WFP) have warned that the refugee response in Ethiopia is on the brink of collapse. Without an immediate infusion of funds, essential services such as food, water, and healthcare for over 1.1 million refugees could cease within weeks. Ethiopia, the… [Read More]
Mongolia’s Grasslands to Benefit from ADB Pilot Project Supporting Carbon Market Development
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of Mongolia have launched a pilot project aimed at restoring grassland carbon, strengthening ecosystem resilience, and developing a scalable pathway to sustain grassland services through international carbon markets. The Grassland Carbon Restoration Project seeks to generate carbon credits through improved livestock grazing and grassland management, which could… [Read More]
Sustainable Agriculture and Women’s Empowerment in Vietnam Supported by ADB and BIDV
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Investment and Development of Viet Nam (BIDV) have signed a $250 million syndicated finance package to support sustainable and climate-resilient agriculture and expand access to finance for women-owned small and medium-sized enterprises (WSMEs) in Viet Nam. The package includes $100 million from ADB’s… [Read More]
African Development Bank Appoints New Representative in Chad and Advances Energy, Climate Initiatives
Francis Dogo officially assumed his role as the African Development Bank (AfDB) Country Manager for Chad on 12 December 2025 in N’Djamena, after presenting his credentials to Fatimé Aldjineh Garfa, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs to the Minister of State, Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Integration and Chadians Abroad. During the meeting, the Minister commended… [Read More]
Millions in New Funds to Boost Frontline Environmental Projects
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has approved a new funding package of US$67 million to support frontline action on biodiversity loss, pollution, and climate change. With the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) providing support, the funds will be allocated to nine projects across Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and North Africa, targeting… [Read More]
ECJ Finds Denmark’s Ghetto Law Potentially Unlawful, Strengthening Human Rights
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled that Denmark’s law on parallel societies, commonly known as the “ghetto law,” is potentially incompatible with the EU directive on equal treatment. Dina Hashem, Senior Legal Advisor at Amnesty International Denmark, described the ruling as a significant step in protecting human rights and ensuring equality for all… [Read More]
EU Policy Changes on Asylum and Safe Countries Undermine Refugee Rights
Olivia Sundberg Diez, EU Advocate on Migration and Asylum at Amnesty International, has criticized recent agreements between the European Parliament and Council on new EU asylum rules, describing them as a serious attack on the foundation of refugee protection. She emphasized that these changes occur within a broader context of punitive deportation measures still under… [Read More]
Attention Civil Society Organizations: Opportunities to Get Involved
The Small Grants Programme (SGP) is a flagship initiative of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) since 1992. Operating in over 125 countries, the SGP supports community-based innovation, capacity development, and the empowerment of local civil society organizations through sustainable development projects. Its focus areas include biodiversity conservation,… [Read More]
