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The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) have signed a $30 million financing package to develop a 300-megawatt solar power plant and a 75-megawatt-hour battery energy storage system in Guzar City, Kashkadarya Region, Uzbekistan. The project will also include 1.6 kilometers of transmission lines and a 220-kilovolt substation to integrate… [Read More]

In Champhira, Mzimba, young farmers like Levi Kaunda are learning life lessons from bees while building livelihoods. As a member of the Zandonda and Tupwenge cooperatives, Levi carefully tends to honeycombs, seeing bees as models of hard work, calm, and collaboration. His perspective reflects a broader transformation enabled by the Empowering Women and Youth in… [Read More]

In Haiti, Hurricane Melissa devastated the coastal town of Petit-Goâve, destroying homes, livelihoods, and taking lives. Families lost livestock, suffered injuries, and experienced unimaginable grief, with rivers bursting and mud burying entire communities. The storm highlighted the devastating consequences of underfunded humanitarian aid in a country where more than half the population is acutely food… [Read More]

As 2026 begins, sharp cuts in humanitarian assistance are leaving deep and sometimes irreversible impacts on the world’s most vulnerable communities. The World Food Programme (WFP) posed a question to its country directors in emergency hotspots: what if funding were sufficient to not only save lives but transform them? In the Democratic Republic of the… [Read More]

Forty-five women from Kamara Town never imagined that they could collectively manage thousands of dollars or own such wealth as a group. In Kpo-River, rural Montserrado County, a seed capital of $2,000 USD in 2025 launched the community’s first Village Saving and Loan Association (VSLA). Within the first year, the women raised 769,655 Liberian Dollars,… [Read More]

In early July, a long-feared reality materialized for millions in the development aid ecosystem when the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) ceased operations. As the world’s largest single aid donor, disbursing around $72 billion in 2023 and accounting for over 40 percent of UN-tracked humanitarian aid in 2024, USAID’s absorption into the U.S…. [Read More]

When the Russia-Ukraine conflict erupted in February 2022, global supply chains were disrupted, sending shockwaves through Africa’s agricultural sector. In Zambia, farmers faced skyrocketing fertilizer prices and dwindling supplies, threatening their livelihoods. The country relied heavily on imports from Russia and Ukraine, spending over $110 million annually, yet in 2022, it required 632,529 metric tonnes… [Read More]

This case study examines how farmer training under India’s Financing Agrochemical Reduction and Management (FARM) project is enabling a large-scale transition toward safer and more sustainable agricultural practices. Led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the initiative promotes reduced reliance on harmful chemicals and plastics by… [Read More]

The United Nations Resident Coordinator in Lesotho, Amanda Khozi Mukwashi, reflects on how a coordinated national response to gender-based violence (GBV) is strengthening protection systems and expanding support for survivors across the country. Drawing on the establishment of Lesotho’s first integrated multipurpose centre for survivors, she highlights how decisive leadership, strong partnerships and effective coordination… [Read More]

In February 2026, the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) will launch a new US$10 million investment to support biodiversity conservation in the Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspot. Spanning five years, the initiative will focus on selected conservation corridors across Cambodia, China, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) serving… [Read More]

Despite more than four decades of intensive research, an effective and widely available HIV vaccine remains out of reach. One of the central challenges lies in the virus’s extreme genetic diversity and its ability to evade immune responses, even when vaccines are precisely designed to hit known targets. HIV vaccine development focuses on the virus’s… [Read More]

The Global Health Studies group at Northwestern University is hosting a public talk titled Global Health Politics in the Post-USAID Era: Lessons from the US’s Global Gag Rule and its Impact on NGOs in Kenya on Friday, January 23, 2026, from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM CT. The event will take place at 555 Clark… [Read More]

Over the past five years, Sol Systems has significantly expanded its investment in community impact, increasing funding and growing its network to more than 30 community-based organizations working to strengthen resilience across the United States. This approach is grounded in the belief that meaningful and sustainable community impact can only be achieved by working in… [Read More]

In an era where data-driven governance is central to sustainable development and effective public policymaking, national statistical systems face growing complexity. Rapid societal change, economic integration, and digital transformation demand new approaches to how data is collected, managed, and used. Against this backdrop, the Republic of Moldova has embarked on an ambitious transition toward a… [Read More]

From Crisis to Resilience: Climate Solutions for Positive Peacebuilding, brings together real-world case studies that demonstrate how climate action can strengthen peace, security and social cohesion in fragile and conflict-affected settings. Spanning diverse regions and contexts, the studies highlight practical, conflict-sensitive solutions that integrate environmental sustainability with inclusive development and peacebuilding. In Iraq’s marshlands, clean… [Read More]

Not long ago, the idea of using almond shells, forestry residues or sewage sludge to permanently remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere sounded futuristic. Today, it is becoming a reality as a growing number of companies develop innovative ways to transform waste into climate solutions. A new wave of startups is advancing biomass carbon removal… [Read More]

The Arts Council has announced more than €3 million in funding for arts organisations in County Limerick under its 2026 development programme, reinforcing continued investment in Ireland’s cultural sector. The funding forms part of a wider national allocation of €72.3 million awarded to 148 arts organisations, arts centres, local authorities, and creative initiatives across the… [Read More]

Between September and December 2025, UNFPA Moldova, with the support of the Government of the United Kingdom, piloted three innovative micro-qualification programs aimed at empowering women in vulnerable situations. Implemented in collaboration with AO Prodidactica, the initiative brought together 45 women—39 refugees from Ukraine and 6 from the local community—creating a supportive space for learning,… [Read More]

For over ten years, the United Nations in Ethiopia has been committed to ensuring that the children of its personnel not only navigate adolescence but thrive through it. Central to this mission is the UN CARES initiative, a dynamic program that goes beyond standard education to equip young people with essential life skills, preparing them… [Read More]

Palau is strengthening its capacities on climate mobility through a regional training program hosted by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in collaboration with the Palauan Government’s Office of Climate Change. The Pacific Climate Mobility Training, held from January 13 to 15, brought together over twenty national institutions to enhance knowledge and skills on climate… [Read More]

Early Warning Systems (EWS) are among the most effective tools for reducing disaster risk and saving lives, but their impact depends on whether communities can translate warnings into timely protective action. To maximize effectiveness, early warning systems must be inclusive, addressing the specific vulnerabilities and needs of marginalized populations, who often face the highest risks… [Read More]

During the 2023–2024 school year, from March to June 2024, UNICEF, in coordination with Lebanon’s Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MEHE), the Center for Education Research and Development (CERD), and with support from Teach for Lebanon (TFL), piloted a digital learning program in 14 public schools across the country. Funded by the European Union… [Read More]

Just days ahead of Uganda’s national elections on January 15, 2026, the National Bureau for Non-Governmental Organizations ordered at least ten organizations to halt operations indefinitely. The suspended groups include human rights organizations, media outlets, and election monitoring bodies. The bureau cited “intelligence information” suggesting that the organizations were “engaged in activities that are prejudicial… [Read More]