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The Government of Canada has launched a new research funding initiative, the FRESH Team Grant, to support school food programs across the country. Announced by Secretary of State for Children and Youth, Anna Gainey, and Minister of Health, Marjorie Michel, the program allocates $12.6 million over three years to strengthen research on the health, well-being,… [Read More]

Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan TD, has announced over €1.4 million in funding through Culture Ireland’s Regular Grants Programme to support the global promotion of Irish arts. This funding will enable 208 projects across 44 countries, spanning architecture, circus, dance, film, literature, music, theatre, visual arts, and multidisciplinary initiatives. Minister O’Donovan highlighted… [Read More]

Ireland has announced an additional €3 million contribution to support vital public services in Palestine, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Helen McEntee confirmed. This funding will be channelled through an EU mechanism to ensure continued operation of essential services, including education and healthcare, amid a financial crisis confronting the Palestinian Authority. The contribution forms… [Read More]

The Minister for Education and Youth, Hildegarde Naughton, has announced a €2 million investment aimed at expanding training and supports for schools to effectively respond to behaviours of concern, with the overarching goal of improving outcomes and experiences for children. This initiative focuses on early intervention, de-escalation, and promoting wellbeing, while ensuring school staff are… [Read More]

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon has announced the opening of the 2026 Traditional Farm Buildings Grant Scheme, backed by €750,000 in funding. The scheme is delivered through a partnership between the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Heritage Council, and is aimed at helping farmers restore and protect… [Read More]

The Green Finance Facility (GFF) in North Macedonia is helping turn climate finance into practical improvements for households, businesses, and public health. Supported by the UN Joint SDG Fund, the programme enables families to replace old wood-burning stoves with cleaner heating systems such as heat pumps, while also helping small businesses invest in renewable energy… [Read More]

The Green Finance Facility (GFF) in North Macedonia is helping turn climate finance into practical improvements for households, businesses, and public health. Supported by the UN Joint SDG Fund, the programme enables families to replace old wood-burning stoves with cleaner heating systems such as heat pumps, while also helping small businesses invest in renewable energy… [Read More]

On World Health Day, the message is clear: human health is deeply connected to the health of the environment. Clean air, safe water, fertile soil, and biodiversity are essential for human survival and wellbeing, yet growing pollution, land degradation, unsustainable water use, and biodiversity loss are putting these natural systems under severe pressure. The article… [Read More]

The Government of Japan has committed USD 39 million to support the International Organization for Migration’s global operations in 2026, aligning with IOM’s Global Appeal and reinforcing humanitarian assistance for vulnerable populations worldwide. The funding will help IOM respond to conflict, disaster, and complex humanitarian crises while also strengthening border management in affected countries. IOM… [Read More]

Latin America and the Caribbean is expected to see slower economic growth in 2026, with the World Bank projecting the region to expand by 2.1%, down from 2.4% in 2025. Growth is expected to improve slightly to 2.4% in 2027, but the overall outlook remains subdued. According to the latest regional economic update, the slowdown… [Read More]

The World Bank Group’s latest Europe and Central Asia Economic Update says economic growth across developing countries in the region is expected to slow significantly in 2026 as the effects of the Middle East conflict, broader geopolitical tensions, and rising trade fragmentation weigh on activity. Regional growth is forecast to weaken to 2.1% this year,… [Read More]

The World Bank Group’s latest Economic Update for the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan (MENAAP) says the recent conflict in the Middle East has caused a sharp and immediate economic shock across the surrounding region. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz and damage to energy and public infrastructure have disrupted markets, increased… [Read More]

The World Bank Group’s latest East Asia and Pacific Economic Update says growth across the region is expected to slow in 2026 as external shocks weigh more heavily on economic activity. Regional growth is projected to decline to 4.2% in 2026 from 5.0% in 2025, mainly due to the energy shock linked to the conflict… [Read More]

The World Bank Group has launched new Country Partnership Frameworks (CPFs) for Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, and Niger covering the 2026–2031 period, marking a first-of-its-kind regional partnership designed to tackle shared challenges across the Central Sahel. The frameworks aim to promote job creation—especially for youth and women—by investing in human capital, infrastructure, and agricultural productivity,… [Read More]

The World Bank Group has warned that Sub-Saharan Africa’s economic recovery is beginning to lose momentum, even though overall growth remains stable. In its latest Africa Economic Update, released on 8 April 2026, the Bank said growth for the region is projected to hold at 4.1% in 2026, the same rate recorded in 2025. However,… [Read More]

The World Bank Group has projected that economic growth in South Asia will slow to 6.3% in 2026, down from 7% in 2025, mainly due to disruptions in global energy markets. According to the latest South Asia Economic Update released on 8 April 2026, the region is expected to recover to 6.9% growth in 2027…. [Read More]

The World Bank has warned that Bangladesh’s economy is facing serious challenges, including slowing growth, rising poverty, persistent inflation, weaknesses in the banking sector, weak revenue mobilisation, and subdued private investment. In its latest Bangladesh Development Update released on 8 April 2026, the Bank said these domestic pressures are being further intensified by the ongoing… [Read More]

The World Bank has projected that Nepal’s economic growth will slow sharply to 2.3% in fiscal year 2026, down from 4.6% in FY25, according to its latest Nepal Development Update released on 8 April 2026. The slowdown is attributed to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and the lingering economic effects of domestic unrest… [Read More]

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has received a contribution of 2,400 metric tons of rice from the Republic of Korea to support vulnerable families across Syria. The shipment has already arrived at WFP warehouses, and distribution is currently under way. This assistance is expected to help approximately 1.2 million people for one month,… [Read More]

The African Development Bank and the Development Bank of Namibia have launched DBN For Her, a major new financing facility created specifically for enterprises that are 100% women-owned in Namibia. Unveiled in Windhoek, the initiative marks the result of a two-year strategic partnership aimed at expanding access to finance for women entrepreneurs and addressing long-standing… [Read More]

The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group has approved a $10.41 million grant to help strengthen Ghana’s public financial management systems and support inclusive, climate-resilient economic growth. The funding will support reforms aimed at improving governance and enhancing the country’s economic resilience through stronger institutions and better management of public resources. The… [Read More]

The African Development Bank, in collaboration with Tunisia’s Ministry of Economy and Planning, organized a national procurement workshop in Tunis to strengthen the implementation of Bank-financed projects and improve their overall development impact. The training was held on 30–31 March and forms part of the Bank’s 2025–2026 Portfolio Performance Improvement Plan, which seeks to address… [Read More]

The African Development Bank’s Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) has launched a new Call for Proposals under its recently established Green Hydrogen Programme, inviting private sector entities across Africa to apply for support for green hydrogen and derivative projects. This initiative is aimed at advancing clean energy development on the continent and encouraging private… [Read More]