The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has launched the ELPS Call for Proposals 2025 to select an Implementing Partner for the initiative aimed at strengthening Rwanda’s macadamia nuts export value chain through organic certification. The intervention seeks to address the challenges and opportunities facing macadamia nut production in the country, with a focus on… [Read More]
Reports Warn the Global HIV Fight Has Reached a Critical Crossroads
On World AIDS Day, Frontline AIDS released its first country reports from the Transition Initiative, offering the clearest evidence so far of the impact of major international HIV funding cuts across Africa. The reports cover eight countries, five of which are active participants in the initiative. They reveal that Africa faced the steepest drop in… [Read More]
Civic Space in 2025: Key Threats to Democracy and Human Rights
Global assessments show a continued decline in civic space, democracy and human rights, with 2025 marking an acceleration of these negative trends. Severe cuts to official development assistance, a rise in anti-rights movements, growing hostility toward migrants and refugees, and new restrictions on protests have deeply affected civil society in the UK and around the… [Read More]
Mediterranean & Black Sea Report: Overfishing Declines, but Sustainability Challenges Persist
Fisheries sustainability in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea remains a concern, but the share of overfished stocks has fallen to its lowest point in ten years. This improvement coincides with the rapid rise of aquaculture, which has become a major source of aquatic food in the region. According to FAO’s 2025 State of Mediterranean… [Read More]
Global Food Security at Risk as FAO Flags Rising Transboundary Animal Diseases
The Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), QU Dongyu, urged countries to strengthen global cooperation to prevent and control transboundary animal diseases (TADs), stressing that they now pose one of the most urgent threats to food security and economic stability. Speaking at an information session on the new Global Partnership Programme for Transboundary… [Read More]
Global Call: Assembly of States Parties Must Reject US Sanctions on the ICC
States are being urged to strongly oppose US threats and sanctions against the International Criminal Court as the 24th Assembly of States Parties opens in The Hague. Amnesty International warns that these actions undermine the Court’s independence and its ability to hold even the most powerful perpetrators accountable. The organization stresses that ICC member states… [Read More]
Viet Nam Marks World AIDS Day with Major Gains and Renewed Elimination Goals
Thirty-five years after reporting its first HIV case, Viet Nam has emerged as a regional leader in the HIV/AIDS response. As the country reaches the midpoint of its plan to end AIDS by 2030, it reflects both significant achievements and persistent challenges. The national journey mirrors the transformation of individuals like Pham Thi Hue, who… [Read More]
The Silent HIV Crisis in Europe: Rising Infections and Delayed Diagnosis
Europe is struggling to diagnose HIV early enough, with more than half of all cases in 2024 detected at a late stage when treatment is less effective and health risks are significantly higher. New data from ECDC and WHO/Europe show that this persistent testing gap, together with a growing number of undiagnosed infections, is threatening… [Read More]
PAHO Warns: Late HIV Detection Driving Higher AIDS Deaths in Latin America and the Caribbean
The Pan American Health Organization is urging countries across the Americas to strengthen their HIV response, emphasizing that nearly one-third of people living with the virus are diagnosed too late, when their immune systems are already severely compromised. This call, issued ahead of World AIDS Day, highlights the life-saving importance of early diagnosis, rapid initiation… [Read More]
Global Measles Update: Deaths Drop Sharply, Cases on the Rise
Global immunization efforts have driven an 88% reduction in measles deaths between 2000 and 2024, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), with nearly 59 million lives saved by vaccination over this period. Despite this progress, an estimated 95,000 people—mostly children under five—died from measles in 2024. While this is among the lowest annual death… [Read More]
Global Infertility Care Transformed: WHO Issues Landmark Guidelines
The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued its first-ever global guideline on infertility, urging countries to make fertility care safer, fairer, and more affordable. Infertility affects approximately one in six people of reproductive age, yet access to care remains limited, with treatments often paid out-of-pocket. In many settings, the cost of procedures such as in… [Read More]
Algeria Launches National Polio Vaccination Days to Protect Children
The Minister of Health, Professor Mohamed Seddik Aït Messaoudène, alongside key officials from the National Body for the Protection and Promotion of Children, WHO, and UNICEF, officially launched the National Polio Vaccination Days on December 30, 2025. The initiative marks a significant step in combating the circulation of type 2 poliovirus (cVDPV2) in Algeria and… [Read More]
FAO’s Satellite-Powered Agriculture Project Earns ICT Innovator of the Year Award
Harare – The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has been recognized as 2nd runner-up for the ICT Innovator of the Year Award at the 2025 Zimbabwe ICT Excellence Awards for its Earth Observation for Agricultural Statistics (EOSTAT) initiative. The award highlights FAO’s efforts in transforming crop monitoring systems and strengthening national… [Read More]
€12.3 Million Funding Approved for 206 Rural Initiatives under 2025 CLÁR Programme, Says Minister Calleary
Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, Dara Calleary TD, announced €12.3 million in funding for 206 community projects under the 2025 CLÁR programme during a visit to Kiltimagh Knock United soccer club in County Mayo. The club will receive just over €50,000 to build a new two-bay spectator stand. This latest allocation… [Read More]
Ministers Naughton and Moynihan Kick Off Hiring Campaign for Education Therapy Service
Minister for Education and Youth Hildegarde Naughton T.D. and Minister of State for Special Education and Inclusion Michael Moynihan T.D. have launched a national recruitment campaign for therapists to join the new Education Therapy Service (ETS). The initiative, managed by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), aims to recruit 90 occupational and speech and… [Read More]
€14.3 Million Boost for Local Wastewater Improvements Approved by Minister Browne
The Government has approved an increase in funding for rural wastewater projects under Measure A8 of the Multi-annual Rural Water Programme, raising the total allocation from €50.9 million to €65.2 million. Measure A8, introduced in 2022 as a pilot initiative, aims to trial wastewater solutions for villages and small settlements without public wastewater services and… [Read More]
European Investment Bank Opens Tashkent Office, Boosts Sustainable Development in Central Asia
The European Investment Bank (EIB) has launched a new phase of engagement in Central Asia, announcing the opening of a regional office in Tashkent in early 2026. During this mission, the EIB signed several Letters of Intent to advance sustainable transport, environmental resilience, and regional connectivity. High-level delegations from all five Central Asian countries, Turkey,… [Read More]
West Bank Violence: UN Denounces Apparent Extrajudicial Killing of Two Men
On Thursday in Jenin, two Palestinian men were reportedly shot, with the incident apparently captured on film by a TV channel, according to OHCHR Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence. An internal review was announced, but statements from a senior Israeli official attempting to absolve security forces raised serious concerns about the credibility of any investigation not fully… [Read More]
UN Health Agency Alerts to Surge in Measles Cases Affecting Millions of Children
Global measles outbreaks are accelerating as millions of children remain under-immunized due to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Measles, one of the most contagious respiratory viruses, can infect up to 18 people from a single case and is potentially deadly, with one in five infected children requiring hospitalization. Last year, around 11 million people… [Read More]
Myanmar Polls Risk Deepening Repression, UN Says
Civilians in Myanmar are facing extreme pressures as the country prepares for elections under the military junta. James Rodehaver, head of OHCHR’s Myanmar team, highlighted that citizens are caught between coercive efforts by the military to secure votes and aggressive campaigns by armed opposition groups to block participation. The junta claims to have issued roughly… [Read More]
Nigerian Woman with Disabilities Leads Movement for Rights and Inclusion
Shiminenge, a 32-year-old woman living in a displacement camp in Gbajimba, north-central Nigeria, navigates daily life with a mobility impairment in an environment that is largely inaccessible. Tents are pitched on uneven ground, paths become muddy when it rains, and essential facilities like toilets and water points are often out of reach. Despite these challenges,… [Read More]
Sri Lanka Faces Worst Flooding in Decades as Cyclone Ditwah Strikes
Cyclone Ditwah has caused catastrophic flooding across Sri Lanka, affecting nearly one million people in all 25 districts. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 212 people have died, 218 remain missing, and over 180,000 individuals from more than 51,000 families are taking shelter in 1,094 government-run safety centres as… [Read More]
How Georgia’s Local Communities Are Driving the Sustainable Development Goals
In Georgia, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are being translated into practical local solutions that improve daily life, from waste management to child welfare. Seed funding from the Joint SDG Fund has catalyzed a nationwide movement for local innovation, accountability, and inclusive growth, empowering municipalities to turn ambitious plans into measurable progress. The joint programme,… [Read More]
