De Regenboog Groep is an Amsterdam-based organisation working with people who use drugs, people experiencing homelessness, individuals with mental health challenges, and refugees. In 2025, the organisation launched a Trauma-Informed Care Project aimed at strengthening trauma sensitivity across its services. The initiative was designed to improve how the organisation understands and responds to trauma experienced… [Read More]
Africa’s Peace Operations at a Crossroads: The Role of Deployed Missions and the African Standby Force
Since the 1990s, Africa has faced increasingly complex and interconnected security challenges, including intra-state conflicts, insurgencies, terrorism, maritime insecurity, organised crime, climate pressures, and governance deficits. These threats have highlighted the limitations of externally driven responses and reinforced the need for African ownership of peace and security. As a result, African-led peace support operations have… [Read More]
Nigeria Launches National Initiative to Safeguard Cultural Heritage During Emergencies
On 7 November 2025, Nigeria launched a national initiative to strengthen the protection of museum collections facing growing risks from riots, protests, and other emergencies. Supported by UNESCO’s Heritage Emergency Fund, the initiative reinforces Nigeria’s commitment to safeguarding irreplaceable cultural heritage within the national museum system and ensuring its preservation for future generations. The launch… [Read More]
Conservation in Action: Highlights and Achievements from Our Year in Review
As 2025 comes to a close, IUCN Save Our Species and the Integrated Tiger Habitat Conservation Programme (ITHCP) reflect on a year marked by measurable impact, strategic partnerships, and community leadership. Together, these initiatives have supported nearly 400 conservation projects worldwide, protecting more than 500 threatened species, restoring habitats, strengthening local livelihoods, and empowering communities… [Read More]
Celebrating 20 Years of Digital Progress: Milestones and Innovations
Twenty years ago, world leaders gathered in Geneva and Tunis with a shared vision that digital technologies should serve humanity, not just advance with innovation. These meetings led to the creation of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), which has since guided global digital cooperation and development. On 15 December 2025, the international… [Read More]
US Signs New Health Agreements with Nine African Countries Aligned with Trump-Era Priorities
The US government has signed health agreements with at least nine African countries as part of a new global health funding approach, reflecting the Trump administration’s priorities and aiming to provide less aid while emphasizing mutual benefits. Countries including Kenya, Nigeria, and Rwanda are among the first to enter agreements under this framework, which links… [Read More]
PayPal to Launch Global Digital Wallet in Africa in 2026
Payments giant PayPal is planning to launch a new cross-border digital wallet platform in Africa in 2026 as part of its strategy to tap into the continent’s rapidly growing digital payments market. The initiative, called PayPal World, will allow interoperability between local digital wallets and international transactions, enabling users to pay for goods overseas or… [Read More]
Employment Rights Act 2025: Seven Practical Steps to Prepare for Upcoming Changes
The new Employment Rights Act 2025 (ERA 2025), which became law at the end of December, represents a significant reform in UK employment law, modernising workplace protections and strengthening employee rights. Key changes include enhanced protections against unfair dismissal and harassment, updated rules on ‘fire and rehire’, guaranteed hours, and new provisions on family rights,… [Read More]
Major Investment in Justice System Aims to Serve Thousands Nationwide
A multi-million pound grant will expand free legal support for people facing debt, house repossession, or custody battles, the Deputy Prime Minister announced on 23 December. The nearly £20 million funding, spread over the next three years, is part of the Government’s Plan for Change to improve access to justice. It aims to help individuals… [Read More]
Serbia Introduces Innovative Green Financing Model to Boost Sustainable Development
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in partnership with Serbia’s Ministry of Environmental Protection and the European Investment Bank’s EIB Global arm, has launched a new green financing model under the EU for Green Agenda in Serbia initiative. This model combines donor grants with favorable bank loans that offer lower interest rates and longer repayment… [Read More]
€700 Million Investment Support in Italy: EIB and Intesa Sanpaolo Facilitate Access to Finance for Companies
The European Investment Bank (EIB) and Intesa Sanpaolo have finalized two major financial operations totalling €700 million to enhance access to finance and support investments by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and mid-cap companies in Italy. These agreements are expected to mobilize approximately €1.9 billion in real economy investments, including €450 million allocated to green… [Read More]
Darfur Crisis: EU Air Bridge Ensures Rapid Delivery of Humanitarian Assistance
The European Union has launched an emergency air bridge to deliver life-saving humanitarian aid into Darfur, Sudan, where mass atrocities, starvation, and displacement have left millions in urgent need. The operation involves a total of eight flights, with the first flight delivering around 100 tonnes of supplies from EU humanitarian stockpiles and partner organizations on… [Read More]
Bosnia and Herzegovina Welcomes EU’s Inaugural Youth Advisory Board
The European Union in Bosnia and Herzegovina has established its first Youth Advisory Board (YAB), bringing together 15 young leaders from across the country. This new body provides young people with a structured and institutionalized channel to collaborate with the EU, allowing them to express their views, ideas, and proposals on issues vital to the… [Read More]
Commission Launches Thermal Power Plant Boosting Electricity for 1 Million Ukrainians
The European Commission has successfully relocated a full thermal power plant from Lithuania to Ukraine, marking its largest coordinated logistical operation to date. This move restores critical energy capacity and strengthens Ukraine’s national grid after extensive damage caused by sustained Russian attacks. The thermal plant is capable of supplying power to approximately one million Ukrainians… [Read More]
Driving Innovation: Fiscal Measures to Encourage Private Sector R&D in Kenya
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is inviting submissions by 16 January 2026 for a study designed to inform Kenya’s fiscal policy in support of research and development (R&D) and the implementation of its national innovation masterplan. R&D and innovation are widely recognised as critical drivers of economic growth, productivity, and global competitiveness,… [Read More]
Hurricane Melissa Relief: Cash Support Programme Rolled Out for 50,000 Jamaicans
KINGSTON, Jamaica – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), in partnership with the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MLSS), has launched a cash assistance programme to support Jamaicans severely affected by category 5 Hurricane Melissa in October. The initiative will reach approximately 50,000 people and forms part of WFP’s phased response, which initially… [Read More]
Strengthening Plant Health: FAO Supports Citrus Nursery Certification Exchange Between Oman and Morocco
From 14 to 20 December 2025, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) organized a technical study tour to Morocco for a delegation from Oman. The visit aimed to build national capacity in citrus nursery certification and plant health systems under FAO Project UTF/OMA/023/OMA, which supports the production of certified citrus planting… [Read More]
Republic of Moldova Unveils Plan to Strengthen Table Grape Sector and Rural Economies
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) have successfully completed the design phase of a national strategy aimed at transforming the Republic of Moldova’s table grape sector into a competitive, climate-resilient, and inclusive industry. The strategy, validated during a workshop in Chișinău, includes a… [Read More]
Europe Boosts Preparedness and Response to Peste des Petits Ruminants Outbreaks
Since its emergence in Europe in 2018, peste des petits ruminants (PPR) has spread to countries including Albania, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, and Romania, representing the first known incursions in several of these nations. As a notifiable disease listed by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), PPR carries high mortality rates and significant… [Read More]
Western Balkans Hunters Trained to Combat Deadly Swine Disease in Wild Boar Populations
A series of training sessions recently concluded in Serbia and Montenegro to enhance hunters’ knowledge of African swine fever (ASF) in wild boar and to strengthen hunting biosecurity. Organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the sessions reached over 200 hunters and form part of a series of 14 events… [Read More]
FAO and Uzbekistan Partner to Boost Rural Resilience, Growth and Equity by 2030
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Government of Uzbekistan have signed a new agreement committing to more targeted, country-specific support for rural communities through 2030. The partnership aims to strengthen territorial development strategies, improve food safety and nutrition, enhance One Health surveillance, promote sustainable natural resource management, and address… [Read More]
USD 222 Million SURAGGWA Initiative Launched to Boost Climate Resilience Across the Sahel Region
The Strengthening Resilience of Africa’s Great Green Wall (SURAGGWA) programme was officially launched in Nouakchott, Mauritania, on 15 December 2025 through a partnership between the Government of Mauritania, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Pan-African Agency of the Great Green Wall. The regional initiative brings together eight Sahelian countries—Burkina… [Read More]
WHO and ECSA-HC Sign Memorandum of Understanding to Strengthen Regional Health Cooperation
The World Health Organization’s Regional Office for Africa and the East, Central and Southern Africa Health Community have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen collaboration aimed at improving health outcomes and building resilient health systems across the East, Central and Southern African region. The agreement establishes a structured framework for cooperation aligned with WHO’s… [Read More]
