Community and voluntary organisations across Northern Ireland will have the opportunity to apply for a £500,000 funding round under the Northern Ireland Office’s (NIO) Connect Fund, which aims to support initiatives that strengthen East-West collaboration across the UK. The fund, launched earlier this year, provides up to £500,000 per financial year from a two-year £1… [Read More]
2025 Milestones in Social Health Protection Highlighted by ILO
GENEVA (ILO News) – On International Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Day, the ILO reaffirmed its commitment to a rights-based approach to achieving health for all. Throughout 2025, the organization collaborated with governments, workers’ and employers’ organizations, and international partners to strengthen social health protection systems and support countries in advancing toward universal health coverage. A… [Read More]
Strengthening Indonesia’s MSMEs and Informal Sector Through ILO Financial Inclusion Initiatives
The International Labour Organization (ILO) reaffirmed its commitment to advancing financial inclusion in Indonesia to strengthen micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), informal workers, and rural economies. Speaking at a media briefing in Jakarta, the ILO emphasized that connecting MSMEs and farmers to formal financial services enhances productivity, income stability, and enterprise resilience, while supporting… [Read More]
Training Boosts Mongolian Prosecutors’ Capacity on Fundamental Labour Rights
Over 290 prosecutors and officials from Mongolia’s Prosecutor’s Office participated in a training organized by the ILO, in collaboration with the Training and Research Institute under the Office of the Prosecutor General of Mongolia. The programme focused on strengthening the prosecutorial system’s capacity to uphold labour rights and enforce international labour standards, with particular emphasis… [Read More]
Assessor Training in Bishoftu Boosts Ethiopia’s Recognition of Prior Learning Initiative
Ethiopia is advancing the national rollout of its Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) system, with 35 assessors completing a four-day training in Bishoftu under the ILO Global Skills Programme, supported by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation. The training aimed to build assessor capacity to recognise the skills of competent but unqualified workers, paving the… [Read More]
Youth and the Future of Work Highlighted at International Labour Festa in Korea’s Gyeonggi Province
The 2025 International Labour Festa on Youth and the Future of Work, co-hosted by Gyeonggi Province, Korea’s Ministry of Employment and Labour, and the International Labour Organization (ILO), will take place from 15 to 17 December 2025 at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. The event aims to catalyze local and global action on youth employment… [Read More]
Fabjona’s Role in Expanding Digital Access in Albania
Fabjona, 25, from Vora, Albania, faced a life-changing accident that left her with mobility challenges. Rather than letting her circumstances define her, she chose to focus on recovery, education, and personal growth. Despite physical obstacles, she returned to her studies, earned her degree, and prepared herself for opportunities where her abilities, not limitations, would take… [Read More]
EU States Strengthen Strict Measures Against Migrants
Following a gathering of Council of Europe states on International Human Rights Day, 27 countries called for “migration reform,” criticizing the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Court of Human Rights for upholding the rights of migrants and asylum seekers. This rhetoric coincides with the European Union’s recent wave of restrictive and harsh… [Read More]
Rule of Law in France Under Pressure: Analyzing Backsliding Trends
On December 9, CIVICUS Monitor, an independent organization that evaluates civic freedoms worldwide, downgraded France’s civic space from “narrowed” to “obstructed.” This decision reflects years of growing restrictions on civil society, including escalating police violence, increased surveillance, arrests of protesters, targeting of journalists, and persistent limitations on fundamental rights. The French government has also increasingly… [Read More]
Best Practices in Gender-Responsive Human Rights Due Diligence
The ETI Gender Responsive Action Community (GRACE) programme highlighted that preventing gender-based violence and harassment (GBVH) requires long-term, systemic change rather than quick fixes. Success depends on shifting power, building trust, and creating systems that genuinely work for women, reflecting both the challenges and opportunities for brands, suppliers, and communities to drive meaningful impact. A… [Read More]
Advancing Human Trafficking Prevention: OSCE Symposium in the Mediterranean Region
The OSCE Symposium on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings in the Mediterranean Region focused on delivering faster and more effective support for vulnerable migrants and trafficking victims across the region. Held at the Centre of Excellence for Stability Police Units (CoESPU) in Vicenza, the event brought together government officials, anti-trafficking practitioners, and representatives of international… [Read More]
Planning and Implementing Joint Needs Assessments: Insights from UNHCR-WFP Country Exchange in Egypt, Zimbabwe, and South Sudan
In Egypt, the refugee landscape has shifted dramatically following the Sudan crisis, with registered refugees tripling since March 2023 to over 1.4 million, 75 percent of whom are Sudanese nationals. Economic instability, including inflation and currency depreciation, has heightened vulnerabilities for both refugees and host communities. A joint assessment by WFP and UNHCR revealed that… [Read More]
Boosting South Sudan’s TVET: UNESCO and NIESBUD Training Initiative
Under the “Strengthening the Public–Private Partnership (PPP) Model in the South Sudan TVET Ecosystem” project, an 11-day training programme was successfully conducted at the National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD) in New Delhi. The programme focused on enhancing skills development and vocational training in South Sudan, covering topics such as equal participation… [Read More]
Ten Years of Youth, Peace, and Security Programming: Insights and Lessons Learned
Ten years after the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2250, the Youth, Peace, and Security (YPS) agenda has achieved important milestones. Since 2015, the Security Council has passed two additional YPS resolutions, 2419 in 2018 and 2535 in 2020, which have reinforced the agenda as a cross-cutting priority across UN institutions. Significant progress has… [Read More]
Youth-Centered Mental Health Care: Key Lessons for Effective Service Design
Over half of children and youth with mental illness in Canada and the United States do not receive appropriate or adequate treatment, with mental illness and substance use representing the leading cause of disability among youth. Despite ongoing efforts to improve mental health and substance use services, many youth disengage prematurely, which is associated with… [Read More]
Reflecting on 75 Years: What the Joyce Foundation Teaches About Effective Giving
More than 1,000 people gathered on the White House South Lawn in July 2022 to witness President Joe Biden commemorate the passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the first significant U.S. gun safety legislation in three decades. The event brought together lawmakers, gun violence survivors, advocates, and researchers, highlighting nearly 30 years of groundwork… [Read More]
What the World Bank Teaches About Innovation in Development
In rural communities, simple innovations such as mobile alerts for cash transfers or small grants for infrastructure can have transformative effects, enabling families to buy school supplies, access food, and connect to markets, schools, and clinics. These examples illustrate a larger story of innovation at the World Bank Group, where innovation is central to achieving… [Read More]
World Bank’s $200M Clean Cooking Outcome Bond Highlights Investor Appetite for Impact
The World Bank has settled its USD 200 million Clean Cooking Outcome Bond, following pricing on December 5, 2025. The bond, maturing on March 31, 2032, attracted over ten investors, including first-time participants in World Bank Outcome Bonds, reflecting growing demand for outcome-linked investments. Across the six World Bank Outcome Bonds issued to date, more… [Read More]
Papua New Guinea Revenue Reforms Receive World Bank Support
Papua New Guinea will implement reforms to strengthen revenues, facilitate trade, create jobs, and improve community protection from disasters following the World Bank Board’s approval of a US$150 million budget support package. PNG’s economy relies heavily on mining, oil, and gas, while most citizens earn a living through agriculture and informal work. Low and unpredictable… [Read More]
Germany Boosts Humanitarian Aid to South Sudan with €28.5 Million Contribution
The Government of Germany has contributed an additional €28.5 million to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to support tens of thousands of people affected by worsening food insecurity and the nutrition crisis across South Sudan. The funding is particularly timely, as an estimated 7.56 million people—over half the country’s population—are projected to face… [Read More]
WFP Alerts to Growing Displacement in Sudan Amid Shrinking Resources and Ongoing Conflict
The World Food Programme (WFP) has issued a stark warning about worsening humanitarian conditions in Sudan, particularly in the Darfur and Kordofan regions, as ongoing fighting continues to displace large populations and stretch already limited resources. WFP Director of Emergency Preparedness and Response, Ross Smith, provided updates during a press briefing from Rome, highlighting the… [Read More]
Africa’s AI Opportunity: $1 Trillion GDP Gain Projected by 2035, Says AfDB
The African Development Bank has released a report outlining a strategic roadmap to unlock the economic and social potential of artificial intelligence (AI) across Africa. Titled Africa’s AI Productivity Gain: Pathways to Labour Efficiency, Economic Growth and Inclusive Transformation, the study was developed under the G20 Digital Transformation Working Group and highlights AI’s capacity to… [Read More]
Funding Support to Strengthen Cotton Sector Revival in Northern Uganda
The African Development Bank Group Board of Directors has approved a $2 million grant in technical assistance to support the Cotton Value Chain Project in Northern Uganda, where cotton remains a crucial cash crop. Approved on 09 December, the initiative is financed by the Fund for African Private Sector Assistance, a multi-donor trust fund hosted… [Read More]
