Since its establishment in the 1950s, The Asia Foundation’s (TAF) Sri Lanka office has prioritized law and justice, focusing on strengthening democracy, upholding the rule of law, and reducing inequities to ensure broad access to justice. Over the decades, Sri Lanka’s recurring cycles of conflict, marginalization, and political instability have shaped both the population’s experiences… [Read More]
Changing the Narrative on Homes: Lessons from Framing Strategies
The Talking about Homes project is a collaboration between the Nationwide Foundation and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF), launched in 2020 to address challenges in public conversations about decent and affordable homes. Often, discussions quickly veered toward house prices and profit, rather than the lived experiences of people in need of secure housing. To shift… [Read More]
Northern Ireland Poverty Report 2025: Key Statistics and Analysis
This report provides a comprehensive overview of poverty in Northern Ireland in 2025, highlighting where further investigation and policy action are needed. Despite some improvements in reducing overall poverty over the past 15 years, progress has largely stalled, particularly in addressing child poverty. The report adopts the relative poverty measure after housing costs to analyze… [Read More]
Gates Foundation Strengthens Partnership with GFF to Accelerate Global Health Progress
On December 6, 2025, in Tokyo, the Global Financing Facility (GFF) welcomed a US$100 million pledge from the Gates Foundation to support the GFF’s new five-year strategy for 2026–2030. This funding reinforces the shared goal of ending preventable deaths among women, children, and adolescents in low- and middle-income countries and will help expand access to… [Read More]
Two Global Consortiums Chosen to Lead Civil Society Initiatives Through GFF x CIVIC Platform
The World Bank’s GFF × CIVIC Platform, a joint initiative of the Global Financing Facility (GFF) and the CIVIC: The Civil Society and Social Innovation Alliance, has selected two consortiums to lead civil society and youth engagement in health systems. Supported by a US$10 million investment over two years, the consortiums will manage subgranting and… [Read More]
GFF Launches TRANSFORM 2030 Strategy to Drive Global Health 2026–2030
Global health and finance leaders gathered in Tokyo for the 2025 Universal Health Coverage High-Level Forum as the GFF launched its new five-year strategy, TRANSFORM 2030: Transforming Health Systems, Saving Lives, which was unanimously endorsed by its two governing bodies—the Investors Group and Trust Fund Committee—during their annual meetings in Dakar, Senegal, from November 11–13…. [Read More]
100-Day Drive Kicks Off to End Child Marriage in 18 Districts
The Just Rights for Children (JRC), a network of NGOs, has launched a 100-day intensive campaign to eliminate child marriage in one lakh villages, focusing on 18 high-prevalence districts in Haryana. These districts were identified based on data from the National Family Health Survey-5 (2019-21), highlighting areas with the greatest incidence of child marriage. The… [Read More]
Denmark Commits DKK 10 Million to Boost AU Peace Fund Secretariat Operations
The African Union Peace Fund Secretariat (AUPF) and the Government of Denmark have formalized a three-year strategic partnership, marked by a DKK 10 million grant agreement signed on 5 December 2025 in Addis Ababa. This funding is intended to strengthen Africa’s peace financing architecture and support sustainable, African-led peace and security interventions. The agreement, endorsed… [Read More]
Zambia Accelerates Adoption of Electric Cooking Solutions Nationwide
MCFA is supporting Sun King, an African off-grid energy company, to expand its operations in Zambia and scale access to clean electric cooking solutions for households. With approximately EUR 1.2 million in funding, Sun King plans to offer electric induction stoves to grid-connected urban and peri-urban customers. The stoves feature smart metering technology that records… [Read More]
Gates Foundation Sounds Alarm on Child Death Surge, Pushes Targeted Life-Saving Investments
The Gates Foundation’s 2025 Goalkeepers Report warns that global child mortality is set to rise for the first time this century, reversing decades of progress. New projections from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation show that deaths of children under five are expected to increase from 4.6 million in 2024 to 4.8 million in… [Read More]
New Gates Foundation–Qatar Fund Alliance Targets Health, Food Security and Economic Growth Worldwide
A new five-year strategic partnership between the Gates Foundation and the Qatar Fund for Development has been launched with a commitment of US$500 million to expand access to health services, climate-resilient agriculture, and education across Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. Announced during the Doha Forum, the initiative aims to accelerate progress for mothers, children,… [Read More]
Auckland Council Announces $1 Million Fund for Community Climate Resilience and Emergency Readiness
Auckland Council has launched Te Ara Urutau – Climate and Emergency Ready Fund, investing more than $1 million to empower community organisations across Tāmaki Makaurau to take practical action on climate change and strengthen local emergency preparedness. The fund aims to help communities reduce emissions, improve resilience and adapt to growing climate impacts. This new… [Read More]
DRC Ends Ebola Outbreak as IFRC Pushes for Community-Led Disease Surveillance
The declaration of the end of the 16th Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo marks an important milestone, but the IFRC stresses that the post-outbreak phase remains highly vulnerable. The organization warns that communities already dealing with cholera, mpox, and weak health systems face an elevated risk of renewed flare-ups. To prevent… [Read More]
Digital Violence Against Women Journalists Surges—A Growing Threat to Press Freedom in Africa
Women journalists across the world face relentless digital abuse that aims to intimidate and silence them. UNESCO’s global study shows that 73 per cent of women journalists have experienced online violence, while one in four has received threats of physical harm, including death threats. In East and Southern Africa, these attacks are part of everyday… [Read More]
Hope and Tension: UN Backs DR Congo–Rwanda Peace Deal as Clashes Continue
The Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity were signed in Washington DC with United States facilitation, marking a significant diplomatic breakthrough for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda. UN Secretary-General António Guterres praised US President Donald Trump for his role and congratulated Presidents Félix Tshisekedi and Paul Kagame, describing the agreement as an… [Read More]
Syria’s Future After Assad: Striving for Freedom, Sovereignty, and Unity
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has highlighted the resilience and courage of the Syrian people over the past year, emphasizing that meaningful change is possible when Syrians are empowered to lead their own transition. He described the coming period as an opportunity not only for political transition but also for rebuilding communities, healing divisions, and creating… [Read More]
Norwegian Funding Boosts Youth-Led HIV Programs in the Philippines
The Royal Norwegian Embassy in Manila and Palawan-based NGO Roots of Health commemorated World AIDS Day on 1 December with a forum emphasizing the importance of youth and community-led initiatives in addressing the HIV prevention gap in the Philippines. Since 2010, reported HIV infections in the country have surged by more than 550 percent, with… [Read More]
How Collaboration is Driving Rangeland Recovery in South Africa
Tukulo “TK” Mtshayelo grew up in Pietermaritzburg but returned to his mother’s rural home in Black Diamond village in South Africa’s Eastern Cape after finishing school in 2018. Adjusting to life in the small, remote village was challenging, with no internet, running water, or job opportunities, and TK initially felt like an outsider. Learning to… [Read More]
New Initiative Expands Mental Health Lessons in Primary Schools
A programme of mental health lessons for primary school children on the Isle of Man has received a two-year funding boost to help equip students with practical coping strategies and build their self-esteem. Isle Listen, which operates in all 32 state-funded primary schools on the island, has been granted £74,664 to cover the cost of… [Read More]
Civil Society Sustainability Amid Changing Development Finance Landscapes
The year 2025 began with a profound shock for civil society organisations (CSOs) following the closure and issuance of a stop-work order for all USAID-funded projects. This abrupt halt of ongoing programmes highlighted the vulnerability of CSOs heavily dependent on foreign aid and underscored the urgent need to diversify resources and rethink sustainability strategies. The… [Read More]
Humanitarian Response Under Pressure: Challenges and Consequences
In 2025, humanitarian funding experienced its sharpest decline in a decade, dropping below 2016 levels due to significant cuts from major donors, including the United States, France, Germany, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. This dramatic reduction forced humanitarian organizations to make difficult decisions, prioritizing assistance for people with the most life-threatening needs and leaving millions… [Read More]
UN Warns of Clear Violations in Lebanon Following Recent Israeli Airstrikes
The latest Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon occurred amid ongoing efforts by the Lebanese Armed Forces to control unauthorized weapons and infrastructure in the region, marking a year since the announced cessation of hostilities. The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) urged the Israel Defense Forces to use established liaison and coordination channels and cautioned… [Read More]
After Pakistan’s Worst Floods, Communities Face Long Road to Recovery
Since June 2025, Pakistan has been grappling with unusually heavy monsoon rains that have affected over six million people and claimed nearly 1,000 lives, including around 250 children. The floods have devastated communities, sweeping away homes, livestock, and infrastructure, leaving many displaced in government-run camps or with host families already stretched beyond capacity. In northern… [Read More]
