The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $9 million grant to expand credit access and create business opportunities for women entrepreneurs in Tonga. The initiative aims to boost the growth of women-owned and women-led micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) by providing targeted financial and business support. The Women Entrepreneurs Leveraging Innovative Finance in… [Read More]
$20 Million from Asian Development Bank to Strengthen Vanuatu’s Fiscal Resilience and Disaster Preparedness
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved $20 million in financing to strengthen fiscal sustainability and enhance Vanuatu’s disaster response capabilities. The package includes a $10 million policy-based grant to support reforms in domestic resource mobilization, public expenditure, and state-owned enterprise (SOE) management, alongside a $10 million multi-year contingent disaster financing (CDF) with a replenishment… [Read More]
AfDB Approves Three Grant Financing Deals with São Tomé and Príncipe
The African Development Bank Group and the Government of São Tomé and Príncipe have strengthened their development partnership with $18 million in new grant financing. Signed at the São Tomé and Príncipe Investment Forum in Brussels, the three agreements focus on energy, climate-smart agriculture, and integrated water-energy-food security. The first agreement provides $7.5 million for… [Read More]
$11 Million Approved by AfDB to Upgrade Juba’s Sanitation Systems
On 8 December, the Boards of Directors of the African Development Bank Group approved an addendum to the South Sudan Climate Resilient Sanitation and Institutional Support Project. Originally approved on 20 November 2024, the project’s $11 million grant funding will now be sourced from the African Development Fund’s Transition Support Facility. Poor sanitation in Juba… [Read More]
Mass Surveillance in Azerbaijan: Risks to Citizen Privacy and Freedom
On November 21, President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree establishing a centralized digital platform that significantly expands state surveillance powers. Known as the Centralized Information and Digital Analytics System (MİRAS), the system will be controlled by the State Security Service and is expected to be fully operational by May 2026. MİRAS is intended to consolidate… [Read More]
Jimmy Lai Conviction Signals Major Threat to Hong Kong Press Freedom
Amnesty International condemned the conviction of Hong Kong newspaper founder Jimmy Lai on national security charges, calling it a “death knell for press freedom” in the city. Sarah Brooks, Amnesty’s China Director, highlighted that Lai has been imprisoned solely for peacefully criticizing the government through his Apple Daily newspaper, with activities that would not have… [Read More]
Humanitarian Workers in Tunisia Face Bogus Criminal Trial: Authorities Must Act Now
Tunisian authorities are being urged to immediately drop charges against six staff members of the French NGO France Terre d’Asile, who are facing a criminal trial for their humanitarian work with refugees and migrants. Three of the staff, including Sherifa Riahi and Mohamed Joo, have been held in arbitrary pretrial detention for over 19 months,… [Read More]
Technology-Facilitated Violence Against Women and Girls: Challenges and Prevention
For decades, the global community has prioritized combating violence against women and girls, developing protection mechanisms and prevention frameworks informed by extensive research and policy initiatives. Despite these sustained efforts, violence against women and girls continues to persist, growing increasingly complex and brutal. It now spans both private and public spheres, targeting women of all… [Read More]
AI Threatens to Deepen Development Inequality, UNDP Finds
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has warned that unmanaged artificial intelligence (AI) could exacerbate global inequalities by widening gaps in economic performance, human capabilities, and governance systems. The report, The Next Great Divergence: Why AI May Widen Inequality Between Countries, emphasizes that while AI offers new development opportunities, countries enter this transition from highly… [Read More]
New Frontiers in Anti-Corruption: Why Integrity Will Shape Asia’s Future
Six years ago, the author questioned whether Asia’s future could break from its past if corruption continued to distort public institutions, development outcomes, and public trust. On the International Day for Anti-Corruption, these concerns remain highly relevant as corruption in the form of state capture, bribery, abuse of power, and embezzlement continues to shape how… [Read More]
$24M Hanoi Venture Fund Aims to Support Emerging Tech Startups
At the National Policy Forum on International Investment Cooperation for Innovation and Startups held on December 13, Truong Viet Dung, Vice Chairman of Hanoi People’s Committee, announced that the city will officially launch its venture capital fund on December 20. The fund will begin with an initial budget of 600 billion VND (approximately 24 million… [Read More]
East Asia Research Receives $4.4 Million Grant for Scientific Advancement
The Australian Government is investing $4.4 million to enhance research innovation in the East Asia region by supporting Australian participation in leading international collaborative health and medical research. This funding targets transnational projects under the NHMRC e-ASIA 2025 Joint Research Program (JRP), which promotes multilateral research collaboration and encourages interaction among researchers through scientific workshops…. [Read More]
Civil Society Urges African Leaders to Secure Fair Terms After Kenya Halts US Health Agreement
Kenya’s High Court has suspended the implementation of the country’s Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the United States following two separate court challenges by the Consumer Federation of Kenya (COFEK) and local Senator Okiya Omtatah. COFEK argued that the agreement violates Kenya’s Data Protection Act, Digital Health Act, Health Act, and other regulations designed to… [Read More]
New Grant Secures Funding to Protect and Support Faith Communities
The Minns Labor Government has announced that faith-based organisations across New South Wales can access $5 million in funding to strengthen the safety and security of religious communities. The initiative reflects the government’s ongoing commitment to ensuring that people from all faiths can practise their religion safely and without fear. This funding represents the third… [Read More]
Rising Homelessness Highlights Urgent Need for Political Action and Commitment
The Green Party has urged the Government to commit to effective solutions to end homelessness after the National Homelessness Data Project reported that homelessness rates across all areas are either stagnating or worsening. The party argues that the findings highlight a growing crisis that requires immediate political action rather than incremental or punitive measures. Green… [Read More]
What Bond’s Working Groups Achieved in 2025: Advocacy, Learning and Collaboration
Another year marked strong momentum and impact for Bond’s working groups, as more than 1,600 members from over 300 organisations collaborated to influence policy, strengthen advocacy, share learning and develop practical tools for the sector. Against a backdrop of political shifts, aid cuts and growing humanitarian crises, these groups continued to provide spaces for coordination… [Read More]
Sudan Conflict: Humanitarian Deal Opens Path to Aid for El Fasher
United Nations humanitarian agencies have warned that the essentials for survival in El Fasher have been completely destroyed after the town was overrun by Rapid Support Forces fighters in October following a prolonged siege. With communications largely cut off, limited information from the ground indicates catastrophic conditions, with between 70,000 and 100,000 people believed to… [Read More]
Iraq Reaches Post-Conflict Milestone as UN Mission Prepares to Exit
In an interview with UN News, Mohamed Al Hassan, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and head of UNAMI, said the Mission’s planned closure reflects the profound transformation Iraq has undergone since UNAMI was established in 2003, when the country was emerging from dictatorship, regional wars and the violence of ISIL. He recalled that the Mission… [Read More]
UN Warns of Growing Water Scarcity as Pressure on Global Water Resources Intensifies
The latest 2025 AQUASTAT Water Data Snapshot highlights growing pressure on global freshwater resources, showing a continued decline in renewable water availability, defined as the freshwater replenished annually through precipitation in rivers and aquifers. Over the past decade, renewable water availability per person has fallen by seven per cent, underscoring increasing stress on water systems… [Read More]
Eastern DR Congo Violence Deepens, Raising Alarms Over Potential Regional War
A renewed offensive by the Alliance Fleuve Congo/Mouvement du 23 mars (AFC/M23) in South Kivu has reignited large-scale fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, only days after international agreements were signed to ease tensions. United Nations officials and humanitarian organizations report civilian deaths, widespread destruction of infrastructure and the displacement of hundreds of… [Read More]
Youth Urged to Champion Global Peace by UN Alliance of Civilizations
Ahead of the 11th Global Forum of the Alliance of Civilizations in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Miguel Ángel Moratinos urged youth worldwide to reclaim peace as a global priority. He emphasized that the future depends on a generation willing to prioritize dialogue over division and humanity over hatred, highlighting the critical role young people play in… [Read More]
Youth Urged by UN Alliance of Civilizations to Make Peace a Global Priority
Speaking to UN News ahead of the 11th Global Forum of the Alliance of Civilizations in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Miguel Ángel Moratinos urged youth worldwide to make peace a global priority. He emphasized that the future depends on a generation willing to choose dialogue over division and humanity over hatred. Reflecting on the Alliance’s 20-year… [Read More]
Timor-Leste Launches Farm-to-School Program to Support Children’s Nutrition and Local Farmers
unaffordable for most households, the United Nations is supporting efforts to broaden the benefits of development. At Cossamar Primary School in Same, 500 students now receive school meals that include more protein and vegetables, improving both nutrition and classroom alertness. Similarly, at Betano Primary School on the southern coast, students benefit from balanced meals that… [Read More]
