The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $36 million financing package to align technical and vocational education and training (TVET) with labor market demands in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR). The Skills Enhancement for Inclusive and Green Economic Development Project aims to increase local employment opportunities for young people, particularly women, by… [Read More]
AfDB Launches New Financial Coordination Platform to Boost African Development Funding
The African Development Bank Group is taking significant steps to address Africa’s financing challenges by collaborating with regional financial partners to establish a Pan-African Financial Coordination Platform. This innovative platform aims to enhance collaboration among African financial institutions, streamline resource deployment, and promote efficiency through shared project pipelines, harmonized technical standards, and coordinated implementation timelines…. [Read More]
Digital Rights at Risk: EU’s Omnibus Proposals Could Undermine Accountability
Amnesty Tech has strongly criticized the European Commission’s proposed “digital omnibus” measures, warning that they could dismantle key protections against digital threats across the EU. Damini Satija, Programme Director at Amnesty Tech, emphasized that these proposals risk weakening people’s rights, enabling unlawful surveillance, discriminatory profiling in welfare and policing, and undermining individuals’ control over personal… [Read More]
$4.8M Boost for Girls’ Education: Malala Fund Channels 66% to Young Women-Led Groups
Malala Fund has announced $4.8 million in new grants to support 21 organisations advancing girls’ education in Nigeria, Pakistan, Brazil, Ethiopia, and Tanzania. In alignment with the Fund’s 2025–2030 strategy, 66% of the funding, approximately $3.17 million, will go to young women-led organisations, significantly exceeding the original target. Malala Yousafzai, Co-Founder and Executive Chair of… [Read More]
Gender Equality in Weather and Climate Services: WMO Virtual Workshop Highlights Progress
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is hosting a virtual workshop on Gender Mainstreaming across Hydrometeorological Services on 25 November 2025, bringing together experts and practitioners from the UN system and national services to promote gender-responsive approaches in weather, climate, and water operations. The workshop emphasizes the importance of gender mainstreaming for delivering inclusive, equitable, and… [Read More]
IDB & World Bank: Jamaica Faces Historic US$8.8 Billion Loss from Hurricane Melissa
The World Bank, in coordination with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), has estimated that Hurricane Melissa caused physical damages in Jamaica totaling US$8.8 billion, equivalent to 41% of the country’s 2024 GDP, making it the costliest hurricane in the nation’s recorded history. The Global Rapid Damage Estimation (GRADE), conducted immediately after the hurricane, assessed damage… [Read More]
Canada Pledges Backing for IFAD Investments at COP30 to Enhance Climate Adaptation
At COP30 in Belém, Brazil, Canada announced a CAD 263 million (approximately US$187 million) concessional loan to the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), reinforcing its commitment to global climate action. The funding aims to help regions disproportionately affected by climate shocks adapt, protect food security, and strengthen rural livelihoods. Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate… [Read More]
Boosting Fisheries: Zimbabwe Introduces New Fish Hatchery Management Guidelines
Zimbabwe has taken a major step to strengthen its fisheries and aquaculture sector with the launch of the Fish Hatchery Management Guidelines, a milestone aimed at unlocking the country’s fish farming potential, improving fingerling quality, and supporting sustainable growth. The sector is critical for food security, nutrition, and rural livelihoods, yet much of Zimbabwe’s natural… [Read More]
WHO: More Countries Reporting Hard-to-Treat Gonorrhoea Strains
The World Health Organization (WHO) has raised alarm over the growing global threat of drug-resistant gonorrhoea, a sexually transmitted infection, based on new findings from its Enhanced Gonococcal Antimicrobial Surveillance Programme (EGASP). The programme, launched in 2015, collects laboratory and clinical data from sentinel sites worldwide to monitor antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and guide treatment strategies…. [Read More]
Lifetime Toll of Violence: Nearly 1 in 3 Women Face Partner or Sexual Abuse
Violence against women continues to be one of the world’s most persistent and under-addressed human rights crises, with minimal progress over the past two decades, according to a landmark report released by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UN partners. Globally, nearly one in three women—approximately 840 million—have experienced physical or sexual violence by an… [Read More]
WHO-Trained Journalist Honored Again for Road Safety Journalism in Ghana
Ghana News Agency Senior Editor Dasmani Issifu Laary has won the road safety category of the Ghana Journalism Association’s annual national journalism awards, becoming the second WHO-trained journalist in the country to receive this recognition. His investigative report, Deadly Highways: Fixing Ghana’s Silent Epidemic, highlights the systemic causes of road deaths and serious injuries in… [Read More]
Angola Approves 2026-2030 National Immunization Strategy for Stronger Health Systems
Angola has officially launched its National Immunization Strategy (NIS) 2026-2030, aimed at strengthening the country’s Expanded Program on Immunization and safeguarding children’s health. The Strategy sets ambitious targets aligned with WHO recommendations and global immunization goals, emphasizing equity, sustainability, and integration of vaccination services into the national health agenda. Developed through a participatory and evidence-based… [Read More]
Zimbabwe Expands Cancer Care for Women Through Integrated Health Services
Zimbabwe is intensifying efforts to improve women’s health by integrating breast and cervical cancer services into primary health care. This approach aims to bring prevention, early detection, and treatment closer to communities, ensuring equitable access to quality care. Cervical cancer accounts for nearly 41% of all cancers among women in Zimbabwe, followed by breast cancer… [Read More]
New WHO Africa Geodatabase Strengthens Evidence-Based Health Planning
In Brazzaville, the World Health Organization (WHO) in the African region marked Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Day on 19 November by launching the AFRO Geodatabase (AFRO GDB), a platform designed to enhance the use of trusted administrative boundary data and strengthen geospatial governance for data-driven health decisions across Africa. The platform enables countries to store,… [Read More]
How Youth Are Driving Urban Food System Innovation in Italy
During the week of World Food Day 2025, young people took center stage in transforming urban food systems in Italy, demonstrating that the future of food depends on youth and cities as key drivers of change. At the World Food Forum in Rome and the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact Global Forum, youth voices, local… [Read More]
Climate Change Costs: New Study Highlights Who Pays the Price
As COP30 opens in the Amazon, new research highlights a stark injustice: women and low-income households in the Global South are bearing the true costs of the climate crisis, while governments and the corporations most responsible for emissions largely avoid accountability. Studies conducted by Hivos and local partners in Brazil and Zambia, involving 236 households,… [Read More]
UN Syria Envoy: Millions Facing Acute Humanitarian Needs Amid Conflict
UN Deputy Special Envoy for Syria Najat Rochdi told the Security Council that humanitarian conditions in the country remain “extremely serious,” with over 16 million people in need of aid and hundreds of thousands displaced, according to the UN humanitarian coordination office (OCHA). She welcomed the removal of UN sanctions on President Ahmed al-Sharaa and… [Read More]
Humanity Finds Common Ground: The Power of the Olympic Truce
Speaking ahead of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, Annalena Baerbock reflected on her experience as a young trampoline gymnast and the unifying power of sport. She emphasized the Olympic Truce as a living metaphor for peace, requiring discipline, respect, and courage to foster harmony both between nations and within communities. Historical examples illustrate this potential,… [Read More]
UNICEF Highlights Plight of Displaced Palestinians in Gaza Amid Humanitarian Crisis
UNICEF has highlighted the dire situation facing displaced families in Gaza, focusing on six-year-old twins, Yahya and Nabeela, who were critically injured by unexploded remnants of war. The children are receiving mental health support and protective tarpaulins, underscoring the ongoing vulnerability of civilians amid conflict. Many families continue to live in tents and are struggling… [Read More]
Violence Against Women Must Stop: A Global Call for Dignity and Equality
A young mother from Yemen endured severe physical abuse at the hands of her partner, highlighting a global crisis affecting nearly one in three women worldwide. Approximately 840 million women have faced physical or sexual violence from an intimate partner since 2000, a figure that has barely declined over the past two decades, with an… [Read More]
How a School in the Amazon is Building Climate-Resilient Communities
On a remote riverbank in the Brazilian Amazon, the Maria Naura Gouvêa Municipal School stands as a model of climate resilience, equipped with flood- and erosion-resistant walls, insulated roofing, solar-powered energy, satellite internet, and a clean water supply from a 150-meter well. The school exemplifies COP30’s focus on adaptation, offering students a safe, sustainable learning… [Read More]
Digital Transformation in Micronesia: A New Era for Technology and Innovation
In Chuuk State, the Tonoas Smart Island Digital Hub is transforming access to digital services in one of the Federated States of Micronesia’s most remote communities. Funded by the UN Joint SDG Fund, the hub was officially launched with support from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), UNOPS, and the UN Resident Coordinator’s Multi-Country Office (UNRCO… [Read More]
Skills Recognition in Ethiopia Expands Career Pathways for Workers
Hawassa, Ethiopia (ILO News) – Ethiopia is advancing recognition of skills gained through practical experience to promote inclusion, better employment, and economic growth. Many workers acquire expertise outside formal education, and the national Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) system aims to validate these skills, translating them into formal qualifications, higher incomes, and greater confidence. Recent… [Read More]
