Illicit financial flows (IFFs) pose a significant challenge to sustainable development by reducing domestic resource mobilization, weakening institutions, and undermining the rule of law. By diverting financial resources from essential public services such as health, education, and infrastructure, IFFs exacerbate inequality, constrain inclusive economic growth, and hinder long-term development outcomes. Addressing IFFs is a key… [Read More]

India’s ambitious net zero target for 2070 requires annual energy sector investments to triple to around US$200 billion. However, the country’s current annual state expenditure for all renewable energy is only US$1.8 billion, with minimal international capital support. Despite these financial constraints, India has successfully expanded its green industrial policy, particularly in the solar power… [Read More]

In August 2025, Nusrat Mahmud Ananna met 19-year-old Aysha Siddik in Jamalpur, Bangladesh. Pulled out of school early and raising a young daughter with no stable income, Aysha had faced a life full of obstacles. Despite her challenges, she demonstrated remarkable determination not to let her circumstances define her future, expressing a strong desire to… [Read More]

UNDP’s Greening Moonshot initiative aims to reduce the organization’s corporate carbon footprint by 50 percent by 2030. To achieve this goal, UNDP country offices are investing in energy efficiency, renewable energy, and sustainable transport, making operations cleaner, more reliable, and resilient, including in fragile and remote contexts. After five years, UNDP has implemented 194 projects… [Read More]

International Day of Clean Energy, celebrated on 26 January, highlights the crucial role of climate-friendly energy in building a sustainable future. In Djibouti, a joint programme led by the United Nations is transforming the country’s abundant sunlight into affordable, reliable, and clean energy, creating both new economic opportunities and improved access to electricity. Djibouti, one… [Read More]

In 2025, refugee settlements across Uganda reported more than six disease outbreaks, while stock-outs of essential medicines and medical supplies reached up to 30%, severely limiting health facilities’ ability to provide care. Acute malnutrition rose from 5.4% to 7.8% in 12 of Uganda’s 14 refugee settlements, putting thousands of children at risk of illness, long-term… [Read More]

The International Finance Corporation has announced a $166 million investment program to support Sri Lankan businesses and help the country move from economic stabilization toward sustainable and inclusive growth. The investment, unveiled in Colombo, reinforces IFC’s long-standing commitment to Sri Lanka’s private sector and is designed to strengthen the financial system at a critical moment… [Read More]

Women-led and women-engaging enterprises (WLEs) play a vital role in Nepal’s agriculture and forestry sectors, sustaining rural livelihoods and strengthening community-level climate resilience. Nearly 70% of Nepali women are engaged in agriculture, acting as key stewards of forests, land, and ecosystems. Embedded across farming value chains as producers, workers, cooperative members, and suppliers, these enterprises… [Read More]

Microsoft has launched its 2026 Community Fund for south and west Dublin at a special community event held at Áras Chrónáin in Clondalkin, attended by Minister of State and Dublin South West TD Colm Brophy. The event also celebrated the achievements of recipients of the 2025 Community Fund, bringing together local schools, community groups, NGOs,… [Read More]

The plea of a child from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to be protected from violence reflects the harsh reality faced by thousands of children caught in armed conflicts worldwide in 2025. A recent report submitted to the Human Rights Council by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict highlights… [Read More]

Nine innovative projects across Mid and North Wales have secured a combined £2.95 million in Collaborative Research and Development funding from Innovate UK, reinforcing the region’s growing agri-tech and food-tech innovation ecosystem. The funding has been awarded through the Agri-tech and Food Technology Cluster for Mid and North Wales, a programme designed to drive technological… [Read More]

A new £1.5 million awards scheme has been launched by the Freelands Foundation to strengthen education programmes at arts and culture organisations across the UK. Founded by media executive Elisabeth Murdoch, the philanthropic foundation will provide £100,000 in unrestricted funding each year to three organisations over the next five years, with the aim of reinforcing… [Read More]

Millions of pounds in external funding have been secured and managed by Aberdeenshire Council over the past year, enabling the delivery of a wide range of projects that are having a tangible impact on communities across the region. A new report outlining the work of the council’s Investments and Projects Team within the Economic Development… [Read More]

The Kenya Cyber Resilience (KCR) project, funded by the European Union with KES 454 million (EUR 3 million) over a 36-month period, aims to strengthen Kenya’s national cybersecurity ecosystem and ensure a secure, resilient and trusted digital environment for citizens, public institutions and businesses. The initiative supports Kenya’s growing digital economy by reinforcing the foundations… [Read More]

The Fiji Government, through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade, hosted a Global Sourcing Workshop in Suva, facilitated by the European Union (EU). The event was designed to assist Pacific Interim Economic Partnership Agreement (IEPA) Parties and industry stakeholders in leveraging the Global Sourcing provision under the EU-Pacific IEPA. Held alongside the 11th… [Read More]

In Latin America and the Caribbean, violence continues to pose a serious threat to the lives, health, and well-being of children, adolescents, and young people, according to a new joint report by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and UNICEF. The report highlights that between 2015 and 2022, over 53,000 children and adolescents were victims… [Read More]

Intense rainfall and severe flooding since mid-December 2025 have affected approximately 1.3 million people across southern Africa, causing widespread destruction of homes and critical infrastructure and disrupting access to health services. The floods have heightened the risk of water- and mosquito-borne diseases, with Mozambique accounting for about half of those affected. Other impacted countries include… [Read More]

In Madagascar, leprosy continues to pose a significant public health challenge, with between 1,500 and 2,000 new cases reported annually. The disease is endemic in 37 remote districts across 16 of the country’s 24 regions. In 2024, 1,713 new cases were recorded, and nearly 350 people—about 20 percent of all cases—live with permanent disabilities caused… [Read More]

Addis Ababa—The Government of Ethiopia has officially declared the end of its first-ever outbreak of Marburg virus disease (MVD) after completing enhanced surveillance and the mandatory 42-day follow-up period, with no new confirmed cases reported. The outbreak, which began on 14 November 2025 in the South Ethiopia Region, was contained in less than three months… [Read More]

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in partnership with the Government of Germany through the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Regional Identity, has launched a new initiative to support rural communities in Dnipropetrovska oblast, one of Ukraine’s regions most affected by the ongoing war. Rural households in this area face… [Read More]

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has launched a new Technical Cooperation Programme to develop and pilot a methodology for measuring peatland fires, supporting countries in meeting their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement. The project will run through 2026 and 2027 in close collaboration with national government counterparts,… [Read More]

The Ministry of Agriculture, in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), has released the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis covering November 2025 to July 2026, with technical support from the IPC Global Support Unit. The assessment shows that food insecurity in Lebanon remains fragile… [Read More]

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and its partners launched the “Regional Collaboration and Annual Review Meeting” of the Water Scarcity Initiative (WSI) Programme in Amman from 20 to 22 January. The three-day workshop brought together government representatives, regional organizations, and development partners to review progress from the past year and… [Read More]