Uganda’s electoral commission has officially declared President Yoweri Museveni the winner of the January 15 elections, securing his seventh term in office with 71 percent of the vote. The lead-up to the elections was marked by widespread human rights abuses. Security forces reportedly beat and arrested hundreds of people at opposition rallies, used teargas indiscriminately,… [Read More]

On January 19, a court in Makhachkala, the capital of Russia’s Dagestan region, sentenced women’s rights defender and journalist Svetlana Anokhina to five years in prison for allegedly spreading “fake news” about the Russian armed forces. The sentence was handed down in absentia, as Anokhina left Russia in 2021 after a police raid targeted her… [Read More]

In eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the sudden withdrawal of the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group from the city of Uvira on January 17, 2026, has left civilians at grave risk from abusive Wazalendo militias, Human Rights Watch reported. After capturing the city on December 10, 2025, M23 forces had harassed, threatened, and assaulted residents, prompting… [Read More]

The Gates Foundation plans to spend $9 billion in 2026 as part of its long-term strategy to gradually wind down operations and permanently close by 2045. Alongside this increased payout, the foundation intends to reduce its workforce by around 500 staff members over the next five years. The move marks the conclusion of a four-year… [Read More]

The Azim Premji Foundation has announced plans to develop a 1,000-bed charitable super-speciality transplant hospital on a 10-acre site within the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases campus in Bengaluru. The Karnataka government has agreed to lease the land to the Foundation for 99 years, formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding with the State’s Medical… [Read More]

The LANL Foundation, New Mexico’s largest foundation exclusively focused on education, has announced its 2026 legislative priorities aimed at strengthening public education, expanding workforce pathways, and supporting students and families across northern New Mexico. These priorities emphasize evidence-based approaches to improve education systems, reflect community needs, build on past policy successes, and contribute to a… [Read More]

Colgate-Palmolive has announced a new multi-year collaboration with the WHO Foundation to advance global oral health, addressing one of the most prevalent yet overlooked noncommunicable diseases affecting 3.7 billion people worldwide. This four-year funding commitment will support the expansion of oral health education, integration of oral health into national health systems, and increased awareness of… [Read More]

The Sahel, a semi-arid region spanning from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea, has emerged as a hotspot for global terrorism due to frequent armed group attacks and resulting civilian fatalities. This situation is fueled by a combination of factors, including weak state structures, illicit economies, limited government presence in rural areas, and resource… [Read More]

Climate finance plays a pivotal role in transforming Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) into concrete decarbonization outcomes. The Mitigation Action Facility’s latest report, From grants to guarantees: how the Mitigation Action Facility’s financial mechanisms transform NDC ambition into climate action, demonstrates how tailored financial instruments—from catalytic grants to risk-reducing guarantees—are mobilizing private capital and accelerating climate… [Read More]

In Nigeria, resilience is a way of life, with people constantly adapting and pushing forward despite significant challenges. Livelihood struggles are often less about effort and ambition and more about the absence of opportunity, resources, or timely support. Sometimes, a single intervention can transform hardship into a story of renewed hope, entrepreneurship, and resilience. In… [Read More]

Citi Foundation has committed $200,000 to support humanitarian relief for communities affected by severe flooding across Southeast Asia, including Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka. The announcement on January 21 highlights the foundation’s partnership with Save the Children to deliver urgent assistance to children and families impacted by the floods. In Vietnam, prolonged monsoon rains… [Read More]

Tanzania’s leadership in promoting Kiswahili on the global stage was prominently celebrated at the Diplomatic Party held on 15 January 2026 in Dodoma, hosted by President H.E. Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan. The high-level event brought together senior government officials and members of the diplomatic corps to acknowledge Tanzania’s ongoing efforts in elevating Kiswahili as a… [Read More]

UNESCO has expressed deep concern over the rising use of internet shutdowns by governments to manage political crises, condemning any actions that prevent citizens from accessing information through online tools. The organization emphasizes that the internet is essential for citizens to exercise their democratic rights, particularly during times of crisis, and calls on governments to… [Read More]

Malawi is facing a catastrophic collapse of healthcare services one year after the US government cut foreign aid in January 2025, reversing a decade of progress against HIV/AIDS. The funding reductions have led to severe cuts in HIV treatment programs, an increase in unplanned pregnancies, and a resurgence of stigma and discrimination against vulnerable populations…. [Read More]

Governor Wes Moore has proposed a $73.7 million allocation in the Fiscal Year 2027 budget to fund 252 projects through six state revitalization programs administered by the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development. These investments target county and municipal governments, community development organizations, and other local partners to support projects that advance revitalization goals… [Read More]

The Climate Policy Initiative (CPI), in partnership with ForestAction Nepal (FA-N) and the Southasia Institute of Advanced Studies (SIAS), conducted a primary study examining the socio-economic and financial challenges faced by women-led enterprises (WLEs) in Nepal, particularly their limited access to finance. The objective of the related event is to present the study’s key findings,… [Read More]

The people of Yemen are facing a severe and escalating hunger crisis, warns the International Rescue Committee (IRC), as ongoing conflict, insecurity, and drastic reductions in humanitarian funding compound the situation. Yemen now bears the highest global burden of IPC Phase 4 food insecurity, with over 148,000 people entering crisis or worse levels of food… [Read More]

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has launched Airbel Ventures, a humanitarian impact investing fund designed to accelerate the introduction and scaling of breakthrough technologies in crisis-affected communities. The fund targets innovations with the potential to transform humanitarian response, from digital infrastructure for frontline health systems to climate-resilient agriculture. Many high-potential startups face barriers entering humanitarian… [Read More]

Recent cuts to official development assistance (ODA) from the UK, US, and several European countries—including the Netherlands, Belgium, and France—have sent shockwaves through the global health and development sector. These reductions have disrupted the international aid architecture, leaving affected countries with little time to develop sustainable financing alternatives. While such cuts pose immediate challenges for… [Read More]

Humanitarian discussions increasingly highlight the importance of locally led action, yet despite years of dialogue under initiatives like the Grand Bargain, definitions of “localisation” remain fluid, and progress often lags behind commitments. The gap between rhetoric and reality continues, raising questions about how to meaningfully advance locally led approaches within the broader Humanitarian Reset. Locally… [Read More]

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has secured new partnerships with Belgium and France to expand emergency agricultural assistance in the Gaza Strip, aiming to support 1,000 farming households ahead of the upcoming growing season. Through this initiative, FAO seeks to help farmers restore food production capacity and improve local access to… [Read More]

Senegal has made remarkable progress in maternal health over the past decade, reducing its maternal mortality rate by more than half. However, despite these gains, many women continued to experience childbirth as a distressing and isolating process, often marked by fear, limited communication and a lack of emotional support within health facilities. Experiences like that… [Read More]

The demolition of the UNRWA headquarters in East Jerusalem has drawn strong condemnation from senior United Nations officials, who describe the act as an unprecedented attack on the UN and a serious breach of international law. UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini stated that the demolition represents a new level of open and deliberate defiance of international… [Read More]