The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has approved eight new projects led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), totaling nearly $60 million, to support sustainable agricultural and environmental practices across seven countries. These initiatives aim to improve agricultural landscape management, promote climate-friendly livestock production, and restore forests, coastal areas, and marine… [Read More]
UN Report Warns: Hunger Reduces in Asia-Pacific, Yet Nutrition Issues Remain
The 2025 State of Food Security and Nutrition in Asia and the Pacific report, jointly released by FAO, IFAD, UNEP, WFP, and WHO, highlights notable progress in reducing hunger across the region, while emphasizing persistent challenges related to malnutrition, food insecurity, and unequal access to healthy diets. The prevalence of undernourishment declined from 7.0 percent… [Read More]
Strengthening Health Security: Zimbabwe Launches Integrated One Health Strategic Plan
Zimbabwe has officially launched its National One Health Strategic Plan 2026–2030, a comprehensive framework aimed at strengthening national health security by integrating human, animal, plant, and environmental health systems. The plan, unveiled in Harare by Vice President Kembo Mohadi on behalf of President Emmerson Mnangagwa, represents a landmark step in aligning Zimbabwe with global and… [Read More]
Tigray Conflict Survivors Speak Out: How Women Bear the Brunt of Violence Amid an Uncertain Peace
Nearly three years after active fighting in Tigray has ceased, women in the region continue to bear the devastating effects of the war on their bodies, minds, and daily lives. Survivors and health professionals report that the end of hostilities and the signing of the Pretoria Agreement have not brought safety, recovery, or dignity. Sexual… [Read More]
Lessons from the Frontlines: Five Years of Community-Led Climate Action
The Voices for Just Climate Action (VCA) program was founded on the principle that climate solutions must center the communities most affected by climate change, who have historically contributed the least to the crisis. Over five years, VCA sought to ensure that these frontline communities had the resources, platforms, and capacity to lead climate action…. [Read More]
Building Connectivity, Creating Solutions: How Partnerships and Smart Finance Can Address Asia’s Infrastructure Gap
The article explores how the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is leveraging product innovation and strategic partnerships to address Asia’s massive infrastructure needs. Hun Kim, AIIB Chief Partnerships Officer, highlights that the region faces an annual investment gap of approximately USD 2.5 trillion to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, even as over USD 4.5 trillion… [Read More]
Adaptive Climate Governance in the Middle East and North Africa: Opportunities and Impact
Climate governance in the Middle East and North Africa will have a lasting influence on the region’s political stability, economic resilience and state–society relations as climate impacts intensify and the global energy transition accelerates. Governments across MENA face growing urgency to act, but the effectiveness and durability of climate action depend heavily on how policies… [Read More]
Sustainable Agriculture in Focus: SASI and Bayer Foster Strategic Dialogue
The Sustainable Agricultural Supply Chain Initiative (SASI) highlighted the tangible impact of cooperation with the private sector during a Partner Day with Bayer, demonstrating how private funding and technical expertise can be leveraged to advance sustainable agriculture. The exchange underscored SASI’s approach of aligning development objectives with private sector engagement to deliver measurable results in… [Read More]
How MooMe Is Transforming Livestock Management Through Digital Efficiency
The global dairy sector is expanding rapidly, with more than 6 billion people consuming dairy products and demand continuing to rise, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Milk production provides a vital source of income for around 150 million households worldwide, most of them smallholders. This growth presents a significant opportunity to improve efficiency and… [Read More]
Haiti Cash for Work Program Shows Measurable Gains in Food Security and Gender Equality
Haiti continues to face acute food insecurity and persistent gender inequality, with nearly half of the population unable to meet basic food needs and women disproportionately exposed to economic vulnerability. To address these challenges, the World Food Programme implemented Food Assistance for Assets, a cash-for-work initiative that provides conditional cash transfers linked to the creation… [Read More]
Lessons from Alaska: COVID-19 Phases and Strategies for Future Pandemic Response
The COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on Alaska, with Indigenous residents, the elderly, and Asian and Pacific Islander communities experiencing the highest levels of illness and death. A new report from the Alaska Division of Public Health outlines the state’s pandemic experience from the first detected case on March 12, 2020, through the end… [Read More]
Nadoum’s Journey: Driving Sustainable Change in the MENA Region
Nadoum, Frontline AIDS’ flagship programme in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), was launched in 2019 with funding from the Global Fund, operating across Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, and Tunisia. The programme targeted highly marginalised communities facing criminalisation, stigma, and underfunded health systems, where political complexity makes the delivery of HIV and sexual and… [Read More]
Building Flood Resilience in Bologna: Insights from Funding and Implementation Efforts
After the extreme flooding in October 2024, Bologna was compelled to rethink its approach to climate preparedness, ranging from civil protection and early warning systems to long-term urban planning capable of handling heavy rainfall. Deputy Mayor Anna Lisa Boni emphasized that the floods not only caused physical damage but also created widespread anxiety among citizens… [Read More]
Building Resilience in Mozambique: FAO Supports Training on Damage and Loss Assessment
Mozambique, a country highly vulnerable to climate-related hazards such as cyclones, floods, and droughts, continues to experience severe socio-economic impacts from these recurrent events. The agriculture sector, which contributes about 24.3 percent to the national GDP and employs over 70 percent of the labor force, remains particularly at risk. The 2023/24 El Niño-induced droughts highlighted… [Read More]
Kenya Hosts SWIOFC–Nairobi Convention Partnership Review Highlighting Community Gains and Regional Development
The South West Indian Ocean Fisheries Commission (SWIOFC) and the Nairobi Convention | Western Indian Ocean Partnership Project for Resilient Marine and Coastal Ecosystems and Livelihoods held its second annual review in Diani, Kenya, from 2 to 4 December 2025. The meeting convened national project teams from Kenya, representatives of FAO, the Nairobi Convention, and… [Read More]
Brazil Achieves Milestone: WHO Validates Elimination of Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission
Brazil has been officially validated by the World Health Organization (WHO) for the elimination of mother-to-child transmission (EMTCT) of HIV, making it the most populous country in the Americas to achieve this milestone. This success reflects Brazil’s longstanding commitment to universal and free health services through its Unified Health System (SUS), supported by a strong… [Read More]
Indonesia Receives World Bank Support to Improve Solid Waste Management Systems
The World Bank has approved a US$350 million Local Service Delivery Improvement Project (LSDP) in Indonesia, aiming to provide cleaner and healthier environments for over 15 million people while better protecting 10 million from climate risks. The project will enhance solid waste services and infrastructure, create stable green jobs, reduce methane emissions, and promote a… [Read More]
Mexico Secures $500 Million World Bank Guarantee to Attract Private Sector Investment in Infrastructure
The World Bank’s Executive Board has approved a credit enhancement instrument of up to US$500 million to help mobilize large-scale private capital for sustainable and resilient transport infrastructure in Mexico. This initiative is expected to boost employment, improve connectivity, and accelerate economic growth, supporting the Government of Mexico’s implementation of Plan México. Banco Nacional de… [Read More]
Morocco Receives World Bank Grant to Promote Climate-Resilient Farming and Secure Food Systems
The World Bank’s Board of Directors has approved a $4 million grant from the Livable Planet Fund to Morocco, supplementing the $250 million initially approved in December 2024 for the Transforming Agri-food Systems Program. The program is designed to strengthen Morocco’s agri-food system against climate change while enhancing food safety and quality. The additional financing… [Read More]
Asian Development Bank Provides $909.7 Million to Aid Türkiye’s Earthquake Recovery
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved two loans totaling $909.7 million to support Türkiye’s recovery from the February 2023 earthquakes. The financing aims to rebuild resilient infrastructure, promote manufacturing investments, and assist small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in creating jobs, boosting exports, and enhancing disaster resilience. The first project, Empowering Export-Oriented Enterprises with Long-Term… [Read More]
Georgia Launches First Sustainability-Linked Lari Bonds with ADB Backing Tegeta Transport
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has invested 41 million Georgian lari (approximately $15.2 million) as an anchor investor in Tegeta Holding’s sustainability-linked bonds (SLBs), marking the first SLBs issued in Georgian lari (GEL). This milestone supports sustainable transport and green mobility in the South Caucasus region, with the proceeds financing projects to reduce carbon emissions… [Read More]
Asian Development Bank Backs Modern Irrigation Pipe Network Pilot in Sri Lanka
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $3 million grant to address water shortages in Sri Lanka’s Northwestern and Uva provinces by constructing modern pipe distribution network (PDN) systems. The initiative, part of the Transforming Irrigation Systems for Improved Food Security Project, will provide irrigation to 877 hectares of farmland, supporting 943 farming households… [Read More]
ADB and Arab Maghreb Union Strengthen Collaboration to Accelerate North African Regional Development and Youth Jobs
The African Development Bank Group and the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU) have reinforced their partnership to promote regional integration, expand youth employment, and enhance the impact of investments across the Maghreb. The collaboration aims to drive inclusive economic growth and support transformative projects that benefit the region’s populations. During a high-level Joint Steering Committee meeting… [Read More]
