Urban revitalization is an important process aimed at addressing the many social, economic, and environmental challenges faced by cities, including poverty, unemployment, crime, and poor infrastructure. It focuses on improving and renewing urban spaces to make communities more vibrant, sustainable, and inclusive. With a significant share of urban populations affected by poverty, the need for… [Read More]
Innovative UGC Strategies for Nonprofits to Increase Donations
User-Generated Content (UGC) is becoming an increasingly effective tool for nonprofits seeking to boost visibility, deepen audience engagement, and increase donations in a crowded digital space. By using content created by supporters—such as photos, videos, testimonials, reviews, and social media posts—organizations can amplify authentic voices that resonate more strongly with potential donors than traditional branded… [Read More]
How Nonprofits Use Storytelling to Boost Donor Engagement
Storytelling has become an essential strategy for nonprofit organizations seeking to strengthen donor engagement and improve fundraising outcomes. In a highly competitive fundraising environment, nonprofits that use compelling and authentic narratives are often better able to connect with supporters on an emotional level. Rather than relying only on facts or statistics, storytelling helps organizations present… [Read More]
Government to Launch Plug-In Solar Within Months
The UK government has announced that “plug-in” solar panels will be available in shops within months, offering households a simpler and more affordable way to reduce their electricity bills. These low-cost systems can be placed on balconies, gardens, or other outdoor spaces and plugged directly into a domestic mains socket, allowing homes to use free… [Read More]
Solomon Islands Communities Get Marine Pollution Training
A new community-led initiative supported by the UK government has helped strengthen the ability of six coastal communities in the Solomon Islands to respond to marine pollution threats. The programme focused on protecting livelihoods, food security, and public health in communities that depend heavily on nearshore marine ecosystems and are vulnerable to pollution risks from… [Read More]
Restrictive Laws Undermine Civil Society in the Americas
In recent years, several countries across the Americas have adopted or amended laws that significantly restrict the work of civil society organizations. Between 2024 and 2025, countries such as Nicaragua, Venezuela, Paraguay, Peru, El Salvador, and Ecuador introduced measures that, while often framed around transparency, national security, or administrative oversight, impose disproportionate controls on nonprofits… [Read More]
Call Grows for Norway to Halt Tommy Olsen Extradition
Tommy Olsen, a Norwegian human rights worker and founder of the NGO Aegean Boat Report, was arrested at his home in Tromsø on 16 March 2026 following a European arrest warrant issued by Greek authorities. Although he was later released on 20 March, he remains at risk of extradition to Greece. Amnesty International has urged… [Read More]
EU Celebrates One Year of Preparedness Union Strategy
The European Union has opened a major two-day conference in Brussels to mark the first anniversary of its Preparedness Union Strategy. The event brings together government representatives, civil protection experts, military officials, private sector leaders, and partners from across Europe to review the progress made so far and discuss the next steps for strengthening preparedness… [Read More]
Akshaya Patra Celebrates 5 Billion Meals at 25-Year Milestone
The Akshaya Patra Foundation marked a major milestone on 17 March 2026 by celebrating the completion of five billion cumulative meals served to children across India. The event took place at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre in New Delhi and highlighted the organisation’s remarkable journey since its launch in 2000, when it began by feeding… [Read More]
How Technology Is Transforming Nonprofits in Asia-Pacific
Nonprofit organizations across the Asia-Pacific region are facing growing pressure as community needs continue to rise alongside the fast pace of digital change. For many civil society groups, this creates a difficult environment where they must respond to complex social challenges while also adapting to new technologies. However, for an increasing number of organizations, digital… [Read More]
Devon County Council Opens £78M Minor Engineering Works Tender
Devon County Council has launched the tender process for a new four-year Minor Engineering Works Framework Contract, which will run from April 2026 to March 2030. Valued at approximately £78 million including VAT, the framework will support a wide range of civil and structural engineering projects across the county. It is designed to help the… [Read More]
Highmark Foundation Awards $1M to Expand Food for Mountaineers Program
The Highmark Foundation has awarded a $1 million grant to expand the Food for Mountaineers program, originally launched in 2024. The program provides WVU Medicine patients facing food insecurity with pre-funded debit cards to purchase nutritious food at retailers including Kroger, Food Lion, Walmart, Amazon Fresh, Instacart, and Dollar General. This funding reflects Highmark’s ongoing… [Read More]
UK £718bn Infrastructure Pipeline: Managing Rising Costs
The UK government’s Infrastructure Pipeline outlines 734 projects valued at £718 billion over the next decade, spanning transport, energy, education, healthcare, and other sectors, with additional projects expected in future updates. This presents a substantial opportunity for construction firms, though the sector faces challenges, highlighted by nearly 4,000 insolvencies in 2025, the highest of any… [Read More]
2026 MENA Conflict Threatens Fintech Deals and Growth
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) fintech sector saw remarkable growth in 2025, with total funding reaching US$1.14 billion, an increase of around 80% year-on-year. The UAE, particularly Dubai and Abu Dhabi, along with Egypt, emerged as the dominant hubs, collectively accounting for over 65% of disclosed deal value. This momentum was fueled by… [Read More]
Fintech at Risk: Iranian Cyber Attacks and Data Centre Strikes
The escalation of hostilities in early 2026 has extended beyond physical energy infrastructure into the digital domain, with Iranian proxy groups targeting cloud facilities in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. Between January and mid-March, these attacks included distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) strikes on AWS in the UAE, ransomware and data exfiltration attempts on Microsoft Azure… [Read More]
How the 2026 Iran Conflict Is Disrupting Global Payments and Trade
The escalation of military activity around the Strait of Hormuz in early 2026 triggered the most severe short-term disruption to global seaborne oil and liquefied natural gas flows since the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Between mid-February and mid-March, Brent crude futures surged from around US$78 per barrel to intra-day peaks above US$118, while spot LNG prices… [Read More]
Why African SMEs Need an Integrated Risk Strategy to Thrive
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are increasingly driving economic growth in Africa and the Middle East, particularly as they adopt digital finance solutions such as mobile money, e-lending, and embedded financial services. Despite this rapid uptake, a critical gap remains: risk literacy. Many SME owners can access digital financial tools, but lack the understanding of… [Read More]
EU Financing Supports Port of Rotterdam’s Greening Efforts
The European Investment Bank (EIB) is providing a €90 million loan to the Port of Rotterdam Authority to install shore power facilities at three deep-sea container terminals in the port. The project, delivered through Rotterdam Shore Power—a joint venture with Eneco—will equip eight kilometres of quay with 35 connection points for large container ships, allowing… [Read More]
EIB Global and BOI Partner to Boost Healthcare in Nigeria
EIB Global and the Bank of Industry (BOI) have signed a €50 million agreement to support the development of healthcare manufacturing projects in Nigeria. Announced during the Nigeria-EU Ministerial Summit in Abuja, the financing will provide a credit line for local manufacturers of pharmaceuticals, vaccines, diagnostics, and other medicinal products to address unmet medical needs… [Read More]
EIB Global, BOI Strengthen Nigeria’s Private Sector and Sustainable Farming
EIB Global and the Bank of Industry (BOI) have signed an €85 million agreement to strengthen agricultural value chains in Nigeria, with a focus on sustainable cocoa and dairy production. The financing, announced during the Nigeria-EU Ministerial Summit in Abuja, will support private sector companies, cooperatives, and MSMEs, aiming to increase value addition, productivity, and… [Read More]
Malawi Orders Reclamation of Auctioned Refugee Goods
In May 2023, during government enforcement measures requiring refugees to relocate to designated camps, authorities in Malawi confiscated shipping containers and goods belonging to refugees and asylum seekers who operated small businesses in urban areas. Many of these containers served as storage or warehouses for merchandise that represented the owners’ primary source of livelihood. At… [Read More]
Uzbekistan Modernizes Transport Infrastructure with World Bank Support
The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors has approved a $200 million project to modernize transport infrastructure in Uzbekistan’s Surkhandarya region. The project aims to create new jobs and business opportunities along a reconstructed section of the M41 regional road corridor while supporting comprehensive reforms in the country’s transport sector. Uzbekistan’s transport sector contributes nearly… [Read More]
Barbados Modernizes Early Education with World Bank Support
The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors has approved a US$50 million program to strengthen foundational learning skills and improve access to inclusive, climate-resilient education in Barbados. The Barbados Education Sector Transformation Program, implemented by the Ministry of Education Transformation, aims to lay the groundwork for more and better jobs by enhancing pre-primary and primary… [Read More]
