Yet another multilateral international financial institution saw the light of day in June this year in Beijing without much fanfare and, more importantly, after a relatively short gestation period. 50 of the 57 prospective founding members of the newly formed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) pledged to “promote investment in the region of public and…
The Third International Conference for Financing for Development ended on 16 July in Ethiopia’s capital with the Addis Ababa Action Agenda (AAAA). The four-day event was organised by the UN in collaboration with the World Bank, IMF and developed and developing nations. It had, according to the blurb, the triple objective of following up on commitments…
We’ve just heard the good news that the private member’s bill on the UK contribution to Official Development Assistance (ODA) has successfully navigated both Houses of Parliament and is awaiting Royal Assent to become law. The TUC takes this opportunity to thank all affiliates, their members, MPs, UK development organisations and all other interested parties…
On Friday 5 December, Michael Moore MP’s bill to make it a legal requirement for the UK government to spend 0.7% of gross national income on overseas aid faces its third reading, the final stage in its passage through the Commons. Trade unions and development charities are campaigning to ensure enough MPs turn up for…
In 2013, a significant milestone was etched into the annals of the UK Official Development Assistance (ODA). Britain became the first (and so far the only) G7 nation to have redeemed a collective pledge made to developing nations in 1970. We joined an exclusive club of five other generous nations in dedicating 0.7% of gross national…
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) released this year’s Human Development Report in Tokyo on 24 July. As usual, it contains a wealth of information based on meticulous research on the state of affairs on our planet from a human development perspective. It is certainly reassuring that “levels in human development continue to rise.” Yet,…
On 30 June 2014, the UN’s Open Working Group (OWG) on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs – the UN’s post 2015 goals for international development) produced another Zero Draft at the end of its 12th Session in New York. As the two co-chairs from Hungary and Kenya admit, it still needs further refinements before it goes…
This week saw the start of the spring meetings of the World Bank and the IMF. Hundreds of people representing the interests of governments, CSOs, academic institutions and, of course, big business have converged on Washington DC for the meetings.
HIV-AIDS has blighted the lives and livelihoods of millions throughout the globe, notably in developing countries, since its onset in the early 1980s. It remains a major killer in sub-Saharan Africa despite the considerable progress made in the last three decades both in prevention and treatment. Globally, new infections have been falling steadily in the…
The people of Swaziland are in for a double celebration this week. The country held the finale of its traditional annual Reed Dance on Monday 2 September. Hard on the heels of the extravagant pageantry which, according to official sources, rounded up over 60,000 virgins, the Kingdom is set to mark the Independence Day on…