Global food security: could wheat feed the world?
Donors, businesses and bioscience research groups have united to boost wheat yields by 50% in the next 20 years. Partnership spokesperson Rob Dawson explains why and howHow did the international wheat...
View ArticleTask shifting explained: a viable solution to health worker shortage?
A lack of nurses and doctors where they are needed is often lamented in development work. Is task shifting a solution?Task shifting is a low-cost solution to tackling gaps in health services in the...
View ArticleThe South Sudan conference explained
Conflict and fears of famine have led donors to pledge $600m to South Sudan. Get the full story on the Oslo conferenceWhat happened? Valerie Amos, the UN undersecretary general for humanitarian...
View ArticleStreet children: will the UN comment put their rights in the fast lane?
From Brazil to Kenya, NGOs react positively to new UN general comment on street children, but their work is far from doneThe main purpose of a general comment is to improve the implementation of a...
View ArticleWho is Desmond Swayne? Introducing Britain's new development minister
Meet the former banker and war veteran navigating the world's most complex humanitarian issues on the UK's behalfDesmond Swayne was born on 20 August 1956, is married to Moira Cecily Teek and has three...
View ArticleHuman Development Report 2014: findings explained
The latest report from UNDP identifies educating women as the closest thing to a silver bullet in human developmentWhat is it?The Human Development Report (HDR) published by the Human Development...
View ArticleEbola outbreak: the vaccine and 'secret serum' explained
Could the serum contain the spread of the disease? Is the vaccine dangerous? An immunologist gives us the lowdownTackling the Ebola epidemic in west Africa: why we need a holistic approachAs Nigeria...
View ArticleProtecting produce: ten African countries get biosecurity investment
An Australia-Africa initiative is sowing nearly $1m in training, mentoring and action plans to combat pests' threat to agricultureThe Australian International Food Security Research Centre recently...
View ArticleMan v mosquito: who is the most dangerous carrier of malaria?
To mark World Mosquito Day we revisit a Bill Gates tweet suggesting it is man, not mosquito, that is malarias best friendA tweet from Bill Gates highlighting the role humans play in spreading malaria...
View ArticleCan maps and mobiles prevent blindness?
Trachoma, the leading cause of infectious blindness, affects 21m people. Could mobile mapping help? Alex Pavluck explainsYou have been working on a new global mapping project. Before we get to that,...
View ArticleWill the $100 million Digital Jobs Africa project solve unemployment?
The head of Rockefeller's initiative, Mamadou Biteye, explains how they can reach a million people through IT employmentWhat is the Digital Jobs Africa initiative?Launched May 2013 at the World...
View ArticleBreakthrough in rapid diagnostics: using magnets to test for malaria
Scientists in Singapore develop a quicker, cheaper and potentially more reliable way to improve diagnosis in rural areasA team of scientists in Singapore have created a new way to test for malaria...
View ArticleAquaponics: a sustainable solution to food insecurity?
A system that produces nutritious food using less water could feed remote communities. But what about electricity access?What is aquaponics?Aquaponics is a way of producing food that combines...
View ArticleReal time maps could predict and prevent the spread of malaria
Epidemiologists at the University of California are developing a tool that uses rainfall and other factors to forecast outbreaksA team of epidemiologists at the the University of California, San...
View ArticleBan Ki-Moon: the secretary general strikes back
On 4 December, the head of the UN delivered his verdict on the proposed sustainable development goals. Molly Elgin-Cossart tells Eliza Anyangwe what was said, and what we can expect to happen nextThe...
View ArticleWhat are the Green party's policies?
As the membership of the UK Green party overtakes that of the Liberal Democrats, we look at their policies on global governance, debt, and the EUIt’s a watershed moment in British politics; Green party...
View ArticleCore Humanitarian Standard: do NGOs need another set of standards?
Dubbed ‘the future of humanitarian accountability’, a new standard allows crisis-affected communities to hold the NGOs helping them to accountThe CHS Alliance, a new over-arching body for humanitarian...
View ArticleWhat to expect from the Addis Ababa Financing for Development conference
Development economist Owen Barder gives an insight into what the coming five days of plenaries, roundtables and side events will be all aboutOn Monday 13 July, world leaders will gather in Ethiopia’s...
View ArticleForeign aid: which countries are the most generous?
With Europe tussling over who is doing more to help refugees in the current crisis, we decided to take a look who gives the most... and the leastThe UK’s international reputation is suffering at the...
View ArticleYour comprehensive guide to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals summit
World leaders will pledge to tackle poverty, inequality and climate change at a historic event in New York. Here’s everything you need to know about itAfter nearly three years of open global...
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