The humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is one of many ongoing emergencies around the world. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the country has faced political conflict, hunger, violence and poverty since gaining independence in 1960. Nearly 60 million people in the DRC were living in extreme poverty in 2022, according to the World Bank, while conflict continues to disrupt agriculture, markets and trade.
How Protection Works
To help alleviate the crisis, the U.N. Refugee Agency, or UNHCR, provides protection and assistance to people displaced by conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This includes internally displaced people, refugees and Congolese returnees. As of September 2025, 8.2 million people were displaced in connection with the DRC crisis, according to UNHCR. The number could reach 9 million by the end of 2026, including an estimated 5.8 million internally displaced people. More than 1.2 million Congolese refugees and asylum-seekers are also being hosted in neighboring countries.
According to UNHCR’s 2026 DRC emergency overview, the agency focuses on strengthening legal frameworks and asylum systems while promoting the inclusion of displaced people in national systems. UNHCR also maintains emergency response capacity and works to advance durable solutions, self-reliance and resilience among displaced and host communities.
Regionally, UNHCR leads a refugee response plan with partners in seven neighboring countries — Angola, Burundi, the Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia — to provide protection, assistance and support for long-term solutions for Congolese refugees and host communities.
Assistance For Democratic Republic of the Congo Refugees
UNHCR projects 5.8 million internally displaced people in the DRC by the end of 2026, with displacement heavily concentrated in the eastern provinces. More than 1.2 million Congolese refugees have fled to neighboring countries, primarily Uganda and Burundi, as well as Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia and other countries. UNHCR and its partners provide protection and assistance to displaced people both inside and outside the DRC.
UNHCR’s protection for displaced people efforts include supporting safe and voluntary returns, relocation and local integration. The agency also works to ensure displaced people have access to basic services, including environmentally friendly and affordable shelter. Its efforts also focus on strengthening access to land, livelihoods and other measures that promote self-reliance.
In 2025, UNHCR planned protection and assistance programs for millions of displaced people across the DRC and neighboring countries, including more than 273,000 children and caregivers targeted for child protection services.
Assistance From Neighboring Countries
Through its operations in Angola, the U.N. Refugee Agency, or UNHCR, supports refugees and asylum-seekers, most of whom are from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. As of April 2026, Angola hosted 55,628 people of concern to UNHCR, including 22,786 from the DRC, according to UNHCR. The agency works with the Angolan government to provide access to territory and asylum, registration, documentation and refugee status determination for people seeking international protection.
UNHCR also provides humanitarian assistance to displaced populations and host communities, helping meet basic needs and improve access to essential services and livelihood opportunities. The agency advocates for the inclusion of refugees in national development plans and other government programs.
UNHCR has maintained a presence in Angola for more than 40 years, with a field office in Dundo since 2017. The Mozambique multi-country office coordinates its operations in Angola.
Burundi hosts more than 100,000 forcibly displaced people, including about 91,000 refugees and asylum-seekers, most of whom are from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to UNHCR. About 63% of Burundi’s population lived on less than $2.15 a day in 2024, according to the World Bank. As part of its response to the DRC emergency, Burundi maintained an open-door policy in 2024 and welcomed nearly 4,000 new asylum-seekers.
In addition to refugees, Burundi hosts returnees who face significant economic challenges. UNHCR works with the World Bank and other development partners to support the inclusion and reintegration of returnees and refugees. The World Bank’s Merankabandi national social protection program has reached more than 1.5 million people with cash transfers, startup capital and other support aimed at reducing poverty and improving livelihoods. The program also helps communities respond to food insecurity and climate-related shocks.
Strategy Outcomes and Impacts
According to UNHCR’s 2026 planning documents, the agency is working to strengthen protection for displaced people who experienced the crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its efforts include improving access to essential services, strengthening national and community systems, and supporting the inclusion of refugees, internally displaced people and returnees in local and national programs. UNHCR also aims to improve living conditions for vulnerable people through shelter assistance and other essential relief items.
These efforts are part of UNHCR’s broader goal of helping displaced people meet their basic needs while building resilience, self-reliance and stronger connections with host communities. The agency’s 2022-2026 strategy also calls for greater social cohesion between displaced and host communities and improved access to durable solutions, including safe and sustainable returns and stronger land and tenure rights for internally displaced people and returnees.
The Future Of UNHCR’s Protection
According to UNHCR’s 2022-2026 strategy for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the agency aims to expand opportunities for refugees in need of resettlement by 2026. The strategy also seeks to strengthen tenure and land rights for internally displaced people and returnees, helping them access secure housing and land as they rebuild their lives.
For refugees and internally displaced people, UNHCR aims to provide information and support for safe, dignified and sustainable returns. These efforts are part of the agency’s broader goal of advancing durable solutions for refugees, internally displaced people and returnees affected by the DRC crisis.
– Casey Chan-Smutko
Casey is based in Natick, MA, USA and focuses on Good News and Politics for The Borgen Project.
Photo: Flickr
Solar-Powered Ice Plants in the Philippines Protect Fishing Livelihoods
Fish must be properly chilled and frozen after being caught because they are highly perishable. Yet limited access to ice, refrigeration and other post-harvest facilities can make preservation difficult in isolated coastal communities in the Philippines. An Oceana assessment estimated post-harvest losses of 40.34% in municipalities around Samar Bays and Channels and 38.39% along the San Bernardino Strait. These figures reflect the locations assessed by Oceana rather than the Philippines as a whole. Solar-powered ice plants in the Philippines offer one potential way to protect catch value as changing weather patterns place additional pressure on fishing livelihoods.
Changing Weather and the Vulnerability of Fishing Livelihoods
Changing weather is adding pressure to Philippine fishing livelihoods by affecting fish distribution, marine ecosystems and exposure to storms and other hazards. A study of 220 small-scale fishers in Davao Gulf found that changing weather patterns and rising temperatures contributed to vulnerability, alongside lower catches and the need to travel farther offshore. For households that rely heavily on fishing, these pressures can make an uncertain source of income more vulnerable.
The Hidden Cost of Keeping Fish Cold
For households that depend on fishing, keeping a catch fresh can directly affect how much money a day’s work generates. Fish can lose quality and market value without adequate preservation. A JICA study of Philippine fisheries found that deterioration during transportation could make fish less competitive in the market, while research continues to identify post-harvest losses as a challenge. The cost of ice can add another burden. In Basilan, 10-kilogram blocks previously cost fishers ₱200 to ₱240 from outside suppliers, compared with ₱60 from a nearby solar-powered ice plant.
Basilan: Solar Power Brings Ice Closer
In Lantawan, Basilan, an off-grid fishing community now has a solar-powered ice plant that produces ice locally. The facility, handed over in February 2026, can produce nearly one tonne of ice blocks a day. Before the plant opened, residents bought ice from nearby towns and reported income losses when fish products spoiled. UNDP reports that access to local ice has helped reduce dependence on ice brought from outside the community and reports that fishers say spoilage-related income losses have fallen. These are early project experiences, not independently measured long-term outcomes. The EU and UNDP co-funded the facility through the Model Lives program, with the Kasalamatan Agri-Fisheries Association managing it. Similar facilities are being developed elsewhere, including a DOST-supported hybrid solar ice plant in remote Palawan.
What the Savings Mean for Fishers
For fisher Pating Punso in Barangay Bukut-Umus, access to local ice changed a basic fishing expense. He previously paid ₱200 for a block of ice from mainland Basilan. He now pays ₱60 for a comparable block from a solar-powered facility about 50 meters from his home. Punso told MindaNews that the local ice is cheaper and lasts longer. Another fisher, Muamar Manisan, described another cost of unreliable ice. When he ran out, fish caught from his payao could spoil, forcing him to dry some squid instead. This reflects the project’s early reported experience rather than a long-term independently measured outcome.
Women Turn a Livelihood Need Into Local Enterprise
Solar-powered ice plants in the Philippines are also creating business opportunities for women. In Lower Binembengan, Sumisip, 26 women have operated the community’s ice-block production facility since March 2026. The EU and UNDP-backed enterprise supplies ice to local fishers while giving the women a role in managing a local business. Available reporting does not quantify the women’s individual earnings, so longer-term effects remain unclear.
Why Small Infrastructure Can Matter
For fishing households, earning from a catch depends on being able to keep it fresh until it reaches the market. When ice is expensive or unavailable, fish can lose quality and value, turning spoilage into a direct financial loss. The Basilan cases show how this infrastructure gap can affect everyday fishing costs and the value of a catch. Solar-powered ice plants in the Philippines offer a way to bring ice production closer to remote fishing communities while using renewable energy. By making preservation more accessible, they can potentially help protect the value of catches in communities already facing climate-related pressures, where limited income options can increase economic vulnerability.
What We Do Not Know Yet
Solar-powered ice plants could offer benefits beyond reducing spoilage and ice costs. In San Agustin, Romblon, an ice plant faced high electricity costs because of its heavy power requirements before receiving a ₱2.186 million solar system with battery storage. At the same time, the technology requires significant upfront investment: a solar-powered ice machine in Pilar, Cebu, cost ₱3.9 million. Continued funding, maintenance and reliable operation will therefore matter to sustaining these benefits.
When Protecting a Catch Means Protecting an Income
A fishing community does not always need a new livelihood to become more financially secure. Sometimes, it needs better ways to protect income from existing livelihoods. Solar-powered ice plants can reduce preventable losses, lower a key cost and create local business opportunities. For communities with few alternatives, strengthening these livelihoods can help people earn closer to home rather than being pushed to seek precarious work elsewhere.
– Zeba Vagh
Photo: Flickr
How UNHCR Provides Protection For Displaced People in DRC
The humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is one of many ongoing emergencies around the world. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the country has faced political conflict, hunger, violence and poverty since gaining independence in 1960. Nearly 60 million people in the DRC were living in extreme poverty in 2022, according to the World Bank, while conflict continues to disrupt agriculture, markets and trade.
How Protection Works
To help alleviate the crisis, the U.N. Refugee Agency, or UNHCR, provides protection and assistance to people displaced by conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This includes internally displaced people, refugees and Congolese returnees. As of September 2025, 8.2 million people were displaced in connection with the DRC crisis, according to UNHCR. The number could reach 9 million by the end of 2026, including an estimated 5.8 million internally displaced people. More than 1.2 million Congolese refugees and asylum-seekers are also being hosted in neighboring countries.
According to UNHCR’s 2026 DRC emergency overview, the agency focuses on strengthening legal frameworks and asylum systems while promoting the inclusion of displaced people in national systems. UNHCR also maintains emergency response capacity and works to advance durable solutions, self-reliance and resilience among displaced and host communities.
Regionally, UNHCR leads a refugee response plan with partners in seven neighboring countries — Angola, Burundi, the Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia — to provide protection, assistance and support for long-term solutions for Congolese refugees and host communities.
Assistance For Democratic Republic of the Congo Refugees
UNHCR projects 5.8 million internally displaced people in the DRC by the end of 2026, with displacement heavily concentrated in the eastern provinces. More than 1.2 million Congolese refugees have fled to neighboring countries, primarily Uganda and Burundi, as well as Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia and other countries. UNHCR and its partners provide protection and assistance to displaced people both inside and outside the DRC.
UNHCR’s protection for displaced people efforts include supporting safe and voluntary returns, relocation and local integration. The agency also works to ensure displaced people have access to basic services, including environmentally friendly and affordable shelter. Its efforts also focus on strengthening access to land, livelihoods and other measures that promote self-reliance.
In 2025, UNHCR planned protection and assistance programs for millions of displaced people across the DRC and neighboring countries, including more than 273,000 children and caregivers targeted for child protection services.
Assistance From Neighboring Countries
Through its operations in Angola, the U.N. Refugee Agency, or UNHCR, supports refugees and asylum-seekers, most of whom are from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. As of April 2026, Angola hosted 55,628 people of concern to UNHCR, including 22,786 from the DRC, according to UNHCR. The agency works with the Angolan government to provide access to territory and asylum, registration, documentation and refugee status determination for people seeking international protection.
UNHCR also provides humanitarian assistance to displaced populations and host communities, helping meet basic needs and improve access to essential services and livelihood opportunities. The agency advocates for the inclusion of refugees in national development plans and other government programs.
UNHCR has maintained a presence in Angola for more than 40 years, with a field office in Dundo since 2017. The Mozambique multi-country office coordinates its operations in Angola.
Burundi hosts more than 100,000 forcibly displaced people, including about 91,000 refugees and asylum-seekers, most of whom are from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to UNHCR. About 63% of Burundi’s population lived on less than $2.15 a day in 2024, according to the World Bank. As part of its response to the DRC emergency, Burundi maintained an open-door policy in 2024 and welcomed nearly 4,000 new asylum-seekers.
In addition to refugees, Burundi hosts returnees who face significant economic challenges. UNHCR works with the World Bank and other development partners to support the inclusion and reintegration of returnees and refugees. The World Bank’s Merankabandi national social protection program has reached more than 1.5 million people with cash transfers, startup capital and other support aimed at reducing poverty and improving livelihoods. The program also helps communities respond to food insecurity and climate-related shocks.
Strategy Outcomes and Impacts
According to UNHCR’s 2026 planning documents, the agency is working to strengthen protection for displaced people who experienced the crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its efforts include improving access to essential services, strengthening national and community systems, and supporting the inclusion of refugees, internally displaced people and returnees in local and national programs. UNHCR also aims to improve living conditions for vulnerable people through shelter assistance and other essential relief items.
These efforts are part of UNHCR’s broader goal of helping displaced people meet their basic needs while building resilience, self-reliance and stronger connections with host communities. The agency’s 2022-2026 strategy also calls for greater social cohesion between displaced and host communities and improved access to durable solutions, including safe and sustainable returns and stronger land and tenure rights for internally displaced people and returnees.
The Future Of UNHCR’s Protection
According to UNHCR’s 2022-2026 strategy for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the agency aims to expand opportunities for refugees in need of resettlement by 2026. The strategy also seeks to strengthen tenure and land rights for internally displaced people and returnees, helping them access secure housing and land as they rebuild their lives.
For refugees and internally displaced people, UNHCR aims to provide information and support for safe, dignified and sustainable returns. These efforts are part of the agency’s broader goal of advancing durable solutions for refugees, internally displaced people and returnees affected by the DRC crisis.
– Casey Chan-Smutko
Photo: Flickr
How A Local’s Action is Reducing Poverty in Lao Cai, Vietnam
Vietnam is a country located in Southeast Asia that has been rapidly reducing the poverty rate for the last few decades. This progress followed trade liberalization and wider economic reforms beginning in the 1990s. Although the country has greatly flourished in the past decades, several regions still face high poverty rates. One example is the Lao Cai province.
Background on the Lao Cai Province
Lao Cai Province faces a higher poverty rate than the country of Vietnam. Official 2024 figures put Lao Cai’s household poverty rate at 11.24%, compared with 1.93% nationally. One of the factors for the high rate is the landscape. Lao Cai is a predominantly mountainous region. This poses a huge problem because the province chiefly relies on agriculture to bring in revenue. Additionally, the mountainous region makes traveling to different areas difficult, resulting in less accessibility to trade and revenue.
The population also plays a part in the high poverty rate. The region’s population is composed of several ethnic minorities: H’mong, Tay, Dao, Nung and Giay. These minority groups make up 71% of Lao Cai’s inhabitants. Alongside living in a mountainous region that limits accessibility to other surrounding provinces, these ethnic groups face higher chances of poverty because of a lack of tourism industry knowledge, language barriers and business support services. Many people in these ethnic minorities are taught their native tongue, which means they face challenges comprehending in educational settings where the language spoken is standard Vietnamese. In recent years, actions have been taken to provide more opportunities for the people living in the province.
Local Action to Improve Connectivity
Some individuals living in Lao Cai province have taken the matter of reducing poverty in the region into their own hands. One of these people is Giang A Thu. Thu is a H’mong leader who resides in the Giang Pang village. His actions in bringing positive change to his village include talking with different families living in the village and listening to their concerns. By building these relationships, Thu creates a personal connection with the villagers and provides guidance on how to bring improvement to Giang Pang. Thu’s family willingly gave up some of their land to help improve accessibility to schools and markets. He also encouraged villagers to donate some of their land and collect material to improve infrastructure. Additionally, Thu has provided guidance to the villagers on how to expand their livestock and worked with local organizations to ensure improvements to the villagers’ lives become reality. According to VietnamNet, Giang Pang’s poverty rate fell from 24% in 2021 to 12% in 2025 as local infrastructure and livelihood initiatives expanded.
Looking Ahead
Involving locals in Lao Cai in reducing the poverty rate bridges the gap for minority groups, providing the resources needed to successfully bring new opportunities and accessibility into their lives.
– Dorothea A Pudwill
Photo: Pexels
Fighting Poverty and Supporting Rural Livelihoods in Angola
The southwestern African nation of Angola is home to a population of more than 39 million and a wealth of natural resources in the form of oil and minerals. Despite this potential, Angola battles poverty and inequality. World Bank data from 2018 indicate that 39.3% of Angolans live on the equivalent of less than $3 per day, and the country’s inequality index of 51.3 from the same year is among the highest in the world. Rural communities often struggle the most, but significant efforts have emerged to support families financially and foster sustainable rural livelihoods in Angola. The government and other organizations have responded with financial support programs, loans and grants and agricultural skills training, all of which encourage agri-entrepreneurship and combat poverty in both the short and long term.
Communities Left Behind
Angola is highly urbanized compared to its neighbors, with approximately 32% of its population living outside urban areas. World Bank estimates from the 2018-19 household survey show poverty at 17.8% in urban areas and 54.7% in rural areas, demonstrating significant regional inequality. While oil contributes to almost 30% of GDP and 95% of exports, this industry is less accessible to communities whose livelihoods have historically had ties to agriculture. According to the IPC in 2022, 1.32 million people across 17 municipalities in the south are vulnerable to high acute food insecurity. As this issue persists, effective and sustainable agri-farming remains vital.
Financial Support Through Kwenda
To support households vulnerable to poverty and enhance rural livelihoods in Angola, the Institute for Local Development, in partnership with the Angolan government and World Bank, rolled out a targeted, quarterly cash transfer program known as Kwenda. By May 2025, more than 1.3 million households had benefited from Kwenda’s direct cash transfers, while approximately 53,000 households had received support through its Productive Inclusion component. This assistance helped many financially support their families, while others were able to invest in food and agricultural production, a step toward more sustainable economic futures. Increased production among Kwenda-supported households helped the Catanha Bandi cooperative purchase a mill, creating a local job and making grain processing easier for members and nearby residents. Kwenda also funded an improved seed bank for the Cusseteca cooperative, from which 1,000 loaves of bread are produced every day to feed the community.
The program also includes a Productive Inclusion element, focusing on supporting income generation and rural livelihoods in Angola. Launched in 2021, this initiative saw the creation of integrated social action centers aimed at supporting families to improve income, as well as community-based credit banks and seed multiplication initiatives. For example, FAS invested 400 kg of beans in Chiombo, where approximately 50 community members harvested close to 1.5 tons of food, reimbursing this support to thrive independently. By 2024, 25,324 people participated in IP activities, with more than 126,000 indirect beneficiaries.
Angola Commercial Agriculture Development Project (PDAC)
The Angola Commercial Agriculture Development Project (PDAC) provides further support for rural livelihoods in Angola. The project promotes agri-business development through the sharing of skills and a grant program, as well as financing infrastructure for production and further development. Rebeca Rocha, an agri-entrepreneur, received training through PDAC on skills such as crop rotation to improve her agricultural activities. She revitalized her small farming business with a $4,000 grant, using this to improve infrastructure and expand, which created six jobs and increased output. Rocha now also supplies food to a pediatric hospital. The program fosters innovation in the agricultural industry, and the World Bank reports that it has directly invested around $2.12 million into 308 business plans, 75 of which women submitted.
Local Projects and ADRA Angola
ADRA is another organization sharing skills within communities that directly support rural livelihoods in Angola. It promotes fair and sustainable development at a community level and operates across 46 municipalities to improve local agri-production and food security. The organization has helped organize workshops on valuable industry skills such as finance and tax management, setting farmers and small business owners up for success, as well as crop multiplication training, which was shared with 50 residents in the Oshauyu community. While promoting the School in the Farmer’s Field initiative, its workshop on sweet potato multiplication and seed bank development benefited 35 community members, of whom 29 were women. As of September 2026, ADRA has reached 34,902 families with its initiatives focused on sustainable development and citizenship.
Looking Forward
These projects targeting rural communities and supporting agricultural development represent a hopeful future for Angola’s poor on two accounts. While increased agricultural efficiency will improve production and increase food security, training and investment also greatly benefit rural livelihoods in Angola, encouraging entrepreneurship and better long-term financial stability for community members.
– Hannah Rix
Photo: Flickr
Updates on SDG 8 in the Maldives
The Maldives is an archipelago of more than 1,000 islands located in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives has the longest chain of coral atolls in the world and a rich and unique marine biodiversity. Tourism and fishing drive the economy, with tourism representing about 21% of GDP. The country is among the 193 nations that took the pledge in September 2015 to achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, and it is ranked 63rd out of 169 countries in the 2026 SDG Index.
The Sustainable Development Goals are a roadmap of 17 goals that the United Nations initiated, which call on all nations to join efforts to end all forms of poverty, ensure equality and take action to protect the planet, while making sure that no one is left behind. Therefore, the UN in the Maldives has been working tirelessly with the Maldivian government to achieve the SDGs, and this article will particularly pinpoint the updates on SDG 8 in the Maldives.
SDG 8
Within the framework of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, SDG 8 highlights decent work and economic growth. This goal has been established to promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth. Hence, SDG 8 encompasses 12 targets that are meaningful for achieving the goal. Among those targets are the promotion of youth employment, their education and their training; the protection of labor rights, and the promotion of safe working environments; the promotion of beneficial and sustainable tourism; and the promotion of full employment and decent work with equal pay. In achieving SDG 8 in the Maldives, the government took several actions, such as empowering policies for women’s economic growth through the development of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the tourism sector, as well as accelerating economic diversification.
The Importance of Tourism and Fisheries
The Maldives has a successful development story. Economic growth combined with the expansion of social services and infrastructure development has allowed the country to sustain poverty reduction, human development, and socio-economic progress over the past 30 years. Nonetheless, almost a third of the population is poor across several dimensions, even if income poverty is relatively low in the Maldives. As a Small Island Developing State (SIDS), the Maldives is highly vulnerable to climate change and other environmental hazards that impact its economy. To this extent, the resilience of its economy and society depends on a significant reliance on natural resources.
In 2025, the real GDP grew by an estimated 6.3%, driven by strong tourist arrivals and a recovery in fisheries. Tourist arrivals increased by 9.8% and reached their peak of 2.25 million in 2025. In 2026, after a strong start, tourism performance declined. In February, an increase of 15.7% was recorded in tourist arrivals, but it declined by 20.7% in March and 24.4% in April due to disruptions caused by the conflict in the Middle East, including airspace closures and flight cancellations. Year on year, as of May 13, 2026, tourist arrivals were down 5.4%.
Concerning fisheries, the other economic pillar of the Maldives, exports have increased by 91.8% in 2025, with 76,360 metric tons of fish exported. This rise in fish exports is due to an increase in frozen tuna exports. The largest share of the Maldives’ exports is still fish and fish products, according to the numbers. Consequently, the government’s key priority is to increase revenue from the fisheries sector and strengthen its contribution to the economy.
Overall, those two pillars of the Maldivian economy are vital for its growth and development. On one hand, the tourism sector is the main employer in the Maldives and enhances related industries such as construction, transportation and retail; on the other hand, fisheries also provide employment and community livelihoods to many Maldivians living in rural and island communities.
The MEERY Project
The COVID-19 long-term effects on the Maldivian economy have led to numerous challenges, encompassing limited job prospects for the youth. In 2020, the youth unemployment rate was 17.7% due to a competitive job market and a lack of employment opportunities. To address youth unemployment, the MEERY (Maldives: Enhancing Employability and Resilience of Youth) project, a five-year initiative jointly implemented by the Ministry of Higher Education, Labor and Skills Development, the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, and the World Bank, launched in 2019 and is now in its final phase.
The MEERY is a $20 million USD project that receives funding from the World Bank to “improve the relevance of technical and vocational skills and foster entrepreneurship to promote youth employment in project priority sectors.” The project’s focus is to equip youth in the Maldives with tools, training, and the opportunities they need to be successful in a rapidly evolving job market. The MEERY project also addresses skills gaps and gender equality in the job market by providing women with more opportunities to contribute to the national economy. It also prioritizes tourism, tourism-related construction, agriculture and ICT sectors.
A Supportive Policy Landscape, Slowly Evolving for Women
In recent years, the Maldives has made significant advancements in women’s education and empowerment. The archipelago has one of the highest female literacy rates in South Asia, and more women are graduating and entering the workforce than in the past. Nevertheless, the female labor force participation rate is 40.7% compared to 76.4% for males, while the female rate is also below the global female labor force participation rate of about 48.9% in 2025.
To reverse these disparities and achieve SDG 8, the Maldivian government has implemented the National Gender Equality Action Plan (2022-2026), developed under the Gender Equality Action Act of 2016. The plan lists strategic goals to promote equal participation in governance, economic development, and protection from gender-based violence. This plan has enabled a 33% quota for women in local councils, which has led to an increase in women’s political representation at the local level.
The government also enacted policies that promote gender equality, including a flex policy that offers women working for the government six months of paid maternity leave, a significant support that eases the process for women to re-enter the workforce after giving birth. Besides, civil society organizations are actively advocating for women’s rights and providing support for female entrepreneurs, opening the way for more companies to recognize the value of gender-diverse workforces. Consequently, investing in women in the Maldives is an economic strategy. By harnessing the full potential of its women, the Maldives is building the foundation of a more resilient, inclusive and dynamic society, which is imperative for national progress.
Looking Ahead
To conclude, the updates on SDG 8 in the Maldives show that the country is continuing to work toward decent work and economic growth while significant economic and employment challenges remain. Ranked 63rd out of 169 countries in the 2026 SDG Index, the Maldives is striving toward its economic growth by investing in its youth and women, important pillars of Maldivian society. By also investing in the development of tourism and fisheries, other vital pillars of its.
– Milcah Yann
Photo: Flickr
How Child Support Ghana is Tackling Child Poverty
Child poverty remains a significant challenge in Ghana, particularly in rural communities and parts of the north. UNICEF’s 2025 social protection budget brief estimates that 28% of Ghanaian children live in monetary poverty, while 73.4% experience multidimensional poverty, meaning they lack access to several essential services or living conditions at once. These measures are different from child food poverty: UNICEF reports that 2.4 million children under five experience food poverty, lacking a sufficiently diverse diet.
Child Support Ghana
Child Support Ghana, founded by Kwame Jones Jay-Jay, has launched a campaign calling for a national Child Benefit Allowance Programme. The group wants the government to introduce the proposed benefit by 2030, with financial support intended to help families meet children’s needs for nutrition, health care and education. The campaign is an advocacy effort; the proposed allowance is not yet an established national program. The Ghana News Agency reported the initiative in July 2026.
A Campaign for Children’s Well-Being
Jay-Jay has appealed to Parliament, charities, faith-based institutions, businesses, families, schools and the media to support the proposal. He argues that a regular child benefit would be an investment in Ghana’s future rather than simply a handout. He has cited the different forms of deprivation affecting Ghanaian children, including inadequate diets, barriers to schooling and limited access to essential services.
The campaign also highlights regional inequality. UNICEF’s June 2026 analysis of public spending on children found that public resources are distributed unevenly, with the youngest and poorest children particularly disadvantaged. This strengthens the case for examining how income support could complement existing health, nutrition and education services.
Campaign Launch and Community Support
The campaign gained local support at Asafo Pechi M/A Basic School, where school leaders and members of the Atwemamena community endorsed its petition. Assistant headteacher Christiana Nador described children arriving at school without adequate meals, footwear, uniforms or exercise books. She said a well-designed allowance could help struggling families meet basic educational and nutritional costs. A July 25, 2026 report documented the appeal and the community’s endorsement.
Looking Ahead
Child Support Ghana is seeking wider backing for its petition and a government commitment to develop a child benefit program. No resulting reduction in child poverty can yet be attributed to this campaign. However, its proposal has opened a discussion about how direct family support, alongside public services, could help protect children from hardship. Existing efforts such as Ghana’s Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty program provide a policy context for that discussion. UNICEF’s 2026 assessment reports improvements in food security and educational outcomes among households supported by that program.
– Sophia Creo
Photo: Flickr
Organizations Supporting Refugees with Disabilities
Challenges That Refugees With Disabilities Face
For displaced people with disabilities, reaching a safer location does not necessarily mean that essential services become accessible. Crowded settlements, uneven pathways, inaccessible toilets and shortages of assistive devices can make everyday activities difficult. Refugees may also encounter discrimination, gaps in disability data and barriers to registration and assistance. These obstacles can increase the risk that their needs go unrecognized.
The Inclusive Futures initiative, working with Humanity & Inclusion, has documented lessons from refugee settlements in Kenya on removing barriers to education and livelihoods. Its guidance emphasizes designing programs with people with disabilities rather than assuming that standard humanitarian services reach everyone equally.
Global Disability Fund
The Global Disability Fund (formerly the United Nations Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities) supports disability-inclusive development through joint programs, institutional capacity building and policy reform. Rather than operating individual refugee-camp clinics or distributing personal assistance directly, the fund works with governments, U.N. agencies, civil society and organizations of persons with disabilities to improve the systems that determine access to services.
According to its United Nations fund profile, the fund reports supporting 111 joint programs across 100 countries, training more than 116,000 representatives in disability inclusion, helping advance 118 laws and policies and contributing to 264 changes in services and data systems. These cumulative results span several sectors and countries and should not be interpreted as outcomes for refugees alone.
The UN Refugee Agency
The U.N. Refugee Agency, UNHCR, works with partners to identify barriers affecting displaced people with disabilities and support more inclusive humanitarian assistance. Accessible shelter, pathways, sanitation facilities, legal information, rehabilitation referrals and community participation can all help refugees live more safely and independently. Providing these services requires attention to the different needs of individuals rather than a single approach to disability inclusion.
When refugees with disabilities are included in assessments and decisions about shelter and camp facilities, providers can better identify practical barriers. These measures are especially important for children, older adults and people with limited mobility, who may otherwise struggle to reach schools, water points or health services.
Humanity & Inclusion: Making Education Accessible
Founded in 1982, Humanity & Inclusion (HI) supports people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups in crisis-affected communities. Its education and livelihoods work offers examples of how targeted adaptations can address barriers that refugees face.
In Kenya’s Kakuma refugee camp, 12-year-old Patrick, who has a physical disability, benefited from an accessible digital-learning initiative. According to HI’s account of his experience, Patrick had struggled to balance classroom work with his interest in football. Adapted digital materials, storytelling sessions and audio content helped him keep up with lessons and reduced some of the practical demands of carrying books to school.
“The ability to complete work from anywhere and learn at my own pace has reduced the pressure of having to carry books to and from home every morning,” Patrick told HI. The organization and its partners expanded e-learning for refugees and host communities in Kakuma and Kalobeyei, including resources adapted for students with different disabilities.
Humanity & Inclusion: Rebuilding a Livelihood
HI also helped Ahmad, a Syrian refugee living in Jordan, rebuild his livelihood after injuries made it impossible for him to continue working long hours in a clothing factory. Its published profile of Ahmad explains that he received rehabilitation services before being referred to livelihood support. Staff assessed his skills and aspirations, then helped him develop a plan to start a home-based sewing business.
Through training, coaching, mentoring and financial assistance, Ahmad obtained sewing equipment and learned budgeting, self-employment and digital marketing skills. HI reported that the business enabled him to purchase mobility aids and, after its first month, a second sewing machine so his wife could join the work. He later planned to share his tailoring knowledge with others in his community.
“Currently, I have an agreement with one of the local organisations to teach sewing/tailoring to women, and I am happy to support anyone who needs help in sewing,” Ahmad said in HI’s account. His experience shows how rehabilitation and livelihood support can complement each other without implying that every refugee with a disability has the same needs or opportunities.
Looking Forward
People with disabilities face substantial barriers before, during and after displacement, but inclusive humanitarian services can help reduce those obstacles. The Global Disability Fund’s systems-level work and the practical education and livelihood programs that UNHCR partners and Humanity & Inclusion supported highlight different forms of action: strengthening policies, making services accessible and supporting people’s own goals. Meaningful progress depends on reliable disability data, accessible facilities and including displaced people with disabilities in decisions that affect their lives.
– Elora C Gunn
Photo: Flickr
How Mutual Aid in Gaza is Helping Combat Famine
After three years of conflict, families in Gaza continue to face severe difficulties accessing food, clean water and other necessities. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) reported that more than 1.2 million people, or 59% of the population, faced crisis-level or worse acute food insecurity between mid-April and the end of June 2026. It projected that more than 1.4 million people could face those conditions between July and December 2026. Although increased assistance has improved conditions since late 2025, the gains remain fragile.
Alongside established humanitarian agencies, grassroots mutual aid groups are helping families meet immediate needs. Reviving Gaza and Zahrat Alhanun Mutual Aid are two examples of community-led efforts to provide food, water and other essentials.
What is Mutual Aid?
Mutual aid describes people organizing directly to meet shared needs, often through local relationships and volunteer networks. In emergencies, this can mean identifying households that lack essentials, raising money and arranging for supplies to reach those households. Mutual aid is not a substitute for large-scale humanitarian access, but it can complement broader relief efforts by drawing on community knowledge.
Reviving Gaza
Reviving Gaza is a grassroots initiative associated with Palestinian activist Ghassan Ghaben and volunteers working in Gaza. Its fundraising campaign describes efforts to deliver drinking water, hot meals and food parcels to displaced families, including those in camps not consistently reached by other aid providers.
The campaign explains how donations can support specific needs. It lists $5 as an illustrative cost for a hot meal and $300 for a truck carrying approximately 4,000 liters of water. Those amounts are fundraising examples, not independently audited delivery totals. Another fundraiser for the initiative describes an ambition to distribute hundreds of thousands of liters of clean drinking water.
The organization’s work has also been discussed outside its own fundraising pages. Ghaben spoke about Reviving Gaza during an October 2024 University of Florence event on the water crisis in Palestine. The project illustrates how volunteers with close ties to affected communities can help direct donations toward immediate needs.
Zahrat Alhanun Mutual Aid
Another initiative is Zahrat Alhanun Mutual Aid (ZAMA), a volunteer collective of Massachusetts Institute of Technology students and alumni working with students, teachers, medical professionals and community contacts in Gaza. The group says it has supported families and students since January 2025.
According to ZAMA, its partners in Gaza identify people needing assistance and arrange direct support. The group prioritizes babies, older adults, people with disabilities and those who are ill. The needs it lists include food, infant formula, diapers, blankets, clothing, tents, tarps and medical or educational supplies.
ZAMA says its volunteer team retains no portion of donations and works through a U.S.-registered fiscal sponsor. These are the organization’s own descriptions of its operating model; independently verified totals for the article’s previously reported Ramadan meal initiative were not available.
Grassroots Aid and the Wider Humanitarian Response
Both groups show how community-led fundraising can respond to urgent household needs. Their work takes place against a much larger humanitarian challenge. The British Red Cross reported in October 2026 that access restrictions, shortages and widespread unemployment continued to prevent many families from obtaining sufficient food, despite some improvement in aid deliveries.
Mutual aid can help individual households obtain food, water and shelter materials, but it cannot by itself resolve the scale of Gaza’s food insecurity. Sustained humanitarian access, functioning markets and long-term recovery remain essential. In the meantime, groups such as Reviving Gaza and ZAMA demonstrate the practical value of community connections and volunteer-led assistance.
– Lisa Jane Bryant
Photo: Flickr
Politics for Progress: Effective Political Strategies for Poverty Reduction
Even when policymakers identify promising solutions, poverty can persist because public institutions do not always deliver services or distribute opportunities equitably. Research on governance and development suggests that accountable institutions, coordinated policies and sustained financial commitments can help make anti-poverty programs more effective. Political action matters not simply because leaders set goals, but because institutions determine how commitments translate into resources for communities. This article examines political strategies for poverty reduction through governance, accountability, cross-sector coordination and international cooperation.
Governance as a Poverty Reduction Tool
Effective governance can help governments direct resources toward marginalized communities and improve access to services. The United Nations Development Programme’s Human Development Report 2021–22 examines human development challenges and the role of policy and institutions. It does not, however, establish a simple rule that higher spending on health or education automatically produces better governance.
Rwanda provides an example of institutional reforms alongside expanded social protection and public services. The World Bank reports that national poverty fell from 58.9% in 2001 to 38.2% in 2017, while subsequent programs aimed to improve access to health, nutrition, education and safety nets. These outcomes involved multiple economic and policy factors rather than institutional reform alone.
Accountability Mechanisms and Service Delivery
Accountability mechanisms can help citizens assess whether governments deliver on public commitments. Audits can identify misuse of resources, while access to information and community feedback can give officials stronger incentives to address local needs. The World Bank’s World Development Report 2004 described how relationships between policymakers, service providers and citizens shape access to education and health care.
In Uganda, primary school enrollment rose from 3.6 million to 6.9 million between 1996 and 2001. The report connects the increase to a combination of political commitment, the abolition of school fees, economic conditions and public information—not to accountability measures alone.
A separate study of community-based monitoring in Ugandan primary health facilities, published in 2009, found that community meetings and feedback were associated with greater use of services, improved staff effort and better child health outcomes. This offers stronger direct evidence of a practical accountability mechanism.
Cross-Sector Coordination and Integrated Policy
Poverty has overlapping causes, including limited health care, poor education, inadequate housing and barriers to employment. Coordinating services across ministries and levels of government can help address these connected needs more effectively than isolated interventions.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Linking Indigenous Communities with Regional Development recommends combining policies related to land, entrepreneurship, infrastructure, skills and governance with greater Indigenous participation in decision-making. Its work on Canada similarly calls for partnerships that give Indigenous communities a stronger role in designing development priorities. These are policy recommendations, not evidence that a particular Canadian reform has already increased employment or reduced reliance on federal programs.
Such coordination can be reinforced by international frameworks that establish shared goals and support the measurement of progress.
International Policy Frameworks and Global Commitments
International agreements can encourage governments to incorporate poverty reduction into national plans and budgets. The United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development includes the goal of ending poverty and calls for nationally led implementation and monitoring. Its targets offer a common framework, although formal commitments alone do not guarantee results.
Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Programme illustrates the use of public policy to address chronic food insecurity. Established in 2005—well before the 2030 Agenda was adopted in 2015—the program provides eligible households with food or cash transfers, often linked to public works, to stabilize consumption and protect assets. It has continued under later development frameworks and with support from international partners.
International commitments may help align donors and governments around poverty reduction, but their effect depends on funding, implementation and accountability within each country.
Reform-Minded Executives and Institutional Change
Political executives influence how public resources are allocated, which groups participate in decision-making and whether reforms continue over time. Policies that expand access to public services or protect accountability can strengthen economic inclusion, although their impact depends on how they are implemented.
Botswana is often discussed as an example of long-term economic growth following independence, supported in part by its institutional arrangements and management of mineral revenues. However, growth alone is not proof that all citizens share equally in the benefits. Botswana still faces substantial inequality and poverty challenges. Its experience shows why institutional effectiveness must be evaluated alongside distributional outcomes, rather than described as an unqualified success.
Lawmakers, Advocates and Pathways to Progress
Lawmakers shape poverty-reduction policy through legislation, oversight and budget decisions. Advocates work outside government by organizing communities, presenting evidence and pressing officials to fulfill their commitments. Both roles can contribute to sustained reform.
The global debt-relief movement of the late 1990s offers an example of coordinated pressure and policy change. Launched by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund in 1996 and strengthened in 1999, the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative sought to reduce unsustainable debt burdens so eligible countries could direct more resources toward development priorities. Alongside the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative, it has delivered more than $100 billion in debt relief to 37 participating countries. Debt relief can create fiscal space for health, education and other services, although the eventual poverty impact depends on how countries use those resources.
Looking Ahead
Governance and political action are important tools in reducing poverty, but neither is a substitute for effective implementation. The cases of Uganda, Rwanda and Ethiopia show how public services, social protection and accountability mechanisms can support development when policies are funded and monitored. International coordination, including debt relief, can strengthen these efforts.
Voters and advocates can support leaders who protect civic participation, invest in essential services and make public spending more transparent. For policymakers, the task is to translate commitments into measurable benefits for communities facing poverty. Progress depends on sustained cooperation among institutions, lawmakers, advocates and the people their policies are intended to serve.
– Charles Bakar
Photo: Unsplash
Organizations Combating France’s Foreign Aid Budget Cuts
Official development assistance (ODA) has helped finance international development for decades. Governments provide assistance, including grants and concessional loans, to support economic development and welfare in eligible countries. ODA is particularly important for countries with limited access to other sources of affordable finance, helping support services such as health care, education and clean water. The OECD monitors these flows and their impact on international development financing.
France’s Cuts to Foreign Aid
France remains one of the world’s largest ODA donors. According to OECD preliminary figures for 2025, France provided about $14.5 billion in development assistance, a 10.9% real-terms reduction from 2024. Aid from OECD Development Assistance Committee members and associates fell by 23.1% overall in 2025, the largest annual contraction recorded. France’s budget reductions have raised concerns among development organizations about the consequences for countries and communities relying on development funding.
In response, organizations in France and internationally have campaigned to protect aid, inform the public and press policymakers to maintain development commitments. Three organizations illustrate how civil society has responded. Here are the three organizations responding to France’s aid cuts.
Coordination SUD
Coordination SUD is France’s national coordinating body for international solidarity NGOs, bringing together nearly 200 organizations. It advocates for development funding, works with public institutions and runs awareness campaigns. In January 2025, the coalition criticized proposed aid cuts exceeding 2 billion euros in the draft national budget, warning that reductions could affect people living in poverty and communities facing humanitarian and climate crises.
Coordination SUD also contributed to the 2026 Civil 7 (C7) policy brief, which urged G7 governments to prioritize grants and highly concessional financing for least developed countries, improve international development cooperation and consider a binding U.N. convention on development cooperation. These proposals seek to make aid more accountable and responsive to the needs of people affected by poverty.
Global Citizen
Global Citizen has drawn attention to France’s foreign aid cuts and encouraged public engagement. Its reporting explains the potential consequences for global health and poverty reduction and outlines ways citizens can express their concerns to elected representatives. The organization has also highlighted debates over the use of revenue from solidarity taxes historically linked to development assistance.
ONE
ONE advocates for policies and investments aimed at reducing extreme poverty and supporting global health. Through grassroots organizing, research and campaigning, it encourages citizens to engage with policymakers and hold governments accountable for their international development commitments. According to ONE’s own impact reporting, its advocacy has helped secure $1 trillion in new investments for economic opportunity and healthier lives worldwide since 2004. This is an organization-wide total, not an amount raised for France’s foreign aid budget.
ONE’s French advocates have also engaged directly with political leaders. At the 2023 Summit for a New Global Financing Pact, three ONE youth ambassadors delivered a collection of 1,800 supporter messages urging President Emmanuel Macron to act for international solidarity. More recently, ONE campaigned against the removal of development-earmarked revenue from the financial transactions tax and the solidarity tax on airline tickets under France’s 2025 budget legislation. The group has called for these funds to be directed toward international development again.
Looking Ahead
The sharp reduction in international aid during 2025 poses challenges for development programs and the communities they serve. Yet Coordination SUD, Global Citizen and ONE demonstrate how advocacy can keep international development on the public agenda. By providing evidence, mobilizing supporters and engaging lawmakers, these organizations aim to protect resources for health, education and poverty reduction.
– Melody Hubbard
Photo: Unsplash