Global aid funding has recently undergone a significant reduction, catching many aid beneficiaries off guard. Major donors like the United Kingdom (U.K.) temporarily reduced overseas development assistance, and the United States (U.S.) paused and suspended many programs. However, human ingenuity knows no boundaries. Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have started shifting strategies and coming up with innovative approaches to manage the reductions. These include shifting toward impact investing, reorienting humanitarian responses for greater sustainability and empowering local organizations. All of the solutions exhibit great resilience in underdeveloped parts of the world and provide hope for the vulnerable.
Impact Investing
Disruption of financial flows from traditional sources has forced some NGOs to start thinking more about private investors. In other words, it is about redesigning international development to function as investments. While the social impact of new projects remains a priority, generating income arises as a new factor to consider. This way, aid organizations can diversify income sources, preventing overreliance.
It requires NGOs to adapt their work, though. Investor partners will not feel confident about impact investing unless there is greater transparency and accountability of actions. New projects must set clear measurable objectives and be able to effectively demonstrate success to attract funding.
This, however, is not a novel approach. Some international organizations like Mercy Corps have been involved in impact investing for around 10 years now. In 2015, they established the Social Venture Fund (SVF) to support innovative ventures with a positive social impact. Scott Onder, the managing director of the fund, said that “the organisation recognised that the traditional grant-based model of funding international development can be limiting and rarely promotes […] flexibility.” Money from SVF gathered from private investors was used in Kenya to set up Lynk, a platform connecting workers and businesses in need of services, or Arifu, a site offering learning tools to improve income and escape poverty.
By shifting focus from government grants to attracting individuals and private firms, NGOs can manage the reduction of aid budgets globally and aim to maintain a stable budget allowing continuous development work.
Reorientation of Humanitarian Response
Reduced aid budgets have forced beneficiaries to start thinking outside the box. While sustainability has usually been a central focus of many humanitarian projects, its importance becomes undeniable nowadays. Help can no longer assume constant flow of grants but has to reorient itself to design resilient and robust projects that can survive all kinds of crises and shocks.
For instance, the recent Kenyan law amendment represents such change. Since as early as the 1990s, the country has hosted almost a million refugees in designated camps across the country. These relied on funding from the U.S., which was mostly used to cover essential services like food and protection. To offset the impact of reductions, greater focus has been placed on integration of refugees. As Refugees International says, “the new policy would transition camps into settlements by granting refugees the right to work, freedom of movement, and property ownership.”
Another type of reorientation for sustainability is anticipatory action, a strategy already employed by some large international actors like the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Anticipatory action is still primarily concerned with the social impact but also considers cost-efficiency. Addressing problems before they appear reduces repair and recovery costs while saving lives. For instance, Shaheda, a Bangladeshi woman, received support from FAO before the anticipated floods predicted to hit her region in July 2024. A silo donated to her helped protect fodder, seeds and other valuable belongings, allowing her to replant afterward.
Local Organizations Taking Over
The decreased international cooperation has forced local organizations to step up, forming another approach toward aid cuts. Local actors are becoming more4 engaged in helping their communities. Their extensive knowledge of the area, the people and the circumstances is often superior to international aid organizations.
In South Sudan and Kenya, it is the national actors that are leaders in delivery of life-saving help to isolated areas that are frequently out of reach for non-locals. The Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD) urges a strengthened and more cohesive cooperation between international organizations and local ones.
A report into the impact of global aid cuts conducted by CAFOD frames the situation as an opportunity for local organizations to strengthen their role in humanitarian responses. Already, their contributions are valuable and sufficient to contribute substantively to food security reduction, based on their presence in South Sudan and Kenya.
Interview with The Borgen Project
An interview with The Borgen Project and Joy Ojinmah, the executive director of Unique Royal Sisters (URS), reveals firsthand experience of managing a grassroots NGO in times of global aid cuts. URS is a group helping female sex workers, the LGBT community and young girls in southeastern Nigeria. In the conversation, URS acknowledged the impact of the cuts and said that their partners and the community they work with felt it as well. Reduced funding makes it difficult to access some of the essential commodities needed for their work, including HIV test kits, PrEP and STI treatments.
“We are trying our best. Most of us started from scratch without having any donors of course. We started working for our community just for the passion that we have for the community,” she said. Despite not having enough funding, they keep their work going, looking for domestic financing or coming up with cost-efficient workarounds like promoting WhatsApp contact with their clients to save on transportation costs. Some operations were able to be restored by collaborating domestically with Caritas Nigeria or Abia State Action Control on AIDS.
Even with restricted funding, URS identified 22 new HIV-infected clients over just three months. However, Ojinmah stresses their impact could be much bigger with higher funding, considering they were only able to operate in 4 out of 17 local governments in the state of Abia. Despite challenges, she remains confident in the abilities of URS and hopes “to have the recognition and support we actually need to keep pushing.”
Looking Ahead
Overall, despite the obstacles posed by global aid cuts, NGOs and grassroots communities keep innovating and working toward their goals. Whether it is impact investing or redesigning current projects, the hopeful and determined people like Joy from Unique Royal Sisters keep fighting for the world to become a better place.
– Karol Hejduk
Karol is based in London, UK and focuses on Good News and Politics for The Borgen Project.
Photo: Flickr
Managing Global Aid Cuts
Impact Investing
Disruption of financial flows from traditional sources has forced some NGOs to start thinking more about private investors. In other words, it is about redesigning international development to function as investments. While the social impact of new projects remains a priority, generating income arises as a new factor to consider. This way, aid organizations can diversify income sources, preventing overreliance.
It requires NGOs to adapt their work, though. Investor partners will not feel confident about impact investing unless there is greater transparency and accountability of actions. New projects must set clear measurable objectives and be able to effectively demonstrate success to attract funding.
This, however, is not a novel approach. Some international organizations like Mercy Corps have been involved in impact investing for around 10 years now. In 2015, they established the Social Venture Fund (SVF) to support innovative ventures with a positive social impact. Scott Onder, the managing director of the fund, said that “the organisation recognised that the traditional grant-based model of funding international development can be limiting and rarely promotes […] flexibility.” Money from SVF gathered from private investors was used in Kenya to set up Lynk, a platform connecting workers and businesses in need of services, or Arifu, a site offering learning tools to improve income and escape poverty.
By shifting focus from government grants to attracting individuals and private firms, NGOs can manage the reduction of aid budgets globally and aim to maintain a stable budget allowing continuous development work.
Reorientation of Humanitarian Response
Reduced aid budgets have forced beneficiaries to start thinking outside the box. While sustainability has usually been a central focus of many humanitarian projects, its importance becomes undeniable nowadays. Help can no longer assume constant flow of grants but has to reorient itself to design resilient and robust projects that can survive all kinds of crises and shocks.
For instance, the recent Kenyan law amendment represents such change. Since as early as the 1990s, the country has hosted almost a million refugees in designated camps across the country. These relied on funding from the U.S., which was mostly used to cover essential services like food and protection. To offset the impact of reductions, greater focus has been placed on integration of refugees. As Refugees International says, “the new policy would transition camps into settlements by granting refugees the right to work, freedom of movement, and property ownership.”
Another type of reorientation for sustainability is anticipatory action, a strategy already employed by some large international actors like the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Anticipatory action is still primarily concerned with the social impact but also considers cost-efficiency. Addressing problems before they appear reduces repair and recovery costs while saving lives. For instance, Shaheda, a Bangladeshi woman, received support from FAO before the anticipated floods predicted to hit her region in July 2024. A silo donated to her helped protect fodder, seeds and other valuable belongings, allowing her to replant afterward.
Local Organizations Taking Over
The decreased international cooperation has forced local organizations to step up, forming another approach toward aid cuts. Local actors are becoming more4 engaged in helping their communities. Their extensive knowledge of the area, the people and the circumstances is often superior to international aid organizations.
In South Sudan and Kenya, it is the national actors that are leaders in delivery of life-saving help to isolated areas that are frequently out of reach for non-locals. The Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD) urges a strengthened and more cohesive cooperation between international organizations and local ones.
A report into the impact of global aid cuts conducted by CAFOD frames the situation as an opportunity for local organizations to strengthen their role in humanitarian responses. Already, their contributions are valuable and sufficient to contribute substantively to food security reduction, based on their presence in South Sudan and Kenya.
Interview with The Borgen Project
An interview with The Borgen Project and Joy Ojinmah, the executive director of Unique Royal Sisters (URS), reveals firsthand experience of managing a grassroots NGO in times of global aid cuts. URS is a group helping female sex workers, the LGBT community and young girls in southeastern Nigeria. In the conversation, URS acknowledged the impact of the cuts and said that their partners and the community they work with felt it as well. Reduced funding makes it difficult to access some of the essential commodities needed for their work, including HIV test kits, PrEP and STI treatments.
“We are trying our best. Most of us started from scratch without having any donors of course. We started working for our community just for the passion that we have for the community,” she said. Despite not having enough funding, they keep their work going, looking for domestic financing or coming up with cost-efficient workarounds like promoting WhatsApp contact with their clients to save on transportation costs. Some operations were able to be restored by collaborating domestically with Caritas Nigeria or Abia State Action Control on AIDS.
Even with restricted funding, URS identified 22 new HIV-infected clients over just three months. However, Ojinmah stresses their impact could be much bigger with higher funding, considering they were only able to operate in 4 out of 17 local governments in the state of Abia. Despite challenges, she remains confident in the abilities of URS and hopes “to have the recognition and support we actually need to keep pushing.”
Looking Ahead
Overall, despite the obstacles posed by global aid cuts, NGOs and grassroots communities keep innovating and working toward their goals. Whether it is impact investing or redesigning current projects, the hopeful and determined people like Joy from Unique Royal Sisters keep fighting for the world to become a better place.
– Karol Hejduk
Photo: Flickr
Caribbean Resilience after Natural Disasters
The widespread devastation consisted of roofs torn off, mudslides, and flooded farmland. Also, 70% of the population lost electricity. In response, local authorities issued nationwide red alerts and opened 800 emergency shelters. The Red Cross mobilized volunteers for evacuations, relief distribution, and reinforcing warnings. This is how sustainable rebuilding and early-action systems are transforming the Caribbean resilience after natural disasters.
Context and Vulnerability of the Caribbean Islands
Local communities frequently struggle with natural disasters since seven out of every 10 natural events in the Caribbean are storms or floods.
After the catastrophic damages of Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017, the Caribbean region developed stronger regional cooperation and investment in disaster preparedness and infrastructure resilience. Initiatives like the Caribbean Regional Resilience Building Facility (CRRBF) joined by the European Union, GFDRR, and the World Bank, work to improve long-term disaster resilience and adaptation capacity for vulnerable areas of the region. Key national and regional strategies include strengthening early warning systems, investing in modern weather forecasting and building resilient infrastructure.
In the context of Caribbean countries facing natural disasters, vulnerable populations are the most affected. As of 2025, one in four people live in poverty in these regions and 37% of the population is moderately/severely food insecure. Food insecurity comes from a high cost of food and the majority of it being imported. Moreover, Caribbean economies are small and tourism-dependent and their energy costs are among the highest globally.
Also, post-disaster recovery often leads to debt and internal displacement of communities. For instance, 10 million people faced displacement from 2008 to 2023 due to natural disasters. In addition, climate damages could rise from 5% of regional GDP in 2025 to more than 20% by 2100.
Many studies and reports have shown that to strengthen the economic well-being of Caribbean communities it is vital to assist policymakers and development partners in planning for climate resilience, promoting economic diversification, and facilitating access to financing.
Jamaica
Good examples of Caribbean resilience after natural disasters are the Community-Based Disaster Preparedness partnered with UNICEF and ODPEM, the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management. Following Hurricane Beryl in 2024 these programs distributed 400 (water, sanitation and hygiene) WASH Shelter Kits to emergency shelters with a value of J$14.8 million.
Specifically, the ODPEM represents the national disaster management authority and was formed in July 1980, following major floods in 1979. The institution incorporates community resilience, educational initiatives, and policy reforms within national disaster risk reduction strategies.
The UNDP also supports risk-informed development and improves disaster governance by encouraging community-level engagement.
Dominica
In 2017, Hurricane Maria destroyed 90% of Dominica’s housing, demolishing 4,500 homes and damaging more than 20,000 properties.
Consequently, the World Bank funded a $40 million house recovery project Build Back Better Housing Project in the island. It established a Management Information System to manage nationwide housing recovery data and delivered practical training on resilient building techniques to local contractors and government staff.
The program also rebuilt 676 small homes and donated financial grants and technical assistance to homeowners.
Haiti
A significant example of community resilience happened in Haiti following the 2010 earthquake that caused massive destruction. The local communities worked on rebuilding roads, homes, and public facilities. For instance, the construction of almost 600 classrooms created local employment.
Haitian institutions and citizens joined forces in the development of housing and infrastructure. They managed to achieve sustainable recovery by involving civil society organizations and local communities in decision-making and providing training and employment for the reconstruction process. The Red Cross Red Crescent also partnered with the Haitian Red Cross to provide improved shelters to more than 44,000 households.
As a result, local leadership and national ownership created more than 300,000 jobs, providing training to 2,700 Haitian professionals. Most importantly, 2,000 metres of gabion walls were constructed for disaster risk reduction.
The Impact of Caribbean Resilience after Natural Disasters
The Caribbean islands have seen 24 million people feel the impacts of natural disasters in the last 40 years and an 85% increase in extreme weather events. However, the World Bank and the U.N., as well as local initiatives, have been funding projects that integrate long-term resilience into recovery.
The centre of these projects involves education, capacity building, and institutional strengthening to achieve long-term resilience. As a result, Caribbean islands are not only recovering but also building back stronger than ever.
– Angela D’Avino
Photo: Flickr
Ethiopian Highland Malaria Exposure
A landmark analysis of long-term data from the highlands of Ethiopia (and Colombia) found that interannual temperature variability drives upslope movement in malaria incidence, providing clear evidence of altitudinal change. Complementary climate work using Ethiopia’s enhanced national climate dataset (ENACTS) identified statistically significant increases in the elevation of key temperature thresholds linked to transmission suitability, reinforcing concerns about such risks. Ethiopia’s malaria risk has traditionally been determined by altitude and temperature.
Program profiles identify “malaria-free” areas above roughly 2,500 meters—or above 2,000 meters where average annual temperatures stay below about 16 °C, highlighting how climate historically restricted transmission at higher elevations. As those conditions change, the boundary of receptivity can move, with implications for surveillance and response in fringe highland districts.
National Strategy and Health System Planning
Ethiopia’s National Malaria Elimination Program (NMEP) operates under a five-year strategic plan (2021–2025). It aims to consolidate gains, further reduce malaria burden and interrupt transmission in selected areas. The plan emphasizes evidence-based stratification, vector control (long-lasting insecticidal nets [LLIN]/Indoor Residual Spraying [IRS]), case management and surveillance, pillars that can be calibrated as malaria exposure changes.
Ethiopia’s recent malaria situation highlights the stakes. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported more than 7.3 million malaria cases and more than 1,100 deaths between January 1 and October 20, 2024, a reminder that national systems must plan for surges and geographic shifts. While these figures are national (not highland specific), they frame the operational urgency for climate-informed malaria control.
Climate-sensitive planning is already embedded in Ethiopian research and practice. Recent analyses link El Niño and other climatic drivers to epidemic risk in Ethiopia and programmatic efforts have piloted integration of climate information with disease surveillance to strengthen early warning and response.
Donor Financing and Policy Frameworks
The Global Fund and Ethiopia have launched three new grants totaling more than $441 million for 2024–2027 to sustain progress against HIV, TB and malaria while strengthening health and community systems. This funding can also support climate-aware targeting, improved surveillance and vector control, aligned with national health priorities. Globally, the Global Fund’s 2023–2028 Strategy and subsequent guidance explicitly encourage integrating climate considerations into malaria programming, including grant reprogramming to address climate-related shifts in risk.
These frameworks offer a pathway for aligning budgets and activities with evolving transmission zones. Partner inputs extend beyond financing. Program profiles from the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) detail Ethiopia’s stratification and intervention mix, a baseline that can be recalibrated if Ethiopian highland malaria risk zones expand.
Compounding Factors: New Vectors and Urbanization
In addition to climate-driven altitudinal shifts, the emergence of Anopheles stephensi, an invasive urban malaria vector, has complicated control in the Horn of Africa. WHO has issued an alert on its spread and peer-reviewed studies from Ethiopia have implicated the vector in outbreaks, underscoring the need for expanded entomological surveillance and tailored control in urban and peri-urban settings.
Actionable Recommendations
Conclusion: Health, Equity and Stability
The evidence is clear that warming can shift malaria suitability to higher elevations, challenging historical assumptions about Ethiopian highland malaria. By aligning national strategy, donor financing and climate-informed surveillance, Ethiopia and its partners could anticipate and respond to highland malaria risk before outbreaks take hold. Doing so is not only a public health imperative but a matter of equity and system resilience in a changing climate.
– Clara Garza
Photo: Flickr
Sustainability in the Wake of the Colombian Armed Conflict
In the last decade, Bogota was the site of a critical period in contemporary Colombian history – the 2016 peace settlement where the revolutionary FARC guerrilla group agreed terms with the government to demobilize. The FARC’s long history of violent struggle revolved around agrarian reform. Aligning with a communist ideology, land rights and agricultural communes were central to FARC policy in the Colombian hinterlands. Their strategic aim was to ensure that Colombia’s poor had access to land rights. In the aftermath of 2016, a fiercely contested debate surrounding the environmental impact of deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions has been topical. Some argue that the FARC were environmentally conscious in ways the Colombian government has not been. On the other hand, the role of peaceful humanitarian organizations, such as the UNDP, have been successful in their efforts to improve Colombian sustainability.
2016 as a Turning Point or a Step Backwards?
The FARC-EP disarmament in 2016 provoked a debate over whether the signed peace agreement was really a turning point in the wider narrative surrounding the Colombian armed conflict. Teaching Fellow Dr Camilo Uribe Botta, an environmental history specialist at the University of Warwick, reveals the issues that have plagued ongoing land dispute debates in spite of political tensions.
“This isolation of rural areas in Colombia does not mean they are pristine lands. On the contrary, they remain at the center of disputes over land ownership and exploitation between big companies, large landowners, rural inhabitants, Indigenous communities and armed groups. Illegal mining, logging and deforestation are significant challenges.” — Dr. Camilo Uribe Botta, Oct. 28, 2025.
Rural land ownership and legal property rights have long been geographical sites of contestation between a variety of actors. However, in 2021, the government recorded “174,000 hectares deforested in 2021” heavily concentrated in the Amazon region of Colombia – a region of beauty renowned for biodiversity and identified by climate activists as an area which needs legislative protection. This statistic appears to lend weight to those who believe that FARC occupied the Colombian hinterland and limited deforestation levels comparable to the post-peace period. In reality, these claims have been found to be false.
Legacy
The enduring legacy of the revolutionary group continues to prove detrimental to the environment through an offshoot of dissident factions that have emerged as a result of the 2016 peace agreement. Hostility and violence toward farmers has continued in rural regions of Colombia, with these groups using forces of intimidation and extortion to coerce local communities into the practice of deforestation. Dr. Uribe Botta mentioned that more than “350 ecological leaders” had been assassinated in the country since 2018, making it clear that state solutions to the Colombian armed conflict have proved dangerous. The role of the UNDP in preserving peace across the region has continued to accentuate with the coinciding fatalities and discontented sentiment as a result of government action. Sustainability and peace are therefore interlinked entities that separate the politics of FARC disarmament from any correlation with an improvement in sustainability.
The UNDP: Protecting the People, the Andes and the Amazon
Dr. Uribe Botta fears the violence toward state-appointed environmental leaders is an enduring legacy of the Colombian armed conflict. The preservation of the natural world and Colombia’s beauty also has hugely positive implications for the diverse population that lives amongst it. This is greatly realized in the priorities driven by the UNDP, which have resulted in the World Bank branding Colombia as the nation “leading the path toward sustainability in Latin America.”
The year 2022 marked a stellar period in environmental progress within Colombia because a green taxonomy system was implemented nationwide. This initiative champions economic activity through a system of green bonds granted to local businesses. The money must align with the sustainability targets set by the government and whilst these measures may appear restrictive to a free market economy, Colombia’s GDP actually rose by 8.5% in the first quarter of 2022. Unlike during the Colombian armed conflict, national policy, which has consulted with international organizations, has sought to depoliticize environmental issues effectively.
The UNDP has liaised with local stakeholders to ensure the aforementioned green taxonomy system continues to prevail. Within the indigenous communities of Colombia, the forests have a sacred dimension and adopt a position of integral cultural importance. The Indigenous Communities for the Forests was set up alongside UNDP representatives, designed to preserve the cultural heritage of the Andes. In the highlands of Nukanchipa, “80 hectares” of the iraca plant were planted by the local community, which boosts biodiversity and the survival of the forest. From a historical perspective, the iraca ruler led the Muisca peoples through the brutalities of Spanish colonialism – the legacy of the indigenous communities lives on through the symbolic nature of the iraca plant.
Awareness in Academia
Difficult memories of the Colombian armed conflict for Dr. Uribe Botta remain vivid. He speaks of “the news about attacks, explosions and mass kidnappings” and a childhood which involved seeing a large military presence in Bogota.
“Our movement was minimal; people preferred not to travel by land in many parts of the country due to the risk of abduction. I remember that, for many school years, there was no school trip because the recommendation was not even to leave the city of Bogotá” — Dr. Camilo Uribe Botta, Oct. 28, 2025.
His academic journey has culminated in an impressive PhD funded by a scholarship obtained at the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom. Writing on the “commerce of orchids” in 19th-century Colombia, Uribe Botta has sought to trace the environmental impact of orchid extraction. His thesis presents the orchid as a marker of state success; if orchids are flourishing in a region, then sustainability practices are being implemented to effect.
Unfortunately, the orchid was at risk of extinction in the 19th Century, but important work like Uribe Botta’s has contributed greatly to the discipline of environmental history. The historiographical turn toward tracing environmental progress over time has not gone unnoticed by contemporary policymakers and activist groups. Orchids for Peace is an initiative that has targeted the conservation practices of the flower in the aftermath of the Colombian armed conflict. Exactly 1,000 planned orchid sanctuaries reflect the initiatives’ stress on “orchids as symbols of peace.”
Sustainable Goals without Political Undertones
The debate over the sustainability practices of the FARC-EP has a strong political edge. Placing the Colombian armed conflict at the heart of climate-related issues has resulted in a violent competition for land and resources post-2016. These disputes have resulted in an alarming rate of deforestation in deliberate opposition to the national state policy. Despite the unstable political climate in the aftermath of the Colombian armed conflict, the nation has made significant progress toward preserving its natural beauty, diverse communities and unique biodiversity. Importantly, these changes were sparked by nongovernmental actors.
The UNDP continues to work alongside local communities to protect their social and environmental interests. This has yielded fantastic results in relation to the nation’s GDP, as hailed by the World Bank. In addition to these measures, the intellectual field of environmental history continues to promote the positives of Colombian sustainability by highlighting important lessons learnt from the past. The cohesion between nonprofit workers, international organizations and environmental scholars has formed the basis of successful progress toward a greener, peaceful Colombia.
– Ash Fowkes-Gajan
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
How Kenya is Using Satellite Data to Settle Land Rights
Mapping the Unmapped
Kenya’s use of satellite data to settle land rights begins with remote sensing technologies tested in regions like Kajiado County. Researchers developed smart sketch mapping systems combined with UAV technology to capture high-resolution images of informal settlements. According to a study published in the journal Remote Sensing in January 2020, these methods achieved ground sample distances of about six centimeters, offering unprecedented detail for land boundary mapping.
A fit-for-purpose approach used in Makueni County in 2017 showed that field data collection could be quick and affordable. As reported by GIM International, two surveyors collected data for about 40 parcels in six hours using handheld devices displaying satellite imagery on mobile screens. Villagers walked the perimeters of their land while GPS antennas recorded boundary points, creating a participatory process that directly links people to polygons on digital maps.
The KISIP Initiative
The Kenya Informal Settlements Improvement Project (KISIP) is the most comprehensive effort to formalize land tenure in urban areas. Launched in 2011 through a partnership between the Government of Kenya, the World Bank, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency and the Agence Française de Développement, KISIP has benefited more than 1.4 million residents.
According to the State Department of Housing and Urban Development, KISIP operates in about 40 counties and focuses on land tenure regularization through planning, surveying and issuing ownership documents.
The project’s second phase, which began in March 2021, targets informal settlements located on uncontested public land. As People Daily reported in July 2025, KISIP2 has prepared more than 1,470 titles in Nyeri County alone, with 540 already issued.
Economic Transformation
The economic impact of secure land tenure goes far beyond property ownership. Title deeds can be used as collateral for bank loans, enabling residents to invest in permanent housing and small businesses. A 2019 Capital Blog article noted that residents of Nyalenda in Kisumu County used their new titles to access bank loans after receiving secure tenure through KISIP.
In November 2024, the Cabinet waived Sh12.3 billion in interest on land settlement loans, demonstrating the government’s commitment to unlocking land-based economic potential. According to Capital FM, the waiver will benefit thousands of settlers in 520 settlement schemes across 26 counties, helping them obtain title deeds and use them as collateral for investment.
Peter Kagai, an 80-year-old farmer from Kamuiri colonial village in Nyeri County, told People Daily that owning a title deed improved his life significantly, allowing him to secure loans to educate his children and invest in his farm.
Technology Meets Community
U.N.-Habitat’s Social Tenure Domain Model tool has proven effective in participatory mapping. In the Kwa Bulo settlement in Mombasa County, more than 1,000 Certificates of Occupancy were issued through participatory enumerations and mapping approaches. According to U.N.-Habitat, perceived tenure security led to increased economic activities, including new retail businesses and construction projects that created employment opportunities for youth.
Looking Forward
Kenya’s use of satellite data to settle land rights represents a model for other developing nations addressing informal land tenure. The combination of affordable satellite imagery, UAV technology and community-led mapping offers a scalable solution that respects local knowledge while providing legally recognized documentation.
As Flying Labs Kenya reported in October 2024, organizations continue expanding drone applications across humanitarian and development sectors, including land tenure mapping in counties like Kajiado.
With its ability to collect data quickly and cost-effectively, the technology is well-suited for large-scale land formalization programs. The success of these initiatives shows that technology-driven solutions, combined with partnerships and community participation, can address historical land injustices and create pathways to economic opportunity. For millions of Kenyans in informal settlements, satellite data and digital mapping tools are becoming essential to securing their future.
– Jawad Noori
Photo: Pexels
Social Protection: The Answer to Poverty in Conflict Zones?
Fragility and Conflict
Currently, 25% of the global population lives in zones of high or extreme fragility. Brutal conflicts in Sudan, Gaza and the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are exacerbated by climate shocks, economic instability and mass displacement. For many regions, fragility has become the norm and now represents the epicenter of humanitarian, development and security challenges. Of the planet’s population living in extreme poverty, more than 70% live in these fragile zones with a high incidence of violent conflict.
Social protection, as laid out in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, is a fundamental human right. It includes those support mechanisms such as social insurance, jobseekers’ assistance, care services and cash support. In times of crisis and in zones of high or extreme fragility, these policies and programs become crucial, allowing people to better endure, adapt and recover. Globally, only 52.4% of people benefit from just one social protection program, a figure that drops dramatically in fragile contexts.
The High-Level Panel
The High-Level Panel on Social Protection in Fragile and Conflict-Affected Settings was convened to ascertain why social protection is not the norm – and how to change that fact. Co-chaired by Rt Hon Baroness Chapman of Darlington (U.K. Minister of State for International Development and Africa), and H.E. Salah Ahmed Jama (Deputy Prime Minister of Somalia), the panel brought together leading experts in the fields of humanitarian action, development and social protection.
With the support of a public enquiry, the panel found that implementing social protection in fragile regions has been hampered by strong barriers to progress. From a lack of political buy-in to chronic underinvestment, social protection has been underappreciated and underutilized. Finding solutions to these entrenched barriers, therefore, has required a shift in attitudes, brought about in no small part by a need to find cheaper solutions to poverty alleviation.
Fiscal Constraints
One of the key recognitions made by the High-Level Panel is the severe pressure on both domestic and international spending. Operating in the reality of a tightened global fiscal situation – where the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) with its $63 billion budget has closed, and where the U.K. has reduced its aid spending to 0.3% of Gross National Income (GNI) – the Panel argues that increasing social protection offers a cost-effective and proactive alternative to expensive reactionary humanitarian responses. It is this shift in the financing of global development and poverty alleviation assistance that will be most conducive to the realization of the Panel’s aims.
Recommendations for Implementation
As part of the outcome document published by the two co-chairs of the High-Level Panel, a “catalytic agenda” was laid out. This set out nine recommendations for the implementation of the Panel’s vision – for social protection to provide peace, resilience and stability in fragile and conflict-affected settings. The agenda focuses on the recognition of social protection as a priority, the centering of people in future implementations, and the importance of robust and diverse financing mechanisms.
The document concludes with a call to action directed at stakeholders, including the United Nations (U.N.), G7+ and Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), requesting firm commitments to the panel’s recommendations. The inclusion of clear steps, rather than general statements, underscores the panel’s position that social protection in conflict-affected settings is achievable.
A Path Forward
Financing social protection in those regions of the world most affected by severe instability offers a proactive, affordable solution to extreme poverty. Social protection enhances safety and stability for the general population and plays a critical role in supporting society’s most vulnerable, including women, children, the elderly and people with disabilities. The conclusions and recommendations of the High-Level Panel on Social Protection in Fragile and Conflict-Affected Settings provide a clear path forward.
– Henry Weiser
Photo: Flickr
BLB: UK Towns Helping Developing Countries
Town twinning enables U.K. towns to help developing countries by providing a pathway through which cultural and technological aid can be donated directly to the places that need it most.
Greenwich and Tema
The London Borough of Greenwich was twinned with the town of Tema, Ghana, in 2000, partially due to both towns being situated on the Earth’s prime meridian line. Since then, annual youth exchanges have enabled students in both cities to experience another culture and share what they have learned with their communities.
In 2005, the Greenwich Council sent a converted bus, filled with books and second-hand computers, to Tema, to be used in local schools. Technological aid from U.K. towns helping developing countries can be vital in improving the quality of life in the recipient town.
Barnet and Pokhara
In 2024, six councillors from Barnet Borough Council traveled to the borough’s twin town of Pokhara, Nepal. They were invited by Pokhara’s mayor, Dhana Raj Acharya. They visited the town’s World Peace Pagoda along with other museums, schools, hospitals, historical venues and environmental landmarks — a week-long delegation aimed at strengthening cultural ties and collaboration.
Their visit followed a devastating plane crash in Pokhara on 15 January 2023, which had prompted an official condolence message from Barnet and the borough’s flag to fly at half-mast at Hendon Town Hall.
Calderdale and Musoma
Calderdale in West Yorkshire established itself as one of the U.K. towns helping developing countries when the town’s council helped pay for an officer from the town of Musoma, Tanzania, to complete a business studies course at the nearby University of Huddersfield. This is an example of educational aid being used to enhance the governance of a town in a developing country, thereby improving its capacity for development. Direct aid has continued through donations of sewing machines to Musoma, all of which were refurbished in Calderdale.
Chesterfield and Tsumeb
Chesterfield open-air market in Derbyshire was used as a model for the Namibian town of Tsumeb’s own market, after some of Chelmsford’s traders agreed to advise the Tsumeb Municipal Council during its construction. The former Mayor of Chelmsford, Adrian Kitch, along with his wife, Inger, also donated funds to help build the Tsumeb Women and Children’s Center. They emphasized the importance of U.K. towns supporting developing countries during their tenure in office.
Bristol and Puerto Morazan
Every year, the town of Bristol in Southwest England hosts Fairtrade Fortnight. In this event, Fairtrade coffee producers from around the world are encouraged to meet and discuss how to operate the industry in a manner that is fair to local growers.
Coffee is a major export across Nicaragua, including in Bristol’s twin town of Puerto Morazán. Local farmers there benefit from programs that help them earn a larger share of the profits from their coffee.
Bristol and Beira
A friendship agreement was signed in 1990 between Bristol City Council and the Southern African Resource Centre (SARC), linking Bristol with the town of Beira in Mozambique. SARC was founded earlier that year by the Bristol Anti-Apartheid Movement as a means of enabling U.K. towns to help developing countries provide aid to deprived communities, outside of the restrictions imposed by pro-apartheid governments.
The towns’ ongoing relationship is currently managed by the Bristol Link with Beira (BLB) group. BLB “currently aims to find funding in the U.K. for at least two projects per year in Beira, each valued at £5,000 [about $6,500],” says the group’s trustee Caroline Pitt in an interview with The Borgen Project. Previous investments have included the “Economic Resilience” scheme that provided “microfinance, small business training and horticultural goods for women farmers.” Another initiative, the “Support for Teachers” program, offered office furniture, computer equipment and ICT training to several schools in Beira.
Pitt says that BLB’s long-term objective is to enable “small-scale projects (that) are aimed at beneficiaries in the poorest country in Southern Africa” to have positive impacts which spread “to positions outside of Beira.” This process enables aid projects targeting individual twin towns to benefit a wider region or country, as those who have received educational or technological assistance utilize their new skills to support others better. Pitt cited one of BLB’s young women mentors, who went on to work as a U.N. Women Peace Champion, as an example of the scheme already having widespread benefits.
In addition to funding aid projects in Mozambique, BLB aims to foster cultural links between Bristol and Beira. This has previously been achieved through a series of civic exchanges, most recently the mayor of Beira Adel Sofala’s visit to Bristol in 2017. BLB also runs an annual photography competition.
The event provides photographers from Beira with the opportunity to have their work displayed in Bristol, thereby gaining increased publicity. It also enables Bristol’s citizens to gain a deeper understanding of life in Mozambique. Pitt says that BLB has also directly benefited Bristol by contributing “to the global citizenship of Bristol through a Schools Teaching Pack.” This aims to improve children’s geographical knowledge and encourages them to empathise with their counterparts across the world.
The Importance of Town Twinning
Future cuts to the U.K. government’s international aid spending may risk damaging relations between the country and many of the developing countries that rely on its aid. It is therefore vital that British towns that intend to improve relations with towns in developing countries have a means of doing so in a mutually beneficial way. Through town twinning schemes, such as BLB, Pitt believes that “we can encourage cities to look outside themselves” and continue to provide international aid, independently of national governments.
– Billy Stack
Photo: Pixabay
Gender-Balanced Politics: Women in Power Reduce Poverty
Similar progress is visible elsewhere. In Nepal, thousands of women now serve on local councils, shaping budgets and school programs. In Finland, women have long led policies that make childcare affordable and education universal. Across the world, gender-balanced politics has shown that when women share power, communities thrive and poverty is reduced.
Why Representation Matters
Globally, women hold just 27.2% of parliamentary seats. Although this figure has risen from 11.3% in 1995, progress remains uneven. Research shows that gender-balanced politics has measurable economic benefits. Countries with more women in parliament tend to invest more in education, health care and family welfare, policies that reduce poverty in the long term. One study found that a 10-percentage-point increase in women’s representation is linked to a 0.74-point rise in GDP growth
Rwanda continues to lead the world, with women holding about 63.8% of parliamentary seats. Following the genocide, reforms ensured that women played a central role in rebuilding national institutions. Between 2001 and 2014, “the poverty rate declined by almost 18 percentage points.”
Across Europe and the Americas, countries with higher shares of women in parliament also rank high in education, universal health care and family support policies. The Americas average 34.5% women MPs — well above the global mean — showing how gender-balanced politics can translate into social progress.
Pathways to Gender Balance
Countries use quotas, mentoring and civic education to achieve gender-balanced politics. The IPU reports that nations with gender quotas average 31.2% women in parliament, compared with 16.8% in countries without quotas.
Mentorship and training help women access campaign networks, while civic education shifts public attitudes toward equality. Yet challenges persist: cultural norms, unequal campaign funding and harassment continue to hold women back.
When women share power in parliament and cabinet, policy priorities change. Investments in early education, maternal health and social protection rise. Countries with more women leaders tend to pass laws that expand women’s economic rights, boosting labour participation and reducing gender disparities.
Inclusive governance also strengthens accountability. Governments that reflect their populations’ diversity allocate resources more equitably, reducing poverty for all.
The Road Ahead
Gender-balanced politics is not just about equality, it’s about building fairer, stronger societies. Countries that include women in decision-making tend to achieve lower poverty rates, better health outcomes and faster development.
Rwanda and Nepal show what’s possible when women shape national policy. As more nations follow, gender balance in governance can evolve from an aspiration into a proven strategy for poverty reduction.
– Lucy Williams
Photo: Flickr
G2Px: Digitizing Government-to-Person Payments
Closing a Digital and Financial Divide
Government payments for retirement, disability, unemployment and basic needs are critical for many households and individuals. However, accessing these benefits is not always straightforward. Payments were traditionally made in cash and required in-person collection, which creates barriers for people living in remote areas, those with limited mobility or individuals who cannot afford to take time off work.
“When there is a payment, we spend the whole day at the town hall, we leave in the morning from our village to come back in the evening and that is a difficulty,” said one Malian cash recipient in a World Bank report. By shifting government-to-person payments to digital platforms, recipients gain incentives to access financial services. This helps close the digital divide, promotes digital literacy and offers more secure financial access.
A Path to Financial Inclusion
Digital G2P payments can serve as a first step toward broader financial inclusion. For many recipients, especially in low-income or rural areas, receiving government payments through a bank or mobile account is their first interaction with the formal financial system.
According to the World Bank, 865 million account owners in developing countries—including 423 million women—opened their first financial institution account to receive government payments. This initial connection can lead to increased use of financial services such as saving, borrowing or making digital transactions. The impact is particularly significant for women and young people, who often face additional barriers to financial access.
The G2Px Initiative: Progress and Empowerment
Despite progress in digital government-to-person payments, the digital and financial inclusion gap remains, with 1.4 billion adults still unbanked worldwide. To help close this gap, the World Bank Group created the G2Px initiative. In partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Norad, the initiative supports governments in improving G2P systems through policy development, design improvements and digital and financial literacy programs.
In a 2023 report, the World Bank Group highlighted how G2Px supported data collection that helps modernize G2P payments with recipients at the center. The report documented good practices that countries can adopt, and many nations have since joined the conversation. Sierra Leone launched its first account-based social assistance payments, while Yemen completed a study to inform mobile money pilots in eight districts, with 18,000 recipients already registered to opt in.
Technical assistance from the initiative also supported policies that promote inclusion. Jordan’s National Aid Fund revised program design to enable government-to-person payments to women instead of only heads of households.
This empowerment is one of the key benefits of digitizing G2P payments. Access to digital payments can strengthen women’s privacy, financial autonomy, decision-making and labor force participation. Payments also increase opportunities to access financial services such as savings, credit, remittances and insurance. When both men and women in a household can access payments, women’s participation in household decision-making increases.
To support women’s economic empowerment, a World Bank partnership in Liberia developed a simple financial planning intervention to help couples plan the use of their G2P payment before receiving it. This approach not only increased women’s inclusion but also improved the household’s overall financial condition.
Moving Forward
Digitizing government payments is helping millions of people access assistance more efficiently and securely. With continued investment in inclusive design and digital literacy, this approach has the potential to reach more underserved communities and contribute to long-term poverty reduction.
– Jannah Khalil
Photo: Flickr
The Progress of HIV/AIDS in Azerbaijan
Treatments for HIV/AIDS
Antiretroviral treatment (ART) prevents HIV transmission from mother to child through breastfeeding. Patients who use ART can also prevent HIV transmission to their sexual partners. However, patients must take ART every day for life. Moreover, reducing HIV transmission connects to harm reduction approaches, which specifically involves the provision of sterile injecting equipment. It proves that harm reduction services include not only needle and syringe programs but also the provision of opioid agonist treatment (OAT).
The Causes of HIV/AIDS in Azerbaijan
On August 3rd, 2016, there were 4,955 HIV-infected people in Azerbaijan; 73.2% of them were men while 26.8% were women. The most significant cause of HIV/AIDS in Azerbaijan was the use of drugs, accounting for 47% of cases. Meanwhile, the second-highest cause was heterosexual contact at 42.1% and the third-highest cause was unknown causes at 7.8%. Finally, the fourth-highest cause was homosexual acts at 1.8% and the fifth-highest cause was mother-to-child transmission, affecting 1.8%.
In Azerbaijan, HIV infection is a serious problem with many cases being connected to people who injected drugs. According to the official statistics of 2021, injection drug use caused 14% of new HIV infections in the country. Of 690 HIV infections, 97 people were people who injected drugs (PWID).
Treating HIV/AIDS in Azerbaijan
Of the 26,894 people in prison in Azerbaijan, 7,979 people were in prison because of illegal drugs on January 31st, 2023. In prison, HIV prevalence was 1.7% in 2020. ART has been available in prisons resulting in 91.8% prisoners receiving treatment in 2019. However, NSP and opioid substitution therapy (OST) were not accessible.
Access to treatment can be challenging for people in Azerbaijan. For example, the needle/syringe program (NSP) covered only 33.9% for each client, providing 55 needles and the unit cost was approximately €33. Meanwhile, OAT coverage was about 1% in 2024 and the price of it was about €133 per client in a year. However, the unemployment benefit proxy was just €1,245. In prison, imprisonment costs about €3,008 per person per year. A simple community package including NSP and OAT and the unemployment benefit were about €1,411 per person per year.
Women’s Challenges and Barriers to Health Care
According to a Eurasian Women’s Network on AIDS study in 2022, Azerbaijan’s National HIV Program did not particularly support women. The overall plan did not include information on addressing stigma, discrimination and human rights for women experiencing HIV, working as sex workers or using drugs.
Additionally, as the Republican AIDS Center mentioned in May 2025, 10,324 respondents living with HIV/AIDS in Azerbaijan mentioned that they faced stigma and barriers to accessing health care and testing services. According to HIV/AIDS patients, access to stigma-free, confidential testing and treatment services need to be a priority for Azerbaijan’s public health strategy in addition to addressing discrimination.
Progress Addressing HIV/AIDS in Azerbaijan
For the voluntary licensing agreement between the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) and ViiV Healthcare in late 2020, Azerbaijan was able to access dolutegravir (DTG) based on the regimens in upper-middle-income countries, which included Azerbaijan, Belarus and Kazakhstan. In addition, ViiV Healthcare and MPP developed the first-of-its-kind agreement to increase access and affordability to DTG-based HIV treatment plans. As a result, Azerbaijan was able to reduce the price by more than 90% through efforts of communities, procurement agencies and others. The government of Azerbaijan began the actions concerning the import of specific syringes to prevent HIV/AIDS in Azerbaijan.
In 2025, the Ministry of Health mentioned that it will allocate $431,000 for the procurement of these specific syringes. As a component of the “Harm Reduction” project, the government will buy the syringes with a “low dead space.” They expect that these syringes will help prevent HIV.
The Azerbaijan Parliament adopted a new law on HIV/AIDS. It concentrated on human rights and the universal accessibility of HIV-related services, including services targeted at drug users who are both in and out of prison. With the support of United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and national experts, it could develop these recommendations.
As mentioned by Ali Hassanov, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan, National legislation and policy had to consider the interests and needs of people who injected drugs and prisoners. He also mentioned that efforts to address the social and economic risk factors for HIV infection were an important part of an efficient strategy to reducing the spread of HIV in the years to come. The social and economic factors meant that they deprived individuals of the power to protect themselves against HIV infection.
In addition, Hadi Rajabli, Chair of the Social Policy Committee mentioned that the new law included the prohibition of discrimination and stigmatization. It contained programs to prevent the contraction of HIV among at-risk groups and prison inmates.
Looking Ahead
The issue of HIV/AIDS in Azerbaijan is still challenging. However, Azerbaijan’s efforts have helped reduce the price of treatments by 90% and it expects that HIV prevention plans will improve. Furthermore, the parliament accepted a new law on HIV/AIDS with the aid of UNODC and national experts.
– Yunjae Lee
Photo: Unsplash