Sector News

Intensifying outbreak response efforts across Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin

Relief Web | 24 Nov, 2016

Regional emergency outbreak response is being further intensified, amid humanitarian crisis and insecurity.

India accused of muzzling NGOs by blocking foreign funding

The Guardian | 24 Nov, 2016

Modi’s government revokes licences of 25 organisations over ‘anti-national activities’ as pool of foreign-funded bodies shrinks by almost half in two years

Will the development business be out of business by 2040?

Devex | 22 Nov, 2016

Devex speaks with former chief executive of the Results for Development Institute, David de Ferranti

Hostility towards immigrants on rise as Australians despair over government

The Guardian | 21 Nov, 2016

Annual Scanlon report on social cohesion finds a generally tolerant and confident country. But there is a loss of faith in Canberra’s politicians and more Australians from ethnic minorities are reporting discrimination

Donald Trump's election could take Australia into 'uncharted waters', former DFAT chief says

ABC | 21 Nov, 2016

Australia's former foreign affairs chief has called on the Government to mitigate risk and seek new diplomatic opportunities after the election of United States President-elect Donald Trump. 

Turnbull government, ignoring Trump election, proceeds with Paris climate agreement ratification

Peter Hannam, Sydney Morning Herald | 10 Nov, 2016

The Turnbull government has ratified the Paris climate agreement, formalising Australia's commitment to a global effort to curb carbon emissions and reduce the risk of dangerous climate change.

The move comes less than a day after US voters elected Donald Trump, a sceptic of climate science, to become the next president. The US is the world's second-highest carbon-dioxide emitter after China.

It was the rise of the Davos class that sealed America’s fate

Naomi Klein, The Guardian | 10 Nov, 2016

They will blame James Comey and the FBI. They will blame voter suppression and racism. They will blame Bernie or bust and misogyny. They will blame third parties and independent candidates. They will blame the corporate media for giving him the platform, social media for being a bullhorn, and WikiLeaks for airing the laundry.

But this leaves out the force most responsible for creating the nightmare in which we now find ourselves wide awake: neoliberalism. 

Trump win sends shockwaves through development world

Adva Saldinger, Devex | 09 Nov, 2016

The election of Donald Trump as the next U.S. president is sure to send shockwaves throughout the global development community as worries rise about his aid policy and stated position on climate change.

Little is known about exactly what a Trump presidency means for foreign aid, in part because in this election development issues have been largely overshadowed by debates over national security, immigration and a myriad of highly personalized attacks. 

More voters think Julie Bishop and Tanya Plibersek should become the leaders of their competing parties

SBS Online | 31 Oct, 2016

Julie Bishop and Tanya Plibersek are now the preferred leaders for their respective parties, according to new polling. A survey by Roy Morgan of 552 voters, shows Ms Bishop overtaking Malcolm Turnbull as the coalition's preferred leader - leading 34 per cent to 25 per cent.Tanya Plibersek remains well ahead of Bill Shorten as favoured Labor leader, sitting on 25 per cent ahead of Anthony Albanese on 24 per cent - with Mr Shorten unchanged on 14 per cent.

Coal doesn’t help the poor; it makes them poorer

Dana Nuccitelli, The Guardian | 31 Oct, 2016

A dozen international poverty and development organizations published a report last week on the impact of building new coal power plants in countries where a large percentage of the population lacks access to electricity. The report’s conclusions are strikingly counter-intuitive: on the whole, building coal power plants does little to help the poor, and often it can actually make them poorer.