Mar
30
After the UK became the first country in the G7 to adopt the long-standing UN target to spend 0.7% of GDP on foreign aid, the chancellor was in high spirits.
“We should all take pride in this historic moment for the country,” said George Osborne as he delivered his budget statement to MPs.
Mar
23
By Rachel Banning-Lover
Be open to new ideas: There’s a sense that NGOs feel that we have to protect our space but civil society has always been organic and evolving. Some large NGOs are now seen as part of a broken system but we need to be better at being provocative, challenging, and value-driven when looking at how we can make changes. Connell Foley, director of strategy, advocacy and learning, Concern Worldwide, Dublin, Ireland @Concern
Mar
18
By Peter Ford
Beijing — After years of operating in a precarious legal limbo, foreign non-governmental organizations in China are facing a moment of truth that could force many of them to close their doors.
The Chinese government is drafting a new foreign NGO law that is widely expected to make work more difficult, if not impossible, for many of the 6,000 overseas non-profits that operate here in a broad range of fields from education and the environment to HIV-Aids and legal education.
Mar
15
Executive Summary
The Italian Senate, one of the two parliamentary chambers, recently approved by a narrow margin (114 to 103) an amendment to new rules that would make the use of seismic surveys (with “air-gun technology or other explosive techniques”) an eco-crime with 1 to 3 years of imprisonment. As of the date this article was posted, the Italian Parliament had not yet voted on this amendment
There is no justification for this proposed new crime. Oil and gas seismic is legal and heavily regulated in Brazil and many other countries. Under this regulatory regime, every objective review concludes that there is no reason to believe seismic is harming any marine mammal population or any other species.
Mar
09
By Elijah Wolfson
In western Kenya, Mikkel Vestergaard Frandsen is sometimes treated like a demigod.
When I accompany him on his visit to local schools, we are barely out of the SUV when we are swarmed by children in sort-of-matching uniforms, singing and dancing. Everywhere we go, people—kids and adults—spontaneously break into a chant: “Asante, LifeStraw, asante!” (“Thank you, LifeStraw, thank you!”) At the Emusanda Health Centre in Lurambi—built with Vestergaard funding—teary-eyed man expressed the community’s gratitude, telling Vestergaard (he doesn’t use the Frandsen part of his last name) that “there are babies being born named after you.”
Mar
03
By Anna Leach
Be clear about your message: First thing, figure out what you actually want to say and why. Sounds basic and is but will help you to decide which media to target and with what. Andy Shipley, news editor, Plan UK, London, UK, @andyshipley