Nonprofit leaders can better demonstrate their organization's social impact by evaluating data using the concepts of purpose, perspective and alignment, according to a Deloitte study, "Reimagining Measurement." "While these efforts may not be simple, they could prove to be essential for helping social sector organizations learn from their collective experiences and increase their impact," write Deloitte's Tony Siesfeld, Gabriel Kasper and Rhonda Evans.(Read more...)
Facebook has announced a number of tools and initiatives designed to help people build community and keep each other safe, including a mentorship and support initiative and a $50 million annual fund to help communities recover from disaster, and that it will be eliminating nonprofit fees on donations made through the platform. (Read more...)
From November 28 to 29, WANGO participated in a UN meeting on "The Role of African CSOs in Preventing Violent Extremism in Africa" in Abuja, Nigeria. The meeting brought together policymakers and representatives of CSOs and 'frontline communities' to share best practices in preventing 'push' and 'pull' drivers of violent extremism, explore ways to deepen cooperation, and develop ideas to strengthen the role of local civil society to prevent violent extremism. (Read more...)
Nearly one million Rohingya refugees who have fled Myanmar are now in Bangladesh. Some international NGOs are honing their strategies to assist refugees when there are mass entries from the Burmese side of the river Naf. (Read more...)
In observance of World Cities Day 2017, the Global Forum on Human Settlements (GFHS), together with the Permanent Observer Mission of the African Union (AU) to the UN, the Permanent Mission of Gambia to the UN, and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), held its 12th annual forum from October 30 to 31 in New York. The event, which was supported by WANGO, focused on the theme "Promoting Effective Planning and Management of Urban Spatial Development."(Read more...)
Facebook has announced that it will again partner with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to match up to $2 million of funds raised on Facebook for U.S. nonprofits on this year's #GivingTuesday on November 28. Make sure your nonprofit is set up to take advantage of the matching funds by using Facebook’s charitable giving tools.(Read more...)
GlobalGiving offers its top tips for small NGOs to improve their fundraising, in this article. (Read more...)
The UN Climate Conference (COP23) wrapped up on November 17 in Bonn, Germany, with delegations expressing a renewed sense of urgency and a need for greater ambition to tackle climate change.(Read more...)
The SDG Philanthropy Platform has re-launched its website, www.sdgphilanthropy.org. The new site provides a space for stakeholders with vital resources to build and enhance connections among global entities that are committed to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).(Read more...)
The 12th Global Forum on Human Settlements (GFHS-XII) will be held from October 30 to 31 at the UN headquarters in New York City in celebration of World Cities Day 2017. The event, whose theme is "Effectively Planning and Managing Urban Spatial Development to Implement 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and New Urban Agenda," is being co-sponsored by WANGO. (Read more...)
Sudden onset disasters, such as earthquakes, floods and cyclones, are likely to displace nearly 14 million people each year, warns a new UN-backed study. Unless disaster risk is managed better, homelessness among people in the world's most disaster-prone countries is predicted to continue rising. (Read more...)
Nonprofits in education and job training will receive a $1 billion donation from Google's charitable arm, Google.org, over the next five years to help train Americans for jobs in the tech industry. (Read more...)
Six out of ten children and adolescents in school globally are not learning, according to new estimates from UNESCO. The new data signal a learning crisis that could threaten progress, not only towards the global education goal (Sustainable Development Goal 4), but many of the other SDGs that depend on having literate and numerate populations. (Read more...)
The UN General Assembly (UNGA) wrapped up its 72nd General Debate on September 25 in New York. For the first time in 11 years, all UN Member States and observers--196 in total--addressed the UNGA. Following the successful conclusion of the annual meeting, WANGO chairman, Dr. Tajeldin Hamad, congratulated the president of the Assembly, H.E. Mr. Miroslav Lajcák. (Read more...)
From September 19-20, the first ever Goalkeepers event took place in New York. The event, hosted by The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, convened determined thinkers, doers and givers, sharing their work and their ideas to help attain the Global Goals targets by 2030. Sessions focused on women and girls, global health and the role of technology and innovation in delivering change. (Read more...)
In an interview with Devex at the Social Good Summit in New York, the executive director of the World Food Programme (WFP), David Beasley, said the second sustainable development of ending global hunger is not achievable by 2030.(Read more...)
Facebook is expanding its charitable contribution feature to the U.K. and Europe, allowing users to donate directly to charities in the U.K., Ireland, France, Germany and Spain. Facebook said the tool has generated millions of dollars for U.S. charities since its launch in 2015.(Read more...)
Development actors are uniquely positioned to tackle violent extremism in Africa and should play a key role in preventing it, according to a new report, "Journey to Extremism in Africa: Drivers, Incentives and the Tipping Point for Recruitment," by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). In this article, Devex outlines three takeaways from the report for aid organizations. (Read more...)
The International Centre for Peace Studies and Diplomacy, named after the late Seychelles Founding President Sir James Mancham, has opened at the University of Seychelles. Seychelles' neutrality was a key consideration in establishing the Centre as a meeting place for learning, exchanging of ideas and experiences, and playing an active role in conflict resolution in the Indian Ocean region. (Read more...)
On World Humanitarian Day, the UN and its partners called on all global leaders to do everything in their power to protect people caught up in conflict, and stand with the health and aid workers who risk their lives to help them. "Let the world know: Civilians are Not A Target," underscored UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in his message on the Day. (Read more...)
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has launched a Fighting Famine campaign to warn about the severe food crisis that puts 20 million people at risk of dying of hunger in South Sudan, Somalia, Yemen and the northeast of Nigeria. In these places, 1.4 million children are suffering from severe malnutrition and their lives are at risk. To support the campaign, visit: www1.wfp.org/fighting-famine. (Read more...)
An independent panel reviewing the effectiveness of the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) has proposed the program be recast as the UN's "urban champion," including through the establishment of a coordinating mechanism to complement its work and convene all UN agencies and partners on urban sustainability. (Read more...)
On August 1, the UN Department of Public Information (DPI) and NGO/DPI Executive Committee co-hosted the event, "Intergenerational Dialogues on the Sustainable Development Goals," at the UN in New York to raise awareness of the value that youth and older persons can bring to the implementation of the SDGs. (Read more...)
If the world is to eradicate poverty, address climate change and build peaceful, inclusive societies for all by 2030, greater efforts are needed to accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), according to a new UN report. (Read more...)
The Italian government has drawn up a draft code of conduct for NGOs operating in the Mediterranean Sea. The 11-point plan is expected to be presented to some nine NGOs who regularly deploy rescue boats to international waters just off the Libyan coast.(Read more...)
Entrepreneur and author Salim Ismail talks about how established organizations can, and must, retool to move at the explosive speed of technological change, in this podcast produced by The Chronicle of Philanthropy.(Read more...)
While the adoption of digital technology in the charity fundraising sector is still in its infancy, more and more charities are using innovative apps to drive donations and build relationships with donors. (Read more...)
France, Germany and Italy have agreed to draw up a “code of conduct” for NGOs operating boats in the Mediterranean to rescue migrants crossing from Africa to Europe.(Read more...)
"One year ago, [we] came together to respond to a call from people in crisis to do better to secure their safety, to uphold their dignity and to provide opportunities for a better future. ...The Agenda for Humanity continues to provide a vision for how this can be achieved," said Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O'Brien at the ECOSOC Humanitarian Affairs Segment. (Read more...)
The world population is expected to reach 8.6 billion in 2030 and 9.8 billion in 2050, despite lower fertility rates in nearly all regions of the world, the UN reports. (Read more...)
The Venice Commission, the European Commission for Democracy through Law, says it is still concerned about the foreign NGO law Hungary's parliament recently passed. (Read more...)
One in five children in high-income countries lives in poverty, while one in eight faces food insecurity, a new report from UNICEF, "Building the Future: Children and the Sustainable Development Goals in Rich Countries," finds. (Read more...)
The first-ever UN summit on oceans concluded on June 9 with a global agreement to reverse the decline of the ocean's health, and more than 1,300 pledged actions for protecting the blue. (Read more...)
Facebook will soon provide aid organizations like the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) with maps based on user data that the company hopes will help those groups better respond to disasters.(Read more...)
International NGO Save the Children has released its first "End of Childhood Index," which compares data on 172 countries on indicators such as children's health, education and protection status. It finds at least 700 million children worldwide, or one in four, have had their childhoods cut short for a variety reasons, ranging from extreme violence to poor health and malnutrition. (Read more...)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has ratified a new law regulating the work of civil society organizations in the country which passed in parliament last November. (Read more...)
Conflict, insecurity, political instability and a collapsing economy have contributed to the deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Libya, prompting the UN refugee agency to announce plans to step-up its presence and programs there.(Read more...)
From drones dropping food and medicines, to handheld devices that can diagnose Ebola with a drop of blood, the latest technological advances are converging to make the “unthinkable happen,” said global innovators and heads of tech companies at the SDG Action Event on Innovation and Connectivity at the UN headquarters in New York. (Read more...)
Food insecurity is a critical "push" factor driving the rise in cross-border migration and can exacerbate or be exacerbated by armed conflict, a new report from the UN World Food Programme (WFP) finds.(Read more...)
South Sudan's government has increased registration fees nearly sixfold for international aid groups seeking to operate in the war-torn nation. (Read more...)
The "State of the Not-for-Profit Sector in 2017" report from Grant Thornton provides insights on important developments and challenges facing nonprofit leadership. (Read more...)
While enormous challenges remain, Afghanistan authorities have made headway in their fight against corruption, according to a new UN report, which also finds that the country is making progress in other areas, such as restoring institutional control over the delivery of public services.(Read more...)
This report by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the Assessment Capacities Project (ACAPS) provides four scenarios outlining potential developments of the refugee/migrant crisis in Europe over the six months from April to September 2017, and its likely humanitarian impact.(Read more...)
WANGO chairman, Dr. Taj Hamad, spoke at the "Energy and Sustainable Development" panel discussion at the 6th Columbia China Prospects Conference at Columbia University in New York. (Read more...)
The 26th International Conference on Health and Environment: Global Partners for Global Solutions, organized by the World Information Transfer in partnership with the Permanent Mission of Ukraine and the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), and supported by WANGO, was held on April 13 at the UN headquarters in New York. (Read more...)
At the Brussels Conference on Supporting the Future of Syria, which took place in Belgium's capital from April 4-5, 41 donors pledged a combined $6 billion for critical humanitarian programs in 2017 and another $3.7 billion for 2018 for the people of Syria. (Read more...)
The German Embassy in Cairo has welcomed a bilateral agreement allowing German civil society organizations to resume work in Egypt.(Read more...)
From June 5-9, 2017, the UN will convene The Ocean Conference, which aims to get everyone--from international organizations to the private sector--involved in conserving and sustainably using the oceans, seas and marine resources, in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, specifically Goal 14. (Read more...)
At the League of Arab States Summit in Jordan, UN Secretary-General António Guterres highlighted the importance of unity among the countries in the region to confront the challenges it is facing. “I appeal to your leadership in shaping a new Arab world able to address and solve, by itself, differences through dialogue and cooperation,” he said. (Read more...)
The African Civil Society Circle presents four roles civil society organizations can play in the “localisation” of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in this paper. (Read more...)
This study published by The Bridgespan Group with Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR) reveals why there might be no better laboratory than India for studying the challenges that nonprofits face in trying to scale up when resources are scarce. (Read more...)
U.S.-based Mercy Corps, one of the largest humanitarian organizations delivering aid to Syria, has said the Turkish government has revoked its permit, halting its work in the country.(Read more...)
Nearly 20 percent of British charities are "struggling to survive," a new study by the UK-based Charities Aid Foundation finds. The report, "Social Landscape 2017" surveyed CEOs of more than 470 charities, social enterprises, and voluntary organizations. (Read more...)
International Women’s Day is a time to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities. The 2017 theme for the day is: “Women in the Changing World of Work: Planet 50-50 by 2030.”(Read more...)
In the wake of findings that the ocean could contain more plastic than fish by 2050, the UN has launched the #CleanSeas campaign, aimed at securing government commitments to reducing the amount of marine litter countries introduce into the oceans mostly as plastic bags and microplastics found in personal care items. (Read more...)
Today more than 128 million people in 33 countries need humanitarian aid to survive--a figure not seen since World War II. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has outlined 12 forgotten crises that rarely make the headlines but urgently need support this year.(Read more...)
An estimated $265 billion a year is needed to achieve the first two Sustainable Development Goals to end poverty and hunger by 2030, the head of the UN's International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has said. (Read more...)
Former British Prime Minister David Cameron has been appointed as the new president of Alzheimer’s Research UK. In an article written in The Times on January 25, Cameron called for more resources to be put towards dementia research, saying it “shouldn’t be so far behind” funding for cancer and stroke research. (Read more...)
U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to reinstate the "Mexico City Policy," which bars international NGOs that perform abortions from receiving funding from the U.S.(Read more...)
The United Nations refugee and migration agencies and 72 other partners launched on January 19 The Regional Refugee and Migrant Response Plan, a new strategy and appeal to help respond to the situation of refugees and migrants in Europe in 2017. (Read more...)
