The NGO Affairs Bureau of Bangladesh has announced the formation of a new platform of NGOs to support collaboration between NGOs and the government in finding effective solutions to critical challenges facing the country, from climate change to COVID-19. International development organization BRAC will serve as the platform's secretariat for the first two years.(Read more...)
First started in 2012, GivingTuesday has become one of the biggest giving days of the year. In 2019, $511 million was given online within 24 hours in the U.S. alone. Kindful has compiled resources to help nonprofits prepare for this global day of giving, which this year takes place on December 1, and fundraising through the end of the year. To access these resources, please click on the headline above. (Read more...)
The Global Forum on Human Settlements (GFHS) virtually convened its 15th annual session from October 15 to 16. The two-day event, whose theme was "Post-Pandemic Recovery and Transformation: Resilient Cities, Healthy Planet," was held in observance of Urban October 2020. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and WANGO were among the more than 20 partners of the event. (Read more...)
The Global Forum on Human Settlements (GFHS 2020) will hold its 15th annual session virtually this year, from October 15 to 16, in observance of Urban October 2020. The event, whose theme is "Post-Pandemic Recovery and Transformation: Resilient Cities, Healthy Planet," is being organized in partnership with WANGO. (Read more...)
Sudan's transitional government and several rebel groups signed on October 3 a peace deal, a year after peace talks began, aimed at resolving decades of conflict. (Read more...)
Over the course of three days during the UN General Assembly, from September 22 to 24, the fully virtual SDG Action Zone will provide a collaborative space for engaging world leaders and emerging leaders across sectors to accelerate solutions for the Sustainable Development Goals. To learn more or to register, please click on the headline above. (Read more...)
For the first time in the UN's 75-year history, the annual General Assembly session this year will be held virtually because of the coronavirus pandemic. The meeting is scheduled to take place from September 15 to 30, but will be carried out with previously recorded speeches by world leaders. (Read more...)
The Stimson Center, Global Governance Philanthropy Network, and other organizations have joined together to convene, on September 16 and 17, the virtual UN75 Global Governance Forum. Held immediately prior to the September 21 gathering of world leaders to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the UN, the forum will bring together hundreds of leaders worldwide from government and civil society, as well as the technology, business, and philanthropic communities to foster new kinds of innovative partnerships with the UN system to better address global peace and security, sustainable development, human rights, humanitarian action, and climate governance challenges. To learn more or to register, please click on the headline above. (Read more...)
A global virtual "Rally of Hope" bringing together world leaders from the government, civil society, and faith communities, who will address the themes of interdependence, mutual prosperity, and universal values, will be held at 9 p.m. EST on August 8. Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Senegal's President Macky Sall will be among the speakers at the event, which is being co-sponsored by UPF, an international NGO in general consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the UN. To learn more or to register, please click on the headline above. (Read more...)
The U.S. Federal Reserve unveiled terms on July 17 that will allow nonprofits to borrow through its $600 billion Main Street Lending program for small and medium sized businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Participation is open to organizations with at least 10 and as many as 15,000 employees, endowments of $3 billion or less, and at least five years of operation. (Read more...)
Innpactia will be hosting the Innpactamos Latam 2020, a free-to-attend digital summit on innovation and financial resilience for the social impact community in Latin America, from July 15 to 16. The event, which will feature panel discussions, workshops, and master classes, including the Social Innovation Laboratory Network: Innovating in Response to COVID-19, is expected to bring together more than 2,000 development actors—organizations, social enterprises, donors, impact investors, and more. To learn more or to register, please click on the headline above.(Read more...)
“The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2020,” released by the U.N. at the beginning of the High-level Political Forum (HLPF) on July 7, finds that the COVID-19 pandemic is disrupting implementation efforts across the SDGs, undoing years and even decades of progress in some cases. According to the report, an estimated 71 million people are expected to be pushed back into extreme poverty in 2020. (Read more...)
The African Academy of Sciences, a WANGO member, has written an op-ed article published in The Chronicle of Philanthropy blog, PhilanTopic, calling for financial resources to be mobilized as quickly as possible to support the countries that need help the most to combat COVID-19. Generally, funders engage in due diligence to assess the organizations they would like to fund before they commit to a grant. But, what are they to do when the problem is urgent and setting aside months to do this is an unaffordable luxury? The article suggests a solution: standardizing due diligence processes to promote efficiency in grant funding and recommends one tool that attempts to do that. (Read more...)
How can cities improve their resilience and mitigate the impacts of current and future epidemics and disasters? On July 10, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. CEST, the Global Forum on Human Settlements (GFHS), a WANGO partner, will be hosting a free webinar on "Strategies for Fighting Epidemics: Adaptable Buildings and Resilient Cities." Experts will share their insights and discuss how buildings and cities can improve their safety, adaptability, resilience, and sustainability to achieve meaningful transformation and revitalization in all shocks and crises. (Read more...)
The United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG) and The World Academy of Art & Science (WAAS), in partnership with WANGO and more than 20 other international organizations, will be hosting a free virtual conference on "Strategies for Transformative Global Leadership," from June 15 to 19. The event will include over 40 sessions and 200 speakers addressing solutions to pressing global challenges, from health and wellbeing and education, to peace and security and the economy and employment. Among the keynote speakers are Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of WHO, and Federico Mayor, former director-general of UNESCO. (Read more...)
The Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) America has conducted two surveys that involved more than 1,000 organizations worldwide to learn how the global coronavirus pandemic impacts their work and how they are coping with COVID-19 in their communities. Nearly all of the responding organizations reported being negatively impacted by the pandemic, and almost 15 percent of the organizations surveyed in the second survey were forced to suspend their operations. (Read more...)
World Environment Day, celebrated annually on June 5, encourages worldwide awareness and action for the protection of the environment. In 2020, the theme is biodiversity–a concern that is both urgent and existential. Recent events, from bushfires in Brazil, the United States and Australia to locust infestations across East Africa–and now, a global disease pandemic–demonstrate the interdependence of humans and the webs of life in which they exist. Nature is sending us a message: To care for ourselves we must care for nature. (Read more...)
To help nonprofits working on COVID-19 related activities expand their impact and grant makers to award grants quickly to support communities hardest hit by the pandemic, the African Academy of Sciences (AAS) is offering access to its Global Grant Community (GGC), a platform that provides grantors and grantees with access to a service for self-assessment against the requirements of the international standard for Good Financial Grant Practice (GFGP), for a significantly discounted fee of $100. For more information, please click on the headline above. (Read more...)
Faith-based organizations have been recognized as important players in protecting the environment and working towards climate justice. On June 4 at 3 p.m. CEST, the KAICIID, UN Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC), UN Environmental Programme (UNEP), and Coalition of Faith-Based Organizations will host a webinar on the issue of faith and environment within the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, inviting leading experts to discuss climate change action and best practices for environmental justice. (Read more...)
On May 19, the World Health Assembly, the decision-making body of the World Health Organization (WHO), adopted a landmark resolution, which sets out a roadmap of the actions needed to sustain and accelerate the COVID-19 response at both national and international levels. Among other things, the resolution calls for equitable access to and fair distribution of all essential health technologies and products to combat the virus. It also calls for an independent and comprehensive evaluation of the global response, including, but not limited to, WHO’s performance.(Read more...)
The Chronicle of Philanthropy has compiled grant opportunities for nonprofit organizations to apply for immediate funding during the COVID-19 pandemic.(Read more...)
In this webinar hosted by Global Impact on April 29, CEO Scott Jackson and his team discussed strategies for leading a nonprofit during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Other topics that were covered included adjusting an organization's fundraising strategy for COVID-19 and beyond and strategies to maximize #GivingTuesdayNow on May 5. To view a recording of the webinar, please click on the link above. (Read more...)
On April 23 at 9 a.m. EDT, Ethical Corp will host a free online webinar with U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse on "Corporate Action on Climate and COVID-19." Economic risks of climate change, business and governmental collaboration on climate action, and protecting future successes by addressing key issues are among the topics that will be discussed. (Read more...)
International Mother Earth Day, celebrated annually on April 22, provides an opportunity to raise global public awareness of the challenges to the well-being of the planet and all the life it supports. The Day also recognizes a collective responsibility, as called for in the 1992 Rio Declaration, to promote harmony with nature and the Earth, to achieve a just balance among the economic, social and environmental needs of the present and future generations of humanity. (Read more...)
On April 8 at 12 p.m. BST, Ethical Corp will host a free one-hour interactive webinar discussion on how organizations can measure their social impact, with insights from Habitat for Humanity International and the Hilti Foundation. (Read more...)
U.S.-based National Council of Nonprofits has created a page with the latest information on and resources that nonprofits can use to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak. To access the page, please click on the headline above. (Read more...)
Block by Block, an innovative collaboration between the UN-Habitat and the company behind the popular computer game Minecraft, is giving citizens of all ages and backgrounds, in cities and communities across the world, the chance to play an important role in redesigning their public spaces. Since starting in 2020, the initiative has taken on a range of community projects in dozens of countries, from Mogadishu, Somalia to Mexico, and from Haiti to Hanoi, Vietnam. (Read more...)
On March 26 at 3:30 p.m. EST, The Chronicle of Philanthropy will host a free webinar on "COVID-19, the Economy, and the Nonprofit World." The interactive session will feature a panel of experts who will provide the latest on how nonprofits, foundations, and donors are responding to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus and adapting to new circumstances. (Read more...)
The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) is pleased to announce the call for applications for its 2020 fellowship program. Applications are invited from candidates between 25 and 35 years of age, from the Middle East, North Africa, Europe and North America, with a strong interest in intercultural exchanges. The theme of the 2020 Fellowship is "Building Peace in the Age of New Media." The deadline to apply is March 8. For more information, please click on the headline above. (Read more...)
