By Chloe Hickey-Jones, an intern in the Lowy Institute's Melanesia Program.
- Following COP21 in Paris, The World Bank has announced it will spend 28% of its investments on climate change projects. At least US$16 billion per year will be directed to these projects and this figure is expected to rise to US$29 billion by 2020.
- Staying with The World Bank, read their Climate Change Action Plan here. A key focus is building resilience in people and communities to deal with future climate shocks and to assist nations in reaching their Paris COP21 pledges.
- Robin Davies has released his second post in a series which examines the allocation of aid in 2014, this time looking at the distribution between bilateral and multilateral aid flows.
- In case you missed it, Davies' first post pulls apart the numbers of OECD aid and examines the 20% real increase in aid available to developing countries over the past two years.
- The Centre for Global Development has launched its new project – Millions Saved. The project details 22 success stories of large-scale health interventions in developing countries.
- For World Health Day, The Guardian published an article sharing students' views on the biggest health crises facing the world today including child and maternal health and the challenges of urbanisation.
- Dr Martin Kropff, a Dutch academic and crop specialist, states that 'world food security is more precarious' than people assume. Can the world withstand shocks to its food security when international governments are already distracted by other demands? Read more here.
- Is social media still useful in the humanitarian and development context? Timo Lüege, founder of Social Media for Good, explores its relevance.
- Duncan Green also questions the longevity of blogging and tries out his first Vlog in an attempt to save his blog, From Poverty to Power, of 'going the same way as the fax machine.'