Indonesia: Australia Helps Address Violence Against Women  
December 2008, AUSAID
Australia will provide a $1 million grant to the Indonesian National Commission on Violence Against Women as part of their commitment to addressing violence against women in the region. The funding will assist the Commission to promote human rights and particularly the rights of women in Indonesia. The assistance will strengthen the Commission's ability to promote women's issues amongst a wide range of people including Indonesian judges, police and women leaders. The two-year grant is being funded through the Australia Indonesia Partnership which aims to assist Indonesia to meet the MDGs, including gender equality. Read More

Spain to Contribute 50 Million Euro to New Gender Equality Fund
December 2008, UNIFEM
The Government of Spain has committed 50 million Euro to the new UNIFEM-administered Gender Equality Fund. The Gender Equality Fund builds on the agreed conclusions of the 52nd Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women on Financing for Gender Equality to accelerate progress towards gender equality and women’s empowerment. The Fund will support governments and CSOs in developing countries to fast track national actions in support of the economic and political empowerment of women. The Fund will also undertake regular reviews of gender equality policies, plans and strategies worldwide, and will support countries to strengthen these. Proposals for funding will be assessed by an independent technical committee and UNFIEM will be the Fund’s Secretariat. Read More

Cambodia: World Bank Helps to Strengthen the Demand for Good Governance
December 2008, The World Bank
The World Bank Group has approved a US$20 million grant for the Demand for Good Governance Project in Cambodia to help enhance citizens’ engagement in development and governance processes, and government responsiveness to their demands. This innovative Project will seek to enhance the demand for good governance in priority reform areas in Cambodia by strengthening institutions, supporting partnerships, and sharing lessons. The total of this four-year project is US$25.28 million, in which US$3.62 million will come from the AusAID, and the rest from the grant that the International Development Association. Read More


China: ADB to Help Revive Vital Coastal Wetlands
December 2008, ADB
The ADB is helping to revive key water sources and wetlands in and around Qingdao municipality in eastern People's Republic of China that have been degraded by years of pollution and overuse. ADB is extending a $45 million loan for the Qingdao Water Resources and Wetland Protection Project which will be used to build or upgrade wastewater, sewerage, and flood management facilities. The government of Jiaozhou city in the municipality — which suffers from serious pollution and flooding — will contribute counterpart funds equivalent to $60.8 million. Read More


Nauru: ADB to Help Preserve and Grow Capital for Development through Nauru Trust Fund
December 2008, ADB
The ADB is providing a technical assistance grant that will help the Government of Nauru establish a Nauru Trust Fund to accumulate, preserve, grow, and mobilize capital for development. The grant will also help Nauru improve its public financial management systems. The ADB technical assistance grant worth $225,000 is its first direct grant to Nauru since the island nation settled its debt arrears with the help of the Government of Australia. The proposed Nauru Trust Fund will build on the success stories from other Pacific trust funds as well as the lessons learned from Nauru’s failed Phosphate Royalties Trust Fund. The Nauru Trust Fund will also take into consideration good governance practices, and will also factor in domestic contributions from phosphate sales and surplus funds from fishing licensing agreements. Read More

Papua New Guinea: Relief Supplies for Floods from Australia and New Zealand 
December 2008, AUSAID, NZAID
Australia and New Zealand have pledged assistance to Papua New Guineans adversely affected by severe sea swells in December. Australia will provide up to $1 million to assist relief efforts. This support will include the provision of relief supplies and funding for NGOs already responding to the disaster. New Zealand will contribute $300,000 to assist with relief efforts.
Read More on Australian Assistance
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Papua New Guinea: ADB Approves $400M Multi-Tranche Financing Facility
December 2008, ADB
The ADB has approved a multi-tranche financing facility of up to $400 million to help build and manage a sustainable road system in the five provinces of the Highlands region – one of the most remote areas in PNG. The Investment Programme will focus on the Highlands’ core road network of around 1,400 km of major national and provincial roads. The Highlands region is a major contributor to PNG’s economy through its mineral and agricultural exports. It is also home to 40% of the country’s population who rely almost exclusively on the road network for movement of people and goods. The road network is vulnerable to damage because of the mountainous terrain, seismic activities, and heavy rain. Read More

Sri Lanka: Australia Provides Food Aid
December 2008, AUSAID
Australia will contribute $4 million of food aid to conflict-affected communities in Sri Lanka through the WFP. Australia's contribution will provide almost 5,000 metric tonnes of rice, pulses, sugar, corn soya blend and vegetable oil to communities in the north and east. This includes about 230,000 internally displaced people in the northern Vanni region of Sri Lanka. Since September, the WFP has regularly been delivering food aid by a special convoy of trucks to internally displaced people in the Vanni region. Read More

Tonga: New Zealand Support for Democratic Reform Process
December 2008, NZAID
New Zealand is committing $1.5 million to supporting the democratic reform process in Tonga. The money would support the work of the recently established independent Constitutional and Electoral Commission, as well as broader progress towards democratic elections and reform, including public education. New Zealand's funding will be delivered over three years through the government's international development agency, NZAID, and will be matched by a similar payment by the Tongan government. Read More

Australia Assists Pacific Neighbours to Support Human Rights
December 2008, AUSAID
Australia's Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs, Duncan Kerr SC, has reaffirmed Australia's commitment to human rights for all Pacific Islanders. Mr. Kerr focused on Australian Government assistance to four human rights projects in Pacific Island countries. The four projects will receive funding under the 2008-09 Human Rights Small Grants Scheme. In total, the scheme will provide $1.5 million to promote human rights in 19 countries across the Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa. The projects supported in the Pacific will be carried out in Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu. Read More

Norway Provides NOK 80 Million for Clean Energy Investment Fund
December 2008, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Norway has committed NOK 80 million towards a new fund for investments in projects to combat climate change and promote clean energy in developing countries. The Global Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Fund (GEEREF) is a public-private partnership initiated by the European Commission. Norway and Germany are the first two public donors to the fund. GEEREF will focus on investments in smaller projects, up to EUR 10 million. The European Commission has already invested EUR 23 million. Further contributions totalling EUR 100 million have been pledged for the next four years. The Fund is part of an umbrella fund structure, the European Initiative on Clean, Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency and Climate Change Related to Development. Read More