Heroes of BISP, and other news (16 Oct 2018)

Every Tuesday we highlight some of the international development stories from across the globe that have caught our attention.

• Heroes of BISP was held to celebrate the success of the beneficiaries of the Benazir Income Support Programme, including digital testimonials. Read more in The Daily Times (Pakistan), or read about OPM’s evaluation of the project.

• The World Bank has launched a new $150 million fund – the Global Risk Financing Facility – to help insure vulnerable countries against natural disasters and climate-related crises. Read more in Pakistan Today.

• Can Kenya meet their nationally determined contribution for climate change, given their financial commitments for housing, manufacturing, food security, and health? Read more in The Star (Kenya).

• Development spending usually increases during an election year, but it has fallen by over 10% in the first quarter of Pakistan’s fiscal year. Read more in The Daily Star (Pakistan).

• A recent study revealed that 58.5% of students aged 14-18 in Karachi, Pakistan, had experienced suicidal thoughts. In the light of this, Dawn’s Zubeida Mustafa looks at the status of education in the country. Read more in Dawn (Pakistan).

• The Philippines loses at least 50 billion peso (over £7 million) each year because of the illegal wildlife trade. The lawmaker Josephine Ramirez-Sato has called for southeast Asian countries to work together against this trade, speaking at the recent Illegal Wildlife Trade Conference in London. Read more in Manila Bulletin.

• Separately, DFID have pledged £35 million to tackle the illegal wildlife trade, deforestation, and the extinction of endangered species. The funding will largely support new and sustainable industry that is environmentally responsible and provides jobs to the local economy. Read more in the Gibraltar Chronicle.

• The Rakhine crisis has meant that DFID has suspended funding for a timber industry reform project in Myanmar. Read more in Frontier Myanmar.

• Rural women in Pakistan will benefit from Project Hope, a collaboration between DFID and the country’s leading biscuit manufacturer, EBM. The project will raise health, nutrition, and hygiene awareness, aiming to combat diarrhea and related illnesses. Read more in the Pakistan Observer.