- To mark International Migrants Day on December 18 the World Bank released its Migration and Remittances Factbook for 2016 (summary available here. It’s packed full of statistics, and includes one of my favourite graphs exhibiting the importance of remittances as a source of development financing:
- Owen Barder deconstructs the new UK aid strategy and worries the aid program is moving towards a greater focus on self-interest, international security, and the private sector.
- Australia’s 2015 Mid-Year Economic Financial Outlook was handed down last week with no changes to the Australian aid budget.
- Malaria deaths have almost halved between 2015 and 2000, according to a new report from the WHO. The aim for the next 15 years is reducing malaria mortality by a further 90%.
- Ever wonder what happened to the NGO behind Kony 2012? Invisible Children CEO Ben Keesey details the NGO's implosion after its campaign took the internet by storm. Meanwhile, Joseph Kony and the LRA remain at large, though a shell of their former selves.
- As we leave 2015 behind, it's important to remember that despite all of the challenges highlighted in these links, the year was still a pretty great one for humanity.
- Bill Gates has also highlighted his top six good news stories of 2015, including the continued successes the world is having in the fight for polio eradication.
Jonathan Pryke