New UNHCR data shows neonatal deaths rose 81% across vulnerable refugee populations in sub-Saharan Africa between 2025 and 2026. Aid agencies say sweeping cuts from the UK, US and others are worsening maternal and child health.
113 developing countries spent more on foreign debt servicing than education in 2025, according to a UN report. Global aid to education is predicted to decline by up to 30%, exacerbating austerity and underinvestment.
A UN report reveals the significant environmental impact of AI, including massive energy and water consumption, land use, and e-waste generation. Data centers alone consumed 448 TWh of electricity last year, ranking them 11th globally. By 2030, AI infrastructure could produce 2.5 million tonnes of e-waste annually.
UNDP Head Alexander De Croo warned at a G7 development meeting in Paris that the conflict over Iran could push 32 million people into poverty across 160 countries. The study, conducted after six weeks of war, estimates at least $6 billion in subsidies for energy and food are needed to prevent worsening conditions, with sub-Saharan Africa, Bangladesh, and Cambodia particularly affected.
According to the portal, once production quotas are lifted, the United Arab Emirates could increase output by more than 40%, which will intensify competition in markets supplied by higher-cost producers, including countries in sub-Saharan Africa
New research published in Science Advances shows that mosquito-borne malaria may have been a powerful force shaping early human settlement patterns across sub-Saharan Africa. The study found that human populations avoided malaria hotspots for at least 74,000 years, with this pattern only breaking down around 15,000 years ago when a key genetic mutation—sickle cell anemia—arose in West Africa, providing protection against the disease and allowing expansion into previously avoided areas.
Scientists at Max Planck Institute and University of Cambridge have found evidence that malaria may have been a powerful force shaping early human settlement patterns across sub-Saharan Africa. Using climate models spanning 74,000 years, researchers discovered humans avoided malaria hotspots for tens of thousands of years. Around 15,000 years ago, a key genetic mutation (sickle cell) arose in West Africa, providing protection and allowing human expansion into previously avoided regions.
