Whenever UN reform is on the agenda, the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) is at risk of being closed down. But the agency has downsized and narrowed its mission, and its survival appears secure for the time being.

Solheim to embassies: ‘get involved’ with China

The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has told all its embassies that they must begin to relate to China in Africa.

Danish NGO group monopolises TV charity

A handful of Danish NGOs have set their own rules for participation in a Danish television fund-raising programme to be aired next month. Organisations that were not invited are furious, and want Development Minister Ulla Tørnæs to step in.

33 years of TV fund raising in Norway

Norway’s tradition of annual TV fund-raising shows, which began in 1974, provides an interesting contrast with the current discussion in Denmark.

Nordics target high-level UN jobs

Former Under Secretary General and Head of OCHA Jan Egeland, who has been asked by the new UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon to take up a position as advisor in conflict resolution, is not the only Nordic making moves in the UN system.

Donors, dam builders face downstream villagers

At a public meeting in Phnom Penh earlier this month, villagers from Northeastern Cambodia spoke face-to-face for the first time to Vietnamese bureaucrats and Nordic donors about how Vietnam’s dams on the Srepok River affect livelihoods across the border.

Sadev chief criticises quality of Sida statistics

Swedish companies working in the aid field have for years complained about the absence of reliable Sida procurement statistics. Now the Swedish aid evaluation agency Sadev adds weight to the critique.