D+C Development and Cooperation

Useful AI tools and the African Space Agency | D+C - Development + Cooperation The two pieces of good news this month are about promising applications of artificial intelligence and the establishment of the African Space Agency.

🔔 Good news seem to be rare these days. We've got some AI- and space-related ones. 👇

A map highlighting Venezuela in maroon, surrounded by neighboring countries. Text states: "6.5 million Venezuelans are currently living in neighbouring countries."

🏆 This year's Nobel peace prize goes to Venezuelan politician María Corina Machado. She's long been fighting against Maduro's regime and for democracy.

🏃‍♂️ The sheer number of refugees from Venezuela speaks for itself about what the situation is like there.

Text states: "Almost 3 million international refugees currently reside in Colombia." A circle is designed with the colors of the Colombian flag, yellow, blue, and red.

🤝 When millions of Venezuelans fled across the border, Colombia made a bold choice. Here's what it offered Venezuelan refugees. 👉 spkl.io/63329AVQWl

Protecting democracy, averting autocratisation | D+C - Development + Cooperation Democracy support must change in response to the ongoing global wave of autocratisation. Protecting democratic achievements is becoming increasingly important. While development cooperation with autocracies can be necessary for the global common good, more must be done to counter autocratisation and avoid bolstering autocratic structures.

Some words age really well, unfortunately. A still highly relevant piece on democracies under threat & pressure 👇

Quote: "Many countries in the Global South continue to export raw materials and import technology." - Pedro Alarcón, Global Forum Democracy and Development research fellow, University of Cape Town. Article on dandc.eu.

🔥 Fossil fuels continue to play an essential role in many countries.

A nurse in Germany: “Support in the host country is important” | D+C - Development + Cooperation Germany urgently needs more nurses. Htoo Myat Khin from Myanmar qualified in the profession at Marburg University Hospital but says it would have been tough for her without the support she received from the integration programme. She talked to Eva-Maria Verfürth.

What does it take to make it and feel at home in a new country? Htoo Myat Khin from Myanmar is working as a nurse in Germany, and told us. 👇

Quote: "In the end, the protection of migrants and refugees also depends on the state of international affairs." - Fabio Andrés Díaz Pabón, research fellow at University of Cape Town. Article: Colombia offers displaced Venezuelans residence and work permits

The course of individual lives can be deeply dependent on world politics.

What can help sub-Saharan Africa grow in an inclusive way? | D+C - Development + Cooperation Though Africa’s economies are growing, people remain poor. There are ways to change this – by leveraging human capital, agriculture and taxation, for example. But governments need to step up their game.

🌍 💰 How can the people of Africa benefit from Africa's growing economies? Economist Aimé Muligo Sindayigaya explains. 👇

Portrait of Katharina Wilhelm Otieno, editor at D+C, against a bamboo backdrop. Text quotes, "It was contact with others that first defined Indigenous Peoples as such - and has always carried the risk of their destruction." Article from dandc.eu.

Indigenous Peoples have often found themselves endangered by others.

D+C magazine on a tablet with the title 'Coping far from home.' An image shows groups of people separated by 'France' and 'Germany' borders. A hand touches the screen. Text: "The new D+C Monthly is available for download!"

🤝 Integration is everyone’s responsibility: both migrants and host societies must do their part. What does it take for it to become a success story?

Our latest Monthly looks at examples from around the world:
🇬🇧: spkl.io/63325Appgx
🇩🇪: spkl.io/63326AppgI

Greater independence to treat HIV for Africa, fairer mining in Ghana | D+C - Development + Cooperation The two pieces of good news this month are about the use of locally produced HIV drugs and tests in Africa and reforms in Ghana’s mining sector.

Been feeling like you need more good news? We've got some for you! 👇

A monthly shot of hope for people living with HIV | D+C - Development + Cooperation A new injectable antiretroviral is changing HIV treatment in Uganda, replacing daily pills with a shot every two months. Patients report less stigma and greater freedom, though affordability and access remain obstacles.

✅ Less stigma and greater freedom – that is what a new antiretroviral is giving HIV patients in Uganda. And there's even more expected benefits. We explain. 👇

Quote: "Africa has enormous potential to diversify its export markets, secure better terms and focus on expanding intra-African trade." - Alphonce Shiundu, Kenyan journalist, editor, and fact-checker. Article at dandc.eu.

Africa does not flinch before Trump, which may turn out to be a huge advantage. 👉 spkl.io/63324ATdMp

Where is Julia Chuñil? The Mapuche environmental activist disappeared under mysterious circumstances in November 2024; since then, the investigation has hardly progressed. The case shows how dangerous Indigenous activism is in Chile. Resistance to the forestry industry has repeatedly led to conflicts with the government.

The forestry industry is a powerful enemy to have in Chile. 👇

Quote: "To afford expensive 'green' technologies, many countries in the Global South depend on revenue from the export of climate-damaging raw materials." - Pedro Alarcón, GFDD research fellow. Article at dandc.eu

A somewhat contradictory reality 👇

Where women are absent Four years after the Taliban returned to power, the human-rights situation in Afghanistan is abysmal. The country is on the brink of economic and humanitarian collapse – not least because women and girls have been systematically ousted from education, the labour market and public spaces in recent years. Four years after the Taliban returned to power, the human-rights situation in Afghanistan is abysmal. The country is on the brink of economic and humanitarian collapse – not least because women and girls have been systematically ousted from education, the labour market and public spaces in recent years.

It's been four years since the return of the Taliban to power. What is life there like now, especially for women? 👇

The fossil fuel reality behind the rhetoric of energy transition | D+C - Development + Cooperation The shift away from carbon-intensive energy sources is crucial to mitigate the climate crisis. Nevertheless, fossil fuels continue to play an essential role in many countries. The role of many Global South countries in the world market remains largely unchanged, despite the rhetoric of transition: they primarily export raw materials and energy resources while importing technology. This highlights the urgent need to revisit industrial policy.

Pedro Alarcón, research fellow at the University of Cape Town, says it is pointless to deny that fossil fuels continue to play an essential role in many countries. His position: Instead of indulging in rhetoric of transition, industrial policy should be revisited. ⬇️

spkl.io/63326ArATC

The challenge of starting over | D+C - Development + Cooperation The number of people forced to leave their homes has soared over the past decade. They now have to start from scratch in societies that are sometimes completely foreign to them. Whether they succeed depends not only on their own ability to adapt, but also on the host societies taking responsibility.

Jenny Phillimore is Professor of Migration and Superdiversity at the University of Birmingham. For our upcoming issue on integration, she has looked into what it means to start from scratch in a society that is foreign.

spkl.io/63323Artu1

How kangaroo care saves newborn lives in Burundi’s hospitals | D+C - Development + Cooperation In Burundi, where frequent power cuts make incubators unreliable, the kangaroo method offers a life-saving alternative for premature babies. Skin-to-skin contact between mothers and infants provides warmth and safety in under-resourced hospitals.

🇧🇮 When power cuts threaten the lives of premature babies in incubators, the kangaroo method is a life-saving measure. Underfunded hospitals in Burundi know this only too well.

spkl.io/63327Ar9MZ

Supporting traumatised women and girls in Iraq | D+C - Development + Cooperation Many people in the conflict-ridden Kurdish region of Iraq are suffering from trauma. The civil-society organisation medica mondiale works with women and girls affected by sexualised violence.

🇮🇶 Recommended by the D+C editorial team: Haneen Masoud is a therapist and trauma counsellor in the Kurdish region of Iraq. Here she reports on her work 👇 spkl.io/63328Ar1h6

A region in constant crossfire | D+C - Development + Cooperation Uvira is situated on the shores of Lake Tanganyika in South Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). This makes the city and its surroundings an important hub, not only for its immediate neighbours Rwanda and Burundi, but also for Tanzania and Zambia. Given its favourable geographical location, the area should be thriving. The fact that it has instead been the scene of tensions and armed conflicts for several decades is symptomatic of the problems facing the resource-rich region around the African Great Lakes.

🇨🇩 One of the most popular pieces on our website in recent weeks: Jean Masemo reports on the devastating situation in Uvira, a region in South Kivu province in the DRC.

spkl.io/63327Ar1F1

“We want to be part of progress, without giving up who we are” | D+C - Development + Cooperation What does it mean to be Sámi today? Sámi advocate Jan Olli challenges common stereotypes and explains why Indigenous identity must not be reduced to reindeer herding or traditional lifestyles, but instead rooted in language, history and belonging. He talked to Leon Kirschgens.

Sámi advocate Jan Olli explains why being Sámi today means much more than just reindeer herding.

🎤 This text is part of a series in which we spoke with various Indigenous voices around the world about their lives.

spkl.io/63321Ar1SJ

Even in Bolivia, indigenous life is under threat from many sides | D+C - Development + Cooperation Bolivia is seen as a pioneer when it comes to Indigenous rights. Though it’s the peoples of the Bolivian Andes that are particularly well known, they account for only part of the country’s Indigenous population. Others feel neglected – and fear for their existence.

🇧🇴 Bolivia is officially a plurinational state and is considered a role model for Indigenous rights. Unfortunately, this often applies more to the Indigenous groups in the Andes than to those in the Amazon region, which makes up a large part of Bolivia's territory.

spkl.io/63322AR2uw

A hotline to support young people’s mental health in Uganda | D+C - Development + Cooperation Uganda’s youth is struggling with significant mental-health issues for a variety of reasons, yet professional help is scarce. One of the few services available is a free hotline, which has been well received.

📞 In Uganda, where professional mental health care is scarce, one of the most popular services is a toll-free helpline run by the civil-society organisation Mental Health Uganda (MHU).

spkl.io/63321ARUPx

From Lesotho to Rwanda to Somaliland, African governments have been manoeuvring with, against or around the US government since its tariffs came into effect. Alphonce Shiundu takes a look for D+C at the diverse but consistently steadfast reactions across the continent.

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Malawi’s election mood is shaped by food, fuel and job struggles | D+C - Development + Cooperation Inflation, fuel shortages and joblessness dominate conversations in Malawi as citizens prepare for elections on 16 September. While voters wonder whether promises of relief will finally be kept, economists warn that real change will take time.

🇲🇼 Malawi votes tomorrow. So what's the general mood like in the country? Lameck Masina reports for us.

spkl.io/63321AROvX

“Challenge the history that our new-age pharaohs will try to write” | D+C - Development + Cooperation Khalid Albaih is a political cartoonist from Sudan. In our interview, he talks about why he called himself an internet artist, how algorithms censor, why cartoons are important contemporary documents – and why they really don’t have to be funny.

🎤 🇸🇩 Recommended by the D+C editorial team: our interview with Sudanese artist Khalid Albaih.

spkl.io/63328AuQI2

“If only privileged voices are heard, measures remain one-sided” | D+C - Development + Cooperation Kenyan environmental and climate activist Joyce Koech is committed to the reforestation of mangroves. At the UN June Climate Meetings in Bonn, she called for more solidarity with the Global South and lamented that climate negotiations often ignore the reality of those affected.

🎤 ✊ One of the most popular pieces on our website in recent weeks: our interview with Kenyan environmental and climate activist Joyce Koech.

spkl.io/63327AuQQB

“If all that is lost, then I am lost” | D+C - Development + Cooperation Sonami Baski, a student from West Bengal, says that her Indigenous community and its culture define her entire being – and despite challenges, she takes pride in belonging to it. She spoke with Ipil Baski.

Sonami Baski belongs to the Santal community in West Bengal. She says that her Indigenous community and its culture define her entire being.

🎤 This text is part of a series in which we spoke with various Indigenous voices around the world about their lives.

spkl.io/63327Aus9N

Yacunã Tuxá | D+C - Development + Cooperation The artist Yacunã Tuxá addresses the struggles, resistance and political organising of Indigenous women in Brazil.

🎨 Each month, we introduce the artist whose work is featured in our monthly issue.

Yacunã Tuxá, an indigenous visual artist and activist from Tuxá de Rodelas in Bahia, Brazil, makes the start. Her work addresses struggles and resistance of Indigenous women in Brazil.

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