When #Norway's @BjellandEriksen signed an extension of a NOK multi-billion #forest scheme with #Indonesia, he was not aware his counterpart @RajaJuliAntoni had picked himself & 11 party members to oversee the funds with hefty payments from the scheme.

RT @Palmecenter: Last-minute rule changes spark anger as revamp of Sweden’s civil society funding regime nears completion. CSO-processen få….

Could a Japanese UN executive become the agency’s first Asian head, or could one of two Scandinavian candidates seize the helm? France is also in the ring and a former Belgian PM @alexanderdecroo has inserted himself in the race as a favourite.

There are 5 known contenders in the race for the top job at @UNDP, all from donor countries: #Japan, #Denmark, #Norway, #Belgium & #France. There is still time for a dark horse to join. The deadline for applications has been extended. #UNDP.

PM Jonas Gahr Støre says #Norway will uphold a high level of support for #Gavi, despite experts’ calls to modernize #globalhealth priorities towards a more holistic policy focusing on universal health care, #healthsystem and country ownership.

Development Today has learned that a proposal to better balance Norwegian funding to the various global health initiatives, including a reduction in support to @gavi, had been prepared by officials in Norad and the Foreign Ministry, but Støre rejected it.

At a time when aid budgets are being slashed across the board, @gavi - the financial powerhouse in #globalhealth - aims to raise USD 9b to expand its mission. @BillGates has reached out to old friends in Oslo to bolster the alliance. #sdgs #vaccines.

A large group of mainly European donors distance themselves from the newly established Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a private initiative backed by Israel and the United States. All five Nordic governments back the statement. #GazaWar .

Denmark's Lars Løkke Rasmussen after EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting: “There is a large majority of EU countries that are ready to take measures if Israel does not take action, and that majority is growing day by day”. #CeasefireNow #GazaForcedFamine.

Opinion: @FAO's @yurdi_yasmi about #bees & #FoodSecurity “Bees are the tireless workers that sustain the crops and wild plants that feed us, protect biodiversity, and keep our agrifood systems resilient. When they falter, so could we”.

OPINION: The private Gaza Humanitarian Foundation will deliberately bypass multilateral coordination and undermines the very foundation of global #humanitarian action, María del Mar Logroño Narbona at @AR_Renaissance writes. #GazaGenocide #GazaStarving .

Michael Kremer, who won the Nobel Prize in Economics, wants donors to invest in venture capital funds with a development purpose, saying their impact can be huge. The Trump administration closed down one such fund, co-founded by Kremer & financed by USAID.

Other issues: Unlocking the aid budget is a slippery slope, #Ukraine aid, the Sending Committee row, #food security, backing in the government, the extension of #Norad, and the need for a self-interest narrative.

INTERVIEW: #Norway’s Anne Beathe Tvinnereim was development minister when Norway topped OECD donor ranking but aid budgets shrunk elsewhere. She recounts her political battles to keep aid level up and how an engaged PM @jonasgahrstore was crucial.

RT @CGDev: As the global health sector moves towards country-led approaches, Africa and the donors must establish a new balance of power an….

The UK aims to cut ODA from 0.5 to 0.3% of GNI by 2027. @savechildrenuk analysis shows commitments exceed the budget ceiling for the next 3 years. “It is a very real prospect, that the IDA will be cut,” says @Richard__Watts.

China is now the fifth largest IDA donor. Denmark offers the highest growth for IDA21 in USD, among Nordic donors. Read more in Development Today about the IDA donor ranking and the uncertainty about US and UK pledges.

IDA pledges by the US and UK governments are no longer certain, a #WorldBank report on contributions to #IDA21 hints. Reductions from the two leading donors could diminish concessional funds available to low-income countries by billions of dollars.

OP-ED: Smallholder #farmers - many of them #women - grow most of the food consumed in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. They must be front and centre in locally led solutions for addressing #climatechange and bolstering #foodsecurity. @BRACworld .

Norway's Climate Minister @BjellandEriksen dispels concerns about nepotism, stands by #forest aid to #Indonesia. “Indonesia is an important partner for #Norway . We have a clear zero tolerance policy on financial irregularities and conflict of interest.” .

Rethinking aid: A call for genuine transformation in the development paradigm.Op-ed in Development Today by @obinnaonyekwena of @gatesfoundation writing in his personal capacity.