id21 communicates UK-sourced international development research to policymakers and practitioners worldwide

Recent highlights

UK government doubles investment in international development research
DFID, the UK Department for International Development, launched its new five year research strategy this week. It outlines how DFID will double its investment in research to £220 million a year by 2010 and put research at the heart of its efforts to tackle global poverty. More

Alternative Basic Education in post-conflict African countries
Once conflict has ended in an African state, the need to reconstruct basic education becomes a priority. While post-conflict states share some common issues, they each attempt this reconstruction within a particular context. How can they incorporate different perspectives on issues critical to education reconstruction? What lessons can they learn in relation to funding, management and access, especially in relation to Alternative Basic Education (ABE)? More on education

Challenges of sanitation and hygiene promotion in Burkina Faso
Safe hygiene practices and access to sanitation are crucial for combating the main health threats to children. However, nearly twice as many people lack access to sanitation compared with water supply. Is it time to stop aligning sanitation and health (S&H) policies so closely with water management policy? More on rural development

Payments for ecosystem services from tropical forests Payments for ecosystem services (PES) from tropical forests have high potential for sustainable forest management (SFM) and conservation, through giving greater value to forests than less sustainable land uses. However, PES will only succeed with fair property rights, good governance and supportive policies from outside the forestry sector.
More on natural resources

Providing HIV treatment during armed conflict
Despite the interaction between HIV and armed conflict, few attempts have been made to deliver HIV care programmes in conflict zones. It is considered too difficult to provide in a safe and effective way. A project run by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Bukavu, eastern DRC, suggests otherwise. More on health

International dimensions of Sudan’s crisis and the prospects for peace
Sudan suffers chronic political instability, with constantly shifting coalitions at the centre and armed conflict in the peripheries. This is less due to the dishonesty of those in power than to the system, which has led to and sustains conflicts, as in Darfur today. More on global issues

A new geography of conflict: slum wars of Nicaragua
Despite the end of civil wars that plagued Central America in previous decades, violence continues to affect the region. Some reports highlight the fact that violence now occurs as crime rather than ideologically-motivated political violence. Others emphasise the shift from countryside to city: the 'slum wars' of Nicaragua demonstrate a continuation of past struggles throughout Central America. More on urban development