Development news roundup: Aid access in Mali, flooding in Indonesia, and more

Today, we reported:

• In central Mali, MSF staff bunkers down, clamoring for access

• Jakarta floods: Two aid groups, different emergency response

• Four more years: What the aid community expects from Obama now

• ‘The world’s greatest human rights disaster’

• ICRC’s guide for health workers

• Swiss aid to Egypt doubles

• Event preview: This week in development

Other must-reads:

• US-Nigeria deal to leverage millions for agriculture

• AfDB calls for green growth concept to boost development in Africa

• Ex-Ugandan junior health minister gets jail time over GAVI funds misuse

• New report shows improving food security in East Africa

• UAE medical aid group dispatches humanitarian missions to Sudan, Egypt, Bosnia

• Swiss aid agency funds construction of maternity and newborn hospital in Tanzania

• German aid ministry dismisses concerns over partnership with Stiftung Partnerschaft mit Afrika

• Australia, UK reaffirm support to Myanmar

• Canada gives winter aid to northern India

• 2 JICA-funded climate change projects in Thailand to begin in March

• WFP ready to send winter food aid to 1M Afghans

• More US aid for Philippine storm victims

• IMF sets conditions for new loan program with Pakistan

• Asian ICT projects get fresh international funding

• Japan offers technical aid to Yangon transport project

• World Bank official discusses aid plans for Pacific countries

• What happened at the First Myanmar Development Cooperation Forum?

• GIZ, German association partner to promote sustainable water and waste management in developing world

• Oxfam wants a new global deal to curb inequality

• Oxfam clarifies issues about joint hunger initiative with Board of Deputies of British Jews

• Germany, FAO want creation of principles for responsible investments in global agriculture

• In Nicaragua visit, WFP official discusses new country program

• IDB ‘optimistic’ about continuing partnership with Suriname

• IDB, Jamaica discuss how to accelerate country’s socio-economic agenda

• EU contributes to UNRWA’s job creation program for Gaza

• Israel blocks aid convoy to Palestinians

• Irish relief group plans to scale up Syria operation

• EIB, IRENA launch joint study to promote renewable energy in Mediterranean

• IFC supports reforms to enhance business growth in Nepal

• GEF gets new role: Raising and disbursing grants for Mercury Convention projects

• World Bank official: Congo needs to diversify economy to combat poverty

• AfDB’s ‘people strategy’

• WTO chief notes significant progress in mobilizing aid-for-trade funds

• World Bank: Sustainable transportation to become major focus of lending in coming years

• Joel Brinkley: Food security still a major issue in Southeast Asia

• Under-5 child survival under microscope at Ethiopia summit

• International development: Big questions, small answers

• Shiney Varghese: Water grabbing to follow food speculation?

• Leslie Mancuso: Promoting public-private partnerships to improve women’s health

• Kate Campbell: Why foreign aid should not end up a casualty of US congressional budget battles

• Stephen Howes and Jonathan Pryke on Australian Senate evaluation of country’s aid to Afghanistan

• Gianni Pittella: Sudan needs EU assistance

• Mark Dybul: The big push to defeat AIDS, TB and malaria

• UN Haiti mission chief reaffirms international community’s support to inclusive elections

• Ban Ki-moon on disarmament: It’s still UN member states’ decision whether to spend on arms or on development

• UN mission heads to Syria

• UNHCR plans scale-down of PNG work

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