Development news roundup: Latest Rio+20 draft document talks end in deadlock, new innovation challenge, and more

Today, we reported:

• Latest Rio+20 draft document talks end in deadlock

• New innovation challenge to be unveiled at high-level Washington event

• IFC offers ‘light’ to India

• Wanted: Proposals for Technologies for Financial Inclusion program

• 24 policies toward a sustainable future

• Robert Pozen: A new source of finance for startups

Other must reads:

• African Guarantee Fund plans to grow capital to $500M by 2016

• $19.31M 5-year project aims to strengthen institutions in Bangladesh

• UNICEF ambassador and Scottish actor Ewan McGregor appeals for donations to feed the Sahel’s hungry children

• ICC prosecutor, Luis Moreno Ocampo, to donors: Stop aid to states helping Bashir

• Italy converts $4M in loans to fund anti-poverty, environmental protection projects in the Philippines

• New World Bank country director for South Africa Asad Alam begins July 1

• Meet UNEP’s ‘Champions of the Earth’ for 2012

• New $2.5M Dutch aid for South Sudan food crisis response

• US reaffirms commitment to advance development in Americas

• New $6.5M US aid to Yemen covers water, food, basic health services

• AFD, IFAD support development of agriculture index-based insurance in West Africa

• Climate and Clean Air Coalition to launch new initiative at Rio+20

• UN officials: Post-conflict states need innovative youth employment schemes

• UN report paints ‘precarious’ workers’ situation in occupied Arab territories

• MIGA, South Korea further boost investment partnerships in developing countries

• Ban Ki-moon heads to Saudi Arabia to discuss Rio+20, other development issues

• Gambians dealing with ‘severe crop failure’

• Andrew Mitchell: Gay rights not a precondition for UK aid to Malawi

• SPEED, a new initiative, targets setup of mini power plants in India

• EBRD’s Kozloduy to continue funding Bulgarian energy projects

• Telecom project in Bangladesh allegedly overpriced

• Wapsala women fighting hunger in Mozambique

• Rural bankers in Cambodia will receive technical assistance training from AFD

• IDB-commissioned report says increases in emission from other sectors could offset Latin America and the Caribbean’s gains in reducing land use change emissions

• Stephen Groff: Universal access to clean energy can be realized in Asia – if governments commit to the right policies

• Targeted financial assistance: The middle ground between helping the vulnerable and balancing budgets

• Are public-private partnerships key to achieving sustainable energy for all?

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