Development news roundup: World meets MDG on safe drinking water, Malawi president lashes out at donors, and more

Today, we reported:

• MDG on safe drinking water? Check!

• Malawi president to supporters: ‘Defend your father’

• ‘Forgotten crisis’ in Central Africa receives $78M

• Piebalgs to bring $132M aid pledge to Haiti

• New AfDB grant to boost regional agriculture research, development initiative

• Now available: FAO guidelines for bioenergy development

• World Bank estimates cost of climate-proofing Bangladesh’s infrastructure

• UN headquarters set to have better security features

• MSF gives birth to new hospital in Khost, Afghanistan

• Expert weighs in on ongoing women’s empowerment efforts

Other must reads:

• Valerie Amos secures permission to enter Syria

• OECD to launch gender data browser on International Women’s Day

• UN begins work on new disaster risk-reduction blueprint, says 2011 disasters caused $380B in economic losses

• UNESCO publishes atlas highlighting differences between girls’ and boys’ education

• IDB, Spanish General Trust Fund call on researchers to send agricultural financing proposals

• Hillary Clinton to award International Women of Courage honorees on March 8

• IDB annual meeting to discuss climate change, South-South cooperation

• Bangladesh to repay $9.8M ADB soft loan after highway expansion project fails

• Norway to provide $9.9M for mHealth Alliance’s maternal and newborn health programs

• Humanitarian agencies in Arab, Muslim nations say tap Syrian civil society, private sector to deliver food, medical aid

• Survey says 80 percent of Dutch voters want development aid cuts

• USAID to assist Philippine food producers

• Nigerian state may lose donor funding if HIV/AIDS committee not changed to agency by month’s end

• USAID to provide economic aid to Philippines’ 3 ‘key growth areas’

• US prepares emergency aid for victims of Congo blasts

• John Baird will be first Canadian foreign minister to visit Myanmar

• Ban Ki-moon says humanitarian situation in Somalia likely to deteriorate in coming months

• IKEA campaign raised $16M for UNICEF, Save the Children in 2011

• Sightsavers research says blinding disease may already have been eliminated in one Nigerian state

• Bill Easterly: Don’t pick me to head the World Bank

• Save the Children: Twebevent + #hiddencrisis = 5M people talking about child malnutrition

• Melissa Leach: Politics has no place in sustainable development

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