United Nations : Rights Office 'dramatically and chronically underfunded' (PRIV)
(Kanaga Raja, Geneva)
The United Nations Human Rights Office has launched an appeal of nearly US$253 million in extra-budgetary funding for its work programme in 2017, with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights lamenting that his Office is "dramatically and chronically underfunded".

East Africa : Worst drought in decades drives food price spike (PRIV)
(IPS, Rome)
The most severe drought in decades, which has struck parts of Ethiopia and is exacerbated by a particularly strong El Nino effect, has led to successive failed harvests and widespread livestock deaths in some areas, and humanitarian needs have tripled since the beginning of 2015, the United Nations warns.

Latin America : Corruption brings down an empire - Odebrecht in Brazil (PRIV)
(IPS, Rio de Janeiro)
People in Brazil have been overwhelmed by the flood of news stories about the huge web of corruption woven by the country's biggest construction company, Odebrecht, which is active in dozens of fields and countries.

Rights : The Algerian Emir who in 1842 set a protection of prisoners code (PRIV)
(IPS, Rome/Oxford)
As far back as the 1830s, Algerian Emir Abd el Qader el Jazairy was known for having introduced, among others, rules concerning the humane treatment of prisoners, which developed in 1842 into his Code for the Protection of Prisoners.

Sri Lanka : Shines light on public sector governance (PRIV)
(IPS, Colombo)
Sri Lanka's long-awaited and much-debated Right to Information (RTI) Act became law this month without much fanfare.

Uganda : Climate change need not spell doom for coffee farmers (PRIV)
(IPS, Kampala)
Coffee production provides a quarter of Uganda's foreign exchange earnings and supports some 1.7 million smallholder farmers, but crop yields are being undermined by disease, pests and inadequate services from agricultural extension officers, as well as climatic change in the East African country.