This year’s UN Climate Change Conference is hosted by Fiji, and is a key opportunity to fight for more climate action to protect low lying nations and the most vulnerable communities around the world.

Alliance members, Friends of the Earth Scotland, will be taking 10 Scottish activists overland to Bonn ahead of the climate talks from 6-17 November 2017. They will meet communities already impacted by climate change, join international rallies and participate in a major anti-coal protest.

Dr Richard Dixon, Director of Friends of The Earth Scotland, said “The lives and livelihoods of millions depend upon rich nations cutting emissions as soon as possible.”

The Scottish Government today announced the opening of its new grants round under its Malawi Development Programme. 

This call, which comes on the twelfth anniversary of the signing of the co-operation agreement between the Governments of Scotland and Malawi incorporates some new features.  Grants can now be made up to a maximum of £300,000 and extend for a period of up to 4.5 years.   

The Malawi Development Programme fits within the development assistance programme, the first and largest element in the Scottish Government’s £10m International Development Fund, one means by which it implements its International Development Strategy. 

Welcoming the announcement, David Hope-Jones, CEO of the Scotland Malawi partnership said: "Since 2005 we've seen this programme deliver significant impact; helping transform the lives of a great many by working in dignified partnership with our friends and partners in Malawi."

The shifting funding landscape and emphasis on evidence has led to an ever-increasing university presence in areas previously dominated by NGOs and governments.  How do they fit into an already complex landscape of international development activity and how can they best contribute to improving welfare for the world's poorest people?

On 15 November, the Glasgow Centre for International Development, at the University of Glasgow, is bringing together experts from different sectors to explore the role of universities in international development at an interactive panel discussion chaired by Scotland’s International Development Alliance Vice-Chair and Senior Fellow at IIED, Simon Anderson.

The Alliance is running two useful training events this month... 

The first of these on 16 November, as part of the recently restarted Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) group, will look at how organisations capture their learning. Can looking at failure be useful? This discussion will focus on the use of failure reports and whether they are a helpful tool for programme design.

Register here.

The second event, on 21 November in Aberdeen, includes interactive training workshops on Project Planning & Monitoring and a chance to connect with other member organisations over lunch. Alliance members, Soapbox Collaborative, will also be talking about the power of partnerships.

Register here.

Fair Trade campaigners, businesses and supporters came together on Thursday 12th October to celebrate the 5th annual Scottish Fair Trade Awards.

Each year the Scottish Fair Trade Forum hosts the annual Fair Trade Awards to recognise individuals, groups, organisations and campaigns that have made a significant impact on Fair Trade in Scotland throughout the year.

This year they presented awards to 7 different individuals and organisations across different categories.