Release of the 2011-12 Annual Review of Aid Effectiveness

The inaugural Annual Review of Aid Effectiveness was released today by Foreign Minister Bob Carr. This new and important document is part of a suite of reforms flowing from the 2011 Independent Review of Aid Effectiveness. Its purpose is to inform Cabinet discussion of the four-year budget strategy outlined in the Comprehensive Aid Policy Framework and report on the aid program’s performance against the Framework.

MELBOURNE, 30 November 2012 (IRIN) - Activists in Australia have expressed concern over a recent decision by the government to reinstate the processing of asylum seekers offshore.

11/07/2012 01:44 GMT

SYDNEY, Nov 7, 2012 (AFP) - Australia said it remained committed to sending asylum-seekers to Malaysia for processing and insisted it is not necessary for Kuala Lumpur to be a signatory to the UN refugee convention.

Canberra last year clinched a deal to send 800 boatpeople to Malaysia in exchange for 4,000 of that country's registered refugees as a deterrent to people paying smugglers to make the dangerous maritime voyage to Australia,

Despite a four-day truce which was supposed to come into effect on Friday 26 October, fighting has continued to escalate in Damascus province, Aleppo, Idlib, Daara and Deir Ezzor in Syria manifested by a new wave of airstrikes by the Syrian forces and attacks by the rebels on strategic army checkpoints and air bases.

New Roll Back Malaria report highlights malaria burden in Asia-Pacific

Australia urges accelerated action against malaria in the region

New Asia Impact Report provides greater donor accountability

CARE today launched the Asia Impact Report which provides a review of the impact of CARE’s work in Asia from 2005 to 2010. The report is the first of its kind in Australia and is part of CARE’s commitment to transparency, which is important for the 87 per cent of Australian donors who want to know more about how donations are spent.

This week, armed violence continued to escalate in Syria with heavy fighting occurring in Homs, Daraa, Deir Ezzor, Idlib, Latakia, Aleppo and Damascus. The Government has been accused of using cluster munitions in populated areas. There is an increasing risk of regional spill over, the most recent event being the assassination of a senior intelligence official leading to unrest in Lebanon. Recent reports indicate that more than 900,000 people have been affected by conflict in South Kordofan and Blue Nile state in Sudan.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

During the 10th replenishment of the Asian Development Fund (ADF XI), the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and ADF donors agreed to pilot the Disaster Response Facility (DRF) in the ADF XI period, 2013–2016. ADB will report on the implementation progress of the DRF at the ADF XI midterm review, and discuss the future of the DRF with the ADB Board of Directors and ADF donors at the ADF XII negotiations.

Asia-Pacific actions to address climate change will have global impact

Jakarta -- Countries in Asia and the Pacific are at a crossroads and must now strike a balance between rising prosperity and rising emissions. Their success or failure will have repercussions worldwide, predicts a new report released today by the United Nations Development Programme.