Whether you are a prospective applicant to one of the Main Fund rounds or Student Scheme, a development professional or academic working in the sector, or if you simply have an interest in the developing world, a directory of useful resources can be found below.
DFA.ie: The website of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade offers travel advice, including assessments of potential risks to be encountered in a particular country. Projects that relate to countries with a ‘do not travel’ status as per this resource are ineligible for funding.
IrishAid.ie: Irish Aid’s own website includes news updates on its various assistance programmes; research papers, reports and fact sheets relating to a range of topics, from agriculture to gender. It also contains detailed information on A Better World, Ireland’s Policy for International Development.
SustainableDevelopment.UN.org: The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Knowledge Platform is a dedicated micro-site, offering comprehensive information on each SDG, progress updates – including on a country-by-country basis, details major groups and other stakeholders, and contains a range of reports, other documents and data.
Dochas.ie: The website of the Irish Association of Non-Governmental Developmental Organisations includes a ‘Knowledge Hub’ containing a range of tools and resources relating to overseas development and humanitarian NGOs on issues including but not limited to: accountability, gender, HIV and AIDS, corruption and human rights, climate change and debt.
TCD.ie/TIDI: Based in Trinity College Dublin, the website of the Trinity International Development Initiative (TIDI) includes information on its 21 priority research themes which focus on three broad clusters, namely: health, technology, and social protection and justice. It also includes photos, presentations, podcasts, and short summaries of development-related events held since 2009.
DevelopmentPerspectives.ie: Development Perspectives is an award-winning provider of development education. Its website includes useful resources and reports, as well as thought provoking blogposts from its members.
AfricaCentre.ie: Africa Centre is a voluntary organisation based in Dublin. Its website includes reports that prospective applicants may find useful concerning fair representations of poverty and stereotyping in media.
TransparencyInternational.org: Transparency International is the global civil society organisation leading the fight against corruption. Its website includes a wealth of country-specific information around corruption and governance which may provide a useful steer for prospective applicants interested in this area.
IDA.WorldBank.org: The International Development Association is an arm of the World Bank. Its website contains news and publications, and includes reports on topics as varied as the energy sector in Rwanda, and improving employment opportunities in Tonga.
UNHCR.org: The website of the Untied Nations High Commissioner for Refugees contains a comprehensive news section, which includes nuanced accounts of refugee experience from various crises, briefing notes, as well as a Q&A series on topics as wide ranging as ensuring refugees can vote in elections and climate change and disaster displacement.
UNICEF.org: UNICEF’s Publications page features reports across a range of topics – education, emergencies, disability, innovation, health, for example – and how these relate to children in particular.
WFP.org: The World Food Programme works in 80+ countries in the Global South, including on an emergency basis. Its library of publications includes fact sheets and infographics on topics as wide ranging as local procurement and school meals, reports and outreach papers which help frame policy debate, and overview ‘brochures’ covering nutrition, women and hunger and a range of other issues key to WFP’s work.
UNAIDS.org: News, publications, fact sheet, campaigns, speeches, infographics, videos and datasets can all be found within the website of UNAIDS. Data, results and stories are also available from each country in which UNAIDS works.
UNwomen.org: Alongside multimedia resources, reports, survey results and details of the progress of the world’s women since 2000, the website of UN Women also contains an SDG Monitoring Report which spotlights inequalities and challenges faced by women and identifies gaps and opportunities for gender equality in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
EC.europa.eu: The European Commission website contains information on its priority areas for action including justice and fundamental rights, energy union and climate change, and democratic change.
Concern.net: The website of Concern Worldwide contains useful ‘News’ and ‘Insights’ sections which detail updates from the ground, as well as a range of publications on topics as diverse as engaging men on gender equality, and breaking the cycle of conflict, hunger and human suffering. Please note: individual projects cannot focus solely on the work of one NGO or development organisation.
Trocaire.org: The website has an extensive resource section which includes case studies, country overviews, e-books, photo galleries and podcasts covering a wide breadth of themes. This is complemented by a wide range of policy resources including strategies, research, submissions to Government, and more. Please note: individual projects cannot focus solely on the work of one NGO or development organisation.
MSF.ie: The Médecins Sans Frontieres Ireland website contains a wide-ranging library of reports, editions of its quarterly magazine Dispatches, activity reports, reading lists, as well as a section containing its own research. Its work can also be explored by country, crisis and key medical issues. Please note: individual projects cannot focus solely on the work of one NGO or development organisation.
News.Trust.org: The Thomson Reuters Foundation News website covers the world’s under-reported stories at the heart of aid, development, women’s and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, property rights, climate change and social innovation and may prove useful to assess the extent of reporting to date on various issues.
TheGuardian.com/global-development: Supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Global Development section of the Guardian’s website includes articles and multimedia content covering a range of development issues and may be a suitable ‘jumping off’ point for applicants when deciding on their own topic.
