The US faces major challenges in sustaining its food aid efforts amid dramatic changes to its aid infrastructure, write former USAID officials Dina Esposito and Maany Peyvan. Despite the closure of USAID, the dismissal of most USAID staff and the destruction of emergency food aid stores, Food for Peace -- a program that purchases US-grown food for global distribution -- remains operational, but it cannot compensate for the loss of broader humanitarian infrastructure, the experts warn, raising concerns about the US's ability to respond to future food crises effectively.

Major humanitarian organizations have suspended or scaled back operations in Gaza City as Israeli tanks enter the city. American Near East Refugee Aid has halted all work and the Norwegian Refugee Council has temporarily suspended operations due to bombardment, while Mercy Corps plans to continue as long as resources allow. A coalition of major NGOs released a statement on Wednesday urging the global community to act against the Israeli offensive in Gaza City.

In response to being excluded from UN General Assembly meetings, civil society organizations have intensified their efforts by organizing side events in collaboration with governments and communities. Rather than being silenced, NGOs are leveraging this moment to expand their influence beyond UN walls -- transforming UNGA week into a broader platform that connects diplomacy with grassroots action, emphasizing resilience, collective action and a commitment to inclusivity amid ongoing barriers.

There is broad global support for international cooperation on problem-solving, but trust in leading global institutions remains low, a Rockefeller Foundation survey of over 36,000 people across 34 countries reveals. While 75% of respondents said they'd support international collaboration on issues like trade, health, climate and poverty, only 58% expressed trust in the UN, and just 44% said they trust the International Monetary Fund -- highlighting a substantial gap between public enthusiasm for cooperation and confidence in the institutions charged with leading it.

Nearly a year after reaching a cease-fire with Israel, 150,000 people in Lebanon's border region still lack access to running water due to extensive damage to water infrastructure from Israeli bombings, a report by Action Against Hunger, Oxfam and Insecurity Insight warns. Ongoing security concerns, limited financial resources and the threat of further conflict make restoration efforts slow and inefficient, leaving communities reliant on costly water trucking and facing potential water contamination.

Nonprofit board meetings often become bogged down in operational details, diminishing board members' engagement in governance and oversight, writes Mike Burns, a partner at BWB Solutions. Burns offers strategies to keep meetings focused and engaging, such as clarifying roles, planning agendas collaboratively, setting engagement norms, sharing mission moments and using task forces instead of standing committees.

As aid cuts worsen conditions in Malawi's Dzaleka refugee camp, a growing number of women and girls are turning to sex work for survival, often facing violence and abuse in the process. The UN High Commission for Refugees has cut its personnel there from 44 to just three, and the World Food Program now provides only half the necessary food allowance per person. Reports of domestic abuse have doubled in two years, reflecting a rise in exploitation and vulnerability among women as economic pressures mount.