Global Initiative Bi-Weekly Sites Newsletter
January 23 to February 6, 2026
Lebanon
Lebanon wants to help the majority of Syrian refugees return home this year following the fall of the Assad regime, the country's social affairs minister said.
Haneen Sayed said the government was committed to supporting families with financial and other incentives, but said: “We can't carry this burden any longer.” To date, about 500,000 of the estimated 1.5 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon have returned, Ms Sayed said, speaking to The National at the World Governments Summit in Dubai. “We have had international support … but it does still not compensate, if you will, for the pressure that such a large host community has on infrastructure, electricity, on education, on health. “This is very much a result of the active plan that we put in coordination with the Syrian authorities.”
Israel is carrying out a “clear and dangerous” surge in air attacks on Lebanon, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has said, with its warplanes conducting more attacks on its neighbour in January than in any previous month since the ceasefire.
The humanitarian organisation said on Thursday that Israeli warplanes had carried out at least 50 air raids on Lebanon last month – about double the number of the previous month. The group said the repeated attacks made a mockery of the ceasefire agreed between Israel and Lebanon in November 2024, after more than a year of cross-border attacks and a two-month-long Israeli intensification that killed thousands in Lebanon and devastated civilian infrastructure.
Rwanda
President Paul Kagame on Tuesday, January 27, received a delegation from Yonsei University, led by Prof Dong-Sup Yoon, the university’s President, as Rwanda and the Korean institution continue to strengthen cooperation.
The meeting took place at Village Urugwiro and was also attended by Dr Won-Yong Lee, the university's Executive Vice President for Research Affairs, and other members of the its delegation. According to Village Urugwiro, discussions focused on “on strengthening Yonsei University’s partnership with Rwanda through academic exchange, research, and capacity building in education.” The partnership with Yonsei University builds on earlier engagements at the national level. In April 2024, Yonsei signed a general cooperation agreement with Rwanda’s Ministry of Education, further formalising academic ties between the two sides.
A taekwondo-based sports festival aimed at promoting social inclusion and youth empowerment among refugees and host-community youth will take place in Kigali from February 4 to 6.
The three-day festival, dubbed Hope and Dreams Sports Festival 2026, is expected to bring together around 300 young participants from refugee communities and their host counterparts, according to the Rwanda Taekwondo Federation (RTF). Organisers say the initiative is designed to leverage sport as a tool for social cohesion, peacebuilding, and personal development, particularly for young people affected by displacement and other social challenges.
Kenya
Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has emphasised the importance of international cooperation in addressing refugee challenges across the Greater Horn of Africa.
In a statement shared on X on Thursday, February 5, 2026, the CS said he held a meeting with the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), which recently opened its global office in Nairobi. During the engagement, Mudavadi acknowledged NRC’s role in improving the lives of displaced people worldwide. “The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) continues to change lives globally by supporting people forced to flee their homes, helping them rebuild with dignity and hope,” part of Musalia Mudavadi’s statement on X reads. He discussed with the NRC delegation, led by Regional Director Magnhild Vasset, ways to strengthen collaboration and coordinate responses to refugee crises. “In my meeting with Ms. Magnhild Vasset, Regional Director, NRC ESARO, we
Israel’s leading non-governmental humanitarian aid agency – welcomed former hostages Aviva and Keith Siegel to Kakuma Refugee Camp and surrounding communities in Turkana County, Kenya last week on a learning and fact-finding visit, as part of the Siegels’ new focus on international humanitarian work.
Kakuma Refugee Camp and Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement currently house more than 300,000 refugees from countries across the region, including South Sudan, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, and more, living alongside a more than 100,000-strong, traditionally pastoral Turkana host community. The area faces extreme humanitarian challenges, with limited access to safe water, food, and essential services. IsraAID has worked in Kakuma Refugee Camp and with surrounding communities since 2014.
South Africa
The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) says a total of R3.6 billion has been successfully disbursed to universities for allowance payments whilst R679 million was disbursed to Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges for tuition payments.
“Upfront payments were made on 2 February 2026, with allowance disbursements to TVET college students scheduled for 13 February 2026, followed by a second disbursement on 27 February 2026, due to extended registration periods,” NSFAS Acting CEO Wassem Carrim said on Thursday. Giving an update of NSFAS's appeals process for the 2026 application cycle, Carrim reported that 91 937 appeals have been lodged for the 2026 cycle. To date, 10 445 appeals have been approved; 27 893 are in process; 3 209 are awaiting documents; 5 407 have been rejected and 44 983 have been closed, deleted, finalised or withdrawn.
Malawi
According to Luxembourg's Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Defence, Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, this trip laid the groundwork for a partnership based on trust and a shared commitment to cooperation.
Lilongwe, Minister Bettel was received by the President of Malawi, Arthur Peter Mutharika, and met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, George Chaponda, and the Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Joseph Mwanamvekha. This visit was marked by the signing of a general cooperation agreement between Luxembourg and Malawi, establishing the framework for bilateral relations in the area of development cooperation. On this occasion, Minister Bettel emphasised the importance of maintaining an open and constructive dialogue on human rights and the rule of law.
Vietnam
Vietnam boasts one of the fastest-growing economies in the world (+8% in 2025), but its workforce cannot yet be described as highly skilled. The manufacturing and processing of electronics and textiles, the services sector, and agriculture remain the major drivers of growth.
The Vietnamese government plans to change this. The goal is to position Vietnam as a global semiconductor power by 2050 and a leader in other advanced technologies. This requires a rapid infusion of high-tech talent into the workforce and, correspondingly, a massive investment in education at all levels. Already, the government’s commitment to this ambition is changing the shape of student mobility from Vietnam to other countries.
The five-year period of implementing the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress was indeed a special phase for education and training. It coincided with the continued, vigorous rollout of fundamental and comprehensive education reform in line with Resolution No.29-NQ/TW of November 4, 2013, together with other major guidelines and orientations set by the Party Central Committee.
Under the leadership of the Party, the National Assembly and the Government, and thanks to the efforts of teachers, education managers and learners, alongside the strong support and consensus of the public and parents, the education and training sector has achieved significant results. Many elements of Resolution No.29-NQ/TW have been effectively implemented, yielding tangible outcomes over the past five years. First and foremost, in terms of expanding learning opportunities, the scale of the national education system has continued to grow at all levels, from early childhood and general education to vocational, higher and postgraduate education.
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