SciDev.Net

FEWS NET, funded by the US Agency for International Development, provides early warning and vulnerability information on food security issues to 25 countries, many of which are in the developing world.

FEWS NET uses a combination of satellite data and socio-economic analyses to publish regular bulletins, updates and briefings as well as drought and food shortage alerts.

This web portal publishes news and information on the Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) activities in climate change. It links to key FAO publications on agriculture, livestock, forestry and fisheries as well as cross-sector topics such as bioenergy, biodiversity and climate risk management. The gateway gives information on FAO's work in these areas and provides links to relevant factsheets, events and multimedia including videos and audio lectures.

The forestry department of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) works with governments, international organisations, nongovernmental groups and individual communities to promote sustainable forest management. It offers technical support to developing countries, provides information and advice on forestry, and hosts multi-stakeholder technical and policy discussions. FAO Forestry publishes facts and figures on forests and forestry for some 200 countries, as well as papers, books and reports such as the biannual State of the World's Forests.

The Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) Water Development and Management Unit website promotes sustainable water use for food production. It utilises data on water resources and agricultural water usage to help form national and regional water management strategies, inform agricultural policies and provide technical expertise on issues such as wastewater treatment and salinity control. The FAO Water website publishes promotional and educational material as well as reports on individual projects, it also provides links to interactive maps, multimedia and databases relevant to water management.

The disasters group of GEOSS integrates satellite data with other information to help disaster managers reduce vulnerability, improve early warning and support recovery measures.

The group has set up a coastal zone community of practice, established a global wildland fire early warning system and supports key organisations such as Sentinel Asia.

It publishes information about all its achievements as well as targets and planned activities.

The Global Forum for Health Research provides evidence, tools and discussion forums for decision-makers in research funding and policy to improve the health of the poor. Although it covers issues for both infectious and non-communicable diseases, the agency recognises that mental health problems are severely neglected in developing countries. As well as links to various publications and reports, the website also hosts RealHealthNews, which aims to share news on research and interventions that can improve the health of those in developing countries.

IEA Bioenergy was set up by the International Energy Agency in 1978, with the goal of fostering collaboration between countries with national bioenergy programmes. It undertakes a series of 'tasks', each with a work programme led by a participating nation. Ongoing tasks include analysing bioenergy systems and producing biomass from sustainable forestry.

A unit within the World Health Organization, IVR aims to develop and promote a global and sustainable research and development pipeline. This would deliver cost-effective vaccines against diseases that are particularly devastating in developing countries. The website provides a useful summary of its vaccine portfolio  and a report of the IVR Global Vaccine Research Forum