The Human Development Resource Centre (HDRC) provides timely expert and quality advice to DFID advisers in the field in the areas of health, nutrition and education.

The new HDRC website now shares this unique collection of resources which represent research in action, responding to development programming and policy needs as and when they occur so that the wider community working in these areas can benefit.

HDRC is uniquely placed to support important policy decisions

Established in 2011, HDRC provides helpdesk services, for information requests, and consultancy services, which include short-term technical support, reviews and evaluations, strategy think-pieces, specialist reports and programme design. It is uniquely placed to support important policy decisions.

For example, on World AIDS Day 2011, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for International Development, Stephen O'Brien announced that the UK will help supply at least 13.5 million more female condoms at current prices through the UNFPA’s Global Programme to Enhance Reproductive.

This followed an HDRC helpdesk report to DFID staff (PDF) establishing that, in some parts of the world, young women are more than twice as likely to contract HIV. And for women unable to persuade their husbands and partners to wear condoms, female condoms are the only option. But globally in 2009, only one female condom was available for every 36 women.

Keep abreast with the latest developments in health, nutrition and education

The new HDRC website aims to reach both DFID advisers and beyond, offering:

• Freely downloadable helpdesk and assignment reports
• Links to the latest research on health, nutrition and education, using Delicious social bookmarking service
• A monthly email update and RSS feed of the latest additions to the website

You can follow HDRC on Twitter @DFID_HDRC and suggest research through Delicious by using the hashtag dfidhdrc.

For more information, contact just-ask@dfidhdrc.org.

Image credit: Pippa Ranger / UK Department for International Development (DFID)