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Add to Preferred SourcesFood waste, new commitments at UN energy summit and Guterres call for accelerated action on jobs, poverty eradication. Here is what you missed from last week’s headlines in the international development sector:
Food waste – a global problem that undermines healthy diets
A lack of food, hunger, and malnutrition affects every country in the world, the UN, in an urgent appeal for action to reduce the amount of food that’s wasted.
The call comes as the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said that 17 percent of all food available to consumers in 2019, ended up being thrown away.
An additional 132 million people face food and nutrition insecurity because of the COVID-19 pandemic, FAO said, ahead of the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste, on 29 September.
New commitments at UN energy summit a major stride towards affordable and clean energy
New multi-billion-dollar commitments to increase renewables and access to electricity and clean cooking technologies were announced at a critical UN energy summit aimed at boosting efforts to reduce the ranks of nearly 800 million people living without electricity and the 2.6 billion people living without access to clean cooking while setting the world on a trajectory towards net-zero-emissions by 2050.
More than US$400 billion in new finance and investment was committed by governments and the private sector during the UN High-level Dialogue on Energy, the first leader-level meeting on energy under the auspices of the UN General Assembly in 40 years.
Over 35 countries — ranging from Small Island Developing States to major emerging and industrialized economies — made significant new energy commitments in the form of Energy Compacts. Additionally, several new partnership initiatives were announced, aiming to provide and improve access to reliable electricity to over a billion people.
The new commitments would result in large increases in the installed capacity of renewable energy and significant improvements in energy efficiency around the world — leading to hundreds of new renewable energy facilities and the creation of millions of new green jobs.
The energy summit took place as world leaders grapple with the critical urgency to keep the 1.5 degrees temperature target of the Paris Agreement within reach, and cut emissions by 45% by 2030 while closing the energy access gap and providing more than one billion people who currently rely on harmful fuels with clean cooking solutions. The new commitments showcase the bold actions needed to meet the targets of Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG 7).
Guterres calls for accelerated action on jobs, poverty eradication
Almost two years into the COVID-19 crisis, a huge divergence in the recovery is undermining global trust and solidarity, according to a new policy brief on jobs and poverty eradication, outlined by UN chief, António Guterres.
The Secretary-General warned that the pandemic has not only confirmed but deepened existing inequalities.
Investment in jobs, social protection, and a just transition to a net-zero emissions future, particularly in low and middle-income countries, could prevent a further deepening of the inequalities.
“Global solidarity so far has been completely inadequate,” Mr. Guterres said. “A renewed social contract…should be central to the recovery”.
DevelopmentAid Editorials
EU’s 2020 development aid at record high
The European Union was the largest single donor of official development aid (ODA) in 2020, providing US$80 billion which represents practically half of the total global ODA which stood at US$161 billion. Nevertheless, EU countries are still far from reaching 0.7% of Gross National Income (GNI) which is the OECD target for annual spending on development assistance.
Pros and cons of nuclear energy
Nuclear power is an important source of energy, currently meeting about 11% of global electricity needs. The United States of America, China, and France are among the leaders in generating electricity through nuclear power plants. While it is seen as a safe source of clean energy with stable power output, using nuclear technology can also cause negative environmental impacts with catastrophic intensity. This article defines nuclear energy, highlights some of the latest trends for the global electricity sector, and provides a number of pros and cons related to the use of nuclear power and the plants that produce it.
Challenges developing economies face towards trade sustainability
Growth advanced by international trade is not enough for equality and social progress, as the expansion of businesses fails to address negative environmental and social effects. To minimize the adverse impact of trade, the benefits from commerce should be made more inclusive and sustainable. A recent report published by UN Conference on Trade and Development describes how Voluntary Sustainability Standards can serve as a tool, making the global value chain more sustainable. However, the same report states, developing countries still face obstacles while struggling to implement these norms.
Pandemic hits global development less than expected, report shows
While the global COVID-19 outbreak has resulted in higher levels of extreme poverty, reduced the number of jobs available, and weakened the world’s healthcare systems making them less accessible to the most vulnerable, some global development indicators have been less affected than previously expected.
Here’s what else has happened
IFRC: The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is calling for urgent action to tackle vaccine hesitancy in Europe, where there has been a worrying increase in violent incidents against COVID-19 related health infrastructure and personnel.
WHO and partners: The World Health Organization (WHO) and partners launched the first-ever global strategy to defeat meningitis – a debilitating disease that kills hundreds of thousands of people each year.
Afghanistan: The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) warns that Afghanistan faces imminent collapse of health services and widespread hunger if aid and money do not flow into the country within weeks.
Germany: The German government will contribute €100 million to the African Development Bank’s Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA), affirming its commitment to efforts to tap Africa’s renewable energy potential and drive its transition to clean energy sources.
World Bank: The World Bank approved funding that will help Niger better harness its scarce water resources and thereby achieve food security and better livelihoods for Nigeriens. The Integrated Water Security Platform project will use disruptive technologies to promote participatory management of Niger’s water resources, improve water supply, sanitation, and irrigation service delivery, and increase long-term sustainability beyond the project.
Reports
Families of missing migrants forced to go it alone searching for relatives: New IOM report
A report released by the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) Global Migration Data Analysis Centre (GMDAC) calls on governments to urgently improve support for tens of thousands of missing migrant families who are often forced to rely on smugglers and other informal networks in tracing loved ones.
The Centre’s Missing Migrants Project compiled the report based on research with 76 families of missing migrants in Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Entitled “Families of Missing Migrants: Their Search for Answers and the Impacts of Loss – Lessons across four countries”, the report’s accompanying policy briefing proposes 10 recommendations for authorities, international organizations, and other actors to improve the response to cases of missing migrants and support for their families.
New FAO report highlights urgent need to restore Africa’s degraded landscape
Launched during Africa Climate Week, and the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, the Review of Forest and Landscape Restoration in Africa 2021, shows, that more needs to be done to tap the continent’s opportunity to return land to sustainable production, protect biodiversity, and shield livelihoods in the battle against climate change.
Economic recovery in East Asia and Pacific faces setback
Economic activity began to slow down in the second quarter of 2021, and growth forecasts have been downgraded for most countries in the region, according to the World Bank’s East Asia and Pacific Fall 2021 Economic Update. While China’s economy is projected to expand by 8.5%, the rest of the region is forecast to grow at 2.5%, nearly 2 percentage points less than forecast in April 2021. Employment rates and labor force participation have dropped, and as many as 24 million people will not be able to escape poverty in 2021.
Events
Doing Business with ADB: Procurement Guidelines and Best Practices | Webinar
📅 14 October 2021 🕒 2 PM (Brussels Time)/ 8 AM (Washington DC Time)
Virtual
DevelopmentAid invites you to attend an exciting webinar on “Doing business with Asian Development Bank: procurement guidelines and best practices”. During the webinar, attendees will learn about ADB’s profile, operations, portfolio, and procurement policy. Moreover, our speaker will share several tips on how to prepare correctly for upcoming bids and win projects funded by ADB.
Speaker:
Stephane Y. Bessadi, Senior Procurement Specialist at ADB
Host:
Ion Ilasco, External Relations and Events at DevelopmentAid.
The World BioEconomy Forum 2021
📅 18 – 20 October
Pará, Brazil
The World BioEconomy Forum is pleased to announce that its Forum 2021 will be held in Belém, in the State of Pará, Brazil from 18 – 20 October 2021. Belém is located in the Amazon region of Brazil and will give the Forum the opportunity to highlight the region as of fundamental importance to the global circular bioeconomy. The event will bring together high-level speakers and experts from around the world highlighting Belém and the Amazon region for essential debate on sustainable development.
This is the first time that the World BioEconomy Forum has left its usual location in Ruka, Finland. The Forum’s advisory board is clearly aware that there is no bioeconomy that fits all, but several bioeconomies built to operate within their own regional economic systems. Therefore, the decision was made to move the Forum periodically to various locations around the world, and particularly in regions where the bioeconomy is at the centre of attention. Belém, in the state of Pará, in Brazil, is a perfect example of this.
Founder and President of the Forum, Jukka Kantola, says: “The World BioEconomy Forum has solidified its position as a major annual event for the circular bioeconomy. The last Forum in 2020 proved to be a major success attracting participants from more than 50 countries around the world. The Forum 2021 will be another step in our evolution as the World BioEconomy Forum goes to Brazil – live from Belém! Belém in Brazil will be a fascinating place for the Forum to be held, and it will be our great pleasure to share their narrative to the world at the same time as bringing global stakeholders of the Circular BioEconomy to Brazil.”
The Forum will be co-hosted by the state of Pará.
Helder Barbalho, Governor of the State of Pará, says, “The World BioEconomy Forum will be held in the Pará State at a crucial time in our development as our efforts concentrate on the search for an economy based on biodiversity, with opportunities for all – especially the most needy. The Government of Pará has made a commitment to sustainable development since the beginning of its administration when it has based its planning on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and on a macro-strategy that prioritises from local realities to the commitment to the life of each citizen of our country.
“The axis of economic action prioritises solutions that enable development with the standing forest. An example of this is the Amazon Now Plan, which has among its goals to reach the level of zero net emissions. To this end, the plan has four lines of action that range from the repression of environmental crimes and support for production chains, to land and environmental regularisation.”
The Forum will be held with the support of Brazil’s leading agricultural and forestry associations with the bioeconomy at their heart, ABAG, and Ibá.
Marcello Brito, President of ABAG’s Board of Directors, says, “This is a great privilege for Brazil to receive the World BioEconomy Forum. Much larger than we think, the Amazon biome covers almost half of the country, and has 22 types of different forest formations including non-forest and mixed vegetation. A huge area has already been anthropized. The time to discuss the bioeconomy in the region is very opportune, as there are a number of industries already successfully operating in the forest bioeconomy, including agro, food processing and cosmetics. We are absolutely sure that the event will be a success.”
Paulo Hartung, President of Ibá (Brazilian Tree Industry), says, “The bioeconomy and the vision of sustainability guide production models that use natural resources consciously, so that they can provide clean energy sources, mitigate the effects of climate change, provide quality food and other renewable products, among other essential needs. The holding in Brazil of the World Bioeconomy Forum, with the support of Ibá, demonstrates the commitment and potential for the national cultivated tree sector and for Brazil of the green economy, showing that we are attentive to the new mentality of a conscious and concerned consumer with sustainability, with the sanity of what you consume and with your own health. In a word: concerned with the future of the world.”
Planning of the Forum is well underway and it will follow the agenda of the World BioEconomy Forum. The agenda consists of four thematic areas, which will be covered during the event:
- The Bioeconomy: People, Planet Policies
- Global Leaders and the Financial World
- Bioproducts around us
- Looking to the Future
Each Forum is concluded with a joint declaration.
6th International Climate Change Adaptation Conference
📅 5 – 8 October
Delhi, India
The sixth edition of this conference, Adaptation Futures 2020, will be co-hosted by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and the World Adaptation Science Program (WASP) in New Delhi from 4-8 October 2021. It will be hosted under the broad rubric of ‘accelerating adaptation action and knowledge to support action’. This will be an ideal opportunity to generate a significant dialogue around actionable solutions and move the international cooperation further to realizing the goals of the Paris Agreement.