Time to invest in Africa’s agriculture, the EU Digital COVID Certificate and investments in gender equality. Here is what you missed from last week’s headlines in the international development sector:
Time for global leaders to invest in Africa’s agriculture
More than six out of every 10 people in Sub-Saharan Africa work in the continent’s agriculture sector. People may not realize that what grows from African soil may be connected to some of the world’s most popular foods.
Africa produces the world’s largest supply of cocoa, used in chocolate bars and other products. Ethiopia and Uganda-grown coffee beans, which dominate Africa’s coffee exports, were valued at nearly $2 billion last year.
The volume of African commodity exports is rising. At the same time, more Africans are facing food insecurity. Around 246 million Africans go to bed hungry every night. The pace of Africa’s agricultural growth is not keeping up with Africa’s population growth.
On World Food Day, it is time for African and global leaders, as well as development organizations, to join the African Development Bank Group‘s call for increased investments in agricultural technologies that boost Africa’s food production and food security in the face of climate change.
The continent has immense potential to feed itself and to become a breadbasket to the world: about 65 percent of Earth’s remaining uncultivated, arable land is in Africa. However, that potential is threatened by erratic weather extremes. It is also stunted because a majority of African food growers are subsistence smallholder farmers and need to scale up the delivery of modern and climate-smart farming practices.
The EU Digital COVID Certificate: a global standard with more than 591 million certificates
The Commission adopted a report on the EU Digital COVID Certificate and its implementation across the EU. The report shows that the EU certificate has been a crucial element in Europe’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with more than 591 million certificates generated. The certificate, which covers COVID-19 vaccination, test, and recovery, facilitates safe travel for citizens, and it has also been key to support Europe’s hard-hit tourism industry.
The EU Digital COVID Certificate is a success worldwide: it has set a global standard and is currently the only system already in operation at the international level. 43 countries across four continents are plugged into the system, and more will follow over the coming weeks and months.
As said by President Ursula von der Leyen in her 2021 State of the Union Address, the EU Digital COVID Certificate shows that “When we act together, we are able to act fast.”
The success of the EU Digital COVID Certificate system in figures:
- EU Member States have issued more than 591 million EU Digital COVID Certificates
- 43 countries are already connected to the EU system: 27 EU Member States, 3 European Economic Area (EEA) countries, Switzerland, and 12 other countries and territories. In total, the Commission was approached by 60 third countries interested in joining the EU system. Beyond the ones already connected, technical discussions are ongoing with 28 of these countries.
- The air transport sector greatly benefited from the EU Digital COVID Certificate, which became operational just in time for the summer peak travel period. The association of Airports Council International (ACI Europe) reported that in July 2021 total passenger volumes more than doubled compared to July 2020. ACI Europe attributes this change to the rollout of the EU Digital COVID Certificate along with the easing of travel restrictions.
- According to an EU Parliament’s Eurobarometer survey, about two-thirds (65%) of respondents agreed that the EU Digital COVID Certificate is the safest means for free travel in Europe during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- 20 EU Member States also use the EU Digital COVID Certificate for domestic purposes, such as for access to large events and restaurants, cinemas, and museums, with an additional national legal basis.
Invest in gender equality to reduce climate change impacts on world’s poorest
People need a significant boost in investments to close the gender gap otherwise rural communities will never bounce back from the impacts of climate change, warned Gilbert F. Houngbo, the President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
A body of research gathered over the last decade shows that rural women are more vulnerable to the effects of climate change and more likely to die as a result of natural disasters than men. This, in turn, deepens gender inequalities, creating a vicious circle.
“As long as gender inequality continues, climate change will ravage rural communities. They will only become more resilient to unpredictable weather if women are empowered to make decisions and access the resources they need to adapt to climate change,” said Houngbo on the occasion of the International Day of Rural Women. “The international community needs to step up its funding and commitment to tackling this.”
Agriculture, the sector in which rural women overwhelmingly work, is hardest hit by the effects of climate change. Women make up the majority of the world’s poor, and are disproportionately dependent on scarce natural resources, leaving them particularly vulnerable to weather changes and natural disasters.
DevelopmentAid Editorials
Pandemic exposes structural inequalities leading to higher poverty rate
The COVID-19 pandemic has brutally revealed the weaknesses in the fragile systems that societies have built over the years. Decades of progress in the fight against poverty seem to have been eradicated due to a crisis of monumental proportions. Around 97 million people have been pushed into poverty according to the World Bank estimations. The latest updates show that the number of people living under the international poverty line will increase by between 143 and 163 million in 2021. This is the first rise in extreme poverty in a generation.
World’s fastest growing cities
The majority of the world’s fastest-growing cities are located in Africa. With the continent’s population growing at the highest rate ever worldwide, this trend is expected to continue over the coming decades. In the meantime, although Africa is home to 17 of the fastest growing cities, only three of the world’s 34 megacities are located there. This situation may serve as an impetus for development should wise policies be put in place.
Top 10 countries with best education systems
Education plays a crucial role in preparing individuals to integrate effectively into society and contribute to the economy. Nevertheless, millions of children and youth remain illiterate across the globe. To combat this, the international community has made considerable progress towards increasing access to education in developing countries over the last few decades. However, more efforts are necessary for developing countries to align their systems with those that are considered to be the best – Finland, Australia, and Estonia.
Do vaccine passes discriminate against the unvaccinated? | Experts’ Opinions
If, before the pandemic, all you needed to get into a restaurant was to have some money, nowadays there is much more involved than that. A wave of companies and governments are announcing new vaccine policies that require people to be inoculated against COVID-19 in order to keep their jobs, go to the office, dine in restaurants or attend indoor performances. This raises the question: do vaccine passes discriminate against the unvaccinated? Let’s see what human rights experts have to say about this.
Here’s what else has happened
USAID: Administrator Samantha Power announced the launch of USAID’s new Africa Trade and Investment program at the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Ministerial. The continent-wide program is USAID’s flagship effort under the Prosper Africa initiative and will expand and accelerate two-way trade and investment between African nations and the United States.
Japan and WFP: The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomes a contribution of JPY499 million (USD 4.5 million) from the Government of Japan, for a public-private partnership project which aims to make quality nutrition and health services available to 250,000 people in Ghana.
Red Cross: Red Cross teams in Nepal and India are urgently rescuing survivors and providing relief as devastating floods and landslides have swept away homes and entire villages.
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced a commitment of up to $120 million to accelerate access to the investigational antiviral drug molnupiravir for lower-income countries as part of its COVID-19 response effort. The funding will be allocated based on consultations with partners and will support the range of activities required to develop and manufacture generic versions of the drug, which is being developed by Merck & Co in collaboration with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics.
Reports
Renewable energy jobs reach 12 million globally
Renewable energy employment worldwide reached 12 million last year, up from 11.5 million in 2019, according to the eighth edition of Renewable Energy and Jobs: Annual Review 2021. The report was released by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) in collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO) at a high-level opening of IRENA’s Collaborative Framework on Just and Inclusive Transitions, co-facilitated by the United States and South Africa.
Comprehensive assessment on marine litter and plastic pollution confirms need for urgent global action
A drastic reduction in unnecessary, avoidable, and problematic plastic is crucial to addressing the global pollution crisis, according to a comprehensive assessment released by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). An accelerated transition from fossil fuels to renewable energies, the removal of subsidies, and a shift towards circular approaches will help reduce plastic waste at the needed scale.
From Pollution to Solution: a global assessment of marine litter and plastic pollution shows that there is a growing threat in all ecosystems from source to sea. It also shows that while we have the know-how, we need the political will and urgent action by the government to tackle the mounting crisis. The report will inform discussions at the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA 5.2) in 2022, where countries will come together to decide a way forward for global cooperation.
An urgent call for education reforms to ensure learning for all children and boost human capital in Iraq
The World Bank Group’s new report, Building Forward Better to Ensure Learning for All Children in Iraq: An Education Reform Path, builds on key priorities in education recently identified in the Government of Iraq’s White Paper and the World Bank Group’s Addressing the Human Capital Crisis: A Public Expenditure Review for Human Development Sectors in Iraq report, and provides actionable reform recommendations to boost learning and skills.
Events
Doing Business with Millennium Challenge Corporation: Procurement Guidelines and Best Practices | Webinar
📅 28 October 2021 🕒 4 PM (Brussels Time)/ 10 AM (Washington DC Time)
Virtual
DevelopmentAid invites you to attend an exciting webinar on “Doing business with Millennium Challenge Corporation: procurement guidelines and best practices”.
During the webinar, attendees will learn about MCC’s profile, operations, procurement policy, and selection process. Moreover, our speakers will provide several tips on how to prepare correctly for upcoming bids and how to build a fruitful collaboration.
Speakers:
- Jackie Naranjo, Supervisory Contract Specialist
- Mike McEntire, Director of Program Procurement
Host:
Ion Ilasco, External Relations and Events at DevelopmentAid
Career Development Support In Changing Labour Markets | Virtual
📅3 November – 15 December 2021| Virtual
The ILO in conjunction with the ETF is offering an online course, starting 3 November, on career development support in changing labor markets, provided by the International Training Centre (ITC) in Turin, Italy. The course will be taught for five hours a week over a six-week period. A limited number of fellowships are to be provided, on a first-come-first-serve basis.
