Weekly Roundup | Top international development headlines

Climate action can deliver a sustainable future for all, COP26 ends with agreement but falls short on climate action, and the EU helps deliver outcome to keep the Paris Agreement targets alive. Here is what you missed from last week’s headlines in the international development sector:

Climate action can deliver a sustainable future for all

Climate action can be the driver for a green and equitable future for all, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed has said at the TED Countdown Summit, urging people everywhere to demand that leaders deliver on their promise to limit global warming.

Speaking ahead of the COP26 UN climate conference, which wraps up this weekend in Glasgow, Scotland, Ms. Mohammed underlined the need for greater funding and commitment, as well as solidarity.

“Climate change doesn’t pause, and neither must we,” she said in her address to the TED Countdown Summit in her recently live streamed TED Talk held recently in nearby Edinburgh and livestreamed globally.

COP26 ends with agreement but falls short on climate action

Whilst the Glasgow Climate Pact agreed at COP26  firms up the global commitment to accelerate action on climate this decade, it left many wondering if this deal is enough to limit global warming to 1.5°C over pre-industrial levels.

“It is an important step but is not enough,” said United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres in his wrap-up message to the conference.

“Our fragile planet is hanging by a thread. We are still knocking on the door of climate catastrophe. It is time to go into emergency mode — or our chance of reaching net-zero will itself be zero.”

There is also fear, particularly from indigenous communities and civil society, that the agreement – which calls on 197 countries to report their progress towards more climate ambition next year at COP27 in Egypt – is too little and too late. As a Ugandan climate activist, Vanessa Nakate told leaders, “We are drowning in promises. Only immediate and drastic action will pull us back from the abyss.”

Yet despite these concerns, some progress was undoubtedly made. A roadmap for updating Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) was produced – which the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP’s) analysis shows fall short to meet the 1.5°C targets.

The word “coal” was used in a COP text for the first time, although there was disappointment that the phrase “phase out” was changed to “phase down,” but it did commit to the phase-out of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies.

EU helps deliver outcome to keep the Paris Agreement targets alive

At the end of the COP26 UN Climate Conference, the European Commission supported the consensus reached by over 190 countries after two weeks of intense negotiations. COP26 resulted in the completion of the Paris Agreement rulebook and kept the Paris targets alive, giving us a chance of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: “We have made progress on the three objectives we set at the start of COP26: First, to get commitments to cut emissions to keep within reach the global warming limit of 1.5 degrees. Second, to reach the target of 100 billion dollars per year of climate finance to developing and vulnerable countries. And third, to get an agreement on the Paris rulebook. This gives us confidence that we can provide a safe and prosperous space for humanity on this planet. But there will be no time to relax: there is still hard work ahead.”

Executive Vice-President and EU lead negotiator, Frans Timmermans, said: “It is my firm belief that the text that has been agreed reflects a balance of the interests of all parties, and allows us to act with the urgency that is essential for our survival. It is a text that can bring hope to the hearts of our children and grandchildren. It is a text, which keeps alive the Paris Agreement target of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. And it is a text which acknowledges the needs of developing countries for climate finance, and sets out a process to deliver on those needs.”

Under the Paris Agreement, 195 countries set a target to keep average global temperature change below 2°C and as close as possible to 1.5°C. Before COP26, the planet was on course for a dangerous 2.7°C of global warming. Based on new announcements made during the Conference, experts estimate that is now on a path to between 1.8°C and 2.4°C of warming. In the conclusions, Parties have now agreed to revisit their commitments, as necessary, by the end of 2022 to put us on track for 1.5°C of warming, maintaining the upper end of ambition under the Paris Agreement.

Global inequality – facts and statistics

Inequality is a predominant issue on the global development agenda. It refers to the unjust distribution of resources and opportunities among members of a given society based on the factors that relate to power, religion, race, gender, or social class. The most symbolic example of inequality is the fact that the world’s richest 1% own 43.4% of the world’s wealth while the poorest 53.6% of the world’s population holds just 1.4% of global wealth. This article defines the concept of inequality, lists the most important types of inequality, and highlights some of the facts and statistics related to this.

Check the full article here.

Exclusive Tips to Expand Your Impact by Becoming a Global Development Consultant

Cementing a career in the development sector can be interesting, rewarding, and professionally fulfilling. Many accomplished professionals around the world choose to move to a consultancy career at some point in their lives to expand their impact and augment their professional skills. Nonetheless, the international development sector is also known for its rigidity and intense competition. This is particularly true for junior consultants who find it difficult to position themselves on the market and secure their first assignments.

Check the full article here.

CV Broadcast – delivering your CV to the right recipients at the right time

Gone are the days when sticking it out with the same company for decades was a common occurrence among employees. Switching jobs and assignments from time to time, especially in the international development sector, is now a widespread practice. With all the career changes, and with millions of new graduates joining a competitive workforce each year, landing a good job is no longer easy and requires certain techniques in order to stand out from the competition.

Check the full article here.

What is global literacy and why it is important for the modern world?

Literacy is commonly defined as people’s capacity to read, write and comprehend the textual elements of a language. In the modern world, however, the concept of literacy could be extended to a collection of knowledge, expertise, and perceptions in the areas that are required in life based on continuously changing environments. Literacy is a promoter of sustainable development since it contributes to the improvement of living conditions and motivates people to become an integral part of society. It also takes child and family health and nutrition to a higher level, decreases poverty levels, and enhances life opportunities.

Check the full article here.

Here’s what else has happened

UNICEF: Young people are 50% more likely than older generations to believe the world is becoming a better place – yet impatient for action on mounting crises. Children and young people are nearly 50 percent more likely than older people to believe that the world is becoming a better place with each generation, according to a new international survey by UNICEF and Gallup released ahead of World Children’s Day. The poll, The Changing Childhood Project, is the first of its kind to ask multiple generations for their views on the world and what it is like to be a child. It surveyed more than 21,000 people across two age cohorts (15-24 years old and 40 years old and up) in 21 countries. Nationally representative surveys were undertaken in countries across all regions – Africa, Asia, Europe, and North and South America – and income levels.

UN: Preventing conflicts requires closing development gaps, shrinking inequality, and bringing hope to people around the globe, senior UN officials told the Security Council. Too often, they result from a lack of access to basic services and life staples – such as food, water, and health care – or from gaps in security, laws, and governance systems.

Reports

Global energy efficiency progress is recovering – but not quickly enough to meet international climate goals

Efficiency improvements are returning to pre-pandemic levels, however, they remain well below the pace needed in a net-zero pathway. A rapid expansion of technologies and solutions that drive more efficient use of energy across the economy is necessary to keep global climate pledges within reach, according to a new IEA report, which urges governments to take the lead in mobilizing the required increase in investment.

Vulnerabilities, resilience in global trading system examined in World Trade Report 2021

The 2021 edition of the WTO’s World Trade Report examines why the interconnected global trading system is both vulnerable and resilient to crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, how it can help countries to be more economically resilient to shocks, and what can be done to make the system better prepared and more resilient in the future.

UNHCR report charts progress against Global Compact on Refugees

A new report released by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, shows how far the international community has come since it called for the development of a new international framework to share responsibility for refugee situations – the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR).

Events