Weekly roundup: Top international development headlines

The impact of the war in Ukraine on the tourism industry,  an update on Concern’s Ukraine crisis response, the Covid pandemic has slowed progress towards sustainable energy goals. Here is what you missed from last week’s headlines in the international development sector:

The impact of the war in Ukraine on the tourism industry

The beginning of 2022 seemed optimistic with the year expected to herald a turnaround for the travel industry, previously hit hard by the global coronavirus pandemic. However, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the biggest sanctions in history having been placed on the aggressor by Western states may just have changed that. The war has added pressure to an already challenging economic environment and heavily affected travel demand. The majority of operators in the travel and tourism industry are once again bracing themselves for closed airspace, cancellations, and uncertainty over international travel. We discussed this subject in more depth with several international tourism experts. Check out their opinions below.

Key takeaways

• • Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has caused a humanitarian crisis in the region and shaken global financial markets, is now threatening to crush the tourism industry among others as a result of sanctions, uncertainty, and soaring oil import costs.
  • The number of tourist arrivals in Central Europe has significantly declined.
  • Experts state that the global tourism industry is currently experiencing its worst time in the midst of a never-ending pandemic and an unexpected armed conflict.
  • The conflict could derail the much-anticipated recovery of tourism-dependent economies in Southeast Asia as well. Sanctions against Russia and airspace restrictions have dampened projections in a region where Russians had become the largest and most spendthrift group of visitors.
  • Russian tourism experts comment that the crisis has had a devastating effect on those regional economies that are dependent on an influx of tourists and that thousands of tourism professionals have lost their jobs.

An update on Concern’s Ukraine crisis response

Since February 24th, over 4 million Ukrainians have fled their homes, with many crossing the borders into neighboring countries, including Poland, Romania, Hungary, and Moldova. Two-thirds of these people are women and children, and even those who had family or friends in neighboring countries to stay with faced leaving their beloved and hard-earned belongings behind, leaving home with just a backpack of necessities. Others fled without connections, guaranteed refuge or resources, and face an uncertain future.

But it’s not just the millions that have fled Ukraine who has been affected by this conflict. UNCHR data estimates that 6.5 million people have been displaced inside Ukraine itself, although it may be closer to 8 million. While they have not left the country, these people have been forced to leave their homes, towns, cities, and families and may not know if they can ever return.

The Covid pandemic has slowed progress towards sustainable energy goals

A new online update of IEA data and projections on the world’s efforts to meet key energy targets under the UN Sustainable Development Goals shows that most measures are not on track. The impact of Covid-19 has reversed progress on access to electricity and clean cooking while slowing vital improvements in energy efficiency, according to the International Energy Agency’s latest update of data and projections related to key aspects of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. However, renewable energies have shown resilience to the shock caused by the pandemic.

While early estimates for 2021 suggest a return to progress levels similar to before the pandemic, the average rate of improvement during the 2020s is expected to only reach 2.3% per year. This would be well below the 3.2% pace required to achieve SDG targets and the more than 4% pace needed to be on track to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.

The IEA works with four other international organizations – the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), the World Bank, and the World Health Organization (WHO) – to produce an annual report that reports the official statistics indicating progress on the SDG7 targets. The next edition is scheduled to be published in June.

DevelopmentAid Editorials

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Advantages and disadvantages of digital development for individuals and multinationals

Digital progress can accelerate the achievement of each of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals in particular eradicating extreme poverty, promoting sustainable peace, agriculture, and decent work, reducing maternal and child mortality, facilitating access to public services, and achieving universal literacy. However, technology can also threaten privacy and security and have implications for human rights, states the United Nations.

Check the full article here.

Absolute poverty vs relative poverty, what is the difference?

The Earth’s population is continually increasing as is the gap between the wealthy and the poor. People who are born into poor families have little chance of evading poverty according to researchers. Moreover, even those who do manage to find work cannot guarantee that they and their families will have satisfactory living conditions. Poverty is a term that characterizes an individual’s or a society’s lack of sufficient financial means and necessities to achieve a basic standard of living.

Check the full article here.

Report Overview: Economic and social impacts, policy implications of the war in Ukraine

Early morning on February 24th, the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, ordered the country’s troops to invade neighboring Ukraine. The fully-fledged attack from multiple directions targeted military and civil infrastructures in Ukraine, resulting in thousands of casualties among the military and civilians and the destruction of cities and villages leading to millions of people fleeing the largest European country. In a global response, Russia is now subject to multiple sanctions that target individuals, banks, and companies with its assets abroad being frozen and withheld. Hundreds of international businesses have announced a full or partial halt to their activities in Russia.

Check the full article here.

Here’s what else has happened

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UNEP: Financial institutions around the world can now measure the positive impact of their investments in biodiversity conversation, adaptation, mitigation, forest protection, and sustainable livelihoods with the help of a new indicator directory and resources platform.

USA: In response to the devastating drought in the Horn of Africa, the United States, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is providing nearly $114 million in additional humanitarian aid to meet the needs of people in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia, affected by the unprecedented drought. The region has faced two straight years of inadequate rainfall to support basic water, agriculture, and livestock needs, the impact of which is devastating for a population heavily dependent on crops and livestock for food and livelihoods. In total, more than 20 million people across the region are projected to need emergency food assistance this year, a 70 percent increase from the devastating drought in 2016-2017.

WHO: WHO is issuing an urgent call for accelerated action by leaders and all people to preserve and protect health and mitigate the climate crisis as part of an “Our planet, our health” campaign marking the organization’s founding day, which falls at a time of heightened conflict and fragility.

Reports

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Greater progress on diversity and inclusion essential to rebuild productive and resilient workplaces

One-in-four people do not feel valued at work and those who do feel included are in more senior roles, according to a new report on diversity and inclusion by the International Labour Organization (ILO). Previous studies on diversity and inclusion have tended to focus on large, often multinational companies, in western, high-income countries. The new report, Transforming Enterprises through Diversity and Inclusion, focuses on enterprises of all sizes in lower-middle-income and upper-middle-income economies and gathers information from a diverse mix of staff, managers, and senior executives. It reflects the variety in age, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic/racial/religious groups, persons with disabilities, and those with HIV.

Developing Asia economies set to grow 5.2% this year amid global uncertainty

Developing Asia’s economies are forecast to grow 5.2% this year and 5.3% in 2023, thanks to a robust recovery in domestic demand and continued expansion in exports. However, uncertainties stemming from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the continuing coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, and tightening by the United States Federal Reserve pose risks to the outlook. Several subregions, including South Asia and East Asia, are expected to return to the economic growth rates they experienced before the pandemic, according to the Asian Development Outlook (ADO) 2022, released by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Inflation in the region remains manageable but is forecast to rise to 3.7% this year, before moderating to 3.1% in 2023.

Boys face a significant risk of not completing their education warns UNESCO report

Globally only 88 men are enrolled in tertiary education for every 100 women. In 73 countries, fewer boys than girls are enrolled in upper-secondary education, while the opposite is the case in 48 countries. These UNESCO data highlight a global phenomenon: child labor and poverty, among other factors, prevent boys from engaging fully with learning and contribute to repetition and dropout.

Events

Transforming Food Systems for Rural Prosperity: How do nutrition and environment fit in?

📅 11 April 2022, 10:00 – 11.30 (CET)

This is the second in a series of debates discussing IFAD’s Rural Development Report 2021. The debate will ask questions like:

• What are the costs of a nutritious diet for the planet and for rural prosperity?
• What are the environmental and social costs for food security and rural prosperity?
• What are the trade-offs?
  IFAD will also explore the report’s key actions and recommendations, the obstacles to achieving transformation, and the benefits of equitable, sustainable, healthy, and environmentally friendly food systems.

Link for registration

OECD Roundtable on the Circular Economy in Cities and Regions

📅 12 April 2022, 12.00-15.00 CET

Cities use almost two-thirds of global energy and produce up to 80% of greenhouse gas emissions and 50% of global waste. The circular economy provides a policy response to cope with these challenges and is a driver for economic growth, jobs, and environmental quality.

Link for registration.

Improving the multilateral pandemic response

📅 12 April 2022
Virtual

The world is transitioning out of the crisis phase of the COVID-19 outbreak, aided by immunity from vaccination and prior infection. Multilateral institutions, including the African Union, COVAX, the World Health Organization, and the World Bank, were indispensable in the crisis response, delivering life-saving vaccines, technical assistance, and concessional finance to low- and middle-income countries.

Link for registration

7th Our Ocean Conference 2022

📅 13 – 14 April 2022
Koror, Palau

President Surangel S. Whipps, Jr. and U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John F. Kerry announced that the seventh Our Ocean Conference has been rescheduled to April 13-14, 2022. This decision comes after careful consultation with public health officials regarding the global surge in COVID-19 cases.

Impact-Driven Fundraising | Webinar

📅 14 April 2022 🕟 4 PM (Brussels Time)/ 10 AM (Washington DC Time)
Virtual

DevelopmentAid, in collaboration with HVFC, invites everyone to join an exciting webinar on 14 April 2022 to learn more about the essence and the prerequisites of impact-driven fundraising. Our speakers will share several important tips on how to focus on impact, build a solid impact proposition, and use this to raise funds.

Key takeaways:

• • Discover what impact-driven fundraising is
  • Learn how to define, measure, and communicate the impact
  • Understand how to “sell” your proposals to potential donors

Speakers:

• • Maarten Mulder, Senior Consultant at HVFC
  • Han Valk, CEO & Senior Consultant at HVFC

Host:

• • Elena Rata, External Relations & Events at DevelopmentAid

Register for the webinar!