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Add to Preferred SourcesEurope loses its coal phase-out progress amid soaring energy prices, global response to the war in Ukraine must become the standard, progress on sustainable development goals stalls worldwide. Here is what you missed from last week’s headlines in the international development sector:
Europe loses its coal phase-out progress amid soaring energy prices
Despite the EU’s efforts towards phasing out the dirtiest fuel from its power generation mix, the soaring prices of energy sources have caused countries to switch to coal in the post-pandemic period. The war in Ukraine has further jeopardized the energy markets, making coal the most desirable alternative for many member countries.
Europe had decreased its dependency on coal during the last decade before the impact of the pandemic. For comparison, in 2019, coal held a 13% share of primary energy consumption at the EU level while globally its share reached 27%. However, in October 2021, the price of natural gas reached its highest level in a decade due to a violently cold winter in Russia and high demand in Asian countries. The increasing prices of natural gas pushed countries to switch to coal consumption, increasing the dirtiest fuel’s share in the EU’s power generation mix. In EU member countries, electricity production from coal increased by 16% in 2021.
However, the growing level of coal consumption in Europe is believed to be a short-term situation as member countries increasingly invest in renewable power generation. The future of fuel is expected to depend largely on countries such as India and China, as together both consumed 60% of coal globally in 2021.
Global response to the war in Ukraine must become the standard
World Refugee Day this year is marked by grim records – with the tragic outbreak of war in Ukraine, the number of people around the world who have been forced to flee has now reached 100 million. The Danish Refugee Council (DRC), International Rescue Committee (IRC), and Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) urge States to learn from the response to the Ukraine crisis and act with the same urgency to support all people fleeing conflict.
The coordinated effort to protect those fleeing Ukraine demonstrates that a humane response to a refugee crisis is possible when there is sufficient political will. The war in Ukraine provides clear lessons, especially for the application of the commitments of the Refugee Convention and the Global Compact on Refugees, argue the three organizations in a briefing shared with donors and policymakers.
On World Refugee Day, it is vital to act with the same urgency to support all people fleeing conflict, regardless of their origins, as continue to support those forced to flee the war in Ukraine. Reception and hosting of people fleeing persecution and war is an obligation, not an optional act of solidarity. DRC, IRC, and NRC encourage States to work together for joint solutions, live up to their legal obligations to welcome and support all people fleeing persecution, human rights violations, and war, and contribute to better international responsibility-sharing. The timing couldn’t be more crucial.
Progress on sustainable development goals stalls worldwide
No progress on achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs) was recorded in 2021 due to multiple and simultaneous crises, a recent report published by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) shows. Apparently, nor is any particular improvement being seen in 2022 either with the International Spillover Index indicating that rich countries are generating international spillovers, creating additional obstacles towards progress on the SDGs.
According to the report, with an average SDG Index score equal to 66.0 points, 2021 is the second year in a row when countries have failed to record improvement towards the SDGs. The report itself highlights several fundamental approaches that are important if progress is to be resumed. Firstly, advanced countries should ensure a larger amount of financial support to developing countries in order for the latter to meet development and SDG targets. Besides this, developed countries should dedicate more funding to the Multilateral Development Banks and G20 countries should increase their support to developing countries through channels such as higher ODA, large-scale philanthropy, and the refinancing of debts. Secondly, on one hand, the IMF and credit-rating agencies should take into account the development prospects of countries in their assessments of debt sustainability while, on the other hand, developing countries should strengthen their debt management and creditworthiness through better policy targets.
DevelopmentAid Editorials
A look at the benefits and drawbacks of renewable energy
The effects of global warming and climate change are being increasingly seen all around the world. Extreme heatwaves, heavy rainfall, and severe droughts are just some examples of the negative environmental changes caused by rising temperatures. Scientists have identified carbon emissions as the primary cause of climate change and the international community has agreed to take the necessary measures to stop and reverse the current negative trends. In this context, renewables are seen as one of the solutions since they represent a ‘cleaner’ alternative to fossil fuels that could satisfy our energy needs.
Carbon pricing in Latin America: How is this market growing?
The world is racing against time to try to reduce carbon emissions into the atmosphere. Global warming is already a daily problem, causing natural disasters across the planet. One of the mechanisms devised to help with this task is the carbon sales market. In 2021, global revenues from carbon pricing soared by almost 60% compared to 2020, reaching US$84 billion according to the World Bank‘s annual “State and Trends of Carbon Pricing”.
Top 10 African countries to invest in 2022
In 2020, Africa was hit by the worst economic recession in the last 50 years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The contractions on the continent reached 2.2% in terms of real GDP and 4.6% in terms of GDP per capita. The following year, in 2021, the majority of African economies started to recover but reaching pre-pandemic growth rates in the next few years remains unlikely. Economists see public-private investment as an effective path for economic recovery. This article presents the top 10 African countries in which to invest in 2022.
Here’s what else has happened
UN: The UN World Food Programme, WFP, said that it will have no choice but to make further food ration cuts soon for refugees. The cause of the imminent cuts is multiplying humanitarian needs around the world and insufficient funding.
USAID: USAID Administrator Samantha Power announced the launch of USAID’s new flagship initiative to combat ocean plastic pollution globally—the Save Our Seas Initiative. The initiative will include $62.5 million in initial funding and will launch 14 new country and regional programs in key countries and regions that represent 40 percent of total global mismanaged plastic waste.
CARE: Incessant rainfall in Meghalaya-Cherrapunji upstream and Bangladesh’s northeast region swelled up the main river systems beyond danger level, leading to the worst floods of the century in this region. Impacting an estimated 6.8 million people across seven districts, 80% of Sylhet and almost 100% of Sunamganj district are under water.
Reports
222 million crisis-hit children currently require educational support
A shocking new UN report released indicates that the number of crisis-impacted school-aged children requiring educational support has grown from an estimated 75 million in 2016, to 222 million.
The UN global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises, Education Cannot Wait (ECW), outlines that of those 222 million girls and boys, as many as 78.2 million are out of school, and close to 120 million who are in attendance are not achieving minimum proficiency in math or reading.
In fact, just one in ten crisis-impacted children attending primary or secondary education are actually meeting proficiency standards.
OCHA launches Annual Report for 2021
OCHA‘s Annual Report covers a year of deepening humanitarian needs. The report takes stock of OCHA’s actions and activities during 2021 as the number of people in need grew due to conflicts in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Syria, and Yemen, the hunger crisis in Madagascar and South Sudan, and the cyclone and earthquake in Haiti.
It highlights how OCHA was able to mobilize US$20.1 billion through UN-coordinated humanitarian appeals — a 6.4 per cent increase from the $18.9 billion raised in 2020.
Thanks to donors’ generous support, the UN and partners reached 107 million people with some form of assistance.
70 per cent of 10-year-olds in ‘learning poverty’, unable to read and understand a simple text
The State of Global Learning Poverty: 2022 Update report shows that prolonged school closures, poor mitigation effectiveness, and household-income shocks had the biggest impact on learning poverty in Latin America and the Caribbean, with a predicted 80 per cent of children at the end of primary school age now unable to understand a simple written text, up from around 50 per cent pre-pandemic. The next-largest increase is in South Asia, where predictions put at 78 per cent the share of children that lack minimum literacy proficiency, up from 60 per cent pre-pandemic. Emerging data measuring actual learning levels of children in reopened school systems around the world corroborate the predictions of large learning losses. In sub-Saharan Africa, increases in learning poverty were smaller, as school closures in this region typically lasted only a few months, but stand at an extremely high 89 per cent. In all other regions, simulations show increases in learning poverty.
Events
UN Ocean Conference 2022
📅 27 June – 1 July 2022
Lisbon, Portugal
The ocean covers 70 percent of the Earth’s surface, is the planet’s largest biosphere, and is home to up to 80 percent of all life in the world. It generates 50 percent of the oxygen the world need, absorbs 25 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions, and captures 90 percent of the additional heat generated from those emissions. It is not just ‘the lungs of the planet’ but also its largest carbon sink – a vital buffer against the impacts of climate change.
7th European Civil Protection Forum
📅 28 – 29 June 2022
Brussels, Belgium
Over the last 15 years, the European Civil Protection Forum has become an important European gathering of practitioners and decision-makers in the field of civil protection.
Under the overarching theme “Towards faster, greener & smarter emergency management”, the Forum will tackle 4 policy axes:
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- Strengthen climate resilience – Preparing for extreme weather events
- Protect the citizens– Adapting to new risks
- Europe in the world – Reaching beyond geographical boundaries
- Embrace innovation & digitalization – Pooling the knowledge
Global Health Security Conference 2022 (GHS2022)
📅 28 June – 1 July 2022
Suntec Convention & Exhibition Centre, Singapore
The Global Health Security Conference 2022 (GHS2022) will bring together practitioners, researchers, educators, representatives, and decision-makers across the fields of public health, medicine, veterinary science, agriculture, government, defence, international relations, sociology, and anthropology to examine the progress made to date in strengthening health systems and identify the gaps and opportunities for enhancing the international community’s ability to respond more efficiently and effectively to future adverse health crises.
Sustainability Week 2022
📅 28 June- 1 July 2022
Miami, USA
The global economy is facing an extraordinary and evolving combination of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) related disruptions that are irreversibly shaping how companies do business and invest.
Changes in the EU External Action Procurement: PRAG 2021 | Webinar
📅 30 June 2022 🕑 10:30 – 11:15
Webinar
The new Practical Guide (PRAG) introduces some changes that may impact the way of European companies participate in tenders and call for proposals.
The webinar will take place on 30th June at 10h.30-11h:15. Finland, Italy, and Spain are the main organizing countries of the webinar and a significant number of Member states organizations co-organize the event. The session will focus on the main changes in the EU External Actions Procurement, which were implemented in 2021 and 2022. It will equally cover the implications for EU External Actions Procurement.