Weekly roundup: Top international development headlines

The Global Ocean Observing System launches 2030 Strategy, organizations join forces to promote the benefits of vaccines, partners launch recovery projects in Zimbabwe and European Union mobilises support for victims of Hurricane Dorian. Here is what you missed from last week’s headlines in the international development sector:

Informing society for a sustainable ocean: the Global Ocean Observing System launches 2030 Strategy

Ahead of OceanObs’19 – the world’s once-in-a-decade international conference on ocean observations – the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) has launched a 2030 Strategy, aimed at building a global ocean observing system that can respond to our society’s growing needs of ocean data and knowledge for sustainable development.

The value of ocean observations is constantly increasing. In a rapidly changing environment, ocean observations are needed to improve early warnings of floods, droughts and severe storms. A growing global population will require more and more information about the state of the marine ecosystems that provide them with food, energy and jobs. Understanding the real value of marine ecosystem services, estimated at US$3-6 trillion/year, will be essential to inform policies on the sustainable development of an ocean economy, a future source of economic growth.

Ocean observations that were once used almost exclusively by scientists are now needed by a wider array of users, including policy-makers at government level and private sector companies, e.g. the maritime sector.

European Commission and World Health Organization join forces to promote the benefits of vaccines

The European Commission and the World Health Organization (WHO) are co-hosting the world’s first Global Vaccination Summit in Brussels. The aim is to accelerate global action to stop the spread of vaccine-preventable diseases and advocate against the spread of vaccine misinformation worldwide.

Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, said:

“It is inexcusable that in a world as developed as ours, there are still children dying of diseases that should have been eradicated long ago. Worse, we have the solution in our hands but it is not being put to full use. Vaccination already prevents 2-3 million deaths a year and could prevent a further 1.5 million if global vaccination coverage improved. Today’s summit is an opportunity to address this gap. The Commission will continue to work with the EU’s Member States in their national efforts and with our partners here today. This is a global challenge we must tackle together, and now.”

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, said:

“After many years of progress, we are at a critical turning point. Measles is resurging, and 1 in 10 children continues to miss out on essential childhood vaccines,” said Dr. Tedros, “We can and must get back on track. We will only do this by ensuring everyone can benefit from the power of vaccines – and if governments and partners invest in immunization as a right for all, and social good. Now is the time to step up efforts to support vaccination as a core part of health for all.”

European Union mobilises support for victims of Hurricane Dorian

Following a request for assistance from the Bahamas, the EU Civil Protection Mechanism has been activated and relief, logistics, and communications support are being sent by The Netherlands and by Luxembourg. In addition, the EU is mobilising €500,000 in humanitarian aid funding to assist those affected by Hurricane Dorian to address the most urgent needs for shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene.

“Hurricane Dorian has left a large trail of destruction with many casualties and leaving homes in ruins. We will do all we can to help, getting aid into the people on the ground. Our thoughts are with all those affected by this tragedy and with the Bahamian authorities and brave first responders on the scene,” said Christos Stylianides, Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management.

As an immediate first response, the EU mobilised a humanitarian expert to the Bahamas to make a first assessment of the needs last week. In the coming days, two liaison officers from the EU’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre will join him to coordinate the incoming assistance.

Here’s what else has happened

 

The European Investment Bank (EIB) has agreed EUR 7 billion of new financing. This includes support for new investment to improve social housing, clean energy and sustainable transport, telecommunications, health and education. The EIB also approved more than EUR 2.8 billion of new support for business investment through both direct financing and credit lines with local banks.

UNICEF and World Press Photo Foundation: A special exhibition of some of the world’s most powerful visual stories that lay bare the pressing challenges faced by children uprooted from their homes and countries was inaugurated by UNICEF and the World Press Photo Foundation.

The thought-provoking stories – many of which have received widespread attention and spurred international debate on issues related to migration – were selected from images and productions awarded in the prestigious World Press Photo contests between 2016 and 2019.

The European Union: The European Commission adopted a Communication reaffirming the EU’s commitment to accelerated climate ambition.

Preparing for the Climate Action Summit by the United Nations Secretary General in New York on 23 September, the Commission recalls that the European Union has been at the forefront of global climate action, negotiating an inclusive international framework to respond to this challenge, while acting domestically with unity, speed and decisiveness. The EU has put concrete actions behind its Paris Agreement commitments, in line with the Juncker Commission priority of establishing an Energy Union with a forward-looking climate change policy.

Mozambique: Reducing disaster losses in Mozambique were top of the agenda in Maputo as the Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction, Mami Mizutori, undertook shuttle advocacy across the capital.

Her first port of call was to launch a two-day review with disaster management agency officials from INGC, of disaster loss data collection as the country aims to improve its reporting against the seven targets of the global plan for reducing disaster losses, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.

Reports

How to accelerate change towards sustainability?

Focusing in particular on Europe’s food, energy and mobility systems, the EEA report ‘Sustainability transitions: policy and practice’ illustrates the importance of promoting diverse innovations — social practices, business models, technologies — that can trigger new ways of living and thinking. It points to the critical need to empower cities as hubs of innovation and networking, to reorient financial flows towards sustainable and transformative innovations, to navigate inevitable surprises and trade-offs, and to ensure socially fair outcomes.

Read and download the EEA report: Sustainability transitions: policy and practice.

Invest in early warning to deliver climate adaptation

Investing in early warning services is critical if countries and communities are to meet the challenge of climate change, the World Meteorological Organization’s Secretary-General Petteri Taalas said as the Global Commission on Adaptation launched a landmark report on the economic benefits of action.

Read and download A Global Call for Leadership on Climate Resilience.

New WHO report reveals stalled progress on health equity across Europe

WHO’s first-ever Health Equity Status Report reveals that health inequities in many of the 53 countries in the WHO European Region remain either the same or have worsened despite governments’ attempts to address them. The Report newly identifies 5 key risk factors that are holding many children, young people, women and men back from achieving good health and leading safe and decent lives.

“For the first time, the Health Equity Status Report provides governments with the data and tools they need to tackle health inequities and produce visible results in a relatively short period of time, even within the lifetime of a national government of 4 years,” says Dr. Zsuzsanna Jakab, WHO Regional Director for Europe.

Read and download the Healthy, prosperous lives for all: the European Health Equity Status Report. 

Events

The Global Landscapes Forum 2019: Restore the Earth

New York, USA
28 September 2019

The Forum takes a holistic approach to create sustainable landscapes that are productive, prosperous, equitable and resilient and considers five cohesive themes of food and livelihood initiatives, landscape restoration, rights, finance and measuring progress. It is led by the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), in collaboration with its co-founders UN Environment and the World Bank and Charter Members.

STUNNING Final Conference

Paris, France
18 September 2019

At the STUNNING Final Conference, the project team will present their main results of its two-year project: Studies on cost-benefit benchmarking of refurbishment packages, a comprehensive analysis of current barriers to the wide adoption of refurbishment measures, promising business models for building refurbishment and the online knowledge exchange platform “Renovation Hub”.

24th World Energy Congress

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
9-12 September 2019

The 24th World Energy Congress aims to bring together international energy stakeholders, including governments, private and state corporations, academia and media. With over 15,000 participants expected, the Congress is set to welcome over 250 high-level speakers, 70 ministers, 500 CEOs, 600 media with an 40,000 sqm exhibition space that will cover the entire energy spectrum.