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Add to Preferred SourcesUN chief urges ‘big emitters’ to take climate action, UNICEF unveils the latest innovation to improve education in emergencies and investments in fossil fuels. Here is what you missed from last week’s headlines in the international development sector:
At Davos, UN chief urges ‘big emitters’ to take climate action
The world is “doomed” in the face of climate change unless major industrial nations reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, UN Secretary-General António Guterres told business leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
The UN chief observed that while many smaller developing countries and the European Union have committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, “the big emitters” have yet to act.
If the big emitters do not rally around the principle of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, “we will be doomed because they represent a very important share”, the UN chief said.
“The G20 represents 80 percent of the emissions that contribute to climate change.”
Mr. Guterres said Governments can take steps to help move the world towards a greener future, such as cutting subsidies for fossil fuels.
“As a taxpayer, I can’t really accept the idea that my taxes are used to boost hurricanes, or to bleach coral, or to melt glaciers”, he stated.
For the Secretary-General, climate change is the defining issue of our time, representing an “existential threat” to the entire planet and threatening development.
On World Education Day, UNICEF unveils latest innovation to improve education in emergencies
UNICEF announced the launch of a new generation of innovative multi-purpose tents which will provide a wide range of humanitarian support for children affected by conflict and disasters around the world.
The new and improved High-Performance Tents include multiple add-on features aimed at meeting the needs of children in emergencies worldwide and are the result of a two-year co-creation process with industry partners.
Humanitarian multipurpose tents offer safe spaces for children fleeing from conflict or natural disaster. They can be used as schools, health clinics, nutrition facilities, distribution points and child-friendly spaces.
Between 2013 and 2018, UNICEF procured on average 4,650 multipurpose tents per year at an annual average total cost of US$6.6 million. These tents provided support services to millions of emergency-affected children each year.
Greenpeace challenges banks over $1.4 trillion invested in fossil fuels since Paris Agreement
Since the groundbreaking Paris summit on climate change in 2015, 24 global banks have invested $1.4 trillion in the fossil fuel industry, according to Jennifer Morgan, Executive Director of Greenpeace International.
Greenpeace’s report, It’s the Finance Sector, Stupid puts the blame for the climate emergency at the feet of the banks, insurers and pension funds that participate in Davos. The report adds that $1 trillion could buy 640GW of solar power, more than the current global capacity.
However, financiers on the panel, tasked with solving the “green growth equation”, argued that the international financial system is fundamentally reshaping itself around how to transition to a net-zero economy. They are responding to the demands of their clients as well as directly feeling the heat through, for example, having to reprice the cost of insurance risk.
Governments are lagging behind. We are in the midst of the largest civil society protests since the Iraq and Vietnam wars, Morgan said, but “it’s actually the politics that’s holding us back on this”. She called on government leaders to take courage, sit down with experts, civil society and innovators, and put together what we know needs to be done. Carney pointed to November’s COP26 meeting in Glasgow as the opportunity to get private actors and regulators together to ensure that climate change is taken into account in every financial decision.
Here’s what else has happened
Coronavirus: The head of the UN health agency, WHO (World Health Organization), declared that the respiratory disease Novel Coronavirus, is not yet an official Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), but warned that it is an emergency in China. However, after two days of deliberations, the WHO Emergency Committee, which advises the head of the agency, was divided on whether to declare a PHEIC.
Global Fund: The Global Fund has reached an agreement with partners for a consolidated grant for tuberculosis and malaria in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and implementation of the grant has begun. Under this grant, drug-susceptible tuberculosis and malaria component will be implemented by UNICEF and the World Health Organization. Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB) component will be implemented by the Eugene Bell Foundation. With these revised implementation arrangements, the Global Fund is confident that partners can serve more people affected by tuberculosis and malaria, and achieve required levels of assurance that the grant is being implemented effectively.
Zimbabwe: The Board of the African Development Fund (ADF) approved a $685,000 grant to strengthen Zimbabwe’s capacity to manage disaster risks, including droughts, floods and tropical cyclones, through the Bank’s Africa Disaster Risk Financing (ADRiFi) programme.
EIB: The European Investment Bank (EIB) is providing loans of up to EUR 180m for the establishment of 75 multi-professional and interdisciplinary primary health centres in Austria.
Reports
Effective public spending key to achieving agenda 2030
A new UNOPS-supported report published by The Economist Intelligence Unit concludes that less wasteful, more efficient government spending practices can free up resources to address a critical funding gap in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The research essay — The future of public spending: Why the way we spend is critical to the Sustainable Development Goals — argues that the sheer size of public spending, typically between 15-30 percent of gross domestic product, makes it a powerful force for change. Efficient public procurement allows governments to make substantial progress towards achieving their social, environmental and economic sustainability objectives.
“How and what governments spend their money on can have a huge impact. It can drive innovation, help build jobs and local economic growth. It can drive behaviour and help contain levels of carbon emissions,” said UNOPS Executive Director Grete Faremo.
Read and download the report: The future of public spending: Why the way we spend is critical to the Sustainable Development Goals.
Rising inequality affecting more than two-thirds of the globe, but it’s not inevitable: new UN report
Inequality is growing for more than 70 percent of the global population, exacerbating the risks of divisions and hampering economic and social development. But the rise is far from inevitable and can be tackled at a national and international level, says a flagship study released by the UN.
The World Social Report 2020, published by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), shows that income inequality has increased in most developed countries, and some middle-income countries – including China, which has the world’s fastest-growing economy.
Read and download the report: “Inequality in a Rapidly Changing World”.
Events
17th International Weather and Climate Forum
Paris, France
16-19 May 2020
Created in 2004, the International Forum on Weather and Climate (IWF) has become an essential meeting place for education and mobilization on climate issues. The IWF facilitates the exchange of information between various actors (general public, scientists, companies, weather presenters, communities …) so that everyone can act at his own level! It proposes a program for the General Public (exhibition, workshops, participative debates …) and a program for Professionals including an International Symposium and a Media-Workshop gathering worldwide weather presenters.
Global Technology Governance Summit
San Francisco, USA
21-22 April 2020
The Global Technology Governance Summit will convene these key stakeholders from industry, government, technology, civil society, and academia to drive cross-sector action on the most pressing technology challenges of our time.