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Add to Preferred SourcesUNICEF and Microsoft to protect vulnerable children and women, EU announces €20 million to support health systems in ASEAN and nearly 40 million at heightened risk of violence, discrimination and rights abuses. Here is what you missed from last week’s headlines in the international development sector:
UNICEF and Microsoft to protect vulnerable children and women amid rise in domestic and gender-based violence due to COVID-19
UNICEF and Microsoft Corp. launched a new version of Primero called Primero X — an open-source case management web application that helps social service providers coordinate critical support to vulnerable children. Key interventions include providing access to life-saving services, such as family reunification and tracing, while still adhering to physical distancing and movement restrictions due to COVID-19. The launch of Primero X comes amid an increase in the rates of domestic and gender-based violence linked to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Millions of children are now more vulnerable to violence, abuse, and neglect due to the socioeconomic consequences of the intensifying pandemic. There are 1.8 billion children in the 104 countries where violence prevention and response services have been disrupted due to COVID-19. Schools are shuttered, parents and caregivers are losing jobs, and families are under increasing financial strain.
Over the past 12 months, UNICEF and Microsoft have been working together to enhance Primero to allow governments and other partners to deploy the application more quickly in humanitarian crises; support usage in offline and online settings from any device; improve the quality and consistency of care to vulnerable groups, and protect the privacy of at-risk children. The new version of Primero is currently being piloted in Ghana, with expected release to dozens of other countries through 2022. UNICEF aims to have Primero X live in 60 countries and territories by 2025.
UNICEF and partners are urging governments and protection authorities to adopt innovative technologies, like Primero X, to ensure that vulnerable women and children can be protected even under the most challenging of circumstances. Primero X supports multiple modules and can adapt to a broad range of protection programming, including unaccompanied and separated children, psychosocial support, children in alternative care, and gender-based violence in emergencies. Additionally, UNICEF has been advocating for social service workers to be recognized as “essential workers.”
EU announces €20 million to support health systems in ASEAN
As part of Team Europe’s global response to the coronavirus pandemic, the European Union announced a new €20 million programme to support the preparedness and response capacities of our partners in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The South-East Asia Pandemic Response and Preparedness programme will be implemented by the World Health Organization, working closely with national authorities and the ASEAN Secretariat. It will enhance regional coordination of the COVID-19 response and strengthen the capacity of health systems in South-East Asia while paying special attention to vulnerable populations.
Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen, announced the programme at the 23rd EU-ASEAN Foreign Affairs Ministers meeting: “The South-East Asia Pandemic Response and Preparedness programme is part of the European Union’s €350 million solidarity response to support our ASEAN partners in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic. Strong regional coordination on access to information, equipment, and vaccines is essential for overcoming this crisis. We are in this together and, as partners, stronger together.”
The programme, with a duration of 42 months, will strengthen the monitoring and testing capacities of ASEAN Member States, as well as the capacity of their health institutions and workers to manage the caseload while maintaining essential health services. The programme will also support timely and transparent communication about the pandemic, and help reach people living in rural and remote areas with information about the preventive measures, symptoms, and risks.
Nearly 40 million at heightened risk of violence, discrimination and rights abuses as Covid spawns a ‘coping crisis’
A new report released by the Norwegian Refugee Council and the UNHCR, UN Refugee Agency-led Global Protection Cluster (GPC) finds that millions of people internally displaced or affected by conflict could be missing out on humanitarian protection support due to insufficient funding.
GPC data indicates that of the 54 million people targeted for assistance in 26 humanitarian response plans, almost 40 million could be missing out this year.
“The human toll of the pandemic on the world’s vulnerable should not only be measured by the number of lives it has taken but by the eclipsing number it has shattered. Covid-19 has the hardest hit millions of people with absolutely no access to protection services. Children recruited by armies cannot reclaim lost childhoods. Women raped and beaten wear their scars for life,” said Jan Egeland, Secretary-General of the Norwegian Refugee Council.
Gender-based violence has increased dramatically since the onset of Covid-19. Experts projected in April that for every three months lockdown measures continued around the world, an additional 15 million women and girls would be exposed to gender-based violence.
In Mali, over 4,400 cases of gender-based violence were reported between January and September, but only 48 percent of towns had support services. In the Central African Republic (CAR), reported incidents of gender-based violence more than doubled, including rape, sexual slavery, and forced marriage. CAR was already one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a woman or girl. In Niger, reports have been received of women being tortured for engaging in economic activity outside of the home, and not wearing full veil coverings.
DevelopmentAid Editorials
Australia offers Indonesia a US$1 billion COVID-19 recovery loan
As Indonesia suffers serious economic turbulence as a result of the pandemic, the Australian government intends to help the country to face this problem by offering a US$1 billion development loan. The loan is intended to be a gesture of goodwill towards the most populous country of this region which is experiencing a deep economic crisis and aims to demonstrate that Australia is willing to strengthen its relationship with it.
Ireland increased its overseas development aid spending by 10% in 2019
Last year, Ireland spent €869m delivering development aid to over 130 countries, ranking it in 12th position globally in terms of overseas aid contributions, as a percentage of its national income.
The list of major upcoming events in development sector in December 2020
Keep up to the date key events about emerging funding strategies, environmental policies, climate change, technological development, labour standards and energy issues in the development sector via our compiled list.
Here’s what else has happened
UK: The UK has announced emergency funding to help millions of people in Yemen, as a new report says the worsening crisis has left thousands living in ‘famine conditions’ and facing starvation, death and destitution.
KfW: KfW is supporting the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) with EUR 8.5 million on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The funds are being used for education and youth welfare measures for up to 69,000 children, young people, and young adults in Rohingya refugee camps in southeastern Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar district and the surrounding communities.
EIB: The European Investment Bank Group (EIB Group) launched a new financing instrument to support artificial intelligence companies across Europe. The co-investment facility of up to €150 million will allow the EIB Group to invest alongside funds backed by the European Investment Fund (EIF) in companies that are active in the artificial intelligence (AI) sector and in technologies that directly complement AI, such as Blockchain, the Internet of Things and robotics.
NIB: NIB and Finnish Kuurnan Voima Oy have signed a 10-year loan agreement of EUR 10 million for the refurbishment of a hydropower plant and for the building of a new, small-scale hydropower plant in Pielisjoki River in North Karelia, Finland.
USAID: The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, and the IKEA Foundation announced a joint $30 million commitment to Aceli Africa, an innovative program that incentivizes banks to lend to agribusinesses. With this commitment, Aceli Africa will unlock an additional $700 million by 2025 for 750 agribusinesses in the United Republic of Tanzania and the Republics of Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda.
Reports
2020 on track to be one of three warmest years on record
Climate change continued its relentless march in 2020, which is on track to be one of the three warmest years on record. 2011-2020 will be the warmest decade on record, with the warmest six years all being since 2015, according to the World Meteorological Organization.
Read the report: State of the Global Climate in 2020
Donors show solidarity with refugees and steadfast support for UNHCR programmes for 2021
Donor governments pledged a record US$932 million to UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, for next year’s activities at its annual pledging conference in Geneva. These generous initial pledges will allow UNHCR to continue to deliver life-saving aid and to protect the rights of nearly 80 million refugees, displaced, and stateless people from the start of 2021. In all, donors have committed over $1.1 billion for UNHCR’s programmes in 2021 and beyond, showing strong solidarity with refugees and confidence in UNHCR’s work.
Read the UNHCR’s 2021 Global Appeal.
UNICEF issues record US$6.4 billion emergency funding appeal to reach more than 190 million children impacted by humanitarian crises and the COVID-19 pandemic
UNICEF issued its largest-ever emergency funding appeal for US$6.4 billion to reach 300 million people, including more than 190 million children, with essential support and services through the end of 2021. This appeal is a 35 percent increase over funds requested for 2020 and a reflection of expanding humanitarian needs globally amidst protracted crises and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read the Humanitarian Action for Children 2021 Overview
Events
CERF High-level Pledging Event | Virtual
? 8 December 2020 ? 10:00 AM — 01:00 PM (EST)
Virtual
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is convening the annual CERF High-level Pledging Event. The event is an opportunity to highlight the achievements of the Fund, to announce pledges for 2021, and collectively ensure that CERF’s level of funding continues towards the expanded funding target of $1 billion as endorsed by the General Assembly.
Europe 4.0 and the Digital Divide | Virtual
? 7 December 2020 ? 10:00AM – 11:30AM (EST)
Virtual
Europe faces a digital dilemma. New digital technologies can help Europe become more competitive. However, while some of these new technologies create or expand access to markets for smaller firms and in lagging regions, others can create challenges for the European convergence machine if they concentrate economic activity in large firms and leading regions.
This discussion will focus on how Europe can meet its “triple objective” to improve competitiveness while fostering market inclusion for smaller firms and economic convergence for citizens and regions, and the relevance of some of the approaches for other countries in Europe and Central Asia.
Global Digital Health Forum 2020 | Virtual
? 7-9 December 2020
Virtual
Digital health can be the great leveler – it can give anyone access to information about health and disease. But sometimes, it can unfairly exclude. How do we give the opportunity to the poorest of the poor, people in fragile settings, women, young people, people with disabilities, and people with diverse sexual and gender identities and expressions? How do we make life easier for overburdened health care workers and caregivers who are caring for the whole child, not just the “ill’ part of the child? How do we address these issues alongside the realities of pandemics, like COVID-19, and climate change, that are changing our lives on a daily basis? This year’s Forum will explore all of these issues and more.