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Add to Preferred SourcesMalnutrition could kill 153 children every day over the next two years, a record number of climate-related disasters in 2020 and UN refugee chief’s challenge to world leaders. Here is what you missed from last week’s headlines in the international development sector:
Malnutrition could kill 153 children every day over the next two years because of COVID-19
The COVID-19 crisis has put the world on the brink of a nutrition crisis, Save the Children warned in a new report with pandemic-related malnutrition projected to kill an average of 153 children a day over the next two years if action is not taken.
In addition, a COVID-19-induced spike in the number of global malnutrition cases could push an additional 9.3 million children to suffer from wasting, a result of acute malnutrition that can lead to death.
The impact of COVID-19 has led to an increase in poverty, a loss of livelihoods and less access to health and nutrition services, pushing up rates of hunger and malnutrition. In its new report, Nutrition Critical, Save the Children said that the pandemic could reverse years of progress made in the battle against malnutrition, with children in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa being hardest hit—especially those in poorer households or in crises and conflict zones.
Even before the pandemic hit, many communities struggled to provide children with enough healthy food, with one in three children under five suffering from malnutrition. Almost half of all of deaths among children under the age of five were linked to under-nutrition.
Red Cross faces record number of climate related disasters in 2020
In a record-breaking year, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has responded to more climate-related disasters across Asia Pacific than any other time this century so far.
The IFRC has already responded to 25 climate-related disasters in the Asia Pacific, including floods, typhoons, extreme cold weather, and a drought. The climate emergency tally is seven more than last year continuing an upward trend.
In total, Red Cross and Red Crescent teams have responded to 29 major emergencies across the Asia Pacific in 2020, only one short of last year’s record number of overall responses.
“This record-breaking number of climate disasters reinforces in blunt terms what was revealed in the IFRC 2020 World Disaster Report – that more volatile weather is bringing more climate-related disasters. Our teams are seeing the devastating impacts first-hand as they respond to widespread – and in many cases unprecedented – floods, storms and other extreme weather events,” said Jessica Letch, IFRC Emergency Operations Manager.
In 2019, more than 94.2 million people were affected by climate-related disasters in Asia and the Pacific, according to the World Disasters report. The Asia Pacific is by far the most disaster-prone region in the world, with around twice as many emergencies as the Americas or Africa.
Put me out of a job: UN refugee chief’s challenge to world leaders
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees has challenged world leaders to put him “out of a job” by addressing the root causes that drive millions to flee their homes due to war and insecurity.
In a message commemorating the 70th anniversary of the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), High Commissioner Filippo Grandi called on the international community “to build a world in which there is truly no need for a UN refugee agency because nobody is compelled to flee.”
“Don’t get me wrong: as matters stand, our work is crucial”, he continued, “yet the paradox is that we ought not to exist. If we find ourselves observing many more birthdays, the only conclusion will be that the international community has failed.”
This week marks the 70th anniversary of the decision by the UN General Assembly to establish the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees, to assist millions of Europeans who fled or lost their homes during the Second World War.
Originally a time-limited mandate, UNHCR’s work has continued to expand, with crises globally forcing people to flee for safety and protection.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres outlined the changing landscape and evolving challenges in UNHCR’s work.
DevelopmentAid Editorials
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation: COVID-19 may prevent the accomplishment of Sustainable Development Goals
According to the latest Goalkeepers Report issued by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), the COVID-19 pandemic has seriously endangered further pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals, increasing poverty to levels that have not been seen for many years.
UN urges world leaders to declare ‘state of climate emergency’
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on every country to declare a “climate emergency”. The appeal was made at the UN virtual summit on December 12, which marked the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement. However, participating world leaders have so far offered varying levels of commitment.
11 aid agencies warn of future humanitarian catastrophe because of COVID-19, appeal to G20 leaders for bigger effort
As the global COVID-19 outbreak fails to diminish, the economic crisis is becoming deeper with the levels of poverty, malnutrition, and hunger dramatically growing. This is why representatives from 11 aid organizations have called upon the G20 countries to make more financial effort to address the forthcoming challenges.
Here’s what else has happened
UNHCR: UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, released its supplementary appeal for 2021 Covid response seeking an additional $455 million. While most of the pandemic-related activities amounting to $477 million have been already mainstreamed and included in UNHCR’s 2021 Global Appeal totaling $8.616 billion, the supplementary Covid-19 response focuses on exceptional socioeconomic and protection impacts related to COVID-19 as millions of refugees, internally displaced and stateless people fall into conditions of extreme hardship.
WFP: The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warned more than 435,000 refugees in Kenya faced imminent food shortages unless new funds are swiftly received.
ADB: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $2 million technical assistance (TA) grant to help select developing members prevent and control the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) by expanding and integrating water, sanitation, hygiene, and health (WASH+H) approaches into ADB’s projects.
UK: More than 137,000 people in the UK have received the first dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in the first week of the largest vaccination programme in British history.
African Development Bank: The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank has approved financing for a $14.96 million project to help women in Sudan access finance and grow their businesses.
Reports
Migrants in Asia and the Pacific at higher risk of COVID-19 and its socioeconomic fallout
The COVID-19 pandemic and its socio-economic fallout pose great risks to migrants in the Asia-Pacific, a new United Nations report reveals. They are more likely to be exposed to the virus, lack access to health care and other essential services, be stranded in countries without work or social protection, and face rising xenophobia. However, as essential workers and remittance providers, migrants are also key to recovering better.
Read the Asia-Pacific Migration Report 2020.
COVID-19 is a threat to peacebuilding in conflict-affected nations
The ongoing COVID-19 crisis uniquely complicates peace and reconstruction efforts in conflict-affected countries, jeopardizing public health responses, and threatening peacebuilding efforts.
United Nations warns about the increased risk of violence in the home against children and adolescents amid COVID-19
In the time of COVID-19, children and adolescents in Latin America and the Caribbean have been and continue to be exposed to a greater risk of becoming victims of violence in the home, while they also enjoy fewer protection factors, according to a document published by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children.
Read the report: Violence against children and adolescents in the time of COVID-19.