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Add to Preferred SourcesHumanitarian support for refugees in Turkey, WHO supports European countries’ response to new virus variant and EU budget 2021. Here is what you missed from last week’s headlines in the international development sector:
EU extends humanitarian support for refugees in Turkey
The European Commission has extended two humanitarian flagship programmes in Turkey until early 2022. These programmes help over 1.8 million refugees meet their basic needs and will help over 700,000 children to continue their education.
“The humanitarian needs of refugees in Turkey persist and are even further exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. The EU is fully committed to support those in need, as we have done for the past years. I am glad that our flagship programmes help thousands of refugee families have some normality in their daily lives. This is a true demonstration of European solidarity,” said Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič.
The programmes that were extended until early 2022 are:
- The Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN) is providing over 1.8 million refugees with monthly cash assistance to meet their basic needs. This is the largest EU funded humanitarian programme ever. It is implemented by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in partnership with the Turkish Red Crescent.
- Conditional Cash Transfers for Education (CCTE), the largest EU-funded humanitarian education programme, providing support to families whose children attend school regularly. It helps over 620,000 refugee children continue their education and will support 700,000 in 2021. The programme is implemented by UNICEF in partnership with the Turkish Red Crescent.
WHO supports European countries’ response to new virus variant
WHO/Europe is supporting countries in the WHO European Region following the report of a new SARS-CoV-2 variant on 14 December 2020 by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Support has included: the assessment of risks; recommendations on virological studies, sequencing, and vaccination; guidance on measures; and risk communication. Partner coordination and information sharing has been at the base of the response.
SARS-CoV-2 variant reported to WHO by United Kingdom national authorities
A total of 1108 confirmed cases of a new variant virus, referred to as VUI – 202012/01, have been detected in the United Kingdom as of 13 December 2020. This variant, which includes a range of genetic changes, has spread predominantly in south-east England.
Scientists from the United Kingdom are undertaking a series of urgent epidemiological and virological investigations to further determine the impact of any change on viral properties, such as transmission, disease severity, antibody response or vaccine efficacy.
EU budget 2021: A kick-start of the European recovery
The European Commission welcomes the approval of the 2021 EU annual budget by the Council and the positive vote by the European Parliament.
Commissioner Hahn, in charge of the budget and administration, said “This is a budget for all EU citizens. It will directly support our common recovery, our researchers, businesses, and farmers, as well as our regions and external partners. I encourage all beneficiaries of EU funding to make the most out of it!”
The formal adoption of the next annual budget follows the finalisation of the adoption process, on 17 December, of the next EU long-term budget for 2021-2027. As a result, €1.074 trillion [in 2018 prices] will become available for beneficiaries of EU funding during the next seven years.
In 2021, the European Union will have an annual budget of €164 billion in commitments and €166 billion in payments. The budget, the first under the 2021-2027 multiannual financial framework, will allow the EU to mobilise significant public funds for a continued EU response to the coronavirus pandemic and its consequences; to kick-start a sustainable recovery and to protect and create jobs. It will enable the EU to start investing in the future to achieve a greener, more digital, and more resilient Europe.
The budget reflects Europe’s priorities, which are relevant to ensure a sustainable recovery. To that end, it has been agreed to allocate:
- €48.2 billion in commitments to support the recovery, boosting investment in economic, social and territorial cohesion.
- €55.7 billion for the Common Agricultural Policy and €760.7 million for the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, for Europe’s farmers and fishermen, but also to strengthen the resilience of the agri-food and fisheries sectors and to provide the necessary scope for crisis management;
- €1.1 billion for the Digital Europe programme for the Union’s cyber-defences and to support the digital transition;
- €1.1 billion under the Just Transition Fund and €738.5 million under the LIFE programme to support the environment and climate action;
- €2.8 billion for the Connecting Europe Facility for an up-to-date, high-performance transport infrastructure to facilitate cross-border connections;
- €575 million for the Single Market Programme, €36.2 million and €126.9 million respectively for the programmes supporting cooperation in the fields of taxation and customs;
- €2.7 billion for Erasmus Plus to invest in young people, as well as €306.4 million for the cultural and creative sectors through Creative Europe;
- €873.3 million for the Asylum and Migration Fund and €533.5 million for Integrated Border Management Fund to step up cooperation on external border management as well as migration and asylum policy;
- €175.6 million for the Internal Security Fund and €945.7 million for the European Defence Fund to support European strategic autonomy and security;
- €12.1 billion to support our neighbours and international development and cooperation as well as €1.9 billion for pre-accession assistance, including in the Western Balkans.
DevelopmentAid Editorials
E-volunteer opportunities. Contribute to international development from home.
Volunteering has always been a great way to give something back and put one’s skills to great use. While these opportunities previously required a physical presence a new form of volunteering is now gaining popularity. E-volunteering, also known as virtual or online volunteering, allows you to support causes from around the world without the need to leave your home.
Stakeholders call for collaboration to address disaster risk in the river basin
Monsoon floods have greatly impacted vulnerable communities this year, affecting sustainable development across the basins of Nepal with an estimated total of 9.6 million people in Nepal, Bangladesh and India said to have been displaced or adversely affected due to these floods. The transboundary Koshi river basin that spreads across Nepal, India, and China is perceived to be the biggest threat with the potential of a glacial lake outburst from China to Nepal. Therefore, to discuss good practice and specific areas for transboundary collaboration in order to reduce disaster risks, stakeholders met at the Koshi Disaster Risk Reduction Knowledge Hub (KDKH)’s annual dialogue that took place virtually from 15th to 18th December 2020.
3 billion of people are affected by water stress and frequent droughts
This is the conclusion of the latest report issued by the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) which estimates that of this total, 1.5 billion are suffering due to a severe shortage of water.
Here’s what else has happened
Sweden: The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomes a contribution of SEK 30 million (US$3.5 million) from the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) to help meet the food and nutrition needs of people affected by the conflict in Cabo Delgado.
WFP: The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the Government of Angola launched a nutrition project aimed to support the provincial authorities of Luanda in the treatment and prevention of acute malnutrition in children. The project will support vulnerable communities adversely affected by the social and economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.
EBRD: The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is breaking fresh ground with a US$ 12 million loan to Al Dau Al Haram for Hotel Operations for the regeneration of a brownfield site into a Hyatt Regency hotel, to promote the introduction of green technology, and youth and women inclusion in Egypt.
KfW: Poor people in developing countries and emerging economies face an existential threat in the corona crisis. However, government assistance is often inadequate. KfW and BMZ are therefore supporting countries in stabilising and expanding social systems.
IDB: The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group mounted a historic effort in 2020 to assist its 26 member countries in Latin America and the Caribbean to manage the economic and social impacts of the coronavirus pandemic and lay the groundwork for recovery and sustainable growth, approving a record $21.6 billion in new financing.
Reports
COVID-19 hits culture sector even harder than expected, warns UNESCO
UNESCO has assessed the measures taken by governments to respond to the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on culture professionals and on the sector as a whole, an impact which appears to be more severe than previously assumed, according to data collected by the Organization and contained in a new policy guide.
Read the report: Culture in Crisis: A Policy Guide for a Resilient Creative Sector.
Time is running out for coral reefs: new report
In 2014, coral reefs around the world turned a pallid white from heat stress. The bleaching began in the Pacific and rapidly spread across the Indian and Atlantic oceans. The so-called Third Global Bleaching Event lasted for 36 months, marking the longest, most pervasive, and destructive coral bleaching incident ever recorded.
Read the report: Projections of Future Coral Bleaching Conditions Using IPCC CMIP6 Models.
Water security a top priority in COVID-19 recovery, says ADB report
Economies of Asia and the Pacific must put water security at the top of their agenda to recover from the fallout from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and adapt to climate change, according to a new flagship report released by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
Read the report: Asian Water Development Outlook 2020.