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Add to Preferred SourcesUsing AstraZeneca vaccine is ‘right thing to do’ for everyone, social development key pillar for ‘sustainable and resilient’ world and Safer Internet Day. Here is what you missed from last week’s headlines in the international development sector:
Using AstraZeneca vaccine is ‘right thing to do’ for everyone, says WHO expert panel
A World Health Organization (WHO) expert panel countered concerns over the efficacy of the AstraZeneca COVID vaccine, insisting that “it’s the right thing to do” to use it – even in countries where variants had surfaced.
“Even if you have the circulation of a variant in a country, there is no reason that we see, for now, not to use the AstraZeneca vaccine as indicated, to be able to reduce the levels of severe disease in that population”, said Dr. Alejandro Cravioto, Chair of the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE).
The development follows the recent release of data from a study in South Africa indicating that the AstraZeneca jab provided little protection against a variant of the new coronavirus among older people.
At a press conference in Geneva, SAGE Executive Secretary, Dr. Joachim Hombach, described that study as “relatively modest”, while Dr. Cravioto added that few over 65s had taken part in it.
Dr. Kate O’Brien, WHO’s head of immunization, said that the South African study’s findings were “inconclusive, albeit demonstrating a low efficacy against mild and moderate disease”.
Social development key pillar for ‘sustainable and resilient’ world – Commission hears
As coronavirus vaccines provide a glimmer of optimism around the world, a high-level UN official said that it was “painful to witness” the dashed hopes of most people in the Global South who have little chance of receiving an inoculation anytime soon.
“The COVID-19 pandemic is a stark reminder of the key role social development plays in protecting people’s lives and livelihoods, as well as the planet”, Munir Akram, Pakistan’s UN Ambassador and the President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) told the in-person opening session of the Commission for Social Development in New York.
He upheld that it is also “one of the critical pillars” for making the world “more sustainable and resilient”.
Safer Internet Day: Prioritize and protect child well-being online
Although millions of boys and girls worldwide have relied on the internet to play, socialize and learn during the COVID-19 pandemic, time online can also expose them to online sexual exploitation, cyberbullying, and other risks, the head of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said.
UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore is among experts expressing growing concern for the well-being of children who were already facing these online risks even before the pandemic.
“For children already experiencing harm or hurt – online or offline – the rise in screen time may have exacerbated their anguish. School closures, physical distancing, decreased services, and increased strain on already vulnerable families disrupted and reduced some of the protective measures available to them”, she said in a statement marking Safer Internet Day.
DevelopmentAid Editorials
Oxfam: The money earned during the pandemic by ten richest men is enough to cover vaccination for the entire population
Oxfam has recently released a report that clearly shows that the global pandemic has not been equally disastrous for everyone with some becoming incredibly rich thanks to the outbreak while others have been plunged into extreme poverty.
UN Women contributes towards gender-responsive solutions to COVID-19 crisis
Aiming to integrate women and girls within the COVID-19 response and recovery efforts, UN Women has contributed towards gender-responsive solutions to the pandemic crisis in Nepal and countries in Asia and the Pacific.
Australia’s workforce enabling programs stimulate skills transfer and vital remittances to Pacific region countries
Since 2012, more than 40,000 workers from nine Pacific Island countries and Timor- Leste have benefited from Australia’s workforce development projects in the region. Almost 7,500 workers from Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu are employed by Australian businesses in low- and semi-skilled roles.
Here’s what else has happened
EU: The European Union in partnership with the World Health Organisation (WHO) launched a new regional programme worth over €40 million to provide critical assistance to ensure local readiness and preparedness for safe and effective vaccination of the population in each of the six Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine.
UNICEF: UNICEF announced the signing of an agreement with Pfizer on behalf of the COVAX Facility for the supply of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine through 2021.
Myanmar: The United Nations in Myanmar has voiced strong concerns over reported use of force by security forces against demonstrators protesting the military takeover and arrests of elected leaders and politicians.
UNHCR: UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is appealing for humanitarian access to reach tens of thousands of people in dire need after they fled escalating violence, clashes, and military operations in the Central African Republic (CAR), a country where almost one-third of the population is now forcibly displaced.
ILO: The ILO has joined the Global Action Plan for Healthy Lives and Well-being for All (SDG3 GAP), becoming the 13th signatory agency to the partnership.
WFP and UN Women: The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) signed an agreement to better support the State of Palestine to accelerate progress on gender equality and women’s empowerment in line with the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
Reports
Acute malnutrition threatens half of children under five in Yemen in 2021: UN
Nearly 2.3 million children under the age of five in Yemen are projected to suffer from acute malnutrition in 2021, four United Nations agencies warned. Of these, 400,000 are expected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition and could die if they do not receive urgent treatment.
Read the full Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Acute Malnutrition report
IFC more than doubles issuance of social bonds in FY2020 to over $3 billion, amid COVID-19
IFC released its new Social Bond Impact Report, showing cumulative volume raised from the program more than doubled in FY2020, bringing the total to over $3 billion since the program’s founding.
The full report: Social Bond Impact Report
East Asian economies drive global trade recovery
The rebound in the fourth quarter of 2020 was uneven and largely powered by the trade of goods from and to developing countries.
Read the report: Global Trade Update
Events
Best Practices For Creating and Working Effectively in a Consortium | Webinar
? 25 February ? 15:00 (CET)/9:00 (ET)/6:00(PT)
Virtual
Learn about the most powerful and best practices in creating consortia, input- and profit-sharing as well as other techniques for effective cooperation in a consortium.
Host: Sergiu Casu, Business Development Director, DevelopmentAid.
Сo-host: Akaoma Onyemelukwe, an expert with 20 years’ experience leading and managing international development initiatives delivering technical assistance across various sectors with an understanding of public sector management and performance, facilitating social performance, and supporting social standards.
44th session of the IFAD Governing Council | Virtual
? 17-18 February
Virtual
The Governing Council is IFAD’s main decision-making body. It consists of all of IFAD’s Member States and meets annually.
The forty-fourth session will focus on the overarching theme “Rural development: a prerequisite for global resilience”. The lessons of the COVID-19 crisis provide an opportunity to reflect on current development approaches and reconfirm that IFAD’s model has provided solutions to build a better rural future.