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Add to Preferred SourcesUNHCR calls on states to remove barriers to access to COVID-19 vaccines for refugees, children under five on the brink of starvation across the world and Green Cities Action Programme for Africa. Here is what you missed from last week’s headlines in the international development sector:
UNHCR calls on states to remove barriers to access to COVID-19 vaccines for refugees
Four months since the first delivery of COVID-19 vaccines from the COVAX facility, the global initiative to ensure the vaccines’ equitable distribution, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, calls on States to expedite the roll-out of vaccination campaigns and remove barriers that limit access to vaccines for the world’s 82.4 million forcibly displaced people.
UNHCR is monitoring the inclusion of refugees and asylum seekers in COVID-19 vaccination plans and roll-out in 162 countries.
Of the 126 countries with a refugee population of more than 500 people, UNHCR has confirmed that 123 have either explicitly included refugees in their vaccination plans or provided assurances that they will do so. This is also the case for asylum-seekers in 93 out of 96 countries.
Moreover, UNHCR is able to confirm that refugees and asylum-seekers have begun receiving COVID-19 vaccinations in 91 of the 162 countries monitored. UNHCR commends the States that have included these forcibly displaced populations in the vaccine roll-out and urges others to follow their lead.
“Around the world, we have seen an unwavering commitment to not leave refugees behind in COVID-19 vaccination planning. But barriers to vaccination persist. Stronger efforts are needed to ensure that States’ assurances for refugee inclusion turn into tangible reality,” said Ann Burton, Chief of UNHCR’s Public Health Section.
More than 5.7 million children under five on the brink of starvation across the world
With an estimated 5.7 million children under five on the brink of starvation across the globe, the world is facing the biggest global hunger crisis of the 21st century, Save the Children warned. A further 13 million children under 18 are facing extreme food shortages, the organization said.
For the first time in decades, child hunger and malnutrition is on the rise, Save the Children said, with many families and communities struggling to provide their children with enough nutritious food.
A deadly combination of COVID-19, conflicts, and the impacts of climate change have pushed hunger and malnutrition levels to a record global high. Without urgent action, we could see thousands of children starving to death, reversing decades of progress, Save the Children warned.
In Syria, hunger levels rose by 56 percent between 2019 and the end of 2020, with two in three people in the country needing food or livelihood support. In Burkina Faso and Yemen, hunger levels rose by almost 10 percent. In Afghanistan, almost one in two children under five (3.1 million children) are facing acute malnutrition and need life-saving treatment.
FAO launches Green Cities Action Programme for Africa
A big push in a rapidly urbanizing continent kicked off today as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) launched the Green Cities Regional Action Programme for Africa. The Programme aims to apply innovative solutions and turn urbanization into an opportunity for cities to become more sustainable, more resilient, provide access to healthy foods and ensure a better life for everyone.
The initiative aims to scale up fast-action measures for large, medium and small cities to be more resilient, food and nutrition secure, with pleasant natural environments, more integrated nutritious food production-and-distribution systems benefiting residents and farmers alike.
Letters of intent were signed with six African cities: Praia in Cabo Verde, Kisumu and Nairobi in Kenya, Antananarivo in Madagascar, Quelimane in Mozambique and Kigali in Rwanda. The six cities will be embarking on the pilot phase of a programme designed to involve 1 000 cities worldwide by 2030.
“We can redesign our cities. With affordable healthy and sustainable food, with accessible green spaces, with green lifestyles, and with new jobs which our citizens need,” said FAO Director-General QU Dongyu in keynote remarks at the launch.
He noted that the vast majority of Africa’s cities have fewer than 300 000 inhabitants.
DevelopmentAid Editorials
Ikea and Rockefeller Foundations will invest US$1 billion for green energy
The Ikea and the Rockefeller Foundations are committing US$1 billion to a fund to stimulate small-scale green energy generation solutions for 800 million people who currently have no electricity. The donors also hope to attract an additional US$10 billion from international development organizations this year. The aim is to enable poor countries, where green energy is not a priority, part of the international campaign against climate change.
USAID to provide US$39 million in aid to Guatemala, US$115 million to El Salvador
Gross Domestic Product dropped by 7.1% in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2020 due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. The worst hit by this downturn were women and those working in the informal sector.
The disproportionate impact of pandemic on working women
The coronavirus pandemic has affected global markets, leaving thousands without jobs and income. At the same time, the impact of the crisis is proving to be unequal with women being worse affected than men. A joint report by the Danish Family Planning Association and the Investment Fund for Developing Countries highlights various implications of the pandemic on the private sector including working women.
What is a nonprofit organization?
A nonprofit organization (NPO) is a legal entity that has its operational model built around a collective, public or social cause without the intention of producing a profit for the owners. The revenue generated through fundraising, donations, or other related activities is usually tax-exempt and it has to be used solely to fund operational, administrative, and expansion costs.
Here’s what else has happened
UNICEF: Following armed attacks on the village of Solhan in the Sahel region of Burkina Faso, UNICEF has deployed emergency assistance in support of the Government and local authorities in the Sebba area, a few kilometers from the affected village. The June 5 attack by a non-state armed group resulted in the death of more than 130 civilians, including a high number of children, according to national authorities.
USAID: U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Assistant to the Administrator Sarah Charles announced during the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Humanitarian Affairs Segment more than $97 million in additional assistance to respond to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa, nearly $83 million of which is dedicated to addressing growing COVID-related food insecurity. The new funding will provide urgently needed food and nutrition assistance, health care, protection services, and psychosocial support for people in seven countries across Africa.
Latin Americans: Asylum applications from six main origin countries in Latin America have fallen strongly since August 2020, possibly because of fewer flight connections to the EU+ and increased movements towards the United States.
IRENA and China: The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People’s Republic of China (MEE) have agreed to extend existing cooperation on energy transition. The joint work will center-stage the acceleration of renewable energy development as a central climate solution, enabling China’s pledge to peak emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by Francesco La Camera, Director-General of IRENA, and Mr. Huang Runqiu, Minister of MEE.
World Bank and African Union: The African Finance Ministers and the World Bank Group met to fast track vaccine acquisition on the continent and avoid the third wave. In a boost to the African Union’s target to vaccinate 60% of the continent’s population by 2022, the World Bank and the AU announced that they are partnering to support the Africa Vaccine Acquisition Task Team (AVATT) initiative with resources to allow countries to purchase and deploy vaccines for up to 400 million people across Africa.
Norway: Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is contributing NOK 45 million (CHF 4.8 million) to the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) to support projects aimed at helping the world’s poorest countries recover from the COVID-19 crisis. The new contribution was announced at the EIF’s Steering Committee meeting, attended by Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Norway’s WTO Ambassador, Dagfinn Sørli.
Reports
Pandemic crisis fuels decline of middle class in Latin America and the Caribbean
The COVID-19 pandemic pushed 4.7 million people out of the middle class and into vulnerability or poverty in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) last year, likely reversing decades of social gains, according to a new World Bank report. The impact was even more dramatic if the effect of a massive, temporary social transfer program in Brazil is excluded from the projections. Without that offset from Brazil, a total of 12 million people across the region slipped from the middle class in 2020.
Hunger and malnutrition in the Arab region continues to rise
A United Nations study indicates that hunger in the Arab region continues to rise, threatening the region’s efforts to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including the Zero Hunger goal. The latest edition of the Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition in the Near East and North Africa estimates that more than 51 million people in the region are suffering from hunger.
Closing digital gap could create up to 15 million jobs in Latin America and the Caribbean
Latin America and the Caribbean could dramatically and kickstart sustainable economic growth if it closed its digital connectivity gap with members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, according to a new study by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
Closing the gap with OECD countries would create over 15 million direct jobs, boost regional economic growth (GDP) by 7.7%, and increase productivity by 6.3%, according to the study. The study, entitled Digital Gap in Latin America and the Caribbean: Annual Broadband Development Index Report, evaluates the state of broadband penetration in 26 countries in the region and estimates the size of the gap vis-à-vis Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) nations.
Nearly 14 million internally displaced persons, refugees and migrants hit hard by COVID-19 in East and Horn of Africa
Nearly 9 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), 4.7 million refugees and asylum-seekers, and hundreds of thousands of migrants in East and Horn of Africa are suffering some of the worst impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a report from IOM, the International Organization for Migration, and the World Food Programme (WFP). The study, “Life amidst a pandemic: Hunger, migration, and displacement in the East and Horn of Africa,” focuses on the pandemic’s impacts on mobility, livelihoods, and food security in regional migration and hunger hotspots.
Events
China’s Role in International Development- Key Financing Trends | Virtual
📅 15 July 2021 🕒 4 PM (Brussels Time) / 10AM (Washington DC Time)
Virtual
DevelopmentAid is inviting you to join for an exciting free webinar on “China’s role in international development sector- key financing trends”.
During the webinar, we will discuss some of the aspects and trends related to China’s activity within the international development sector. Our speakers for this webinar bring ample expertise on comparative analysis of donor financing and policies for international development. Their latest report on “Trends in China’s financing for international development cooperation” that offers a comprehensive overview of China as an international donor will guide our discussions.
Hosts:
The webinar will be hosted by Sergiu Casu, our Director of Business Development, and by Ion Ilasco, our internal researcher responsible for External Relations & Events.
Speakers:
We are proud to have as a speaker Ms. Zoe Johnson, who is the Donor Tracker Policy and Editorial Lead at SEEK Development, the team behind the Donor Tracker. Zoe has a background in international development, sectoral expertise on gender equality, nutrition, and agriculture, and editorial experience in academic publishing. Zoe is a graduate of the MPhil in Development Studies at the University of Oxford.
Our second speaker Mr. Raimund Zühr is the Donor Tracker Project Manager. Raimund has ample expertise in comparative analysis of donor financing and policies for international development. Before joining SEEK Development, Raimund worked for the Latin American Department of the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) in Frankfurt and in the Africa Department of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation in Madrid (AECID). Raimund holds a Master of International Relations and African Studies from Universidad Autónoma in Madrid.
Doing Business with USAID. Procurement Guidelines and Best Practices | Webinar
📅 01 July 2021 🕒 3 PM (Brussels Time) /9 AM (Washington DC Time)
Virtual
Join DevelopmentAid for this exciting free webinar on Doing Business with USAID. Procurement Guidelines and Best Practices.
The speakers at this webinar are communication specialists from the Office of Acquisition and Assistance of USAID. The conversation is going to focus on procurement procedures and best practices in proposal preparation.
You will have the possibility to ask questions directly and to learn how COVID-19 has affected the offers prepared by contractors.
HOST: Sergiu Casu, Business Development Director, DevelopmentAid.
Speaker: Matthew Johnson, Communications Director, Office of Acquisition and Assistance (M/OAA)
Vienna Energy Forum 2021 | Virtual
📅 5 – 7 July 2021 🕒 9 AM
Virtual
The VEF 2021 is designed to facilitate a multi-sectoral, multi-stakeholder and interdisciplinary dialogue on sustainable energy for inclusive development and productive capacities. Guided by the motto “Where Action Meets Ambition”, the 2021 edition will include a Youth Day on the 5th of July 2021, followed by the VEF on the 6th and 7th of July 2021.
Global Education Summit: Financing GPE 2021-2025
📅 28-29 July 2021
London, UK
The Global Education Summit: Financing GPE 2021-2025 will take place on July 28 and 29, 2021. The summit will use a hybrid format, with participants attending live sessions on our virtual platform and a small in-person event in London, if travel restrictions allow.