Weekly Roundup | Top international development headlines

Only 2% of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered in Africa, first humanitarian flight to Kabul and 9 ways food systems are failing humanity. Here is what you missed from last week’s headlines in the international development sector:

Only 2% of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered in Africa

More than 5.7 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered globally, but only 2% of them in Africa, said World Health Organization (WHO) chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

The UN agency is urging every country to vaccinate at least 40% of its population by the end of this year and hopes to help ensure that 70% of the world’s population is by the middle of next year.

At a press conference on COVID-19 and vaccine equity in Africa, which is home to more than 1.2 billion people, Mr. Ghebreyesus informed that, so far, just two countries in Africa have reached the 40% target, the lowest of any region.

“That’s not because African countries don’t have the capacity or experience to roll out COVID-19 vaccines. It’s because they’ve been left behind by the rest of the world,” he said.

Mr. Ghebreyesus explained that “this leaves people at high risk of disease and death, exposed to a deadly virus against which many other people around the world enjoy protection.”

First humanitarian flight to Kabul since Taliban takeover marks turning point in crisis

The WFP-led United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) has resumed flights to Kabul, enabling humanitarian responders and much-needed relief items to reach desperate Afghans in multiple locations across the country.

With over 90 percent of families struggling to eat enough, and a growing humanitarian crisis across the country, aid agencies are scrambling to meet massive needs before it is too late, with the approaching winter likely to cut off parts of the country entirely, leaving millions of vulnerable Afghans with little to survive on.

UNHAS flights – which are led by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), have been up and running since 29 August, connecting Islamabad, Pakistan to the Afghan towns of Mazar-i-Sharif, Kandahar, and Herat. The air link to Kabul restarted on 12 September after a temporary halt following the Taliban takeover on 15 August. UNHAS is also transporting non-food items, such as medical and other emergency supplies. Three cargo flights have been completed, bringing in medical supplies on behalf of WHO.

“The restarting of flights into Kabul marks a turning point,” said Mary-Ellen McGroarty, WFP Afghanistan Country Director.

“Getting aid workers and relief cargo into and around Afghanistan is vital if we have any hope of preventing a total catastrophe.”

However, US$30 million is required from donors to keep the vital air services going – this on top of the US$200 million WFP urgently requires replenishing its food pipeline and transport supplies into the country before the winter sets in.

9 ways food systems are failing humanity

Since the Green Revolution of the 1950s, agricultural innovations, like synthetic fertilizers, chemical pesticides, and high-yield cereal crops, have created an abundance of low-cost food. That has helped to feed a fast-growing world and, in many places, usher in an era of economic prosperity.

But humanity’s food systems often emphasize quantity over quality, giving rise to a host of health and environmental concerns, say experts. With the landmark United Nations Food Systems Summit set for later this month, here are 9 things to know about the global food system.

1. The global food system is not quite the bargain it seems.
   The low retail cost of industrialized food can obscure its very high environmental price tag. According to some estimates, conventional agriculture – which produces greenhouse gas emissions, pollutes air and water and destroys wildlife – costs the environment about $3 trillion every year. Externalized costs, such as the funds required to purify contaminated drinking water or to treat diseases related to poor nutrition, are also unaccounted for by the industry, meaning that communities and taxpayers may be picking up the tab without realizing it.
2. The global food system can facilitate the spread of viruses from animals to humans.
   While their genetic diversity provides animals with natural disease resistance, intensive livestock farming can produce genetic similarities within flocks and herds. This makes animals more susceptible to pathogens and, when they are kept in close proximity, viruses can then spread easily among them. Intensive livestock farming can also serve as a bridge for pathogens, allowing them to jump from wild animals to farm animals and then to humans.
3. The global food system has been linked to zoonotic diseases.
   Clearing forests to make space for agriculture and moving farms nearer to urban centers can destroy the natural buffers that protect humans from viruses circulating among wildlife. According to a United Nations Environment Programme assessment, climate change and the rising demand for animal protein are also affecting the emergence of what are known as zoonotic diseases – pathogens that can jump from animals to people and vice versa.
4. The global food system fosters antimicrobial resistance.
   In addition to preventing and treating disease, antimicrobials are commonly used to accelerate livestock growth. Over time, microorganisms develop resistance, making antimicrobials less effective than medicine. In fact, about 700,000 people die of resistant infections every year. By 2050, those diseases may cause more deaths than cancer. According to the World Health Organization, antimicrobial resistance “threatens the achievements of modern medicine” and may precipitate “a post-antibiotic era, in which common infections and minor injuries can kill.”
5. The global food system’s use of pesticides may be sickening people.
   Large volumes of chemical fertilizers and pesticides are used to increase agricultural yields and humans may be exposed to these potentially toxic pesticides through the food they consume, resulting in adverse health effects. Some pesticides have been proven to act as endocrine disruptors, potentially affecting reproductive functions, increasing the incidence of breast cancer, causing abnormal growth patterns and developmental delays in children, and altering immune function.
6. The global food system contaminates water and soil and affects human health.
   Agriculture plays a major role in pollution, releasing large volumes of manure, chemicals, antibiotics, and growth hormones into water sources. This poses risks to both aquatic ecosystems and human health. In fact, agriculture’s most common chemical contaminant, nitrate, can cause “blue baby syndrome”, which can kill infants.
7. The global food system has been blamed for epidemics of obesity and chronic disease.
   Industrial agriculture produces mainly commodity crops, which are then used in a wide variety of inexpensive, calorie-dense, and widely available foods. Consequently, 60 per cent of all dietary energy is derived from just three cereal crops – rice, maize, and wheat. Although it has effectively lowered the proportion of people suffering from hunger, this calorie-based approach fails to meet nutritional recommendations, such as those for the consumption of fruits, vegetables, and pulses. The popularity of processed, packaged, and prepared foods have increased in almost all communities. Worldwide, obesity is also on the rise and many suffer from preventable diseases often related to diets, like heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and some cancers.
8. The global food system is an inefficient use of land.
   In spite of an insufficient global supply of pulses, fruits, and vegetables, livestock farming is ever more ubiquitous, perpetuating a self-sustaining cycle of supply and demand. Between 1970 and 2011, livestock increased from 7.3 billion to 24.2 billion units worldwide, with about 60 per cent of all agricultural land used for grazing. Meanwhile, while there may be fewer people in the world who are undernourished, there are many more people who are now malnourished.
9. The global food system entrenches inequality.
   Although small farms make up 72 per cent of all farms, they occupy just 8 per cent of all agricultural land. In contrast, large farms – which account for only 1 per cent of the world’s farms – occupy 65 per cent of agricultural land. This gives large farms disproportionate control, and there is little incentive to develop technologies that could benefit resource-poor small-hold farmers, including those in developing countries.

At the other end of the food supply chain, food that is affordable to the poor may be energy-dense but is often nutrient-poor. Micronutrient deficiencies may impair cognitive development, lower resistance to disease, increase risks during childbirth, and, ultimately, affect economic productivity. The poor are effectively disadvantaged both as producers and consumers

DevelopmentAid Editorials

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How does the U.S. spend foreign aid?

The U.S. is the world’s largest foreign aid contributor donating more money in development assistance than any other country in nominal terms. In terms of the percentage of ODA of its Gross Domestic Income, the U.S. ranks 24th. Between 2013 and 2018, Washington allocated US$47 billion per year in foreign assistance. How was the money spent?

Check the full article here.

Top skills to stand out from the crowd in the labour market

The labor market is constantly changing. Although the demand for and supply of a workforce differs each year, there are still certain skills that are always sought by employers. In a recent survey of 2,800 employers, the Employee Insurance Agency Netherlands (UWV) concluded that there are currently five important skills that employers look for in candidates.

Check the full article here.

Biosafety expert urges on-farm seed preservation to save agricultural biodiversity

Agricultural biodiversity is considered to have the greatest potential to ensure both the actual and potential availability of food for humans as it includes the organisms and natural processes that support food production. While these have all been progressively degraded and are in decline, the attention currently being given to agrobiodiversity offers hope for a better future. In an exclusive interview with DevelopmentAid, Gordana Djuric, an influential expert in biosafety, shared her experience and insights regarding agrobiodiversity and its importance for food security. Noting that biodiversity is essential and critically necessary for ecologically and economically sustainable production, Gordana warns that within 10 to 15 years the world may lose all local seed varieties and this would therefore strike an irredeemable blow to biodiversity unless humankind changes its approach and moves away from monocultural agriculture.

Check the full article here.

Here’s what else has happened

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IOM: The International Organization for Migration (IOM) continues to expand its relief operations across Afghanistan in response to mounting, complex humanitarian needs fuelled by drought and conflict while reengaging established livelihood, community development, and infrastructure projects.

Africa: Africa needs around 470 million doses to accomplish the global of fully vaccinating 40 per cent of its population by the end of the year, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.

Luxembourg and UNRWA: The Government of Luxembourg signed a multi-year Strategic Partnership Agreement with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

Australia: Australia’s role as a leading development partner in the Indo-Pacific region has been recognized in the Centre for Global Development’s 2021 Commitment to Development Index.

Reports

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Annual Secretary-General’s report reveals a world tested ‘to the limit’

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to be the greatest shared global challenge since the UN’s founding 75 years ago, according to the annual report of the Secretary-General on the Work of the Organization, published.

UN Women unveils new feminist roadmap for economic recovery and transformation

UN Women has published a feminist plan for economic recovery and transformation learning from the COVID-19 pandemic and previous crises: “Beyond COVID-19: A Feminist Plan for Sustainability and Social Justice.”

New research finds USD billions to coal power projects in Africa, Asia jeopardizing energy access, climate agendas

New research published by Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) and Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) highlights a troubling trend in the fight against climate change and push to deliver universal electricity access: despite environmental, economic, and many other challenges facing coal, pockets of funders continue to finance additional coal-fired generation capacity in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.

The Coal Power Finance in High-Impact Countries knowledge brief, part of SEforALL’s Energizing Finance research series, analyses 18 countries with the largest electricity access gaps (i.e. high-impact countries) to identify those receiving finance for coal-fired power, the sources of this investment, its key drivers and the risks attached.

Events

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Nature for Life Hub | Virtual

📅 22 September – 4/5/6 October 2021| Virtual

Humanity must urgently transform its relationship with nature if to avoid potentially catastrophic environmental, economic and social consequences for future generations, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) warned as it launches registration for its three-day virtual “Nature for Life Hub.”

Africa Climate Week 2021 | Virtual

📅 26 – 29 September 2021| Virtual

ACW 2021 is accelerating collaboration and integrating climate action into global pandemic recovery. Building forward opens an opportunity to address social inequalities and invest in economic development that is good for humanity and nature.