Weekly roundup | Top international development headlines

Weekly roundup | Top international development headlines

International tourism consolidates strong recovery amidst challenges, the outcome after the US abortion changes and climate finance up 4% in 2020. Here is what you missed from last week’s headlines in the international development sector.

International tourism consolidates strong recovery amidst growing challenges

International tourism continues to show signs of a strong and steady recovery from the impact of the pandemic despite significant mounting economic and geopolitical challenges.

According to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, international tourism saw a strong rebound in the first five months of 2022, with almost 250 million international arrivals recorded. This compares to 77 million arrivals from January to May 2021 and means that the sector has recovered almost half (46%) of pre-pandemic 2019 levels.

Who could be most affected by US abortion changes? | Experts’ Opinions

In June 2022, the United States of America Supreme Court opened the door for individual states to ban or severely restrict the right for U.S. women to have an abortion. The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade has profound repercussions in reproductive medicine and could also influence worldwide trends regarding abortions. We sought the opinions of several international human rights and health experts regarding this sensitive subject.

Key Takeaways:

  • According to the opinions of several international experts, this decision could help to boost or increase funding for anti-choice groups, not only in the U.S., but worldwide.
  • One health expert mentions that the abortion ban will force women, particularly those from marginalized and vulnerable communities, to seek unsafe solutions that may result in dreadful consequences.
  • The act of restricting abortions is ‘political’ in nature and will not necessarily address any anticipated demographic decline in population.

Climate finance from developed countries up 4% in 2020

Climate finance provided and mobilized by developed countries for climate action in developing countries reached USD 83.3 billion in 2020, according to a new OECD analysis.

This is a further 4% increase from 2019 and is followed by a 1% increase from 2018 to 2019. However, it still falls short of the goal for developed countries to provide and mobilize USD 100 billion a year for developing countries by 2020. The increase in 2020 climate finance was primarily driven by a rise in public flows.

DevelopmentAid Editorials


Three ways to keep track of all your projects in one app

Ever since the first factory assembly lines started rolling out products more than a hundred years ago, companies have continually looked for new ways to keep track of their automated processes, and that includes project management.

Whether you’re operating a small company or managing a large portfolio of donor-funded projects, in this article we’ll show you three ways to organize, maintain and track all aspects of your operation using just one simple app.

Check the full article here.

Top 10 world problems and their solutions

The last decade was marked by significant progress in various fields such as science, medicine and technology but at the same time, the number of problems in today’s society has steadily grown. In 2020 and 2021, which were undoubtedly some of the most uncertain and difficult years of the last decade, the biggest problems in the world were the COVID-19 pandemic and poverty.

Check the full article here.

The world still needs another 132 years to close the gender gap

While gender equality is a fundamental human right, it is also crucial for sustainable and inclusive economic development. However, the coronavirus pandemic has widened the gender gap according to the Global Gender Gap Report. The World Economic Forum calls on countries to put into place new approaches in order to reverse the loss of progress brought about by the pandemic.

Check the full article here.

Here’s what else has happened


UNHCR: Due to insufficient funding, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is unable to adequately respond to the rising humanitarian needs of refugees and internally displaced people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The DRC is among the most underfunded of UNHCR’s operations worldwide. As of 30 June 2022, only 19 percent of the US$225 million budget at the start of the year has been secured. This has a significant impact on the lives of those forced to flee.

UN: Globally, only half (52%) of children living with HIV are on life-saving treatment, far behind adults where three-quarters (76%) are receiving antiretrovirals, according to the data that has just been released in the UNAIDS Global AIDS Update 2022. Concerned by the stalling of progress for children, and the widening gap between children and adults, UNAIDS, UNICEF, WHO, and partners have brought together a global alliance to ensure that no child living with HIV is denied treatment by the end of the decade and to prevent new infant HIV infections.

EC: The European Commission, on behalf of the EU, has disbursed the first half (€500 million) of a new €1 billion macro-financial assistance (MFA) operation for Ukraine. The second tranche (another €500 million) will be disbursed on 2 August. The decision about this new exceptional MFA was adopted by the European Parliament and the Council on 12 July 2022.

Reports


World Bank outlines global crisis response package to help developing countries navigate multiple, compounding crises

The World Bank Group (WBG) announced details of its global crisis response package to help developing countries navigate multiple, compounding crises that are hitting the poor and most vulnerable the hardest.

The crisis response framework includes:

  1. Responding to Food Insecurity through supporting production, facilitating trade, supporting the vulnerable, and investing in sustainable food systems. This aligns with the WBG response to food insecurity announced on May 18, 2022.
  2. Protecting People and Preserving Jobs to help mitigate the medium- to the long-term impact of crises.
  3. Strengthening Resilience by identifying and supporting paths to build long-term resilience.
  4. Strengthening Policies, Institutions, and Investments for Rebuilding Better to utilize long-term policies to improve development outcomes.

Global Fund reports significant progress in breaking down human rights-related barriers to HIV and TB services

A new report released by the Global Fund at the 24th International AIDS Conference unveils key findings of the activities supported by the Global Fund’s Breaking Down Barriers initiative, a groundbreaking program launched in 2017 to provide intensive financial and technical support to 20 countries to address stigma and discrimination, criminalization and other human rights-related obstacles that continue to threaten progress against HIV, tuberculosis (TB), and malaria.

Gender-based violence and COVID-19: Actions, gaps and the way forward

Gender-based violence (GBV), sexual exploitation, and abuse increase in times of crisis and fragility. Humanitarian and health crises disproportionately impact women and girls.

Emerging data on gender-based violence (GBV) and COVID-19 show a sharp increase in violence against women and girls (VAWG). Globally, there has been a 30 per cent increase in reported cases of GBV. However, evidence suggests that in some contexts, fewer cases are reported than occur. These numbers need to be interpreted with caution as they may be the result of a combination of issues that include: girls and women stuck at home with their perpetrator and unable to reach out for help; girls and women who may not have their own phones or Internet access; and girls and women who may not be able to find a private space to speak/ask for help openly.

Events


Asia Water Forum 2022 | Virtual

📅  8 – 11 August 2022
Online

Asia and the Pacific continue to be fast-growing and dynamic regions. The overall trend for urbanization will see an estimated 2.5 billion people or 55% of the population living in urban areas by 2030. However, almost 500 million people in the region still do not have access to at least basic water supplies, and 1.14 billion lack access to basic sanitation. Water security remains a significant challenge, especially as water demand is projected to increase by about 55% due to growing demand from domestic and industrial sectors. The agriculture sector will also need to produce much more food for the growing population, competing for already diminishing water resources. Add to that the constant threat of disasters exacerbated by climate change that is also prevalent in the region.

Link for registration