The Democratic Republic of the Congo declares Ebola resurgence, nearly 1 million still await life at the world largest displacement camp and Ukraine marks six months of ‘senseless war’. Here is what you missed from last week’s headlines in the international development sector.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo declares Ebola resurgence in North Kivu
A 46-year-old woman died on 15 August 2022 in Beni, a town located in North Kivu. She received care at the Beni Referral Hospital, initially for other ailments, but subsequently exhibited symptoms consistent with Ebola virus disease.
Both the Beni and Goma branches of the country’s National Institute of Biomedical Research (INRB) confirmed the Ebola virus in samples taken from the patient. Analyses showed that the case was genetically linked to the 2018-2020 Ebola outbreak in North Kivu and Ituri Provinces—the country’s longest and largest.
“Ebola resurgences are occurring with greater frequency in the Democratic Republic of the Congo which is concerning. However, health authorities in North Kivu have successfully stopped several Ebola flare-ups, and building on this expertise will no doubt bring this one under control quickly,” said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa.
Nearly 1 million still await life at the world largest displacement camp
This 25 August marks five long years of the massive displacement of people from the Rakhine state of Myanmar, who crossed the border into Bangladesh. The protracted crisis stands at a colossal number of displaced people in the camp – 936,733 people – who are completely reliant on humanitarian assistance to meet their everyday needs in the world’s largest camp in Cox’s Bazar.
Children make up almost 51% of the camp population, while women and girls represent almost 52% of the population. One in three displaced families has at least one easily identifiable protection vulnerability, such as human trafficking, underage marriage, sexual exploitation, and abuse.
Many sustainable initiatives that were implemented at the camp have been lifesaving for the people there such as mid-term shelters or durable housing, solar-powered water supply networks, and disaster mitigation activities. However, the people there remain completely dependent on humanitarian assistance to meet daily and longer-term needs.
Guterres underlines need for peace as Ukraine marks six months of ‘senseless war’
The “senseless war” in Ukraine is now six months old, with no end in sight, UN Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council, repeating his ongoing appeal for peace.
The “sad and tragic milestone” coincided with Ukraine’s 31st anniversary of independence, and Mr. Guterres congratulated the country’s people.
“The people of Ukraine and beyond need peace and they need peace now,” he said. “Peace in line with the UN Charter. Peace in line with international law.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy participated in the meeting via videoconference, though the feed was at times unclear. He remarked that the world is dependent on his country’s independence.
DevelopmentAid Editorials
Brazilian companies sell NFTs to help preserve Amazon rainforest
The Amazon Forest has been subject to years-long deforestation. In the first half of 2022, the phenomenon hit a record high, with 3,998 square kilometers being deforested in this region of Brazil, according to data from Inpe, the National Institute for Space Research. This represents a 10% increase over the same period last year and is the highest level since the institute began monitoring the Legal Amazon in 2015.
In an attempt to reverse this negative trend, environmental companies operating in Brazil are betting on technology to finance conservation. Two Brazilian companies, Nemus and Moss, have been selling non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to fight deforestation in the world’s largest rainforest. Together, the two companies own 560 hectares of the Amazon.
Pros and Cons of diversification and specialization in economics
Diversification and specialization represent opposing strategies for economic development that can be implemented at business and country-wide level. While diversification involves shifting the economic focus towards greater diversity in terms of products and services (income sources), specialization involves keeping the focus on the incremental improvement of a limited range of goods and services. Policymakers, academia, and economists still debate on the role, suitability, and applicability of these trade strategies in the context of economic development.
How can digital governments advance global development and democracy? | Experts’ Opinions
The COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped the future for digital infrastructures and government services – from facilities to necessities. Central digital capabilities cover all aspects of life – work, health, education, commerce, and government. In this context, we asked several experts about the connection between digital governments and the advancement of global development and democracy.
Here’s what else has happened
Beirut: Two years have passed since the devastating Beirut Port explosion tore through Lebanon’s capital city, Beirut.
Although the city’s recovery and reconstruction have progressed – much remains to be done. To date, access to adequate and affordable housing and urban basic services remain a severe challenge. In this context, UN-Habitat is amplifying its support for the city’s recovery, under an area-based, multi-sectoral urban recovery approach.
UNDP: The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) launched its second cohort of 10 ocean innovators to tap on new technologies and approaches to end overfishing and put an end to illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing practices.
Czech Republic: In a conversation with DevelopmentAid, the seed-saver and founder of the Czech seed library network, ‘Seminkovna’, Klara Hrdá, shared her insights about the importance of local seeds and knowledge development in seed-saving and seed-sharing – activities that were once common and are now finding their way back not only to farmers but also to gardeners and families wanting to ensure they have fresh organic food.
Afghanistan:A new $80 million grant from the United States of America is an important step forward in the work of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to support farmers and agriculture in Afghanistan as they struggle to produce food, build resilience and achieve food security in the face of continuing drought and deep economic crisis.
Reports
In 2022 the Latin America and the Caribbean region is expected to resume the path of low growth
In a new edition of its flagship annual report “Economic Survey of Latin America and the Caribbean,” the United Nations organization underlines the challenges of reactivating investment and growth in a context of growing external and domestic restrictions.
Unitaid report analyses the state of malaria testing technologies to identify opportunities and improve equitable access
World Mosquito Day, marks the day in 1897 when researchers discovered that female Anopheles mosquitoes transmit malaria to humans. This year, with progress against malaria stalled and global targets to reduce infections falling short, Unitaid has published a new report analyzing the landscape of diagnostic tools to identify opportunities and accelerate access to tests and improve malaria case management.
New Education Cannot Wait results report
Education Cannot Wait (ECW), the United Nations global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises, issued its new Annual Results Report indicating that ECW investments with strategic partners have reached close to 7 million children and adolescents – 48.4% of whom are girls – since becoming operational in 2017.
Events
Regenerative Agriculture & Food Systems Summit
📅 6-7 September 2022
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Introducing the Regenerative Agriculture and Food Systems Summit where food and beverage brands, ingredients suppliers, food producers, supply chain monitoring platforms, AgTech companies, and consultants meet to tackle the challenges and identify the opportunities in harnessing the full potential of regenerative agriculture practices in the food industry.
AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum (ACTIF2022)
📅 1–2 September 2022
Bridgetown
Afreximbank, Export Barbados, and Invest Barbados are co-organizing the first major trade forum on trade and investment between the regions. The International Trade Centre is participating in discussions on food security and expanding agribusiness opportunities and will also contribute the following in the context of the forum:
- The new study, Expanding African-Caribbean Trade.
- Memorandum of Understanding between ITC and Afreximbank.
- A new SheTrades Caribbean Hub.
ACP Resource & Technology Conference 2022
📅 7-9 September 2022
Las Vegas, NV
Share and discover cutting-edge technological innovations and advancements in the area of renewable energy assessment and performance and reliability improvements at ACP’s Resource & Technology Conference.
This conference will focus primarily on preconstruction modeling and analysis to support successful project development and will also tackle topics on operational assessment and performance and reliability engineering.
