Displaced people living in cities face a mounting crisis as the cost-of-living surges globally, Greenhouse gas levels hit new highs and UNHCR’s unprecedented US$700m funding gap spells catastrophe for millions. Here is what you missed from last week’s headlines in the international development sector.
Displaced people living in cities face a mounting crisis as the cost-of-living surges globally
In a new policy brief “The Cost of Living Crisis for Urban Displaced People in East Africa: The Role of Inclusive Social Protection”, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) is sounding the alarm about the ways the surge in the cost of living seen globally is hitting displaced communities residing in major East African cities especially hard.
Under the status quo, most measures meant to ease the cost of living burdens fail to reach non-citizens and other marginalized communities. The policy brief details the ways these already-vulnerable communities are being pushed over the brink by the surge in the cost of essentials. The brief calls for both an immediate response and structural reforms to this challenge.
Greenhouse gas levels hit new highs
In yet another ominous climate change warning, atmospheric levels of the three main greenhouse gases – carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide all reached new record highs in 2021, according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
WMO’s Greenhouse Gas Bulletin reported the biggest year-on-year jump in methane concentrations in 2021 since systematic measurements began nearly 40 years ago. The reason for this exceptional increase is not clear but seems to be a result of both biological and human-induced processes.
The increase in carbon dioxide levels from 2020 to 2021 was larger than the average annual growth rate over the last decade. Measurements from WMO’s Global Atmosphere Watch network stations show that these levels continue to rise in 2022 over the whole globe. Between 1990 and 2021, the warming effect on the climate (known as radiative forcing) by long-lived greenhouse gases rose by nearly 50%, with carbon dioxide accounting for about 80% of this increase.
UNHCR’s unprecedented US$700m funding gap spells catastrophe for millions
Over recent months, funding shortfalls have forced UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, to make cuts to its lifesaving aid to refugees and other forcibly displaced people in a number of operations across the world.
Without an injection of at least US$700 million before the end of the year, UNHCR fears that the next round of cuts in assistance will be catastrophic for people in need. Already, many operations have had to scale back essential programs to cope with tighter funding.
In Uganda, which is experiencing an Ebola outbreak, UNHCR is unable to procure enough soap and hygiene kits to help combat the deadly disease. In Chad, the water supply in camps has been cut due to fuel shortages. In Lebanon, 70,000 extremely vulnerable refugee families no longer receive their safety net help from UNHCR.
DevelopmentAid Editorials
What is net zero and are we on track to reach it by 2050?
While COVID-19 resulted in reduced CO2 emission levels by putting a stop to many activities and pushing populations into lockdowns worldwide, in 2021 greenhouse gas emission levels bounced back as economies returned to normal life. This means that countries and businesses need to transform the ways they behave to be able to reach net zero by 2050. But what does it mean to reach net zero and will countries succeed in achieving this target?
Even if humanity does stop polluting the planet by reducing the emission of heat-trapping gases to almost zero, the temperature will still increase for a few decades as the ocean has stored heat in its great depths and currents will bring this to the surface for some time. The Earth’s temperature will then begin to stabilize after the stored heat has radiated out. If there was no human involvement at all, nature would gradually eliminate the excess levels of CO2 from the atmosphere, and the Earth’s temperature would slowly begin to fall.
Your CV for donor-funded projects: World Bank format
When applying for a key expert position in a donor-funded project, it is very important to have a well-tailored CV that matches the requirements of the profile. However, often this is not enough because major donors, such as the EC, the ADB, the World Bank, and the UN, prefer to work with their own specific formats and disregard applications that do not match these.
In a continuation of DevelopmentAid’s exclusive series dedicated to CVs for projects funded by donor agencies, we are happy to tune in with more useful tips for you! This time we will review in detail the World Bank format and reveal the details that make this format different from other donors.
An overview of equity in education. Why is it important?
For centuries, people have attempted to construct educational systems that are efficient. While some countries such as Finland have succeeded in doing so, others still struggle to identify the balance between optimized expenditure and achieving the best results.
However, everyone agrees that a truly efficient educational system is one that works for students from different backgrounds, economic and social status, race, and family history among other differences. This means that, no matter what, every student will have the same opportunity to access the support and resources necessary to gain an education. This is all about equity in education.
Here’s what else has happened
World Bank: The World Bank announced the disbursement of an additional $500 million to help Ukraine meet urgent spending needs created by the Russian invasion. The IBRD financing is supported by $500 million in loan guarantees from the United Kingdom, announced on September 30, 2022, and was mobilized under the Public Expenditures for Administrative Capacity Endurance in Ukraine (PEACE) Project, which supports continued government capacity, including the provision of core public services such as health, education, pensions, and social protection.
WHO, UNICEF, World Bank: Governments must invest strategically in building safe drinking water systems by not only increasing funding, but also strengthening capacities to plan, coordinate, and regulate service provision, if the world is to achieve universal access to safe drinking water and mitigate the effects of climate change, say WHO, UNICEF, and the World Bank in a report released.
Iraq: Farming communities in Iraq have seen their wheat, vegetable, and fruit harvests decline for the second year in a row because of severe drought conditions. Households throughout the country will be increasingly vulnerable to eroded incomes and challenges accessing sufficient food warns the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) in a new survey ahead of the UN climate change conference (COP 27) in Egypt next month.
WFP: The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), in support of the Government of Nepal’s emergency response, has dispatched cash assistance to communities at perilous risk ahead of monsoon flooding in Western Nepal, helping to soften the blow of the climate-related disaster.
Thailand: Thailand has made remarkable progress in reducing poverty from 58 percent in 1990 to 6.8 percent in 2020 driven by high growth rates and structural transformation, however, 79 percent of the poor remain in rural areas and mainly in agricultural households, according to a Rural Income Diagnostic launched by the World Bank.
Reports
Moonshot or longshot: Uneven net-zero transition risks leaving emerging economies behind, AIIB report warns
Emerging and developing economies (EMDEs) are at risk of being left behind by the net-zero transition unless urgent action is taken to build state capacity in conjunction with the private sector, according to a report published by the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
The Asian Infrastructure Finance 2022 report, ‘Moonshots for the Emerging World: Building State Capacity and Mobilizing the Private Sector Toward Net Zero’, identifies the net-zero transition as a “moonshot” – a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that will require mission-driven industrial policy across economies globally. It calls for better deployment of existing state capacity, and the development of fresh capacity, to accelerate green innovation and adoption of new technologies.
Currency depreciations risk intensifying food, energy crisis in developing economies
The shrinking value of the currencies of most developing economies is driving up food and fuel prices in ways that could deepen the food and energy crises that many of them already face, according to the World Bank’s latest Commodity Markets Outlook report.
Design cities to work better for women, says a new report by Arup, University of Liverpool and UN Development Programme (UNDP)
Urgent action is needed to remove the gender bias built into cities and improve women’s safety, health, and access to education and employment, according to a new report released by Arup, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the University of Liverpool.
Approximately 4.5 billion people, or 55% of the world’s population, live in urban areas, and 50% of the world’s population is made up of women and girls. The new report, Cities Alive: Designing Cities that Work for Women, shows that while women make up half the global urban population, cities have not been designed with them in mind. It calls on decision-makers, urban designers, and city planners to work towards cities that are more inclusive, safer, and equitable for women around the world.
189 million people per year affected by extreme weather in developing countries as rich countries stall on paying climate impact costs
An average of 189 million people per year have been affected by extreme weather-related events in developing countries since 1991 – the year that a mechanism was first proposed to address the costs of climate impacts on low-income countries – according to a new report published.
The report, The Cost of Delay, by the Loss and Damage Collaboration – a group of more than 100 researchers, activists, and policymakers from around the globe – highlights how rich countries have repeatedly stalled efforts to provide dedicated finance to developing countries bearing the costs of a climate crisis they did little to cause.
Events
The list of major upcoming events in the development sector in November 2022
Keep up-to-date on key events about emerging funding strategies, environmental policies, climate change, technological development, labor standards, and energy issues in the development sector via our compiled list.
Track events hosted by reputable international organisations, donors, NGO’s and IFIs that bring together the biggest change-makers and stakeholders in international development cooperation.
Save the date to register and attend the upcoming events in November 2022.
Download the comprehensive schedule of major online events.
Monitoring and Evaluation of Gender Based Violence | Training
📅 9,16,23, 30 November 2022
Online, Zoom
The “Monitoring and Evaluating Gender-Based Violence” workshop is designed to present the basic principles and concepts for monitoring and evaluating GBV prevention and mitigation programs.
The training will be fully taught in Arabic.
This training will rely on the GBV Monitoring and Evaluation Toolkit to give practitioners the resources to improve individual and organizational capacities to implement monitoring and evaluation processes, protocols, and tools applicable to GBV programming.
This intensive 4-day training is intended for staff of GBV sub-cluster member organizations, third-party monitoring entities, and donors, who seek to build their individual and organizational capacity to implement monitoring and evaluation interventions in their programmes.
Development2030 | Beyond Aid
📅 16-17 November 2022
Brussels Expo
With an ever-increasing pressure to ensure the global public and governments worldwide continue to support overseas development assistance, it is imperative for the international community to adapt to the changing landscape if we are to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
The Development2030 event will consider how best we can do this, through identifying the key existing and emerging players, and analysing their role in creating long-term impact for low- and middle income countries. It is THE place for the overseas development community to build meaningful relationships, get inspired and meet like-minded individuals committed to achieving the 2030 goals.
