100 million displaced, ‘a record that should never have been set’, climate and weather extremes in 2022 show need for more action, and renewed donor support allows UNHCR to provide some winter assistance to refugees. Here is what you missed from last week’s headlines in the international development sector.
2022 Year in Review: 100 million displaced, ‘a record that should never have been set’
A hundred million people were forced to leave their homes in 2022. The UN continued to help those in need in a myriad of ways, and push for more legal, and safe ways for people to migrate. The 100 million figure, which includes those fleeing conflict, violence, human rights violations and persecution, was announced by the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) in May and described by Filippo Grandi, the head of the agency, as “a record that should never have been set”.
The figure is up from some 90 million in 2021. Outbreaks of violence, or protracted conflicts, were key migration factors in many parts of the world, including Ukraine, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Syria, and Myanmar.
Thousands of desperate migrants looked to Europe as a preferred destination, putting their lives in the hands of human traffickers, and setting off on perilous journeys across the Mediterranean. All too often these journeys ended in tragedy.
Climate and weather extremes in 2022 show need for more action
Weather, water and climate-related disasters, including extreme flooding, heat and drought affected millions of people and cost billions this year, as the tell-tale signs and impacts of human-induced climate change intensified. The events of 2022 once again underlined the clear need to do much more to cut greenhouse gas emissions – with better monitoring of this – and to strengthen climate change adaptation – including through universal access to early warnings, according to the World Meteorological Organization.
The past eight years are on track to be the eight warmest on record. Global temperature figures for 2022 will be released in mid-January. The persistence of a cooling La Niña event, in its third year, means that 2022 will not be the warmest year on record. But this cooling impact will be short-lived and will not reverse the long-term warming trend caused by record levels of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in our atmosphere.
The annual global temperature forecast by the UK’s Met Office suggests that the average global temperature for 2023 will be between 1.08 °C and 1.32°C (with a central estimate of 1.20 °C) above the average for the pre-industrial period (1850-1900). This will be the tenth year in succession that temperatures have reached at least 1°C above pre-industrial levels. The likelihood of – temporarily – breaching the 1.5°C limits of the Paris Agreement is increasing with time.
Renewed donor support allows UNHCR to provide some winter assistance to refugees
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has started receiving donor funding that allows for critical winter assistance to the most vulnerable refugee women, men, and children in Jordan.
In the first half of December, UNHCR will distribute one-time winter cash assistance to vulnerable refugees of different nationalities, including Syrians, Iraqis, Yemenis, Sudanese, and others. The assistance will go to refugees in communities across the Kingdom and in refugee camps.
UNHCR’s winter cash will help these families cover the necessary needs during the harsh winter season, including shelter and home maintenance, warm shoes for their children, gas cylinders, and firewood for heating, among others.
DevelopmentAid Editorials
Human development index drops for the second consecutive year: causes, consequences and solutions | Experts’ Opinions
The latest UNDP report on human development, released in September 2022, warns that multiple crises are hindering the progress of human development, pushing this backwards in more than 90% of countries. The Human Development Index (HDI) considers achievement in the key dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, state of knowledgeableness and a decent standard of living.
To find out the causes and consequences of a regression in human development across the planet, we asked several experts their views in the matter.
Top employment opportunities in the international development sector
“There is nothing so stable as change” is probably one of the most appropriate quotes when describing the international development sector given the unprecedented crisis the world has recently endured. As a result of this, the trends in the international development job market are also changing. To know which sectors are foremost is key for professionals to understand where their focus should be and where they ought to chase new opportunities. Using data from the DevelopmentAid website, we have analyzed those sectors that have an above-average number of vacancies and the regions where these are mostly to be found. Check out the main categories below and never hesitate to explore new career paths.
Drought and famine: their causes and relationship
Our planet’s weather patterns are ever-changing. Extreme temperatures and unpredictable heavy rainfalls are expected to affect millions of people, causing migration, food insecurity, and poverty. Extreme weather causes droughts which today are already a common occurrence in the majority of regions. However, specific climate and weather systems in some regions can transform droughts into major disasters which can even lead to famine.
What is the relationship between the two, and how often do they occur?
Here’s what else has happened
AIIB and Egypt: The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank’s (AIIB) Board of Directors has approved a EUR250-million loan to Egypt for the Alexandria-Abou Qir Metro Line Project. Aiming to increase access to efficient, safe, and low-carbon public transportation in the city of Alexandria, the project will upgrade and electrify the existing Alexandria-Abou Qir line. Twenty metro stations along the 22-kilometer corridor will be modernized, 13 stations and 16 kilometers of which will be elevated.
UN: The UN mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) together with international partners, has called for an immediate end to mounting violence in the Greater Pibor area by armed youth from Jonglei state. News reports say at least 57 have died, with more than a dozen injured.
Switzerland: Around 350 million people worldwide are currently affected by acute hunger and dependent on food aid. In response to the worsening food crisis, President of the Swiss Confederation Ignazio Cassis has approved additional funding of 14.5 million Swiss francs for the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). This increases Switzerland’s 2022 contribution to the WFP to over 100 million.
Latin America and the Caribbean: Six institutions from Argentina, Brazil, Haiti, México, and Perú will receive research grants for topics related to Tuberculosis and other opportunistic infections in advanced HIV, sexually transmitted infections, and Human T cell lymphotropic virus (HTLV-1), which may cause a type of cancer.
Kenya: Kenya is in the midst of the worst drought experienced in 40 years, following four successive failed rainy seasons. More than 4.3 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, among them 134,000 pregnant or breastfeeding women are reported to be acutely malnourished and in need of treatment. Forced to migrate in search of water, food, and pasture, many are unable to access health facilities for critical maternal health care.
Reports
New report: Top 10 climate disasters cost the world billions in 2022
A new report by Christian Aid, Counting the cost 2022: a year of climate breakdown identifies 20 of the most destructive climate disasters of the year. The ten most financially costly events all had an impact of $3 billion or more. Most of these estimates are based only on insured losses, meaning the true financial costs are likely to be even higher, while the human costs are often uncounted.
Among them is Hurricane Ian which struck the US and Cuba in September costing $100 billion and displacing 40,000 people. The drought in Europe heatwave in Europe cost $20 billion while floods in Pakistan killed more than 1,700 people, displaced a further 7 million, and according to World Bank estimates caused $30 billion in economic damage. Due to the difficulty of obtaining insurance, only $5.6 billion of these losses were covered.
Events
The list of major upcoming events in development sector in January – February 2023
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 January – February 2022.
Download the comprehensive schedule of major online events.
Indigenous Peoples’ Rights and Development (Online Course)
📅 11 January – 21 February 2023
Virtual
Registration deadline: 10 January 2023
This certificate course offered by the Human Rights Center of the University for Peace will introduce participants to the increasingly significant field of indigenous peoples’ rights and looks at the contemporary issues that have paradoxically led to a recognition of those rights on the one hand, while simultaneously challenging their implementation on the other.
The course will address the broad spectrum of issues involved in the field of indigenous peoples’ rights, beginning with who qualifies to be “indigenous peoples”, the scope of their right to self-determination, the international and regional legal frameworks for the protection of their rights and the challenges associated therewith, and the debates surrounding the concept of indigenous governance.
The course will also look closely into human security and human development issues relating to indigenous peoples, the role of investment, extractive industries, and other business corporations in indigenous reservations/areas, and the effect of intellectual property rights on the traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples. Strong emphasis will be placed throughout the course on case studies from around the world. Participants will explore debates on mainstreaming versus autonomy, participatory governance, the scope of ‘free and prior consent’, and the right to development, amongst others.
The course is based on a dynamic pedagogy including reading materials, video clips, case studies, and interactive webinars with the instructor.
Gender and Data
📅 1 – 28 February 2023
Virtual
Registration deadline: 15 January 2023
This course addresses the importance of data to advance gender equality, including safe and ethical techniques for data collection, sharing, and management. Participants will gain an understanding of the various methods and modalities for data collection in development and humanitarian settings.
Topics covered include sex-disaggregated data, qualitative and quantitative data, data management, safe and ethical data guidance, tools, and resources for gender monitoring and evaluation.
Course objectives
After this course, participants will be able to:
- identify different kinds of qualitative research methods;
- explain the ethical considerations and procedures for working with human subjects;
- compare the advantages of quantitative versus qualitative data collection methods;
- identify the key features of a quantitative research approach;
- explain the use of indicators;
- identify gender gaps by using data;
- understand the importance of collecting sex-disaggregated data;
- understand the importance of data for women’s empowerment and promoting gender equality.
World Economic Forum Annual Meeting
📅 16–20 January 2023
Davos
The world is at a critical inflection point. The sheer number of ongoing crises calls for bold collective action. The Annual Meeting will convene leaders from government, business, and civil society to address the state of the world and discuss priorities for the year ahead.
It will provide a platform to engage in constructive, forward-looking dialogues and help find solutions through public-private cooperation.
Board of Trustees
The Forum is chaired by Founder and Executive Chairman Professor Klaus Schwab. It’s guided by a Board of Trustees, exceptional individuals who act as guardians of its mission and values and oversee the Forum’s work in promoting true global citizenship.
Management Skills for NGOs
📅 1-10 February 2023
Virtual
Registration deadline: 29 January 2023
In this highly participatory online training, the organization provide with concrete strategies to become more effective in the current non-profit organization through the application of NGO non-profit management techniques.
This workshop is perfect if people are seeking an opportunity to assess the current management abilities. The expert facilitators will not only share the necessary tools and techniques to improve the management skills, but they will help create a plan on how best to apply these skills when in NGO.
By the end of this workshop, learners will be able to:
- Provide effective feedback
- Build on your strengths and weaknesses as a manager
- Employ effective people management strategies at the individual and team level
- Apply practical strategies for getting the most our of individual employees
