Türkiye and Syria hit by catastrophic earthquakes, 50% of the global economy is threatened by biodiversity loss and EU leaders gathered to tackle the rise in migration inflows. Here is what you missed from last week’s headlines in the international development sector.
Türkiye and Syria hit by catastrophic earthquake
The number of casualties in Turkiye has risen to more than 1,762 and the number of deaths in Syria is believed to be closer to 900 according to official sources. World Vision is working rapidly to assess potential impacts to already displaced children and communities in the wake of a 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck in the early hours of the morning, sending tremors across the region.
The earthquake hit a wide area in south-eastern Türkiye and Northern Syria, killing more than 2,700 people and trapping many others. Reports of new deaths and injuries are being confirmed on the hour.
50% of the global economy is under threat from biodiversity loss
Whether people live in a city, a rural area, or by the ocean, it’s likely they have noticed a decline in biodiversity. Maybe fewer birds visit the urban feeders, larger mammals are less common in the fields and forests around, or catches on those fishing trips are getting smaller.
What the world witnesses is a potentially catastrophic loss of biodiversity on which entire ecosystems depend.
Time to make peace with nature
The outcomes of the COP15 biodiversity summit will shape the direction of humankind’s relationship with the natural world.
António Guterres urged delegates to overcome their differences and reach an agreement on protecting nature, telling the conference:
“It’s time for the world to adopt a far-reaching biodiversity framework – a true peace pact with nature – and deliver a green, healthy future for all.”
EU leaders gather to tackle rise in migration inflows
All 27 of the heads of state or government of the European Union will be holding a special session of the European Council on February 9-10, 2023, in order to discuss the migration crisis as well as other topics related to the Russian war in Ukraine.
During the meeting, European Union leaders will be asked to agree to “immediate” operational action in order to address growing concerns about the rising numbers of migrants coming to Europe.
Topics to be discussed during the special session will include measures to improve the security of the European Union’s external borders, improved relations with countries from which migrants originate, better sharing of data between EU members about migrant flows, and how to streamline the procedures for returning migrants to their countries of origin.
DevelopmentAid Editorials
An urgent appeal to help earthquake victims in Syria and Turkey
As Turkey and Syria are struggling to cope with the aftermath of the devastating 6 February earthquakes, Action For Humanity (Syria Relief), a London-based charitable organization, has issued an urgent appeal for donations so that they can provide tents, food, medicine, and hygiene kits to dozens of thousands of families displaced by the disaster.
For anyone willing to contribute financially, we recommend making a donation via http://www.actionforhumanity.org/.
Read the full article.
Making invisible visible: gender-sensitive data to turn women’s knowledge into capital for better food and agriculture
Women play an essential role in the development of sustainable, fair, and inclusive agriculture and food systems. They are responsible not only for the healthy food habits of their families, the management of kitchen gardens, seed-saving, and carrying on traditional practices but also much work on the farm as well. Their contribution, however, often remains unacknowledged as in many countries men remain the official landowners. The approach of sex-disaggregated data and statistics can help to better understand the distinct roles of men and women in agriculture, adjusting policies and programs to the specific needs of each category. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and women-led organizations in the region of Europe and Central Asia (ECA) have been collaborating to support rural women, and in particular to address the issue of gender-sensitive data which is crucial for the full realization of women’s potential in their communities.
Read the full article.
5 jobs that Artificial Intelligence could soon replace
Artificial Intelligence – AI – is currently hailed as one of the most revolutionizing technologies ever developed. It holds great promise for fostering business development, automating manufacturing processes, and delivering valuable insights among many more advantages. This will inevitably lead to people losing jobs and even create “extinct” professions. But how serious might this actually be?
Read the full article.
Here’s what else has happened
Somalia: Humanitarians are seeking $2.6 billion to assist some 7.6 million people in Somalia, the UN and partners announced, together with the Federal and State authorities. Somalia is in the midst of the longest and most severe drought in its history, following five consecutive poor rainy seasons, which has devastated the country.
UNDP and The Ocean Cleanup: The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and The Ocean Cleanup signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on eliminating plastic pollution in oceans and rivers around the globe. The goal of the partnership is to reduce leakages of plastics into marine ecosystems by boosting policies and behavior change aimed at advancing sound plastic waste management systems and reducing overall plastic pollution and accelerating the deployment of interception technologies in rivers to end marine plastic pollution.
Islamic Relief: Islamic Relief has launched a £20 million global appeal to support the teams on the ground in Syria and Türkiye as they respond to two devastating earthquakes that have caused widespread destruction, claiming close to 20,000 lives and injuring countless more in the two countries.
Cholera: Africa is witnessing an exponential rise in cholera cases amid a global surge. Cases recorded on the continent in the first month of 2023 alone have already risen by more than 30% of the total caseload reached in the whole of 2022.
Reports
Most development finance institutions display poor transparency of funds management
Development finance institutions (DFIs) display little to no transparency as to how their funds worth trillions of dollars are managed, particularly when it comes to investments in private sector operations This is the conclusion of the first-ever DFI Transparency Index compiled by the watchdog NGO Publish What You Fund.
The index looked into the operations of 30 large DFIs totaling $2 trillion in assets to assess their transparency level across five categories: core information, impact management, accountability to communities, financial information and financial intermediary sub-investments.
New report confirms the game-changing impact of health and nutrition in school
The global report Ready to learn and thrive: School health and nutrition around the world was launched by WFP, along with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Global Partnership for Education (GPE), World Bank, and World Health Organization (WHO). Combining multiple data sources and case studies from around the world, it provides the first overview of school health and nutrition policies and programmes globally.
Events
Bridging the Cybersecurity Skills Gap
📅 16 February 2023
Virtual
The World Bank’s Digital Development Global Practice will host an online CyberTalk on “Bridging the Cybersecurity Skills Gap,” as part of its Cyber Resilience Event Series. The event will include a panel discussion with cybersecurity experts from governments, leading NGOs, and the private sector, followed by lightning talks by cybersecurity practitioners and young professionals enrolled in unique cyber skills development programs.
Virtual Workshop on Energy Transition from Coal to a Low-Carbon Future
📅 20 – 22 February 2023
Virtual
A growing number of countries in developing Asia are committing to more ambitious carbon reduction targets to achieve a 1.5 degrees Celsius global temperature reduction needed to fight climate change. For example, Indonesia, Nepal, the People’s Republic of China, Thailand, and Viet Nam have pledged to move to net zero carbon emissions by 2050 while Kazakhstan will seek to phase out coal by mid-century and realize carbon neutrality by 2060. Yet, achieving these climate objectives will be highly challenging as coal remains a major source of fuel for the energy sector in developing Asia.
Financial Management for Development Professionals (Finance DPro)
📅 16-17 February 2023
Geneva, Switzerland
ECW’s High-Level Financing Conference (HLFC) will take place on 16-17 February 2023 at the CICG in Geneva, Switzerland. Hosted by the Government of Switzerland, in close collaboration with the Governments of Colombia, Germany, Niger, Norway, and South Sudan, the HLFC is geared towards ensuring that ECW is able to mobilize the resources needed to deliver on its ambitious plan for the next four years.
