Weekly Roundup | Top international development headlines

Weekly Roundup | Top international development headlines

Global temperatures will reach new records in the next five years, four weeks of crisis in Sudan and cyclonic storm Mocha threatens Myanmar and Bangladesh. Here is what you missed from last week’s headlines in the international development sector.

Global temperatures set to reach new records in next five years

Global temperatures are likely to surge to record levels in the next five years, fuelled by heat-trapping greenhouse gases and a naturally occurring El Niño event, according to a new update issued by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

There is a 66% likelihood that the annual average near-surface global temperature between 2023 and 2027 will be more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels for at least one year. There is a 98% likelihood that at least one of the next five years, and the five-year period as a whole, will be the warmest on record.

Danger, displacement and dwindling stocks: 4 weeks of crisis in Sudan

4 weeks on since fighting erupted in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, the crisis continues to spread across the country, with devastating consequences for civilians. Islamic Relief is on the ground in Khartoum and beyond, providing life-saving humanitarian aid to those affected.

More than 913,000 people have been forced to flee their homes, while millions more are facing critical food shortages amid the crisis. So far, 500 people have been killed and more than 5,000 have been wounded.

Factories and markets have been destroyed, trade disrupted, and humanitarian aid blocked. Essential items are becoming scarce or so expensive that few can afford to buy them. In Khartoum the cost of some foods has shot up 300% from the standard price – fuel prices have risen by 1,000% in some areas.

Some 15.8 million people across Sudan were highly food insecure prior to the current crisis, following a 3-year drought that has been devastating the Horn of Africa – it is predicted that hunger will now deepen dramatically.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that more than two-thirds of hospitals across Sudan are not functional due to direct attacks, occupation by fighting parties, limited access, lack of electricity, and shortage of water, fuel, or medicines.

Very severe cyclonic storm Mocha threatens Myanmar, Bangladesh

A very severe cyclonic storm Mocha is intensifying rapidly in the Bay of Bengal and threatening coastal areas of Bangladesh and Myanmar. WMO is providing forecasts and meteorological support to humanitarian agencies to help them mobilize against this very dangerous threat.

WMO’s regional specialized meteorological center in New Delhi forecasts that Mocha will further strengthen until landfall between Cox’s Bazar (Bangladesh) and Kyaukpyu (Myanmar), close to Sittwe (Myanmar).

It is forecast to make landfall with maximum sustained winds of 180-190 km/h, the equivalent of category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson scale. A storm surge of about 2.0-2.5 m above the astronomical tides is likely to inundate low-lying areas of north Myanmar and the adjoining Southeast Bangladesh coasts. Heavy rainfall is forecast, with the possible risk of floods, flash floods, and landslides.

DevelopmentAid Editorials


Agriculture in food-insecure Africa: from issues to solutions

Africa is home to 33 of the world’s 46 least-developed countries facing food insecurity. This scourge continues to spread across the continent, threatening the lives of Africa’s over 1.4 billion people, impacting development and forcing authorities to acknowledge that the continent is no longer on track to meet the food security and nutrition targets of Sustainable Development Goal 2.

Agriculture is one of the main economic sectors in Africa and employed 44% of the continent’s population in 2020. Over 70% of the continent’s poor live in rural areas, with farming being their main economic activity. Nevertheless, agriculture contributes only about 10% to GDP in North Africa and about 18% in sub-Saharan Africa. As of 2019, farmland covered over 1 billion hectares or 40% of Africa’s total land and it is also where 60% of the world’s uncultivated arable land can be found.

Read the full article.

Record-high aging population boosts migration, says World Bank

The proportion of people aged over 65 in high-income countries reached a historic high in 2022, the World Bank’s latest World Development Report 2023 highlights. As this figure is expected to continue to rise, some nations will rely heavily on immigration from less wealthy countries to sustain their economies, the report notes.

Read the full article.

What happens if Russia abandons the UN-backed grain corridor? | Experts’ Opinions

The Black Sea grain deal is again subject to uncertainties. Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations could not reach an agreement on the continuation of Ukrainian grain exports from Black Sea ports which is due to expire on May 18. The shipments from Ukraine under the UN-backed initiative have dropped over the last few weeks due to uncertainty which hampers the ability to plan for shipping companies. But what happens if Russia abandons the grain treaty deal? Find out more in the answers below.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Black Sea Grain Initiative was signed separately by Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul with Turkey and the United Nations in July 2022
  • The Kremlin has threatened not to extend the grain deal beyond 18 May unless its demands are met
  • Under the agreement, Ukraine has been able to export some 29.5 million tons of agricultural products, including 14.9 million tons of corn and 8.1 million tons of wheat
  • At the end of April 2023, the EU announced the Ukraine grain deal after import bans by five member countries. The deal “preserves both Ukraine’s export capacity so that it continues to feed the world and the livelihoods of our farmers”

Read the full article.

Here’s what else has happened


UNICEF: Roughly 90 per cent of the population in Afghanistan is on the brink of poverty “and children bear the brunt of it,” the Representative of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in the country, Fran Equiza, told journalists in New York.

IOM: The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is calling for concrete action to prevent, avert and minimize the risks of climate disasters ahead of the High-Level Meeting of the Midterm Review of the Sendai Framework in New York on 18-19 May.

FAO: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has launched an urgent call for assistance for southern Africa which has been hit by a series of climate disasters since the start of the year that have upended the lives of millions of people.

Switzerland: Switzerland is contributing CHF 212 million to the 16th replenishment of the African Development Fund (ADF). The funds are deployed in the 37 poorest countries in Africa to fight poverty and climate change. They are intended to help achieve the goals set out in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Federal Council also decided that Switzerland would contribute CHF 27.5 million towards the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative (MDRI).

WHO: The World Health Organization (WHO) is calling for caution to be exercised in using artificial intelligence (AI) generated large language model tools (LLMs) to protect and promote human well-being, human safety, and autonomy, and preserve public health.

The Global Fund: The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has committed nearly US$1 million in emergency funding to Mozambique to mitigate the impact of the floods and Cyclone Freddy on malaria programs in the southern provinces of the country.

Reports


Urgent action needed to tackle stalled progress on health-related Sustainable Development Goals

WHO is releasing the 2023 edition of its annual World Health Statistics report with new figures on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the latest statistics on progress towards the health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The report with data up to 2022 underscores a stagnation of health progress on key health indicators in recent years compared with trends seen during 2000-2015. It also alerts us to the growing threat of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and climate change and calls for a coordinated and strengthened response.

Urgent need for better targeted support to protect the most vulnerable in the EU

The World Bank’s latest European Union Regular Economic Report (EU RER): “Energizing Europe – Part 1: Inclusive Growth – Inflation Chipping Away Income Gains,” analyzes economic developments and prospects among EU Member States with a focus on inclusion. It highlights that growth in the EU is expected to sharply decelerate in 2023, as high inflation and the accumulating effects of tight monetary policy dampen economic activity. While inflation has been showing recent signs of easing across many EU countries, it nevertheless remains high, especially in some of the poorer EU economies amid particularly high food inflation. Despite ongoing fiscal support, the adverse impact of high inflation on real disposable income has disproportionately affected the region’s poorest.

Events


SID-US 2023 Annual Conference

SID-US 2023 Annual Conference

📅 24 May 2023
Washington, DC & Online

The SID-US (formerly SID-Washington) Annual Conference has been a Washington, DC tradition for development professionals for over 25 years. After the success of last year’s fully hybrid Conference, we are excited to once again provide both a virtual and in-person experience for an international community of attendees at our Annual Conference on Wednesday, May 24.

Link for Registration

Photovoice in Development: Amplifying Voices, Fostering Social Transformation I Webinar

DevelopmentAid, in collaboration with ResultsinHealth, invites you to attend the webinar, Photovoice in Development: Amplifying Voices, Fostering Social Transformation which will take place on 23 May 2023 at 4 pm (Brussels)/10 am (Washington DC).

Key takeaways

  • Understand what the photovoice methodology is
  • Learn about working with visual methods
  • Discover how photographs can communicate
  • Realize the potential of using photovoice

Link for Registration