71 million people are internally displaced across the world, the harmful impact of food marketing and WMO declares the onset of El Niño conditions. Here is what you missed from last week’s headlines in the international development sector.
With 71 million people internally displaced across the world, States must look beyond the numbers: UN expert
The global number of internally displaced persons reached an unprecedented high in 2022, with over 71 million people displaced across countries and continents, a UN expert said.
“The numbers alone can never encapsulate the scale, magnitude, complexity, and enormous human suffering confronted by internally displaced persons,” said Paula Gaviria, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons.
Calling it a “sobering reality”, the UN expert said that more people than ever are being forced to flee within their own countries, driven from their homes by conflict, violence, disaster, climate change, and human rights abuses.
“Behind the numbers are lives and personal histories of individuals who have been uprooted from their homes and survived unimaginable human rights violations and abuses. Displacement shatters lives for years and generations, creates severe hardship and suffering, breaks up families, cuts social and cultural ties, disrupts education and development, denies access to vital necessities, and exposes innocents to abhorrent human rights abuses,” the expert said.
WHO recommends stronger policies to protect children from the harmful impact of food marketing
WHO has released a new guideline on policies to protect children from the harmful impact of food marketing. The guideline recommends countries implement comprehensive mandatory policies to protect children of all ages from the marketing of foods and non-alcoholic beverages that are high in saturated fatty acids, trans-fatty acids, free sugars, and/or salt (HFSS).
More than 10 years after Member States endorsed WHO’s recommendations on the marketing of foods and non-alcoholic beverages to children in 2010, children continue to be exposed to powerful marketing of HFSS foods and non-alcoholic beverages, consumption of which is associated with negative health effects.
The updated recommendation is based on the findings of reviews of recent evidence, including how exposure to and the power of food marketing affects children’s health, eating behaviors, and food-related attitudes and beliefs. In short, food marketing remains a threat to public health and continues to negatively affect children’s food choices, intended choices, and dietary intake. It also negatively influences the development of children’s norms about food consumption.
World Meteorological Organization declares onset of El Niño conditions
El Niño conditions have developed in the tropical Pacific for the first time in seven years, setting the stage for a likely surge in global temperatures and disruptive weather and climate patterns.
A new Update from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) forecasts that there is a 90% probability of the El Niño event continuing during the second half of 2023. It is expected to be at least of moderate strength. The WMO Update combines forecasts and expert guidance from around the world.
“The onset of El Niño will greatly increase the likelihood of breaking temperature records and triggering more extreme heat in many parts of the world and in the ocean,” said WMO Secretary-General Prof. Petteri Taalas.
“The declaration of an El Niño by WMO is the signal to governments around the world to mobilize preparations to limit the impacts on our health, our ecosystems and our economies,” he said. “Early warnings and anticipatory action of extreme weather events associated with this major climate phenomenon are vital to save lives and livelihoods.”
El Niño occurs on average every two to seven years, and episodes typically last nine to 12 months. It is a naturally occurring climate pattern associated with warming of the ocean surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. But it takes place in the context of a climate changed by human activities.
DevelopmentAid Editorials
Germany’s foreign aid funding in peril
Long a heavyweight champion of providing humanitarian and development aid, Germany is now facing budgetary shortfalls that could lead to cuts in its foreign aid projects and humanitarian assistance (Official Development Assistance) spend.
Read the full article.
What is missing that could unlock the EU-Mercosur free trade agreement?
Three years after signing a free trade agreement, the European Union and Mercosur – a commercial bloc formed by Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay – are still trying to overcome the remaining disagreements to finally build a new commercial alliance. Last week, the President of the European Union, Ursula von der Leyen, visited South America to advocate for the new trade relationship.
Read the full article.
Hero Stories | Han Valk: “Donors are looking to fund dreams, ideas, rather than internal issues”
Being an impact-driven person, it is no surprise that Han Valk is working towards maximizing impact for his company’s clients and driving change effectively. As the CEO of HVFC International, Han Valk is the person with scalable and practical solutions for organizations he believes in. In the new edition of DevelopmentAid’s ‘Hero Stories’, he reveals the current fundraising trends, the subtleties of the sector, tips and tricks for sourcing funds and maintaining long-lasting relationships with donors. Meet Han Valk.
Read the full article.
Here’s what else has happened
Myanmar and Rohingya refugees: The EU has released an additional €12.5 million to address the humanitarian needs of people in Myanmar, as well as those of Rohingya refugees and their host communities in Bangladesh and the broader region.
Schools in Ukraine: As part of the EU-funded school repairs project in Ukraine, implemented by UNOPS, construction work commenced in late June on the first batch of educational institutions. This will help prepare them to welcome students at the beginning of the new academic year in September 2023.
UN rights chief: Global heating is a burning human rights issue, as extreme weather and climate disasters threaten humanity’s universal right to food, UN rights chief Volker Türk said.
FAO Director-General: The Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), QU Dongyu, re-elected for a second term as the head of the Organization, delivered his opening statement at the 43rd Session of FAO Conference (1-7 July), in which he stressed that it is time to “rewrite the narrative on food security.”
Reports
Women and girls bear brunt of water and sanitation crisis – new UNICEF-WHO report
Globally, women are most likely to be responsible for fetching water for households, while girls are nearly twice as likely as boys to bear the responsibility and spend more time doing it each day, according to a new report released by UNICEF and WHO.
Progress on household drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) 2000-2022: Special focus on gender – which provides the first in-depth analysis of gender inequalities in WASH – also notes that women and girls are more likely to feel unsafe using a toilet outside of the home and disproportionately feel the impact of lack of hygiene.
OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2023-32 maps key output, consumption and trade trends
Global agricultural and food production is projected to continue to increase over the next ten years, but at a slower pace of growth than the previous decade due to demographic trends, according to a report released by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
UNCTAD calls for urgent support to developing countries to attract massive investment in clean energy
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) called for urgent support to developing countries to enable them to attract significantly more investment for their transition to clean energy.
UNCTAD’s World Investment Report 2023 published shows that much of the growth in international investment in renewable energy, which has nearly tripled since the adoption of the Paris Agreement in 2015, has been concentrated in developed countries.
Events
SAMEA 2023 Online Capacity Building Workshops
📅 07-23 August 2023 / 23-31 October 2023
Online
SAMEA is pleased to present the 2023 Capacity Building Workshops that will once again be presented virtually. We will deliver two workshop series in the months of August and October.
2023 Canadian Conference on Global Health
📅 16-18 October 2023
Ottawa, Canada & Virtually
The Canadian Conference on Global Health is an annual conference that brings together researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and students from various disciplines and sectors to discuss pressing global health issues. The conference provides a platform for sharing knowledge, best practices, and innovations in global health research, policy, and practice.
