2023 was the hottest year on record, aid relief is arriving in Gaza, and severe weather is sweeping across the U.S. Here is what you missed from last week’s headlines in the international development sector.
2023 was the hottest year on record, Copernicus data show
High temperatures from June onwards led to 2023 becoming the warmest year on record by a large margin, close to 1.5°C above the pre-industrial level, according to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) implemented by ECMWF.
The year also saw the hottest month on record, and daily global temperatures briefly surpassed pre-industrial levels by more than 2°C.
The 2023 Global Climate Highlights report, which is based mainly on the ERA5 reanalysis dataset, presents a general summary of 2023’s most relevant climate extremes and the main drivers behind them, such as greenhouse gas concentrations, El Niño, and other natural variations.
Aid relief is arriving in Gaza but ‘too little, too late’, warns WHO
With no let-up in fighting across Gaza, the UN health agency pleaded for better access across the enclave, where relief is arriving “too little…too late” to help civilians caught up in the ongoing conflict.
“Even if there is no ceasefire, you would expect humanitarian corridors to operate… in a much more sustained way than what’s happening now,” said Dr Rik Peeperkorn, WHO Representative for the Occupied Palestinian Territory. “It’s too little. It’s too late specifically in the north.”
As severe weather sweeps across U.S., Direct Relief offers support
Many parts of the United States are experiencing extreme weather this week as multiple storm systems coalesce over regions in the Northeast and South, Midwest, Plains, and Pacific Northwest.
Several tornadoes were reported in Florida’s Panhandle, including in the Panama City area, and more than a dozen counties were under tornado warning conditions as the storm moved eastward.
Snow and icy conditions had swept through many areas of the Midwest and Plains regions, with some recording blizzard conditions. Heavy rains and high winds were also present in many areas of the U.S., including the Northeast, prompting flash flood warnings.
Health needs during extreme weather can vary, from risks of hypothermia due to extreme temperature swings to health risks associated with power outages. Evacuations and displacement from tornadoes and other storms can bring risks if evacuees are without medications to manage chronic conditions for extended amounts of time.
Direct Relief is in communication with health centers, free clinics, primary care associations, and other organizations about potential needs and maintains an emergency stockpile of essential medicines often requested. The organization is ready to respond to requests as needed.
DevelopmentAid Editorials
What are the economic predictions for 2024? | Experts’ Opinions
“New Year – new challenges” or “New Year – new opportunities?” Which will it be for 2024? With the year just beginning, it’s a good time to reflect, analyse and make some predictions not only for the world economy but also for the international development sector. As there is no sign of the end of the war in Ukraine, and the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues, as the climate continues to change, and many more crises affect various regions of the world, economies are coming under enormous pressure. According to the IMF, global economic growth will slow down to 2.9% in 2024, but this scenario could change due to the constantly shifting situation across the major economic powers. Let’s put this subject on the experts’ plate and see what they think about the economic prospects for 2024.
Top 10 world problems and their solutions
The last decade has been marked by significant progress in various fields such as science, medicine, and technology but, at the same time, the number of problems in today’s society has steadily grown. In 2020 and 2021, undoubtedly some of the most uncertain and difficult years of the last decade, the biggest problems in the world were the COVID-19 pandemic and poverty. However, the years that followed continued to be somewhat complex and certainly no less easy.
In 2022 – 2023, the war in Ukraine, the Israel – Hamas conflict, the energy crisis and hyperinflation caused multiple economic shocks and stagnation across the continents.
As a platform to address global issues that cannot be resolved by any single country, the United Nations organization is spearheading humanity’s struggle to survive. Its most visible efforts concern resolving conflicts and undertaking peacekeeping activities. Below is a list of the world’s greatest according to the UN.
Technology’s impact on employment: benefits and drawbacks
Technological progress has had an enormous effect on work, jobs, and skills, as well as employment throughout the history of mankind. One of the more recent and most impactful examples is the 19th century’s Industrial Revolution when machines replaced many of the professions that had previously required manual labor. This was a pivotal moment in human history and one that fundamentally changed modern society.
Here’s what else has happened
AIIB: The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) advanced its 2024 calendar year funding program by announcing the pricing of a 5-year USD benchmark bond. The Sustainable Development Bond successfully raised USD3 billion, reinforcing AIIB’s commitment to financing Infrastructure for Tomorrow.
EBRD: The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) delivered a record €13.1 billion in investments across its economies in 2023. In a year of significant milestones for the Bank, as well as challenges in many of its regions, the EBRD also reported record volume and number of investments, green financing, disbursements, support to the private sector number of projects and number of projects with a gender component.
Brazil: Brazil signed two loans totaling USD 1.7 billion with the New Development Bank (NDB). His Excellency, the President of the Federative Republic of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, attended the contract signing ceremony for the “green loans” at the headquarters of the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES) in Rio de Janeiro. The contracts were signed by Mrs. Dilma Rousseff, President of the New Development Bank, and Mr. Aloizio Mercadante, President of BNDES.
EBRD: The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is committing up to €100 million to Taaleri SolarWind III, a fund currently being raised by Taaleri Energia, a Finland-based fund manager. The investment is expected to enable the construction of 800 MW of new renewable energy capacity across the economies in which the EBRD invests.
Reports
Massive expansion of renewable power opens door to achieving global tripling goal set at COP28
The world added 50% more renewable capacity in 2023 than in 2022 and the next 5 years will see the fastest growth yet, but the lack of financing for emerging and developing economies is a key issue.
The world’s capacity to generate renewable electricity is expanding faster than at any time in the last three decades, giving it a real chance of achieving the goal of tripling global capacity by 2030 that governments set at the COP28 climate change conference last month, the IEA says in a new report.
Global Risks 2024: Disinformation tops Global Risks 2024 as environmental threats intensify
Drawing on nearly two decades of original risk perception data, the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2024 warns of a global risk landscape in which progress in human development is being chipped away slowly, leaving states and individuals vulnerable to new and resurgent risks. Against a backdrop of systemic shifts in global power dynamics, climate, technology, and demographics, global risks are stretching the world’s adaptative capacity to its limit.
Events
Exploring the Top NGO Roles Affected by AI | Webinar
As the influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) expands across numerous industries, including NGOs, its impact on job roles within these organizations has become a significant topic of discussion. AI is reshaping critical functions such as program and grant management, compliance, advocacy, and communication. Nonetheless, despite its potential threat to jobs, AI can also serve as a tool of empowerment and cause a revolution in the workplace.
DevelopmentAid, in collaboration with Ali Al Mokdad, Senior Strategic Manager in the nonprofit sector, will be holding a webinar to delve into the transformative effects of AI on key roles within the NGO sector. The event aims to provide NGO professionals with insights into how, rather than replacing jobs, AI can enhance and revolutionize them, empowering workers to focus on the more strategic and impactful aspects of their roles.
Key takeaways
- The Top Roles Impacted: A look at the NGO roles most likely to be influenced by generative AI between 2024 and 2025.
- Key Risks and Ethical Considerations: An exploration of the potential challenges and ethical dilemmas posed by AI integration in NGOs including data privacy, biases, and the balance between automation and human judgement.
Leadership in Project Management for Development Organizations and NGOs
📅 29 January – 16 February 2024
Virtual
Leadership skills are perhaps the greatest determinant of project success. Project managers must demonstrate leadership effectiveness throughout each phase of the project lifecycle.
This course explains the challenges and issues concerning effective project leadership and how to best meet these challenges. It evaluates various leadership theories and will help project leaders assess their styles; describes motivational approaches and barriers to team performance and the stages of team development.
In this course, participants will learn how to best resolve conflicts and manage agreements, and how to enhance communication effectiveness. Participants will develop the necessary skills to get the maximum performance from every member of the team, know how to apply the methods of leadership that are most appropriate for achieving project success and discover which forms of leadership and communication are best suited to the various stakeholders.
Participants will learn techniques for resolving conflict and managing team issues, and gain a solid understanding of analyzing stages of team development and maximizing project team effectiveness.