Ebola outbreak in DRC declared a public health emergency of international concern, Asia and the Pacific on course to miss all Sustainable Development Goals and a new fund to support cooperation on safe, orderly and regular migration was launched. Here is what you missed from last week’s headlines in the international development sector:
Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).
The declaration followed a meeting of the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee for EVD in the DRC. The Committee cited recent developments in the outbreak in making its recommendation, including the first confirmed case in Goma, a city of almost two million people on the border with Rwanda, and the gateway to the rest of DRC and the world.
We need to work together in solidarity with the DRC to end this outbreak and build a better health system,” said Dr. Tedros. “Extraordinary work has been done for almost a year under the most difficult circumstances. We all owe it to these responders — coming from not just WHO but also the government, partners and communities — to shoulder more of the burden.”
Since it was declared almost a year ago the outbreak has been classified as a level 3 emergency – the most serious – by WHO, triggering the highest level of mobilization from WHO. The UN has also recognized the seriousness of the emergency by activating the Humanitarian System-wide Scale-Up to support the Ebola response.
UN: Asia and Pacific on course to miss all Sustainable Development Goals
Unless progress is accelerated, Asia and the Pacific are on course to miss all of the 17 Goals of the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, said the Executive Secretary of the UN regional commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).
ESCAP’s latest Sustainable Development Goals Progress Report shows that, when it comes to some of the Goals, the region is actually going backward. These are the goals related to access to clean water and sanitation (Goal 6), decent work and economic growth (Goal 8), and responsible consumption and production (Goal 11).
There are, said Ms. Alisjahbana, several reasons for this: “There is water scarcity, because of the pressure of urbanization, and the management of natural resources and the environment are making the situation worse. As for moving towards sustainable consumption, that has to do with behaviour and lifestyle. With increasing wealth, you consume more, but what you consume is something that is actually not sustainable.”
The situation, she believes, can be turned around, through better cooperation, as well as the abundant talent and expertise found in the region.
New fund to support greater cooperation on safe, orderly and regular migration
The UN Member States and UN entities announced the creation of a new funding instrument to support efforts towards safe, orderly and regular migration.
The Migrantion Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office was called for by the Global Compact on Migration (GCM), adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 2018. Its aim is to provide financing for innovative programmes designed to support States’ migration priorities, ensure the better protection of migrants, foster cooperation, and further the promotion of migration governance that benefits all.
The Fund is now open for contributions, with a target of USD 25 million for its first year of operations and expected to grow. Under the aegis of a representative Steering Committee comprising States, the UN system, and a broad range of partners, the Fund will facilitate the exchange of best practices and evidence-based migration policies.
“The Migration Fund can provide the impetus for all of us to take the next step; to bring the Migration Compact to life, to move us closer to realizing the SDGs, and to effect positive change in the field of migration,” said Amina Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General, at the launch held at the UNICEF HQ in New York.
Here’s what else has happened
Rohingya refugees: A combination of landslides and floods has damaged or destroyed hundreds of structures in Cox’s bazar following eight days of unrelenting rain and wind – the most severe weather since the massive Rohingya refugee influx of 2017. United Nations agencies have been working around the clock to repair the damage, temporarily relocate affected refugees and activate disaster response plans.
Vaccines: 20 million children worldwide missed out on lifesaving vaccines such as measles, diphtheria and tetanus in 2018, according to new data from WHO and UNICEF. Most unvaccinated children live in the poorest countries and are disproportionately in fragile or conflict-affected states.
Green finance: A global partnership of some of the world’s largest organizations launched two new knowledge platforms – the Green Industry Platform and the Green Finance Platform – at the High-level Political Forum for Sustainable Development in New York. These platforms provide the financial and private sectors with the latest research, data, guidance, and tools from leading experts and institutions to help green their operations.
European Investment Bank: The European Investment Bank (EIB) approved EUR 4.8 billion of new financing. This includes support for projects to improve communications in rural regions, increase private sector investment to support climate action, and accelerate the transition to clean energy, including support for Europe’s largest solar power facility.
Al-Hol camp: UNICEF estimates that more than 90 percent of the 70,000 people live in Al-Hol Camp, northeast of Syria, are children and women. They are currently facing a dire humanitarian situation and requiring care, protection, as well as urgent life-saving assistance, especially as summer temperatures soar.
Reports
The state of Food Security and Nutrition in the World
An estimated 820 million people did not have enough to eat in 2018, up from 811 million in the previous year, which is the third year of increase in a row. This underscores the immense challenge of achieving the Sustainable Development Goal of Zero Hunger by 2030, says a new edition of the annual The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report.
The pace of progress in halving the number of children who are stunted and in reducing the number of babies born with low birth weight is too slow, which also puts the SDG 2 nutrition targets further out of reach, according to the report.
The situation is most alarming in Africa, as the region has the highest rates of hunger in the world and which are continuing to slowly but steadily rise in almost all subregions. In Eastern Africa in particular, close to a third of the population (30.8 percent) is undernourished. In addition to climate and conflict, economic slowdowns and downturns are driving the rise. Since 2011, almost half the countries where rising hunger occurred due to economic slowdowns or stagnation were in Africa.
Communities at the Centre: Reaching People with HIV Services
The pace of progress in reducing new HIV infections, increasing access to treatment and ending AIDS-related deaths is slowing down according to a new report released by UNAIDS.
The report shows that key populations and their sexual partners now account for more than half (54%) of new HIV infections globally. In 2018, key populations—including people who inject drugs, gay men and other men who have sex with men, transgender people, sex workers and prisoners—accounted for around 95% of new HIV infections in eastern Europe and central Asia and in the Middle East and North Africa.
However, the report also shows that less than 50% of key populations were reached with combination HIV prevention services in more than half of the countries that reported. This highlights that key populations are still being marginalized and being left behind in the response to HIV.
“We urgently need increased political leadership to end AIDS,” said Gunilla Carlsson, UNAIDS Executive Director, a.i., “This starts with investing adequately and smartly and by looking at what’s making some countries so successful. Ending AIDS is possible if we focus on people, not diseases, create road maps for the people and locations being left behind, and take a human rights-based approach to reach people most affected by HIV.”
To continue progress towards ending AIDS, UNAIDS urges all partners to step up action and invest in the response, including by fully funding the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria with at least US$ 14 billion at its replenishment in October and through increasing bilateral and domestic funding for HIV.
Events
4th SADC Industrialisation Week
Dar es Salam, Tanzania
5-9 August 2019
This year’s theme of the 4th SADC Industrialisation Week is “A Conducive Business Environment for Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development”. The sectors earmarked to participate in the 2019 Industrialization Week include; Mineral beneficiation, Agro-processing, Pharmaceuticals, Fast Moving Consumer Goods, Infrastructure and logistics (to support trade and investment), Light Manufacturing; Automotive and Financial Sector.
SADC Groundwater Conference 2019
Johannesburg, South Africa
4 – 6 September 2019
The SADC annual groundwater conference has the primary objective of providing a platform for the advancement of knowledge sharing on sustainable management of groundwater at national and transboundary levels across the SADC Members States. The 2019 theme of the conference is “Groundwater Contribution to achievement of Sustainable Development Goals in SADC Region.”
Korea International Water Week 2019
Daegu, Republic of Korea
4-7 September 2019
The annual Korea International Water Week (KIWW) 2019 will convene under the theme Sustainable Water Management for Human and Nature.
6th International Symposium on Knowledge and Capacity for the Water Sector
Delft, the Netherlands
27-29 May 2020
The theme of the 6th International Symposium on Knowledge and Capacity for the Water Sector is ”From Capacity Development to Implementation Science”. The organizers are inviting scientists and academics, practitioners, professionals and policymakers worldwide to submit abstracts with a focus on leadership in knowledge and capacity development across sectors, disciplines. The deadline for submission of abstracts of 400-500 words is 14 November 2019.
