How are donor countries responding to COVID-19, 52 million children around the world could die by 2030 and the future of the tourism industry. Here is what you missed from last week’s headlines in the international development sector:
52 million children around the world could die by 2030. Most of these deaths are preventable
Current trends in infant mortality are alarming. About 52 million children under 5 years of age are going to die between 2019 and 2030, half of whom will be newborns, unless governments take action to end preventable deaths. According to estimates, almost 80% of these deaths will occur in the countries of sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia. Fragile contexts make it more difficult to accelerate progress and meet the SDG goals on infant mortality by 2030.
The total number of deaths among children and young adolescents under 15 years of age has reduced by 56% since 1990. However, despite the tremendous progress achieved, 6.2 million children under the age of 15 died in 2018, mostly from preventable causes and the risk of dying is much higher for children under 5 years old. The leading causes of these deaths are infectious diseases such as pneumonia, diarrhea and malaria while injuries register a prominent death rate among children aged between 5 and 15 years old. Malnourished children’s chances of survival are dramatically lower.
How are donor countries responding to COVID-19? Early analyses and trends to watch
Over the last few months, the Donor Tracker team has been following the rapidly developing international response to the COVID-19 crisis.
The implications of this pandemic are far greater than its immediate health effects since it has become clear that the longer-term economic and humanitarian ramifications of the crisis are likely to be just as dire. This is especially true in low- and middle-income countries and for vulnerable populations.
So far, the global community has mobilized billions of dollars to the international effort to mitigate the multi-dimensional impacts of the novel coronavirus pandemic. This Donor Tracker Insights piece examines OECD donor countries’ international response to the COVID-19 crisis so far, as well as trends to watch out for in the coming weeks and months. We hope that these insights may inform the work of global development advocates, governments, multilaterals, and other organizations during this unprecedented crisis.
Read the full report here.
Reforms needed to the future-proof the tourism industry
Tourism officials from APEC’s member economies are advancing cooperation in mitigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic to the tourism industry and charting the way towards recovery.
It was announced at the APEC Tourism Working Group virtual meeting that the pandemic deeply affects international travel and would set back international tourist arrivals by 58 percent to 78 percent in 2020.
“The tourism industry is the first sector to be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and will be among the last ones to recover as travelers become more conscious of the health risks and are discouraged by the stringent travel restrictions that are being implemented around the world,” said Muhammad Daud, Senior Director of Tourism Policy and International Relations of Malaysia’s Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture.
The Asia-Pacific region recorded the highest growth in terms of tourist arrivals globally with a total of 464.7 million international tourist arrivals in 2017, or about 33 percent of global tourism arrivals. Moving forward, this will no longer be the case.
DevelopmentAid Editorials
Millions of people on the verge of starvation
The number of people who are experiencing starvation is on the rise. Communities that face acute food insecurity are the most vulnerable to the catastrophic repercussions of COVID-19. The situation is expected to deteriorate even further than those 135 million people already suffering exceptional emergencies in 55 countries of the world.
Unless appropriate action is taken to mitigate the impact of the outbreak, the number of people in a state of food crisis in low and middle-income countries will double by the end of 2020, according to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) with 35 of the selected countries being identified as having suffered major food crises in 2019. Millions of people were pushed into acute food insecurity as a result of additional shocks or stressors like conflicts and internal violence, worsening economic circumstances, disease outbreaks and displacements.
Development Aid deepens support for EITI Global Standard implementation in Papua New Guinea
The Papua New Guinea (PNG) economy is dependent on natural resources, particularly its mining and petroleum sectors – primary sources of government income since the Pacific island nation became independent of Australia in 1975. In order to derive maximum benefit from these important sectors, their governance must be underpinned by the two key pillars of transparency and accountability. This would help to address the major issue of corruption which can obstruct the economic progress of any nation.
To help achieve this, the PNG Government signed up to implement the EITI Global Reporting Standard in 2014. The implementation of the EITI Global Standard involves member states publishing yearly reports about their mining and petroleum value chain highlighting those sectors.
Here’s what else has happened
ADB: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of Mongolia signed a $2 million grant to improve the accessibility, safety, security, and quality of transport services along the Chingeltei street corridor in the ger areas of Ulaanbaatar city.
UN: The UN Human Rights High Commissioner warned of potential risks as more countries move to lift lockdown measures put in place to contain COVID-19 spread.
EIB: The European Investment Bank (EIB) is assisting the Madrid Region in its efforts to tackle the COVID-19 health emergency. The EU bank is providing a EUR 600 million loan on favourable terms to enable the authorities to adapt Madrid’s health facilities and cope with the additional health costs caused by the pandemic.
WHO and UNHCR: The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency signed a new agreement to strengthen and advance public health services for the millions of forcibly displaced people around the world.
Reports
Urban planning crucial for better public health in cities
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to highlight the importance of safe distancing in cities, a new sourcebook launched by WHO and UN-Habitat provides a wealth of useful information on ensuring human health is a key consideration for city planning.
The sourcebook, Integrating Health in Urban and Territorial Planning, is designed to guide decision-makers from the public health, urban, and territorial planning sectors including planners, city managers, health professionals, and others towards developing cities planned and built with a focus on human and environmental health.
Read the full sourcebook: Integrating health in urban and territorial planning.
COVID-19: Human development on course to decline this year for the first time since 1990
Global human development – which can be measured as a combination of the world’s education, health and living standards – could decline this year for the first time since the concept was introduced in 1990, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) warned.
“The world has seen many crises over the past 30 years, including the Global Financial Crisis of 2007-09. Each has hit human development hard but, overall, development gains accrued globally year-on-year,” said UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner. “COVID-19 – with its triple hit to health, education, and income – may change this trend.”
Events
Webinar | GRI 306: Waste 2020 – A waste standard for the post-pandemic world
? 09 June 2020 ? 10:00 – 11:00 AM (CEST)
Webinar
On 19 May, GRI released GRI 306: Waste 2020, which updates, expands, and replaces GRI 306: Effluents and Waste 2016.
The new Waste Standard changes how companies measure and understand waste, responding to global concerns about increases in waste generation and its impact on the environment and local communities. It encourages companies to prevent waste at source and unlock opportunities for circular business practices.
Webinar | The Board’s Role in Crisis Management
? 27 May 2020 ? 10:00 AM (CEST)
Webinar
How does the current coronavirus pandemic affect the role and tasks of board members? What can they do to best fulfil their role in times of crisis? The webinar that is jointly organised by DEG and FMO will address these and other questions. The aim of the webinar, presented by governance experts from consultancy Board Excellence, is to provide practical guidance to companies.
Workshop | Energy and Transport Infrastructure Connecting Asia and Europe
? 27 – 29 May 2020 ?15:45–18:15 (Tokyo time)
Workshop
This ADBI virtual workshop will feature papers that examine the economic and strategic impacts of energy and transport infrastructure connecting Asia and Europe, as well as policies for attracting private finance to sustainably develop new regional projects.
