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Here is what you missed from last week’s headlines in the international development sector:
EU budget: Commission takes steps to make €11.5 billion available for crisis repair and recovery in 2020
The Commission has proposed modifications to its budget for 2020 to make €11.5 billion for crisis repair and recovery available already in 2020. Once available, the funds will go to help the regions most in need, support businesses, and those in need outside EU borders.
Commissioner Johannes Hahn in charge of the budget said: “For our path to recovery it will be crucial that additional funds will be made available and reach businesses and citizens as soon as possible and still in this year”.
The proposal is a technical follow-up of the major recovery plan that the Commission put forward last week, consisting of a new recovery instrument, Next Generation EU, embedded within a powerful, modern, and revamped long-term EU budget.
As part of the plan, the Commission has proposed to raise €750 billion on the markets and channel them to the EU recovery. To make this possible, the Commission proposed to temporarily lift the Own Resources Ceiling of its long-term budget (the maximum amount of funds that the Union can request from Member States to cover its financial obligations) and the ceiling on the actual spending (MFF payment ceiling). To achieve that, the Commission proposed to amend the Own Resources Decision – the legal text which sets the conditions to fund the EU budget. This requires a unanimous decision of all Member States and approval according to national constitutional requirements.
EU allocates over €70 million to help most vulnerable population in Yemen
The Commission will provide new funding of €70 million in Yemen, as the coronavirus threatens to worsen one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, where famine already looms. More than €40 million of this package will help prevent and respond to the spread of the coronavirus pandemic in the country.
Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, said: “In this difficult time, the EU continues to stand by the most vulnerable in Yemen. The EU is delivering vital assistance such as food, nutrition, water, shelter and hygiene kits to millions of Yemenis affected by the crisis. To ensure aid reaches as many people as possible, all restrictions and interference violating the humanitarian principles have to be lifted.”
To protect against the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, EU partner organisations are implementing emergency plans and control measures, to reduce the expansion of the virus. EU assistance also supports the treatment of severely malnourished children.
US must address deep-seated grievances to move beyond history of racism and violence
The grievances at the heart of the protests that have erupted in hundreds of US cities need to be heard and addressed if the country is to move on from its tragic history of racism and violence, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said.
“The voices calling for an end to the killings of unarmed African Americans need to be heard. The voices calling for an end to police violence need to be heard. And the voices calling for an end to the endemic and structural racism that blights US society need to be heard,” Bachelet said.
“At all times, but especially during a crisis, a country needs its leaders to condemn racism unequivocally; for them to reflect on what has driven people to boiling point; to listen and learn, and to take actions that truly tackle inequalities,” she said.
The protests, which began in response to the killing of an African American man, George Floyd, while in police custody on 25 May, have continued, spreading to more than 300 US cities.
DevelopmentAid Editorials
Associate Writer | 4 Things to do to be a toxic manager in the humanitarian sector
There is a strong evidence base underpinning some of the key concepts, factors, characteristics, and principles that are associated with the impact of your actions as a leader on your organization, program, and team performance. Not surprisingly, good management styles have many guidelines and manuals, but bad management is not.
If you want to be a good leader in this sector and work as one, I can give you two steps (1- Read, 2- Practice ). Just check websites like (DevelopmentAid, The New Humanitarian …etc) and read about management/leadership then practice the recommendations in your daily life.
But if you are aiming to be a toxic manager and a lousy leader, here are four things to do.
Data for good: connecting organizations with data experts to solve humanitarian issues
Data for good started out as a social movement several years ago when it sought to understand how data science could be used to address a range of humanitarian issues. Leading this movement was DataKind, a collaborative network of organizations. Basically, the idea of such custom projects is that they bring together high-impact organizations or initiatives and leading data scientists to work together in the service of certain humanitarian projects.
Here’s what else has happened
European Commission: The European Commission announced a pledge of €300 million to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, for the period 2021–2025. It will help immunise 300 million children around the world and finance vaccine stockpiles to shield against outbreaks of infectious diseases.
EIB, European Commission and Investitionsbank Berlin: The European Investment Bank (EIB), the European Commission and Investitionsbank Berlin (IBB) announced the first closing of their EU Malaria Fund. The European Commission and the EIB are investing an initial €64 million into the fund, which aims to bridge the gap between molecule and market for feasible and affordable innovative solutions to prevent and treat malaria. The outstanding amount of €6 million is being provided by various national and private investors, including IBB and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
EIB: The European Investment Bank (EIB) will invest €11 million to improve wastewater management and provide affordable access to water and wastewater services for more than 90 000 people in the municipality of Gjilan/Gnjilane in Kosovo.
Reports
WTO report examines impact of COVID-19 pandemic on small businesses
The WTO Secretariat has published an information note looking at how micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) are being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. It notes the impact of supply chain disruptions on MSMEs and the extent to which smaller businesses are represented in the economic sectors hardest hit by the crisis.
The report notes that supply chain disruptions can have a particularly severe impact on MSMEs because sourcing from new suppliers or absorbing price increases is more challenging for a smaller firm with limited supply options and capital.
Global manufacturing production drops sharply due to economic disruptions caused by COVID-19 – UNIDO report
World manufacturing production already indicated an overall economic slowdown in 2019 but, in the first quarter of 2020, manufacturing output growth registered a sharp decline of 6.0 percent.
This decline is attributable to China’s lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19, as well as ongoing uncertainties due to restrictions on trade between the US and China and the so-called Brexit.
A massive decline of manufacturing output for industrialized, as well as developing and emerging industrial economies (excluding China), is expected in the following period as a large number of industrialized countries partially shut down their economies as a containment strategy for COVID-19 from March 2020 onwards.
Read full report World Manufacturing Production, Quarter 1, 2020.
Events
Course | The Paris Agreement on Climate Change as a Development Agenda
? 15 June – 24 July 2020
Online Course
This joint UN Climate Change – UNSSC online course offers a holistic and integrated approach to climate change and demonstrates the interlinkages and interdependencies between sustainable development and climate change to make informed policy choices towards low-carbon and climate-resilient sustainable development.
Online conference | United Nations Virtual Forum on Responsible Business and Human Rights
? 09-11 June 2020 ? 10.00-16.30 (Bangkok time)
Online conference
To stimulate a robust dialogue on responsible business and human rights in Asia and the Pacific in the COVID-19 context, the UN has joined forces to co-organize the United Nations Virtual Forum on Business and Human Rights: New Challenges. New Approaches, Asia and the Pacific (VRBHR Forum).
Webinar | COVID-19 Pandemic and the Role of World Biosphere Reserves
? 05 June 2020
Webinar
The webinar will give an opportunity to highlight the importance of the Biosphere Reserve model in a pandemic such as COVID 19.