The partial and gradual lifting of travel restrictions, tourism can be a platform for overcoming the pandemic, and EU grants €314 million to innovative companies. Here is what you missed from last week’s headlines in the international development sector:
Commission recommends partial and gradual lifting of travel restrictions to the EU after 30 June
The Commission recommends to Schengen Member States and Schengen Associated States to lift internal border controls by 15 June 2020 and to prolong the temporary restriction on non-essential travel into the EU until 30 June 2020; and sets out an approach to progressively lifting the restriction afterwards.
Given that the health situation in certain third countries remains critical, the Commission does not propose a general lifting of the travel restriction at this stage. The restriction should be lifted for countries selected together by Member States, based on a set of principles and objective criteria including the health situation, the ability to apply containment measures during travel, and reciprocity considerations, taking into account data from relevant sources such as ECDC and WHO.
For countries towards which the restriction remains in place, the Commission proposes to enlarge the categories of permitted travellers to include, for instance, international students. The Commission is also issuing guidance to Member States to ensure that the resumption of visa operations abroad is well coordinated with the gradual lifting of the travel restrictions.
Tourism can be a platform for overcoming the pandemic
As UNWTO leads the restart of tourism, the Secretary-General of the United Nations has sent a landmark message to the world, highlighting the sector’s unique role in advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and in protecting the most vulnerable members of our societies.
As the world faces the devastating consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, the tourism sector is among those being affected most severely. Travel is down, fear is up, and the future is uncertain.
Tourism is an essential pillar of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The livelihoods of many depend on it, especially women and particularly in the world’s most vulnerable countries, including Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries. Moreover, in many parts of the world, the protection of biodiversity relies heavily on the tourist sector, from conservation to the revenue generated by those efforts.
EU grants €314 million to innovative companies to combat the virus and support recovery
The Commission announced that it has awarded nearly €166 million, via the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator Pilot, to 36 companies set to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
In addition, over €148 million will be granted to another 36 companies set to contribute to the recovery plan for Europe, bringing the total investment from Horizon 2020, the EU’s research and innovation programme, to €314 million in this round.
“Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, said: “The enormous talent and breakthrough ideas of innovative European companies give us hope. Our increased support to the European Innovation Council will unlock their potential so that we can better tackle the coronavirus and support our recovery. The EIC responded quickly to the coronavirus crisis and demonstrated the agility and impact of EU funding.”
DevelopmentAid Editorials
Experts’ Opinions| Authoritarianism on the rise, democracy in retreat. Consequences and Solutions.
Democracy is in crisis around the world while authoritarianism is on the rise in a growing number of countries, especially developing ones. More and more experts warn that authoritarianism is creeping into a greater number of democracies than ever before. How does authoritarianism affect development aid in developing countries and what can the international community do to combat authoritarian regimes? These are the questions answered by several experts in the democratization sector.
Experts’ Opinions | “Wet Markets” – source of food or infection?
Covid-19 and the SARS outbreak of 2003 have two things in common, both are from the coronavirus family and both have been associated with animals commonly sold in “wet markets.” Wet markets are prevalent in Asia, Africa and elsewhere, selling fresh fruit and vegetables, poultry, fresh meat, live animals and sometimes wildlife.
Peter Maro is a dedicated Medical Doctor with over 16 years of experience and Elizabeth Alderson has spent over 25 years working in agricultural development projects in Africa, Asia and South America. Let’s see what they have to say regarding wet markets.
Here’s what else has happened
ADB: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $500 million loan to help the Government of Pakistan deliver social protection programs to the poor and vulnerable, expand health sector capabilities, and deliver a pro-poor fiscal stimulus to boost growth and create jobs as the country fights the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
WHO: COVID-19 is accelerating in Africa, with more than 200,000 cases and more than 5,600 deaths, the regional office for the World Health Organization (WHO) reported. Africa recorded its first case of the new disease in mid-February. While it took nearly 100 days to reach 100,000 cases, the jump to 200,000 cases occurred in less than 20.
ADB: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed a $17.7 million financing package with Spectra Solar Park Limited (SSPL) to invest in a 35-megawatt utility-scale solar photovoltaic plant in Bangladesh.
Reports
COVID-19 may push millions more children into child labour – ILO and UNICEF
Millions more children risk being pushed into child labour as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, which could lead to the first rise in child labour after 20 years of progress, according to a new brief from the International Labour Organization (ILO) and UNICEF. According to COVID-19 and child labour: A time of crisis, a time to act, child labour decreased by 94 million since 2000, but that gain is now at risk.
Children already in child labour may be working longer hours or under worsening conditions, the report says. More of them may be forced into the worst forms of labour, which causes significant harm to their health and safety.
Read the report: COVID-19 and child labour: A time of crisis, a time to act.
Global food markets still brace for uncertainty in 2020/21 because of COVID-19 says FAO
Food markets will face many more months of uncertainty due to COVID-19, but the agri-food sector is likely to show more resilience to the pandemic crisis than other sectors, according to a new report released by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
The Food Outlook report provides the first forecasts for production and market trends in 2020-2021 for the world’s most traded food commodities – cereals, oilcrops, meat, dairy, fish, and sugar.
Read the Food Outlook – Biannual Report on Global Food Markets.
COVID-19 to plunge global economy into worst recession since World War II
The swift and massive shock of the coronavirus pandemic and shutdown measures to contain it have plunged the global economy into a severe contraction.
According to World Bank forecasts, the global economy will shrink by 5.2% this year. That would represent the deepest recession since the Second World War, with the largest fraction of economies experiencing declines in per capita output since 1870, the World Bank says in its June 2020 Global Economic Prospects.
Read the June 2020 Global Economic Prospects report.
Events
Webinar | Best practices in identifying international and local experts for donor-funded projects using DevelopmentAid
? Wed, Jun 17, 2020 ? 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM (CEST)
Webinar
Recruitment of local and international experts for donor-funded projects is always a tough task because of the short deadlines involved. It is now even more challenging due to COVID-related restrictions. In our free webinar, we are going to discuss the best practices with Tatiana Bostan, Sr. Recruiter and Project manager, as well as explore DevelopmentAid’s network of individual consultants.
Course | Responsible Data Management in Emergencies
This course aims to underline the responsibility of humanitarian actors to ensure safe and responsible management of the data they collect from people as part of their humanitarian activities.
It is aimed at people beginning their career in the humanitarian sector or for those transitioning from the development sector. It is also aimed at individuals who have never received formal training on the essentials of humanitarian action, or for those wishing to ‘refresh’ their knowledge.
The course covers the key topics related to the delivery of quality emergency responses.
Event | Annual Bank Conference on Development Economics 2020: Global Unrest
? 3–4 September 2020
Washington, DC
The Annual Bank Conference on Development Economics (ABCDE), organized by the World Bank’s Development Economics (DEC) Vice Presidency, is one of the world’s best-known series of conferences for the presentation and discussion of new knowledge on development. The conference aims to promote the exchange of cutting-edge knowledge among researchers, policymakers, and development practitioners.