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Add to Preferred SourcesWFP launches new collaboration to support mothers and children, the safe restart of tourism is possible and UN official concerned over torture allegations in Belarus. Here is what you missed from last week’s headlines in the international development sector:
WFP launches new collaboration to support mothers and children in time of COVID-19 crisis
In support of Egypt’s Ministry of Social Solidarity (MOSS), the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has started providing financial assistance for more than 40,000 mothers registered under the Ministry’s ‘Takaful and Karama’ programme and their children under 2 years to prevent malnutrition and help families fulfil the nutritional needs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The project is under the auspices of MOSS and is part of its social protection programme the ‘First 1,000 Days’ that is implemented in partnership with WFP.
Thanks to a contribution of EGP3.5 million (US$220,000) from the Sawiris Foundation for Social Development (SFSD) towards this programme, WFP will be providing food assistance through cash transfer for more than 4,000 of these women and their children. This support is a first of its kind between SFSD and WFP towards food security for such vulnerable communities.
The safe restart of tourism is possible
The cost of the restrictions on travel introduced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic is there for all to see. Between January and May, the sudden and rapid fall in tourist arrivals cost an estimated $320 billion. That’s three times greater than the impact of the Great Recession of 2007-2009 on the sector – and this is just for the first five months of the year.
The re-opening of borders to tourism is a welcome relief to millions who depend on this sector. But this alone is not enough, especially in view of recent announcements and measures which seem further and further away from the international coordination that UNWTO has been calling for since the pandemic erupted.
“In these uncertain times, people around the world need strong, clear, and consistent messages. What they don’t need are policy moves which ignore the fact that only together are we stronger and able to overcome the challenges we face,” said UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili.
Those in positions of leadership and influence have recognized the importance of tourism for jobs, economies, and rebuilding trust. This is only the first step. Now, they must do everything they can to get people travelling again, following and implementing all the protocols which are part of the new reality.
Top UN official concerned over torture allegations in Belarus
In the wake of ongoing electoral-related unrest in Belarus, the top UN official in the country has requested an urgent meeting with authorities focused on the issue of human rights, according to a statement from her office.
Joanna Kazana-Wisniowiecki, UN Resident Coordinator, has expressed serious concern over allegations of torture and other ill-treatment of people, including minors, who were detained after demonstrations connected to elections held on 9 August.
“Torture and other cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment are absolutely prohibited and can never be justified,” she said in a statement issued late last week.
While welcoming the release of many detainees, Ms. Kazana-Wisniowiecki said testimonies about their treatment in custody are “deeply troubling”, adding that “if confirmed, these reports would point to systemic problems in the management and oversight of detention facilities in Belarus.”
DevelopmentAid Editorials
The Top 10 organizations in the food security sector
The gloomy perspective of the worsening food crises that have trapped people in poverty and hunger is putting pressure on governments and the international community. Even before the pandemic, food insecurity rates had raised concerns but the realities over the intervening period accelerated the impetus to adopt concerted channeled sustainable actions. More people could die from lack of food linked to COVID-19 rather than from the disease itself before the end of the year.
DFI Files: Austria’s OeEB – the youngest European DFI, with a substantial portfolio growth
The Development Bank of Austria (OeEB), founded in 2008, is the youngest member of the European Development Finance Institutions (EDFIs). In the last decade it has grown to be the sixth largest EDFI in terms of portfolio. OeEB positions itself as a thematically focused development bank with a broad geographic approach and, in the next two years, aims to conclude 80% of its new businesses in its three main thematic focus areas.
Ten donors in the humanitarian sector that every development organization should follow
International donors commit billions of US dollars to humanitarian assistance in the farthest, most underdeveloped regions or those that are affected by conflict and disaster. However, before their funds can be turned into technical assistance or the management of humanitarian and relief programs, a complex international public procurement process has to take place. Today, DevelopmentAid, which enables major tenders and grant notices to be made public, presents the TOP-10 donors listed by the number of tenders and grant notices in the humanitarian sector published on the DevelopmentAid.org platform.
Here’s what else has happened
CABEI: At the end of March, the Executive President of the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI), Dr. Dante Mossi, announced the creation of the Emergency Support and Preparedness Program for COVID-19 and its economic reactivation with a financial availability of US$1,960 million dollars.
EBRD: A loan of up to €30 million by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development will ensure the provision of essential infrastructure services in Kosovo as the country faces the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
ADB: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $2 million grant from its Asia Pacific Disaster Response Fund (APDRF) to support Armenia in its fight against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
COVID-19: School closures implemented to protect students from COVID-19, are hurting them in other ways, while the long-term impact of this disruption to education could create a “lost generation” in Africa, two UN agencies said.
Reports
ECLAC and UN Women: Comprehensive care systems are key to the socioeconomic recovery in Latin America and the Caribbean
The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) called for governments in the region to put care at the center of their responses to COVID-19, by creating incentive and recovery packages, promoting comprehensive systems that ensure access to care for people who need it, and guaranteeing the rights of the people who provide it.
COVID-19 causes disruptions to child protection services in more than 100 countries
Violence prevention and response services have been severely disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving children at increased risk of violence, exploitation, and abuse, according to a global survey by UNICEF.
Read the survey: Protecting children from violence in the time of COVID-19.
Events
Webinar | Thirty Innovations for a Renewable-Powered Future
? 26 August 2020 ? 17:00 – 18:30 (CEST)
Webinar
The webinar will stress the importance of a systemic innovation approach, meaning fostering innovation in four dimensions: enabling technologies, business models, market design, and system operation. The role of those innovations will be discussed in the context of the ongoing disruptive trends in the power sector:
Reuters Events Webinar: Unlocking ‘S’: Social Factors Driving Financial Returns
? 26 August 2020 ? 10:00 EST/ 3:00 BST
Webinar
The past decade has seen much attention given to ‘environmental’ issues (and rightly so), but 2020 has shed new light to the salience of ‘social’ issues. Join to discuss how investors can understand the challenges, quantify the risks and opportunities, and bring ‘S’ in line with ‘E’ and ‘G’.
Webinar | Innovations for a Decentralised, Renewable-Powered System: Peer-to-Peer Electricity Trading
? 25 August 2020 ? 10:00 – 11:30 (CEST)
Webinar
This joint webinar by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA) in Malaysia will discuss transitioning electricity consumers to prosumers. The event takes place in the view of an increasing decentralised power system, innovative technologies, regulations, and business models lead to a higher share of renewables in power systems.