Less than 50% of working-age women are in the labour market, “little or no” positive impact on preventing deaths in patients infected with the new coronavirus and World Bank approved $12 billion for COVID-19 vaccines. Here is what you missed from last week’s headlines in the international development sector:
Women’s job market participation stagnating at less than 50% for the past 25 years
Less than 50% of working-age women are in the labour market, a figure that has barely changed over the last quarter of a century, according to a new UN report. Unpaid domestic and care work falls disproportionately on women, restraining their economic potential as the COVID-19 pandemic additionally affects women’s jobs and livelihoods, the report warns.
The World’s Women 2020: Trends and Statistics compiles 100 data stories that provide a snapshot of the state of gender equality worldwide. Presented on an interactive portal, the report analyses gender equality in six critical areas: population and families; health; education; economic empowerment and asset ownership; power and decision-making; and violence against women and the girl child as well as the impact of COVID-19.
“Twenty-five years since the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, progress towards equal power and equal rights for women remains elusive. No country has achieved gender equality, and the COVID-19 crisis threatens to erode the limited gains that have been made. The Decade of Action to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals and efforts to recover better from the pandemic offer a chance to transform the lives of women and girls, today and tomorrow” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
COVID-19: ‘Little or no’ benefit from trials of anti-virals, says WHO
The latest results from a UN-coordinated international trial on four COVID-19 therapeutic drugs indicate that they have “little or no” positive impact on preventing deaths in patients infected with the new coronavirus.
The Solidarity Therapeutics Trial, overseen by the World Health Organization (WHO), shows that medications Remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir/ritonavir, and interferon, repurposed to treat new coronavirus infections, “appeared to have little or no effect on 28-day mortality or the in-hospital course of COVID-19 among hospitalized patients”, WHO said in a statement.
The study, which began in March and spans more than 30 countries, looked at the effects of these treatments on overall mortality, initiation of ventilation, and duration of hospital stay in hospitalized individuals.
Other uses of the drugs, for example in the treatment of patients in the community or for prevention, would have to be examined using different trials, the WHO explained. In a related announcement, the UN health agency said that COVID-19 had also highlighted the increased vulnerability of people with high blood pressure to the coronavirus.
World Bank approved $12 billion for COVID-19 vaccines
The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors approved an envelope of $12 billion for developing countries to finance the purchase and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, tests, and treatments for their citizens.
The financing, which aims to support the vaccination of up to a billion people, is part of an overall World Bank Group (WBG) package of up to $160 billion through June 2021 to help developing countries fight the COVID-19 pandemic. It adds new financing to the World Bank’s COVID-19 emergency response programs that are already reaching 111 countries. This financing package helps signal to the research and pharmaceutical industry that citizens in developing countries also need access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines. It will also provide financing and technical support so that developing countries can prepare for deploying vaccines at scale, in coordination with international partners. In implementing the program, the World Bank will support multilateral efforts currently led by WHO and COVAX.
“We are extending and expanding our fast-track approach to address the COVID emergency so that developing countries have fair and equal access to vaccines,” said World Bank Group President David Malpass. “Access to safe and effective vaccines and strengthened delivery systems is key to alter the course of the pandemic and help countries experiencing catastrophic economic and fiscal impacts move toward a resilient recovery.”
DevelopmentAid Editorials
US$330bn – that’s how much the world needs to end hunger by 2030
This is the conclusion reached following an investigation conducted by a group of researchers from backed by the German government.
According to the authors of the research project Ceres2030: Sustainable Solutions to End Hunger, this amount would be sufficient to defeat hunger, providing the money is spent effectively and is invested in innovation, technology, and education, not simply to cover the basic needs of the poorest countries such as food and water.
Top multilateral development banks – an overview
Every year, billions of dollars are pumped into developing countries by multilateral development banks (MDBs) to help them to boost their rate of growth. Established in the 1940s, these financial giants operate both regionally and internationally often providing preferential loans and grants to governments and the private sector. This article reveals who the largest MDBs are, how much they have invested over the last few years, what kind of assistance they provide as well as other useful details.
U.S. contribution to international organizations to decrease following President Trump’s budget for 2021
The White House’s 2021 budget proposal for foreign assistance will feature the most drastic cut in the last four years and once again opens the discussion regarding both the contribution from the U.S. and its stance on foreign aid. This article will detail what the U.S. contribution to major international organizations is assessed to be, what the proposed cuts for 2021 are, and how these could affect international aid.
Here’s what else has happened
EIB: The European Investment Bank (EIB) and Immunic, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a pipeline of selective oral immunology therapies aimed at treating chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, announced the signing of a €24.5 million financing agreement. The venture loan is intended to support Immunic’s ongoing phase 2 CALVID-1 trial of its lead asset, IMU-838, in patients with moderate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
United States: The United States announced nearly $200 million in additional humanitarian assistance provided in Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 for Rohingya refugees and host communities in the People’s Republic of Bangladesh and other countries in the region, as well as for internally displaced Rohingya and other crisis-affected communities in Burma, including those who fled ethnic cleansing in Rakhine State since August 2017.
EIB: The European Investment Bank (EIB) and LBBW are providing PLN 184 million (approximately €42 million) each to finance the construction and operation of four wind farms in Poland’s Wielkopolskie region. The wind farms will be developed by German wpd AG in Jarocin Kozmin, Jarocin Wschod, Krotoszyn, and Slupca Kolaczkowo near Poznan. They will have a total installed capacity of 102.5 MW, which enables them to power more than 60 000 households at peak times.
GIZ: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH has been working in Ethiopia on behalf of the Partnerships for Forest programme since 2018. Together with smallholders organized in cooperatives, it is working on establishing forest coffee on the international market.
UNHCR: UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, calls for urgent protection and assistance for tens of thousands of civilians displaced by the recent escalation of violence in Afghanistan’s southern Helmand Province.
Reports
Social dialogue crucial to tackling impact of COVID-19
Social dialogue between employers, workers, and governments can play a central role in managing the impact of the COVID-19 crisis in the workplace and can protect livelihoods and ensure opportunities of those hardest hit.
Read the report: Social Dialogue, Skills, and COVID-19.
Migrants essential to recovery of global development post COVID-19
Global human mobility has halted with the overall impact of COVID-19, hitting people on the move hard. As borders re-open slowly, a new UN Development Programme (UNDP) report illustrates how governments can shape migration to benefit development and boost recovery.
Read the report: Human Mobility, Shared Opportunities: A Review of the 2009 Human Development.
Latest evaluation shows Europe’s nature in serious, continuing decline
Unsustainable farming and forestry, urban sprawl, and pollution are the top pressures to blame for a drastic decline in Europe’s biodiversity, threatening the survival of thousands of animal species and habitats. Moreover, the European Union (EU) nature directives and other environmental laws still lack implementation by Member States.
Read the report: State of nature in the EU — Results from reporting under the nature directives 2013-2018.
Events
Virtual | World Health Summit: Lessons and emerging priorities 25 years after the Beijing Platform for Action for Women
? 27 October ? 1:00 PM – 1:30 PM (CET)
Virtual
Large scale public and especially private investment is needed to restore degraded land, protect forests, and enhance productivity to generate income and jobs for rural communities. At present, however, the growing demand for food and materials leads to the ever-increasing demand for land, resulting in rapid deforestation, land degradation, and habitat loss.
Virtual | Shaping our Future Together: Commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations in Asia and the Pacific and Regional Conversation with SDG Innovators
? 26 October 2020 ? 10:00 – 11:30 (Bangkok time)
Virtual
This year the United Nations is marking its 75th anniversary. The anniversary marks a period of extraordinary progress in Asia and the Pacific and a period of ever-growing regional cooperation including through the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. The Anniversary also comes at the critical juncture of a new decade to advance towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the recovery from an unprecedented global health crisis coupled with severe economic and social impacts. The need for innovative solutions and stronger cooperation across all stakeholders is clear.
