‘If we invest in health systems, we can bring this virus under control’ – WHO chief, COVID-19 impacts on the environment and food and medicine to people affected by the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Here is what you missed from last week’s headlines in the international development sector:
‘If we invest in health systems, we can bring this virus under control’ – WHO chief
Health systems and global preparedness are not only an investment in the future but “the foundation of our response” to today’s COVID-19 health crisis, the head of the UN’s health agency said.
“Public health is more than medicine and science and it is bigger than any individual and there is hope that if we invest in health systems…we can bring this virus under control and go forward together to tackle other challenges of our times”, UN World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told journalists in a regular press briefing.
Speaking via video conference from self-quarantine, having himself been in recent contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19, the symptom-free WHO chief noted that over the weekend cases spiked in some countries in Europe and North America.
“This is another critical moment for action…for leaders to step up…for people to come together for a common purpose”, he said. “Seize the opportunity, it’s not too late”.
He also flagged that where cases are going up exponentially and hospitals reaching capacity “patients and health workers alike” are at risk.
COVID-19 measures have mixed impacts on the environment
These include temporary improvements in air quality, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and lower levels of noise pollution. However, the assessment also stresses that there have been negative consequences such as increased use of single-use plastics and that ways out of the pandemic should focus on reshaping our unsustainable production and consumption systems to achieve long-term environmental benefits.
According to the EEA Briefing ‘COVID-19 and Europe’s environment: impacts of a global pandemic’, the Coronavirus crisis further highlights the urgent need to address the environmental challenges Europe faces. This will benefit not only the environment but also our society’s health and well-being. The briefing, compiled from initial research by external and EEA experts, gives a preliminary view of what the Coronavirus pandemic, and resulting government measures to fight it, have meant both for our environment directly, and for EU efforts to shift to a low-carbon future. It considers what we can learn from these effects, and how they might help shape decision-making in the future.
UK to provide food and medicine to people affected by the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
Thousands of people affected by the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will receive urgent medical supplies, food, and safer shelters from a new UK aid package, announced by the Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab.
The conflict escalated on 27 September. Since then, tens of thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes, with growing numbers of civilian casualties and damage to homes and vital infrastructure.
Now much-needed medical supplies, including dressing kits and bandages, will be provided for civilians caught up in the crisis through a new £1 million UK aid package, in response to an appeal by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). People injured in the fighting, including children caught in the crossfire, will receive life-saving treatment at health facilities or from emergency responders supported by the ICRC.
DevelopmentAid Editorials
Japan supports the treatment of retinopathy and the construction of a hostel for blind women in Nepal
The Charge d’Affaires a.i. of Japan to Nepal, Mr. Yuzo Yoshioka, has signed two separate grant contracts today under the Government of Japan’s Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP) which aims to enhance the wellbeing of people at the grassroots level and contribute to improvements in the areas of education, health and infrastructure thus reflecting the Japanese Government’s commitment to uphold the concept of human security.
India air pollution may worsen the COVID-19 health crisis
In the last two weeks the air quality in New Delhi, as well as in other northern cities in India, has significantly worsened which may cause a surge in the number of COVID-19 infections and deaths.
The COVID-19 outbreak is only a foretaste of what may yet emerge
In its recently released report, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) warns that as many as 850,000 viruses may affect humanity in the future.
Here’s what else has happened
ADB: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $3 million grant to improve access to safe water and sanitation and reduce waterborne diseases in Ebeye.
Caritas: Caritas Internationalis has urged governments, local leaders, and donors to act in Africa’s central Sahel, which is facing one of the world’s fastest-growing humanitarian crises.
World Bank: The World Bank Board of Executive Directors has approved US$150 million in additional financing for Morocco’s Urban Transport Program, which started in 2015. The program works to strengthen the country’s capacity to offer quality service in public transport. It also supports local infrastructure for transport and investments.
Canada: Helping Canada’s small businesses go global is the key to driving economic recovery. The Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion, and International Trade, announced new actions to help Canadian businesses grow while navigating the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic in the global marketplace.
EBRD: Tauron Polska Energia, one of the largest energy firms in Poland, is moving from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy with the support of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
Reports
Global Commitment 2020: Progress made, but acceleration needed to meet targets on reducing plastic waste and pollution
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation and UN Environment Programme (UNEP) have published their second annual New Plastics Economy Global Commitment Progress report, together with detailed data on the progress of the individual business and government signatories.
Read the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment Progress report.
How to refocus ODA in the context of Covid-19 to ensure no one is left behind
The Covid-19 pandemic is having a devastating impact on human development around the world. In the short term, millions of people have lost their lives, livelihoods, incomes, and months of education. But the impacts are likely to reverberate for years, including on the education, job prospects, and the wellbeing of an entire generation. This is likely to impact the poorest people hardest – pushing some people even further behind. Official development assistance (ODA) is needed now more than ever, and it needs to support a recovery that is inclusive, sustained, and resilient.
Read the report: Adapting aid to end poverty: Delivering the commitment to leave no one behind in the context of Covid-19.
GEM report urges countries in Latin America and the Caribbean to promote inclusion in education in the face of COVID-19
A new GEM Regional report in partnership with SUMMA shows that COVID-19 has increased education divides in Latin America and the Caribbean, which was already the most unequal region in the world before the pandemic began.
Read the report: Todos y todas sin excepción.
Events
8th IMF Statistical Forum: Measuring the Economics of a Pandemic | Virtual
? 17-19 November 2020
Virtual
Given the travel restrictions related to COVID-19, the IMF 8th Statistical Forum will be virtual this year. Although the conference will be virtual, the IMF will continue to offer lively debates, interactions, and other networking opportunities. The organizing committee is equally committed to preparing a successful forum.
Blue Economy and Blue Finance: Towards Sustainable Development and Ocean Governance | Virtual
? 10-11 November 2020 ? 12:30–15:30 (Tokyo time)
Virtual
The focus will be on the blue economy and blue finance, including related governance planning, sectoral management, and risk management. Research presentations will explore innovative ocean financing schemes, as well as strategies for mitigating the impacts of climate change and unsustainable practices on communities that rely on healthy ocean and coastal ecosystems.
Paris Peace Forum 2020 | Virtual
? 11-13 November 2020
Virtual
The third edition of the Paris Peace Forum will be centered on the collective response to Coronavirus, both in terms of improving our response and resilience, and of rebuilding a more sustainable world, with the common objective of bouncing back to a better planet.
