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Add to Preferred SourcesCOVID infections drop 16% worldwide in one week, ‘constellation’ of post-COVID symptoms will impact global healthcare and nearly 40% of Yemen families forced into debt to pay for essentials. Here is what you missed from last week’s headlines in the international development sector:
COVID infections drop 16% worldwide in one week: WHO
In its latest update on the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that although the number of global infections have fallen by 16 percent in a week – 500,000 fewer cases – regions, including Europe, are still in the grip of the virus whose variants are spreading.
The number of coronavirus deaths also declined in all regions by 10 percent over the same period, with 81,000 fatalities reported in the last week, the UN health agency said in its weekly epidemiological update.
Five-out-of-six regions reported a double-digit percentage drop in the number of new cases, with Russia recording an 11 percent decrease, the United States a 23 percent drop, and the United Kingdom a 27 percent fall.
‘Constellation’ of post-COVID symptoms will impact global healthcare, says WHO
Far more research is needed into the “constellation” of sometimes debilitating symptoms among people who’ve recovered from COVID-19, the World Health Organization (WHO) said, adding that it “will impact” global health systems.
“We know that this post-COVID-19 condition – or as some patients also call it ‘long COVID’ and some clinicians call it ‘long COVID’ – is a heterogenous group of symptoms that occur after the acute illness”, said Dr. Janet Diaz, Team Lead, Health Care Readiness at WHO.
Nearly 40 percent of Yemen families forced into debt to pay for essentials
Nearly two out of every five families in Yemen buy food and medicines using debt, according to Oxfam research. Yemeni families are trapped in a cycle of informal debt, living precariously and reliant on the goodwill of shopkeepers as they lurch from one month to the next.
Many told Oxfam they can’t borrow the money they need for essentials unless shopkeepers know they have a monthly income and for many, this means the money they receive from humanitarian agencies.
Last year, donors only provided half of the aid money needed for the world’s largest humanitarian crisis and with the 2021 UN humanitarian need budget for Yemen due out imminently, Oxfam is urging the international community to be generous when pledging funds.
The research found that Yemeni shopkeepers estimate that the number of families using debt to buy food has risen by 62 percent since the conflict in Yemen started in 2015. Pharmacists in Yemen estimate an increase of 44 percent in debt being used to purchase medicines.
DevelopmentAid Editorials
The fight over aid in Britain
The future of Britain’s foreign aid budget has become a major source of debate both within the UK and abroad. The ruling party has proposed substantial aid cuts in response to a tough fiscal year. Opponents of the estimated £4 billion reduction, meanwhile, argue that such drastic measures imperil the lives of millions and threaten the international standing of a post-Brexit Britain. The proposed cuts face strong legal and political challenges, as well as criticism for a lack of transparency. Those political challenges are so robust that on February 8th British media reported that a vote on the budget cuts will be delayed until after the G7 summit in June 2021. Nevertheless, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has requested that speedy and dramatic cuts be planned during February.
The consequences of high and rising food prices around the world | Experts’ Opinion
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations reported recently that global food prices had risen in January 2021 for the eighth consecutive month. A UN report also stated that the coronavirus pandemic has been a major driver of food inequality. The forecasts are not any better as, according to the organizations, world food prices will continue to rise. Let’s see what international consultants say about this.
Defining agroecology: why should farmers label their practices?
As discussed in DevelopmentAid’s recent article on principles of agroecology, there is a set of aspects distinguishing it from conventional agriculture. While it might facilitate the identification of agroecological production, there is another aspect for policymakers to consider – farmers might not call what they do agroecology and thus limit the availability of statistical data so much needed for research and policy shift in the agricultural sector. This article addresses the question of existing practices not labelled ‘agroecology’, but which are relevant to consider in humanity’s quest for more sustainable agricultural systems.
Here’s what else has happened
IOM: Niger, one of the Sahel region’s busiest transit countries for migrants, faces multiple emergencies. COVID-19, ongoing security threats, and generations of deeply embedded poverty have contributed to a growing humanitarian crisis, with over half a million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and their host communities in need of essential services. Another 135,000 vulnerable migrants also need assistance in Niger in 2021.
WHO: The World Health Organization (WHO) is seeking nearly $2 billion to fund its 2021 Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan (SPRP) for COVID-19 response.
Myanmar: The United Nations in Myanmar has voiced strong concerns over reported use of force by security forces against demonstrators protesting the military takeover and arrests of elected leaders and politicians.
UNHCR: UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is alarmed at ongoing atrocities carried out by armed groups in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which have become part of a systematic pattern to disrupt civilians’ lives, instill fear and create havoc.
Japan: The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomes a US$1.6 million (JPY 178 million) contribution from the Government of Japan to provide much-needed food assistance to vulnerable people in the Central African Republic, amid a deepening humanitarian crisis.
Reports
Militia violence threatens 3 million displaced children in Democratic Republic of Congo
Nearly 2.3 million children under the age of five in Yemen are projected to suffer from acute malnutrition in 2021, four United Nations agencies warned. Of these, 400,000 are expected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition and could die if they do not receive urgent treatment.
Read the full UNICEF report
Military solutions in Syria have led to a decade of death, denial, and destruction – UN report
On the eve of the tenth anniversary of the Syrian conflict and crisis, the Commission criticises the warring parties’ readiness to sacrifice fundamental rights for short-lived political gains or under the pretext of fighting terrorism, and the enabling selectivity shown by those supporting the Government of Syria or the different warring parties. It calls for a reinvigoration of international efforts to end the conflict and put the country on a path toward peace and justice.
The full report.
Business sectors in Nepal face a wide void in ensuring human rights
Analyzing sector-specific impacts in dealing with the COVID-19 crisis and measuring compliance with the human rights aspect in the business sector, a report titled, ‘Human Rights Due Diligence Assessment of Business Sector in COVID-19 Response’, has revealed that business sectors in Nepal face a wide void in ensuring human rights.
Events
Best Practices For Creating and Working Effectively in a Consortium | Webinar
? 25 February ? 15:00 (CET)/9:00 (ET)/6:00(PT)
Virtual
Learn about the most powerful and best practices in creating consortia, input- and profit-sharing as well as other techniques for effective cooperation in a consortium.
Host: Sergiu Casu, Business Development Director, DevelopmentAid.
Сo-host: Akaoma Onyemelukwe, an expert with 20 years’ experience leading and managing international development initiatives delivering technical assistance across various sectors with an understanding of public sector management and performance, facilitating social performance, and supporting social standards.
Fourth Global Vaccine and Immunization Research Forum (GVIRF) | Virtual
? 22-25 February ? 14:00 PM to 17:30 PM (CET)
Virtual
GVIRF is the central forum for research related to the Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP) and its successor, the Immunization Agenda 2030 (IA2030).
Second Arab Land Conference
? 22 -24 February
Cairo, Egypt
The Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt is pleased to announce the Second Arab Land Conference to be organized under the patronage of the Egyptian Minister of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Communities.