EU budget 2022, the U.S has unveiled its plan to donate the first 25 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine and G7 economies could lose 8.5% per year by 2050 without more ambitious climate action. Here is what you missed from last week’s headlines in the international development sector:
EU budget 2022: Speeding up Europe’s recovery and progressing towards a green, digital and resilient future
The Commission has proposed an annual EU budget of €167.8 billion for 2022, to be complemented by an estimated €143.5 billion in grants under NextGenerationEU. Their combined firepower will mobilize significant investments to boost the economic recovery, safeguard sustainability, and create jobs. It will prioritize green and digital spending in order to make Europe more resilient and fit for the future.
Commissioner Johannes Hahn, responsible for the EU Budget, said: “Today, we are putting forward unprecedented levels of financial support to reinforce Europe´s recovery from the health and economic crises. We will help the people, companies and regions that have been most affected by the pandemic. We will invest in Europe’s resilience and its modernisation via the green and digital transition. Getting Europe back on track, speeding up its recovery and making it fit for the future are our main priorities!”
The draft budget 2022, boosted by NextGenerationEU, directs funds to where they can make the greatest difference, in line with the most crucial recovery needs of the EU Member States and our partners around the world.
The funding will help rebuild and modernise the Union, by fostering the green and digital transitions, creating jobs and strengthening Europe’s role in the world.
U. S. to donate first 25 million COVID-19 vaccines asap, including 7 million to Asia
The U.S has unveiled its plan to donate the first 25 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine with the shipment to be made shortly after the announcement. This consignment is part of the 80 million doses the Biden administration has pledged to make available by the end of June. Up to 75% of this first batch of 25 million doses will be distributed via the UN-led COVAX vaccine supply platform, the US announced.
Of these, approximately 7 million doses will go to Asian countries, including India and Nepal, which are among the worst hit by the pandemic. In addition, India will receive a consignment of vaccines directly from the U.S., a statement issued on 3 June by the Biden administration read.
The Biden administration has not specified the exact number each country will receive but indicated that Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Maldives, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Laos, Papua New Guinea, Taiwan, and the Pacific Islands were also on the list.
G7 economies could lose 8.5% per year by 2050 without more ambitious climate action – Oxfam
The economies of the G7 nations could see an average loss of 8.5 percent annually by 2050 ―equivalent to $4.8 trillion― if leaders do not take more ambitious action to tackle climate change, according to Oxfam’s analysis of research by the Swiss Re Institute. Oxfam is calling on G7 leaders, who are meeting in the UK, to cut carbon emissions more quickly and steeply.
Oxfam found this loss in GDP is double that of the coronavirus pandemic, which caused the economies of the same seven nations to shrink by an average of 4.2 percent, resulting in staggering job losses and some of the largest economic stimulus packages ever seen. But while economies are expected to bounce back from the short-term effects of the pandemic, the effects of climate change will be seen every year.
Swiss Re modeled how climate change is likely to affect economies through gradual, chronic climate risks such as heat stress, impacts on health, sea-level rise, and agricultural productivity. All of the 48 nations in the study are expected to see an economic contraction, with many countries predicted to be hit far worse than the G7. For example, by 2050:
- India, which was invited to the G7 summit, is projected to lose 27 percent from its economy.
- Australia, South Africa, and South Korea, also invited, are projected to lose 12.5, 17.8, and 9.7 percent respectively.
- The Philippines is projected to lose 35 percent.
- Colombia is projected to lose 16.7 percent
DevelopmentAid Editorials
Almost 4,000 migrant children separated from families during Trump era
The US Interagency Task Force on the Reunification of Families has revealed that the previous administration of Donald Trump separated at least 3,913 migrant children from their parents or guardians.
Environment-related development goals will not be met by 2030
Although humankind has made some progress towards enhancing environmental sustainability, the achievement of environment-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 is rather unlikely, a report by the UN Environment Program (UNEP) has revealed. Since practically all the SDGs have some environment component, therefore the failure to achieve these leads to problems with the fulfillment of all the SDGs as planned.
Foreign aid and top donor countries in 2020
Foreign aid refers to the voluntary transfer of financial capital, goods, or services via specific projects, programs, or relief operations from one country or international organization for the benefit of a recipient country or its population. This can take the form of economic, military, or humanitarian assistance and it can be bilateral (provided by governments directly) or multilateral (via various international organizations such as UNICEF).
Top 10 most neglected displacement crises worldwide
Ten countries are experiencing the direst and most ignored displacement crises with people being forced to leave their homes due to conflicts, climate-driven natural disasters, or humanitarian crises.
Here’s what else has happened
UK: The UK will donate 100 million surplus coronavirus vaccine doses to the world within the next year, the Prime Minister has announced. The pledge comes ahead of the G7 Summit, which begins in Cornwall. Last week the Prime Minister asked fellow G7 leaders to help vaccinate the entire world by the end of next year.
Central America and Mexico: The EU has announced at the ‘Solidarity event for forcibly displaced persons and host communities in Central America and Mexico’, that it will allocate €18.5 million in aid. Of this sum, €12 million represents humanitarian funding to Central America, and €6.5 million constitutes development assistance.
Red Cross Red Crescent: The mental health consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic will have far-reaching impacts for entire generations, warned the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
WFP: The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomes a generous contribution of €8.5 million for 2021-2023 from the people of Germany to provide emergency assistance to save lives and the livelihoods of communities affected by conflict and climate change in Ethiopia. It is part of Germany’s flexible funding for the Eastern Africa region.
Reports
Child labour rises to 160 million – first increase in two decades
The number of children in child labour has risen to 160 million worldwide – an increase of 8.4 million children in the last four years – with millions more at risk due to the impacts of COVID-19, according to a new report by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and UNICEF. Child Labour: Global estimates 2020, trends and the road forward – released ahead of World Day Against Child Labour on 12th June – warns that progress to end child labour has stalled for the first time in 20 years, reversing the previous downward trend that saw child labour fall by 94 million between 2000 and 2016.
Despite progress, UNESCO report finds that education inequalities persist in Eurasia
A new UNESCO report covering 30 education systems in Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia shows that exclusion from education persists, particularly for children with disabilities and those of ethnic minorities, despite overall progress in access to education over the past 20 years and a 50% reduction in out-of-school rate. All Means All, produced by the Global Education Monitoring Report at UNESCO, the European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education, and the Network of Education Policy Centers, shows there has been a move towards more inclusive systems. The percentage of children with disabilities in special schools fell from 78% in 2006 to 53% in 2016. The percentage of children in residential institutions in the region also fell by 30% over that period. But there remains a legacy of segregated schooling, once wrongly regarded as efficient.
Global recovery strong but uneven as many developing countries struggle with the pandemic’s lasting effects
The global economy is expected to expand 5.6% in 2021, the fastest post-recession pace in 80 years, largely on strong rebounds from a few major economies. However, many emerging markets and developing economies continue to struggle with the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath, the World Bank says in its June 2021 Global Economic Prospects.
Events
How to Write a Technical Proposal: The Only Guide You’ll Ever Need | Webinar
📅 24 June 2021🕐 4 PM (Brussels Time) /10 AM (Washington DC Time)
Virtual
Join DevelopmentAid for this free webinar on How to Write a Technical Proposal: the only guide you’ll ever need.
The main speaker at this webinar is Cynthia Zurita with more than 8 years of experience as Tendering Project Manager, with a strong academic and professional background in the energy and natural resources sectors projects. She has managed successfully tenders for infrastructure (EPC projects included) as well as consultancy services, for multilateral funds such as IDB, CAF, World Bank, among others, as well as public projects with national budgets or private clients of the industrial sector.
You will have the possibility to ask questions directly at the webinar during our Q&A session.
HOST: Sergiu Casu, Business Development Director, DevelopmentAid
Speaker: Cynthia Zurita, consultant at S317 Consulting
Other speakers:
Rita Andrade, Teresa Cordeiro, Ana Gonçalves and Denisse Escalante, consultants at S317 Consulting.
International Donors’ Conference in Solidarity with Venezuelan Refugees and Migrants | Virtual
📅 17 June 2021 🕒 9:00 am ET
Virtual
Canada will host the next International Donors’ Conference in Solidarity with Venezuelan Refugees and Migrants on June 17, 2021, in collaboration with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), co-leads of the Regional Inter-Agency Coordination Platform for Refugees and Migrants from Venezuela (R4V).
Ensuring Inclusive Teaching and Learning for Educational Recovery: Practical Ways Forward | Virtual
📅 22 June 2021 🕒 02:00 PM ( Paris)
Virtual
Around the world, in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers are confronted with unprecedented challenges as they seek to ensure quality education for all learners. Whilst the nature of these challenges varies depending on country or location, a shared concern is for learners who are vulnerable to marginalization or exclusion; such as those from low-income households, refugees, living in conflict situations, as well as those of ethnic and linguistic minorities and indigenous backgrounds, and children with disabilities.
The webinar will focus on the practice of teachers and how they can be supported to find ways of ensuring that marginalized and vulnerable learners are included in schools; and on how to adapt content, pedagogies, and assessments to be truly inclusive. It will showcase and analyze examples of innovative solutions from different parts of the world.
