COVID death toll passes 4 million, equitable distribution of vaccines, equipment only way out of pandemic and seeing the crisis as an opportunity. Here is what you missed from last week’s headlines in the international development sector:
COVID death toll passes 4 million: Global Vaccine Plan essential, declares Guterres
The global death toll due to COVID-19 officially passed four million, marking yet another “grim milestone” and underlining the urgent need for the world to put a Global Vaccine Plan in place to get the pandemic under control, said the UN chief in a statement.
“Many of us know this loss directly and feel its pain. We mourn mothers and fathers who gave guidance, sons, and daughters who inspired us, grandmothers and grandfathers, who shared wisdom, colleagues, and friends who lifted our lives”, said Secretary-General António Guterres.
He said that while vaccines “offer a ray of hope” most of the world lagged behind: “The virus is outpacing vaccine distribution. This pandemic is clearly far from over; more than half its victims died this year. Many millions more are at risk if the virus is allowed to spread like wildfire.”
Equitable distribution of vaccines, equipment only way out of pandemic: WHO chief
Equitable distribution of equipment and medicines to fight COVID-19 is the only way out of the global crisis, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said, in remarks to a meeting of the advisory group making the case for investing in these tools.
Briefing the ACT Accelerator Facilitation Council, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that although countries have made progress in controlling the pandemic, it remains in a very dangerous phase.
“Our only way out is to support countries in the equitable distribution of PPE (personal protective equipment), tests, treatments, and vaccines. It is not rocket science, nor charity. It is a smart public health and in everyone’s best interest,” he said.
Seeing the crisis as an opportunity – a stronger future with a green recovery
This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH – and, with the experience of the last ten years to look back on, the organisation is positive about the outlook for the future.
Tanja Gönner, Chair of GIZ’s Management Board, made the following statement at the federal enterprise’s annual press conference: ‘The world has changed significantly over these last ten years, and so has our work. The environmental and climate crisis has become a key challenge of our time, there has been an increase in failing states and conflicts, and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are impossible to ignore. The goals of sustainable development are more important today than ever. They are the compass that guides our work in the long term.’
In 2020, it was clear that the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated multiple crises and thwarted development progress and has also drastically intensified existing problems such as poverty, hunger and social inequalities.
Gönner made the following observation: ‘A crisis such as this does, however, also provide the opportunity to shape the new decade together and make it even more sustainable in the spirit of a social and ecological market economy.’ ‘Green’ growth such as this includes, for instance, new, environmentally friendly technologies. These range from renewable energy, smart farming methods and integrated mobility opportunities to introducing the circular economy or tracing global supply chains. Employment programmes in areas that are close to nature or the establishment of capital markets for sustainable investors are key elements of such economic restructuring. ‘Where ‘green recovery’ is successful, it will make developing countries and emerging economies more resilient in the face of future crises. It will also consolidate the societal cohesion that suffered during the COVID19 pandemic,’ said Gönner.
DevelopmentAid Editorials
Multilateral development banks’ climate finance up by over US$4 billion in 2020
Major multilateral development banks (MDBs) increased their commitments to climate finance to US$66 billion in 2020 in comparison to US$61.6 billion in 2019 according to the 2020 Joint Report on MDBs’ Climate Finance. At the same time, the commitments to low- and middle-income economies decreased compared to 2019.
Violent conflicts – main driver of food insecurity
Violent conflicts continue to be the main cause of food insecurity and as the latter is a trigger of conflicts, the two form a vicious circle that is difficult to break. A recent report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) noted that of the 155 million people who experienced food insecurity globally in 2020, 100 million were living in countries stricken by violent conflicts.
EU records fewer new asylum seekers, softens restrictions on labor migrants
The border closures associated with the coronavirus pandemic significantly affected the state of migration and asylum in the EU in 2020. The newly released Annual Report on Migration and Asylum 2020 published by the European Migration Network notes that the number of legal migrants and asylum applicants declined substantially in comparison to 2019 while the number of returns from the EU were for the most part lower. The report does not contain data for all EU member states which prevents a calculation of an EU average but it does make it possible to detect certain trends.
Here’s what else has happened
European Guarantee Fund: The European Guarantee Fund, which started operations in December 2020, has reached €16 billion in approved financing at the end of June. This represents over 65% of the available € 24.4 billion in EU Member States’ guarantees to support financing to European businesses struggling after the economic downturn. Total signatures with beneficiaries of financing under the EGF stood at €8.4 billion, mostly benefitting SMEs.
Central African Republic: At least 80,000 children under the age of five are currently at risk of severe acute malnutrition across the Central African Republic (CAR) – a 29 per cent increase compared to projections for 2021, UNICEF and the World Food Programme (WFP) said. The UN agencies also warned that over 632,000 people – more than 1 in 8 people – will fall into a catastrophic hunger situation between the first week of July and the end of the lean season without urgent action. Across the country, 40 per cent of children under five are already suffering from chronic malnutrition, a rate above the emergency threshold of 30 per cent.
WFP: The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) started its school meals programme in Venezuela this week, with the first distribution of take-home food rations to children enrolled in 277 pre-primary schools and to their schools’ staff in all municipalities in the state of Falcón.
Displacement crisis: The UN World Food Programme (WFP) warns that without urgent funding, one of the world’s fastest-growing displacement crises in northern Mozambique risks becoming a hunger emergency as families continue to flee insurgent violence.
Reports
Human-wildlife conflict one of the greatest threats to wildlife species
The conflict between people and animals, from China’s famed wandering elephants raiding farms for food and water to wolves preying on cattle in Idaho, is one of the main threats to the long-term survival of some of the world’s most emblematic species, warns a new report from WWF and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
Human-wildlife conflict – when struggles arise from people and animals coming into contact – often leads to people killing animals in self-defense, or as pre-emptive or retaliatory killings, which can drive species to extinction.
The report, A future for all – the need for human-wildlife coexistence, highlights that globally, conflict-related killing affects more than 75% of the world’s wild cat species, as well as many other terrestrial and marine carnivore species such as polar bears and Mediterranean monk seals, and large herbivores such as elephants.
COVID-19 and Crime: The Impact of the Pandemic on Human Trafficking
A new study released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) illustrates the devastating impact of COVID-19 on victims and survivors of human trafficking and highlights the increased targeting and exploitation of children. The study further assesses how frontline organizations responded to the challenges posed by the pandemic and continued to deliver essential services despite restrictions.
Women in many countries face discrimination in registering children at birth warn UNHCR and UNICEF
A joint report released by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), shows that in many countries women can face discrimination which obstructs or hinders their ability to register births, exposing their children to the risk of becoming stateless.
The latest analysis in the report “Sex Discrimination in Birth Registration” found that such barriers may exist in legislation or cultural norms which inform birth registration practices.
Events
An Overview of the AfDB’s Procurement Policy: How to Prepare Correctly for the Upcoming Bids? | Virtual
📅 29 July 2021 🕒 4 PM (Brussels Time) / 10AM (Washington DC Time)
Virtual
DevelopmentAid is inviting you to join for an exciting free webinar on An Overview of the AfDB’s Procurement Policy: How to Prepare Correctly for the Upcoming Bids?
During the webinar, it will be possible to learn about AfDB’s profile, procurement policy, and investment strategy. Moreover, Mr. Ashraf will provide a number of tips on how to prepare correctly to for the upcoming bids.
Host: Ion Ilasco, External Relations & Events, DevelopmentAid.
Speaker: Ashraf Ayad, Lead Procurement Policy Officer at the African Development Bank.
Ashraf accumulates over 22 years of experience in procurement and project management. His experience resulted from his involvement in many development projects in Africa and the Middle East. He possesses a deep understanding of the procurement policies of international development institutions e.g., the AfDB, WB, IsDB and, the EU.
China’s Role in International Development- Key Financing Trends | Virtual
📅 15 July 2021 🕒 4 PM (Brussels Time) / 10AM (Washington DC Time)
Virtual
DevelopmentAid is inviting you to join for an exciting free webinar on “China’s role in international development sector- key financing trends”.
During the webinar, we will discuss some of the aspects and trends related to China’s activity within the international development sector. Our speakers for this webinar bring ample expertise on comparative analysis of donor financing and policies for international development. Their latest report on “Trends in China’s financing for international development cooperation” that offers a comprehensive overview of China as an international donor will guide our discussions.
Hosts:
The webinar will be hosted by Sergiu Casu, our Director of Business Development, and by Ion Ilasco, our internal researcher responsible for External Relations & Events.
Speakers:
We are proud to have as a speaker Ms. Zoe Johnson, who is the Donor Tracker Policy and Editorial Lead at SEEK Development, the team behind the Donor Tracker. Zoe has a background in international development, sectoral expertise on gender equality, nutrition, and agriculture, and editorial experience in academic publishing. Zoe is a graduate of the MPhil in Development Studies at the University of Oxford.
Our second speaker Mr. Raimund Zühr is the Donor Tracker Project Manager. Raimund has ample expertise in comparative analysis of donor financing and policies for international development. Before joining SEEK Development, Raimund worked for the Latin American Department of the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) in Frankfurt and in the Africa Department of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation in Madrid (AECID). Raimund holds a Master of International Relations and African Studies from Universidad Autónoma in Madrid.
Trade beyond COVID-19: Building Resilience | Virtual
📅 28 – 30 September 2021
Virtual
The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented health crisis with far-reaching socio-economic effects. It has increased poverty and deepened inequality across the world – with women, youth, and children the most affected. According to the ILO, global employment losses stood at 114 million jobs relative to 2019, with the highest number of losses affecting women (5% decline) and young workers (8.7%). Job losses and subsequent loss in income have had far-reaching consequences, including increased stress and mental illness, greater domestic violence, and fewer children going to school.
ICSD 2021: 9th International Conference on Sustainable Development | Virtual
📅 8 – 9 September 2021
Rome, Italy | Virtual
The International Conference on Sustainable Development is organized by the European Center of Sustainable Development in collaboration with CIT University. The 9th ICSD 2021 is inspired by the critical challenge of human, environmental, and economic sustainability concerning the present and future generations in a global-scale context.
The 2021 Conference will once again provide a forum for the sharing of ideas, presentation of research findings, and discussion of professional issues relevant to Sustainability Science.
