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How collective approaches to communication and community engagement can be used in humanitarian responses led by a strong, functioning government.

This report examines the risks of private borrowing for low-income countries.

The aims and interests of armed groups are often profoundly misunderstood. Our new Centre aims address to address this and bridge the research-policy gap.

We discuss the key impacts of the virus, the adjustments needed to policy responses and how economic stimulus packages can be made pro-poor.

Marking International Day of Family Remittances, The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, has released a message appealing for “people everywhere” to support migrants, at a time when remittances – the money migrants send home to support their families – have fallen by more than $100 billion, causing hunger, lost schooling and deteriorating health, for tens of millions of families.

Social and behaviour change is key to achieve food and nutrition security as well as to reach the SDGs

Während der afrikanische Kontinent bis dato (Mitte Juni) eine relativ geringe Anzahl an Covid-Fällen aufweist, wird er von den wirtschaftlichen Folgen umso härter getroffen. Auch in afrikanischen Staaten ist durch Lockdowns die Wirtschaftsleistung eingebrochen. Fast alle Säulen der externen Finanzierung sind durch die Coronakrise parallel weggebrochen. Damit wird es für immer mehr afrikanische Staaten auch schwierig, ihre Auslandschulden zu bedienen. Eine massive Welle von Schuldenkrisen droht.

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

C’est une des activités touristiques les plus prisées sur le continent, en particulier dans la région subsaharienne. Les vedettes de ce type d’aventure sont bien sûr la faune impressionnante dont des territoires privilégiés bénéficient. Les safaris en permettent une observation plus rapprochée afin de l’admirer. Pour les intéressés à l’expérience, quelques informations sont à connaître avant de se lancer.

En quoi consiste un safari et comment cela se passe-t-il ?

L’objectif du safari est de pouvoir observer des animaux dans leurs habitats naturels. Pour cela de nombreux moyens peuvent être requis. Les escapades en véhicule sont les plus communes. Les aventuriers bénéficient d’une sécurité et d’un confort souvent appréciable au vu de l’environnement. Il y a aussi les excursions à pied. Le niveau d’exigence est là un peu plus relevé. Par ailleurs, certains optent pour des découvertes à dos de cheval pour avoir une immersion encore plus poussée. Dans toutes ces modalités, il est possible de partir en solo ou en groupe selon les penchants et l’expérience des intéressés.

Les meilleures destinations pour faire un safari sur le continent africain

Elles font partie des informations primordiales qu’il faut savoir avant de partir. Les pays présentent des richesses fauniques souvent différentes ce qui déterminent les objets de visite. En Afrique du Sud par exemple, il est possible de rencontrer le « Big Five ». Éléphants, lions, léopards, rhinocéros et buffles sont les espèces les plus abondantes sur son territoire. Ailleurs, en Namibie, les safaris permettent de découvrir des paysages merveilleux en plus des plus grands éléphants du monde. Il y est aussi possible de voir des espèces d’antilopes rares ou encore de rhinocéros noirs. Par ailleurs, en Ouganda, les excursions en pleine nature seront plutôt motivées par les observations de gorilles de montagne. Ce pays est désigné comme la meilleure destination pour cela. Avis aux amateurs.

Les préparatifs à effectuer pour passer une aventure sans accrocs

Une fois la destination choisie, certaines dispositions sont à prendre pour vivre l’expérience sensationnelle que promet le continent. Outre les formalités d’usage pour le déplacement, les contenus de la valise sont aussi importants. Ici, il n’est pas expressément demandé d’avoir des vêtements dédiés au safari en afrique en particulier, mais des accoutrements adaptés sont tout de même requis. L’appareil photo fait partie aussi des indispensables à avoir sur soir lors des excursions. Par ailleurs, en tant qu’activité plus ou moins risquée, certaines précautions sont de rigueur. La première qualité est la patience. Ensuite, il faut s’adapter au milieu. Enfin, les directives du guide doivent être suivies pour le bon déroulement de l’expérience. La discrétion est aussi une qualité essentielle à avoir.

Le safari alternatif, une option singulière pour partir à l’aventure

Celui-ci désigne des moyens de déplacement qui sortent de l’ordinaire. À la place du véhicule ou à pied, l’aventure est faite à dos de cheval. Certaines agences proposent cette alternative en vue de sublimer encore plus les ressentis. De plus, des avantages indéniables se constituent en supplément. Cela bénéficie d’une discrétion qui permet de se rapprocher encore plus des animaux dans leurs habitats. Cette option a le mérite d’être avantageuse en de nombreux points. L’impraticabilité des pistes est résolue ce qui offre plus de possibilités pour les aventuriers de s’incruster encore plus loin dans les milieux naturels. Il suffit de savoir monter à cheval pour s’adonner à l’expérience.

The post Bons à savoir avant de faire un safari en Afrique appeared first on burudi.net.

Download UN Monitor #16 (pdf version).

By Barbara Adams

A new phrase has gained traction in inter-governmental deliberations at the UN in the virtual world ushered in by COVID-19: “All protocols observed”. Many Member States begin their statements with this phrase that replaces the formality of recognizing lists of colleagues and Member States.

Additionally, COVID-19 has given momentum to the development of an “omnibus” UN General Assembly resolution titled: Comprehensive and Coordinated Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic. This has the potential to advance initiatives and new approaches and thinking. It also has the potential to overtake, bypass, reverse or replace the outcomes of policy deliberations separately negotiated and/or not housed explicitly in the COVID-19 Pandemic track.

This Omnibus Resolution is being guided by the co-coordinators for the General Assembly on COVID-19-related initiatives, the Permanent Representatives of Afghanistan and Croatia, who circulated a zero draft on 5 June.

The zero draft follows the standard format of preambular and operative paragraphs and each paragraph denotes how it has been sourced. Sources range from existing agreed language, to Secretary-General and UN policies and briefs, to “new” proposals (See Figure 1).

Figure 1
Sources for Covid-19 Omnibus Resolution – zero draft

# of times used

Preambular

Operative

New Language

6

6

Resolutions

11

14

Secretary-General policy briefings

0

4

References to Financing for Development

1

8

World Health Assembly

4

5

The operative paragraphs (OPs) are grouped into clusters: Multilateralism and Solidarity; Jointly Protecting; Recovering Together; Rebuilding Better; Partnerships, Commitments; and the Way Forward.

Excerpts from the Omnibus draft illustrate its range and reach that extend across the three pillars of the United Nations (see Figure 2).

The last cluster relies heavily on responses and action from “other stakeholders”, “relevant stakeholders” and “relevant actors” in addition to Member States. It even “urges intensified international cooperation” to include public-private partnerships as well as North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation.

But nowhere does this cluster call for related accountability and reporting responsibilities of these “other stakeholders”.

Throughout the text one can detect or anticipate the influence of the G20 and the major economies, especially in the macroeconomic paras (OPs 24, 25, 27, 28, 29, 30). The reference to the use of special drawing rights, for example, is limited to: “supports the continued examination of the broader use…” (OP 30).

The draft does acknowledge that human rights are the essence of what makes inter-governmental agreements under the auspices of the UN qualitatively different from other deal-making fora at the global and regional levels (PP 5).

Yet the Omnibus Resolution draft is shockingly silent on the importance of public resources and fiscal space, essential for guaranteeing the full range of rights and provision of public goods, themselves referenced implicitly and explicitly in a number of paragraphs. It gives a nod to tax evasion (OP 29) and “Recognizes the role of extensive immunization against COVID-19 as a global public good”, but it is silent on fiscal space and fiscal policy.

While the zero draft references the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs, there is only one reference to transformative recovery/change (OP 33). Overcoming entrenched obstacles to systemic change and reversing incentives that favour the (old) status quo will be essential. Some paragraphs edge in that direction, many do not.

Figure 2
Excerpts from the zero draft

PP 1. Recognizing that the COVID-19 pandemic is one of the greatest global challenges in the history of the United Nations, and expressing concern about its impact on the loss of life and livelihoods, food insecurity and malnutrition, health and education, the disruption to economies and societies, and the exacerbation of economic and social inequalities within and between countries, which will reverse hard-won development gains and hamper progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and other internationally agreed development goals, within their given timeframes (PP1&3 of 74/270; PP1 WHA; PP2 HRC PS);

PP 5. Reaffirming the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and other human rights instruments, and emphasizing the obligation of all States to promote and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms while responding to the COVID-19 pandemic (based on S-G’s brief on Human Rights, Rural Women, 74/126, PP2);

PP 9. Recognizing the central role of the United Nations system in catalysing and coordinating the global response to COVID-19, and also recognizing the World Health Organization’s important role and its constitutional mandate to act, inter alia, as the directing and coordinating authority on international health work and its key leadership role within the broader United Nations response (based on PP4 WHA resolution);

PP 11. Expressing appreciation for the leadership of the Secretary-General and welcoming his Appeal for a Global Ceasefire, the release of all relevant UN reports and policy briefs on the impacts of COVID-19, notably the Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan, the Global Humanitarian Response Plan for COVID-19 and the UN framework for the immediate socio-economic response to COVID-19 (new);

PP 12. Recognizing the vital role that non-governmental organizations, women’s and community-based organizations, youth-led organizations, organizations of persons with disabilities, and the private sector play in the response and recovery (new);

PP 14. Deeply concerned that the COVID-19 pandemic, due to its severe disruptions to societies, economies, global trade and travel, and food and agricultural systems, is having a devastating impact on sustainable development, including food security, nutrition and livelihoods, education and health service provision and access, especially for people in vulnerable situations and in countries in special situations, and is making the prospect of eradicating poverty, hunger and malnutrition in all forms by 2030 more difficult (new);

PP 15. Reaffirming that the pandemic and related global economic and commodity price shocks could significantly increase the number of countries in or at risk of debt distress, and deeply concerned about the impact of high debt levels on countries’ abilities to withstand the impact of the COVID-19 shock and to invest in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda (based on P9 FFD)

OP 4. Urges relevant actors, including religious leaders, to promote inclusion and unity in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and to speak out and take action against stigmatization, discrimination, hate speech, ageism, xenophobia, racism or violence (based on S-G’s Policy Brief “COVID-19 and Human Rights”);

OP 5. Calls on Member States to maintain the continued functioning of the health system in all relevant aspects, in accordance with national context and priorities, necessary for an effective public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic and other ongoing epidemics, and the uninterrupted and safe provision of population and individual level services, for, among others, communicable diseases, including by ensuring the continuation of undisrupted vaccination programs, neglected tropical disease prevention and control, non-communicable diseases, mental health, mother and child health and sexual and reproductive health and promotion, clean water and sanitation and improved nutrition for women and children recognizing in this regard the importance of increased domestic financing and development assistance where needed in the context of achieving Universal Health Coverage (based on OP7.5 WHA);

OP 6. Calls on international organizations and other relevant stakeholders to support all countries, upon their request, in the implementation and review of their multi-sectoral national action plans and in strengthening their health systems to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, and in maintaining the safe provision of all other essential public health functions and services (based on OP 8.1. WHA);

OP 9. Encourages Member States to work with relevant stakeholders to increase research and development funding for vaccines and medicines, leverage digital technologies, and strengthen scientific international cooperation in response to COVID-19 and to bolster coordination, including with the private sector, towards rapid development, manufacturing and distribution of diagnostics, antiviral medicines, personal protective equipment, medical science- based treatment protocols and vaccines, adhering to the objectives of efficacy, safety, equity, accessibility, and affordability (based on OP3 74/274);

OP 10. Recognizes the role of extensive immunization against COVID-19 as a global public good for health in preventing, containing and stopping transmission in order to bring the pandemic to an end, once safe, quality, efficacious, effective, accessible and affordable medical- based treatment and vaccines are available (based on OP 6. WHA);

OP 12. Calls upon Member States and other relevant stakeholders to ensure the movement of foods and food-production related items, maintain functioning food value chains, allow freedom of movement of agricultural and food workers to avoid food shortages, and provide adequate safety nets and assistance to minimize the negative effects of loss of livelihoods on food security and malnutrition (based on P5 FFD; 74/2 OP70; AU Declaration on food security and nutrition, p. 4);

OP 14. Calls upon all Member States to explore ways to eliminate any impediment to the delivery and access of humanitarian assistance, including by the application of humanitarian exemptions to sanctions where they have negative impact on the capacity of States to respond efficiently, specifically in the acquisition of medical equipment and supplies to adequately treat their populations in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic (new);

OP 15. Calls for ensuring specific protection for women, youth and children, as well as for the poor and the most vulnerable, including, persons with disabilities, older persons, indigenous peoples, homeless, refugees, internally displaced persons, minorities, migrants, institutionalized persons, people living with non-communicable diseases, especially cardiovascular conditions, people exposed to unsafe levels of air pollution and persons facing multiple intersecting forms of violence and discrimination, especially in the context of timely, universal, inclusive and equitable access to safe, quality, effective and affordable health care services, including diagnostics, medicine and vaccines and to leave no one behind (based on the S-G’s Policy Briefs);

OP 18. Calls upon Member States to integrate prevention, mitigation, and response efforts and reinforce plans and structures to counter the increase of sexual and gender-based violence, in online and offline contexts, as part of their COVID-19 responses, including by designating protection shelters, health and support services as well as legal protection as essential services for all women and girls (based on UN Policy Brief on Women and COVID-19);

OP 19. Calls upon Member States to adopt measures to recognize and reduce women’s and girls’ disproportionate share of paid and unpaid care and domestic work and the feminization of poverty, which is exacerbated by COVID-19, including through labour policies, public services and social protection (based on CSW63; policy brief on women and solidarity report);

OP 20. Urges Member States to ensure full, equal and meaningful participation in decision-making and equal access to leadership and representation in all spheres of society for all people, with a special emphasis on women, young people, persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples, older persons and other marginalized groups, and to fully respect, protect and fulfill existing commitments and obligations with respect to equal enjoyment of their human rights and fundamental freedoms, as part of their COVID-19 response (based on OP2 74/l.52; SG’s policy briefs);

OP 21. Reemphasize the importance of freedom of expression, safety of journalists, and access to accurate and timely information, as essential for public health purposes, as well as social cohesion, and calls on Member States to ensure the free flow of information, without suppression, while countering misinformation online and offline with accurate, clear and evidence-based information, and avoiding efforts that could result in censorship of protected speech, endangering human rights and the rule of law (based on S-G’s Policy Brief “COVID-19 and Human Rights”);

OP 22. Calls upon Member States to ensure that our efforts to achieve the 2030 Agenda, for all people everywhere, will be accelerated by building more sustainable, peaceful, just, equitable, inclusive and resilient societies where no one is left behind in a decade of action and delivery for sustainable development, as determined by our leaders at the Sustainable Development Goals Summit;

OP 24. Welcomes the steps taken by the Group of 20 to provide a time-bound suspension of debt service payments for the poorest countries and by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to provide liquidity and other support measures to ease the debt burden of developing countries, and recommends all relevant actors to address debt vulnerabilities, through existing channels and mechanisms, in developing countries due to the pandemic (based on P9 FFD; SG report on debt);

OP 25. Emphasizes that the crisis provides an opportunity to address issues in the international debt architecture and the international financial system (based FFD; debt report);

OP 29. Notes the impact of corruption and illicit financial flows, including that caused by tax evasion and transnational organized crime, on the ability of countries to respond to and recover from COVID-19, and calls upon Member States to recommit to addressing the challenges of combating illicit financial flows and strengthening good practices on tax administration, assets return and recovery, including by enforcing existing obligations under the United Nations Convention against Corruption and the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the Protocols thereto, and to implement effective, inclusive and sustainable measures to prevent and combat corruption within the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (based on PP12, OP6, OP11 74/206; P14 FFD);

OP 30. Calls upon Member States and International Financial Institutions to provide liquidity in the financial system, especially in all developing countries, and supports the continued examination of the broader use of special drawing rights to enhance the resilience of the international monetary system (based on shared responsibility report; OP26 74/202);

OP 36. Recognizes that substantial digital divides and data inequalities exist between countries and regions, and between developed and developing countries, particularly Africa and least developed countries, and urges leaders to accelerate the catalytic role that digital technologies have played in ameliorating the impact of the crisis on education, heath, communication, commerce and business continuity and to take concerted action to further digital government, scientific research, emerging technologies and new data sources and to build resilient, integrated and agile data and statistical systems under the leadership of National Statistical Offices, that can respond to the increased and urgent data demands in times of disaster and ensure a path towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (based on 73/141);

OP 39. Urges intensified international cooperation, including North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation, bearing in mind that South-South cooperation is not a substitute for, but rather a complement to, North-South cooperation, as well as public-private partnerships in response to the COVID-19 pandemic (new);

OP 40. Calls upon Member States to engage all relevant stakeholders, including youth, civil society, human rights defenders, the private sector, and academia, through the establishment of participatory and transparent multi-stakeholder platforms and partnerships, to design effective responses and review and monitor their implementation (based on 74/L.26, OP9);

OP 41. Urges Member States and other stakeholders, including the private sector and International Financial Institutions, to mobilize a global response amounting to the equivalent of, at least, 10 percent of global GDP (based on S-G’s report on shared responsibility of 2020)

OP 43. Urges all relevant actors to align investments with the 2030 Agenda, including investments supporting progress towards universal health coverage and reduction of inequalities, to help ensure a sustainable recovery from COVID-19, as well as pandemic preparedness and the prevention and detection of and response to any future outbreak (based on P16 FFD).

For a table on these paragraphs and the sources referenced, contact Carter Boyd, carterboyd@globalpolicy.org

The post UN Monitor: “All protocols observed” appeared first on Global Policy Watch.

UN chief António Guterres, has warned of an “unparalleled economic shock”, as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. So, going forward, can the private sector “build back better” to reorder the post-pandemic world, or, might the UN’s vision of a sustainable future be relegated to a low-priority aspiration? We put these questions to the CEO of one of the world’s largest conglomerates, who is working with the Organization, towards a better future.

Managing the digital divide better, has become “a matter of life and death” for people unable to access essential healthcare information during the COVID-19 pandemic, the UN chief has told a virtual high-level meeting on rapid technological change.

Download UN Monitor #15 (pdf version).

By Elena Marmo

Across the UN System, all hands are on deck to address the impact of COVID-19 from immediate humanitarian and health needs, to medium and longer-term socio-economic policy. Various initiatives are circling one another, raising issues of governance, reporting and accountability. Member States in the ECOSOC Operational Activities Segment explored some of these questions as they related to the UN Development System (UNDS), while in the 28 May and 2 June meetings on Financing for Development they also explored policy ideas, with an emphasis on accounting for vulnerability in macroeconomic analysis.

Speaking at the ECOSOC session, the Secretary-General addressed the need to re-think approaches to economic analysis:

“Traditionally all economic analysis and all development analysis have been based on a number of macro-economic indicators and essentially on GDP. And so it is GDP that classifies countries based on GDP, that policies are discussed or adopted. And it’s time to recognize that this is a very poor way to look into a very much more complex reality…there is a key concept, which is the concept of vulnerability.”

ECOSOC assesses UN development system response

The UN’s ability to respond to COVID-19 at both a country and a regional level was a main feature of the 2020 ECOSOC Operational Activities Segment where Member States discussed the report on the Funding Compact, an inter-governmentally agreed commitment to funding the UNDS along with a Monitoring and Reporting Framework tracking implementation of UNDS reform. The two UN reports highlight challenges in funding the UNDS due to a lack of flexible and sustainable resources and an overreliance on a few key donor countries. The trends noted in the reports and discussed at the ECOSOC Session reveal that funding continues to be inadequate in terms of both quantity and quality, even more alarming given the heightened ambition of and demands on the UNDS agenda.

The report on the Funding Compact notes: “Only 21% of contributions to the UNDS in 2018 were in the form of core/unrestricted contributions, continuing the imbalance between core and non-core funding.” This lack of flexible funding not only makes it difficult for Funds and Programmes within the UNDS to finance their staffing and core operations, but also incites competition rather than collaboration amongst them as they compete for the limited funding available from donors.

At the ECOSOC Session, heads of UN agencies addressed Member States in a panel on 27 May. Among the many issues highlighted was this lack of available flexible funding. Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator, singled this out as an impediment to COVID-19 responses: “The reality remaining in large parts of UNDS is the erosion of core finance and domination of non-core, tied funding. We have seen, particularly in the last weeks and months, how important it is to have core funding to be flexible and agile.” UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore also pointed out: “Flexible and core funding is about 11%, used to be at 22%. The GA indication of 30% is one we dreamed about but we’ve gone in the opposite direction.”

The Funding Compact report also highlights “a gap of approximately 58 million dollars in relation to the full budget of the Resident Coordinator (RC) system”. Robert Piper, Assistant Secretary-General (AS-G) of the United Nations Development Coordination Office (DCO) which oversees the RC system echoed these concerns as well, stating that the DCO “is different from a typical development or humanitarian programme where you can adjust, unhappily, what you are delivering to whom and when. We can’t shut down a Resident Coordinator for a year while we wait for the funding to catch up.”

Further, the Monitoring and Reporting Framework notes that only seven Member States are “providing at least 0.7% of gross national income to ODA” despite previous conversations in support of assessed contributions to the UNDS. AS-G Piper highlighted this, saying, “those who were supportive of assessed contributions are providing much smaller contributions than they would’ve…because it’s voluntary”. Instead he called for Member States to “align their contribution to their policy position on the assessed budget for this”.

Measuring vulnerability and risks

The concept of vulnerability was also a major focus of the 28 May High-Level Event on Financing for Development in the Era of COVID-19 and Beyond and the 2 June meeting of the Financing for Development (FfD) Forum on COVID-19.

Member States including Guyana on behalf of the G77 and China, Belize on behalf of the Association of Small Island Developing States, Mexico, Costa Rica and Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados, all furthered the discussion with urgency. Various delegations recognized that issues related to trade, tourism-dependency, illicit financial flows, and climate change all create unique vulnerabilities that can result in sudden economic downturn and impede sustainable economic growth in MICs. They noted the imperative of financial flows and support in the face of vulnerabilities and risks faced by many developing countries based on criteria beyond GDP per capita.

Ambassador Carazo Zeledón of Costa Rica stated: “We have called for multi-dimensional criteria to evaluate countries’ risks and vulnerabilities and assess their specific needs and challenges. The fragilities generated by this pandemic demonstrate that income per capita should not be the only parameter in which to base the flow of financial funds and we thank the many voices that have been raised in this regard.”

Ambassador de la Fuente Ramírez of Mexico noted: “Globally, there are structural vulnerabilities that need to be recognized. We are obliged to look beyond GDP per capita and into the root causes that challenge resilience.”

Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados stated: “We agree entirely that there ought to be a debt standstill for those who are the most poor. But we also recognize that the institutions that were created 75 years ago, do not take into account the realities of our countries today.” She added: “We need to go further than beyond words and build back better must not simply be something that is delightful to the ears in terms of alliteration, but must now also mean a recognition that the criteria and the definitions that we have used to determine access, access to goods in a COVID-19 crisis, access to credit in a COVID-19 crisis or post COVID-19, have now to be reflected again on the basis of countries’ actual needs rather than simple definitional criteria that makes it easier for economists to categorize where persons should go.”

During the High-Level Event on Financing for Development in the Era of COVID-19 and Beyond six working groups were announced to be led by Member States on the thematic areas of liquidity, debt vulnerabilities, private sector creditor engagement, external finance, fiscal space, and SDG alignment.

UN DESA maps financial responses to COVID-19

Ahead of the 2 June meeting of the Financing for Development (FfD) Forum on COVID-19, the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) completed a mapping of financial responses and needs across the UN System, Bretton Woods Institutions and regional architecture. The mapping served to inform discussions on several topics, including “[fiscal] space for countries to invest in immediate crisis needs and recovery efforts; concrete funding mechanisms and policy options to finance the crisis response; tackling illicit financial flows [which] can provide critical resources to invest into recovery from the crisis; risks to global prosperity proactively [including] one of the most daunting risks…climate change; financing measures and policy options to achieve a resilient and sustainable recovery aligned with the 2030 Agenda.”

The initiatives highlighted in the DESA mapping include:

The COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund is an inter-agency fund mechanism with the aim of stopping transmission, protecting the vulnerable and building resiliency (see Figures 1 and 2). These three aims are considered “windows” and financial support is channeled accordingly. The financial requirements of the Fund are projected at US$2 billion, with US$1 billion needed in the first nine months of operation, beginning in April 2020. Current contributions (as of 10 June) total US$44.5 million, leaving a gap of over US$50 million. The Fund’s first call for proposals indicates that funding needs vary across countries, with specific projects available for support.

UN System COVID-19 Response Figure 1. Source: UN COVID-19 Response and Recovery Multi-Partner Trust Fund, Allocation Guidelines

Financial Requirements: $1 Billion in the first nine months

WINDOW 1: Enable Governments and Communities to Tackle de Emergency

• Support countries to fully implement their National Action Plans for Health Security (NAPHS), helping them to close critical gaps pertaining to the acquisition of essential equipment and supplies and the payment of salaries and incentives to the health-care and social workforce;
• Assist non-health ministries and governments agencies (such as ministries of education, agriculture, women’s empowerment, transport, interior, labour, social welfare and public services), along with local governments to maintain situation rooms and critical services interrupted by COVID-19.

WINDOW 2: Reduce Social Impact and Promote Economic Response

• Enhance social protection mechanisms through immediate impact measures, scaling up cash transfers, insurance, food security, asset creation, and safety nets, and relieve the burden of COVID-19 on women and children;
• Meet children’s food and educational needs through school meal programmes and access to learning;
• Promote digital innovations that boost employment, support livelihoods, and improve the provision of social services in line with COVID-19 response measures.

WINDOW 3: Recover Better

• Strengthen and test national preparedness measures, inclusive of: integrated disease surveillance and response and community-based surveillance, maintenance of key services and a health-care workforce during crises; laboratory capacity; public procurement protocols and logistics; clear and targeted communications; cross-border collaboration; and national plans that include dedicated budget lines for funding preparedness;
• Invest in effective and innovative delivery of public services to achieve sustainable and inclusive economies that leave no-one behind and safeguard country SDG programmes from COVID-19 related setbacks.

Figure 2. Source: UN COVID-19 Response and Recovery Multi-Partner Trust Fund

The Global Humanitarian Response Plan for COVID-19 (GHRP) is a plan for raising resources and coordinating the response to immediate COVID-19-related health and multi-sectoral humanitarian needs of the most vulnerable people in 63 countries already facing a humanitarian crisis (e.g., refugees, internally displaced persons, host communities, other vulnerable populations). On 7 May, the updated GHRP was issued with a revised requirement of US$6.7 billion in support of response in 63 countries with humanitarian crises. To date (26 May), the GHRP has received US$1.1 billion in funding, amounting to 17 percent of the total appeal, with the recipients of the funding ranging from UNICEF and WHO to UNFPA and IOM. OCHA’s pooled funds – the Central Emergency Response Fund and Country-based Pooled Funds (CBPF) – have also allocated a combined total of US$222 million to support time-critical humanitarian action in response to COVID-19-related needs in over 43 countries.

Contributing to the GHRP is the WHO COVID-19 Appeal: Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan, a COVID-19 Member-State Pooled Fund to support WHO efforts in countries “most in need of help”. It aims to enable flexibility and efficiency for implementation and value for money for donors. WHO estimates US$ 1.74 billion needed through December 2020. A 9 June update indicates only US$670.7 million has been received specifically for these efforts.

UN funding mobilization efforts also include independent philanthropic contributions, facilitated through the WHO COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund, created by the United Nations Foundation and the Swiss Philanthropy Foundation, together with WHO. The Fund channels private contributions, making it possible for individuals and organizations of the general public to support the COVID-19 Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan. As of 3 June, the Fund has raised US$217.6 million to contribute towards WHO’s Strategic and Preparedness Response. Reporting on this Fund is less transparent than its official Member State-led counterparts across the UN system, and the total raised is reflected also in the total raised by the WHO Strategic and Preparedness Response Plan.

The DESA mapping also covers the IMF and World Bank, both of which were urged by Member States to enact debt cancellation and Special Drawing Rights at the recent 2 June FfD Forum meeting and 28 May High-Level event on Financing for Development in the era of COVID-19. The mapping notes:

The World Bank Group reports it is prepared to provide up to US$160 billion over the next 15 months in financing tailored to the health, economic and social shocks countries are facing, including US $50 billion of IDA resources on grant and highly concessional terms.

The IMF is deploying USD 1 trillion to manage the economic and social fallout of COVID-19 along with providing policy advice and technical assistance. The IMF has responded to calls for emergency financing from 102 countries so far. The Fund has doubled the access to its emergency facilities—the Rapid Credit Facility (RCF) and the Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI) —allowing it to meet the expected demand of about US$100 billion in financing. It has also approved the establishment of a Short-term Liquidity Line (SLL) to further strengthen the global financial safety. In addition, the IMF is also augmenting existing lending programs to accommodate urgent new needs arising from the coronavirus. The IMF has approved immediate debt service relief to 25 countries under the IMF’s revamped Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust (CCRT) as part of the Fund’s response to help address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The mapping also references efforts/initiatives of the Regional Development Banks:

The European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) EBRD is extending support through a solidarity package worth US$23.8 billion up until the end of 2021 and has also committed to expand financing under its Trade Facilitation Programme, to keep open the channels of commerce. It will also offer “fast track restructuring” and enhance established frameworks that can reach out especially to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and corporations making the real economy more resilient. Another element in the Solidarity Package is a new Vital Infrastructure Support Programme to meet essential infrastructure requirements, including financing for working capital, stabilization and essential public investment.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has announced a US$20 billion package to address the needs of its developing member countries (DMCs) as they respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The US$20 billion package includes about US$2.5 billion in concessional and grant resources and US$2 billion for the private sector. Loans and guarantees will be provided to financial institutions to rejuvenate trade and supply chains. About US$6.2 billion of the total package will be generated from re-programming, reallocations, and savings on existing projects and technical assistance.

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has made available US$2.8 billion to tackle the public health crisis and its economic ravages. The initiative features four components: the immediate public health response, aid to vulnerable people most in need, assistance for companies and their employees so as to minimize losses, and support for fiscal policy. Of the US$2.8 billion, US$1.7 billion has been made available to the countries of Central America and the Dominican Republic.

As the UN System and Member States respond to the impact of COVID-19 with calls for innovative policies to inform what it means to “build back better”, financial commitments are lagging behind. Rigorous monitoring and reporting will be needed to ensure that Member States and the UNDS turn promises into action, especially as the international community embarks on the Decade of Action to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

The post COVID-19 tests the UN’s response to development challenges appeared first on Global Policy Watch.

In late May a confrontation between Indian and Chinese soldiers in a remote border region of the Himalayas descended into what appears to be a massive fistfight. Most accounts describe a giant brawl between as many as 100 soldiers with no shots fired and no deaths. But soon after the fight, India and China mobilized heavy guns and artillery to the region threatening a major escalation of hostilities between two regional heavyweights.

Since then, tensions seemed to have eased between the two countries. Still, this incident underscores the very tense relationship between India and China and the very tenuous situation concerning India and China’s border.

On the line to explain this mini-crisis between India and China is Michael Kugelman. He is the senior associate for South Asia and Asia program deputy director at the Woodrow Wilson Center. We kick off discussing what exactly happened in Ladakh, the border region where the fight occurred. We then have a conversation about what this incident says about India, China, and the relationship between the two.  

 

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Michael Kugelman is the Asia Program Deputy Director and Senior Associate for South Asia at the Woodrow Wilson Center, where he is responsible for research, programming, and publications on the region. His main specialty is Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan and U.S. relations with each of them. Mr. Kugelman writes monthly columns for Foreign Policy’s South Asia Channel and monthly commentaries for War on the Rocks. He also contributes regular pieces to the Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank blog. He has published op-eds and commentaries in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Politico, CNN.com, Bloomberg View, The Diplomat, Al Jazeera, and The National Interest, among others. He has been interviewed by numerous major media outlets including the New York Times, Washington Post, Financial Times, Guardian, Christian Science Monitor, National Geographic, BBC, CNN, NPR, and Voice of America. He has also produced a number of longer publications on South Asia, including the edited volumes Pakistan’s Interminable Energy Crisis: Is There Any Way Out? (Wilson Center, 2015), Pakistan’s Runaway Urbanization: What Can Be Done? (Wilson Center, 2014), and India’s Contemporary Security Challenges (Wilson Center, 2013). He has published policy briefs, journal articles, and book chapters on issues ranging from Pakistani youth and social media to India’s energy security strategy and transboundary water management in South Asia. Mr. Kugelman received his M.A. in law and diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University. He received his B.A. from American University’s School of International Service. Follow him on Twitter @michaelkugelman

The post A Crisis is Brewing at the Remote Border Between India and China appeared first on UN Dispatch.

The Global Solutions Summit 2020, held digitally due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has so far welcomed 209 speakers, 45 keynotes, 36 panel discussions, dozens of vision statements and Policy Briefs.

These fantastic contributions to the Think20 process and the 2020 G20 Presidency have been reviewed, consumed and commented on extensively by thousands of registered participants and tens of thousands of visitors to the Global Solutions Initiative website.

Global Table Highlights

Global Tables cover issues such as the Future of Multilateralism, Fighting Climate Change, Infrastructure Investment, and consist of keynotes, panel discussions, vision statements and interviews. All contributions are online.

A selection of key Global Tables covering the 2020 Think20 priorities is below:

Global Table: What can the G20 do to prepare the road to COP26 and ensure functioning global carbon markets?

• Keynote: Svenja Schulze, German Minister for the Environment
• Keynote: Ottmar Edenhofer, Potsdam Institute for Climate Research (PIK)
• Vision: Josef Aschbacher, ESA
• Panel: Amar Bhattacharya (Brookings), Ottmar Edenhofer (PIK), Germany’s Environment Minister Svenja Schulze (BMU), Laurence Tubiana (European Climate Foundation)

Global Table: COVID-19: What can the G20 do to support the Fight against Pandemics in a Globalized World?

• Panel: Elhadj As Sy (Kofi Annan Foundation), Christian Drosten (Charité), Ilona Kickbusch (World Health Summit) David Loew (Sanofi Pasteur)

Global Table: What can the G20 do to promote a circular carbon economy?

• Keynote: Khalid Abuleif, Chief Climate Change Negotiator, G20 Saudi Arabia
• Panel: Khalid Abuleif (G20 Saudi Arabia), Gunnar Luderer (PIK), Miranda Schreuers (TU Munich), Adair Turner (Energy Transitions Commission)

Global Table: What can the G20 do to stabilise the world economy in times of the COVID-19 pandemic?

• Keynote: Peter Altmaier, German Minister for the Economy
• Keynote: Paolo Magri, ISPI
• Panel: Irene Natividad (Global Summit of Women), Jean Pisani-Ferry (European University Institute), Paola Subacchi (Queen Marry University of London), David Sloan Wilson (Binghamton University)
• Vision: Sean Cleary, Future World Foundation

Global Table: The G20 in time of Pandemic

• Panel: Fahad bin Abdullah Al Mubarak (G20 Sherpa Saudi Arabia), Pietro Benassi (G7/G20 Sherpa Italy), Christopher MacLennan (G20 Sherpa Canada), Lars-Hendrik Röller (G7/G20 Sherpa Germany), Dennis J. Snower (Global Solutions Initiative)

Save the Date: Global Solutions Summit 2021

During this exciting period of global discussion, it is a great pleasure to share the dates for the Global Solutions Summit 2021 in Berlin, Germany, during the 2021 Italian G20 Presidency. Please mark your calendars for May 27th and 28th, 2021.

To stay up to date with recent publications and other activities, follow us on social media: Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

About the Global Solutions Summit

The Global Solutions Summit – The World Policy Forum – is hosted by the Global Solutions Initiative, a global collaborative enterprise that proposes policy responses to major global problems, addressed by the G20, the G7 and other global governance fora. The policy recommendations and strategic visions are generated through a disciplined research program by leading research organizations, elaborated in policy dialogues between researchers, policymakers, business leaders and civil society representatives. Most recently, the GSI proposed an alternative to measuring prosperity through GDP, the Recoupling Dashboard.

The post Available now: 2020 Digital Global Solutions Summit Program appeared first on G20 Insights.

An overview of the virtual qualitative research tools GAGE are using to understand young people’s experiences under Covid-19.