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CID Weekly: What we can do for Afghans now, Haiti response failing, US in the Pacific & Covid

Posted on 24 August 2021

Development and Humanitarian News

 

Vaccine roll out dashboard


Total number of vaccination doses (single) administered per 100 people in the total population (as of March 16):

Data will be updated regularly, Sources, are Our World in Data which shows the global roll-out of vaccines, with developing countries still lagging behind.

 

NZ must do more for Afghans fleeing or staying


With only days to go before evacuations from Kabul end, New Zealand must do everything it can to protect those Afghans and their families who worked with New Zealand aid charities. 

CID called for an emergency increase in the refugee quota of 1000. In 2015 the Government increased the quota by 750 to allow Syria refugees to escape the bombing. 

In normal times, New Zealand accepts 1,500 refugees per year. While that’s an increase on the previous quota of 1,000, this only keeps track with population growth since the quota began in 1987.

Since borders have been closed, New Zealand accepted 35 refugees in February, with 242 expected to have arrived by the end of our intake year — far short of our total commitment, writes the Conversation.

We can do more to increase humanitarian funding to those local charities staying in country to support the most vulnerable, particularly girls and women, as well as funds for countries who share a border, taking in Afghan refugees.

 

COVID crisis -  displaced people will increase


The latest United Nation figures put people forcibly displaced by conflict at nearly 80 million — a record high, and 'a near doubling from ten years ago. Each minute of every day last year 21 people were separated from their friends, family and communities because of who they are or what they believe,' writes the Conversation.

COVID has closed borders to wealthier countries, but that has increased the number of people internally displaced, seeking refuge in country with little or no support and where they remain at risk.

Most are fleeing violence or famine, and it is the poorest countries (who share borders with those escaping) who are taking the most refugees. Developing countries hosted 86% of the world’s refugees.

So far this year, about 50,000 migrants have entered Panama through the Darién Gap — already more than the 20,000 that arrive in a typical year, Panamanian Foreign Minister Erika Mouynes tells Devex in an interview.


 

Haiti death toll over 2,200 with over 250 schools damaged or destroyed


At least 287 private and public schools were damaged or destroyed in the  7.2 magnitude quake on 14th August that killed over 2,200 people (with another 340 missing). Many of the education centres in Haiti – where public services and government assistance is largely non-existent – are run privately. Many of them have been destroyed, and almost all of them are uninsured.
 
“It will cost millions to rebuild our school, and we do not have it,” states Rev. Calixte Dorval, Evangelical Baptist rector. “The government doesn’t have it. Our only hope is foreign assistance, and we don’t know what will come. Without it, none of our schools will ever be rebuilt. And Haiti will always be a country stuck behind the bus, late and left behind.”
 
The Haitian government has also criticised international aid groups for widespread distribution of tents in 2010 — saying it led to sprawling tent cities that remained for years. Controversially, officials are asking aid organizations to refrain from large scale tent handouts now — a request aid agencies say they back. At the same time, the UN has called for additional support for secure humanitarian corridors through gang-held areas.

 

#FirstDosesBeforeThirdDoses


The inequality and inequity of access to covid vaccination is again highlighted by the hoarding the vaccine supply, the idea of wealthy countries like the US are now giving third doses while billions of people globally still can't access their first dose is yet.

The WHO and organizations like GAVI, MSF, and the ONE Campaign in calling for a hold on general booster shots — at least until health workers and other high-risk individuals in all countries are vaccinated, and a scientific consensus on the need for boosters and when is reached by the WHO and other credible health regulators. 

WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan said, “We believe clearly that the data today does not indicate that boosters are needed." A recent independent study led by Washington University also concluded that the mRNA vaccines widely used in rich countries may provide years of protection. Any decision on boosters should not be motivated by pharma companies with a financial interest in selling more doses to wealthy governments while the pandemic continues raging globally.

 

Pacific news in brief

 

Cooks suspends travel bubble with NZ


The Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown has suspended the travel bubble by shifting the country to alert level 2, reports RNZ.

 

Call for greater transparency and integrity in Pacific covid response


Transparency International state that in parts of the Pacific, government responses to COVID-19 have been marked by limited transparency, oversight and public engagement. In Fiji, this has been exemplified by ongoing media conflicts involving both the Auditor General’s Office and the CSO Alliance for COVID-19 Humanitarian Response. 
 
Because governments across the Pacific have taken on a greater role during the pandemic - including in dispersing funds directly to citizens and making sweeping health decisions - there must be opportunities for additional scrutiny and transparency, argues Transparency International. This would give the public confidence that emergency funds are being spent responsibly.
 
Civil society groups in countries like Fiji are reminding their leaders that their organisations are one of the country’s key strengths given their authenticity and independence. Civil society groups are calling on Pacific leaders to do five things to empower citizens, increase transparency during the pandemic, and protect essential resources from corruption.

 

PNG COVID challenges increase


As the Covid-19 pandemic unfolds, more than 130,000 vaccines donated by the global facility COVAX doses have expired in Papua New Guinea, reports the Lowy Institute.

With a population of roughly 8 million, statistics reveal fewer than 100,000 people have received the Covid-19 vaccine to date. Some worry the country could still be asleep to the full extent of its Covid-19 outbreak. Earlier this year, soaring case numbers stretched PNG’s medical resources and personnel.  Covid-19 is now considered by some in PNG as simply another disease alongside others at large, including malaria, tuberculosis, typhoid, cholera and even polio.

"I think we should stop punishing ourselves and keep living," Dr Yockapua said, adding that sections of the population may have developed herd immunity. This theory has been  rejected by his colleagues.

The Lowry Institute states that getting vaccinations is only part of the problem, and making people understand the urgency is critical. Testing for the virus was scaled back by PNG's pandemic response authorities in June, as they shifted their focus to vaccination. Vaccination has moved slowly, in no small part because misinformation about vaccines is still rife, and has created great hesitancy. 

 

America's soft power in the Pacific


America’s historic claims to be 'a Pacific Nation' with a shared Pacific destiny have been based on a second World War narrative.

But this is "outdated in winning hearts and minds in the region. The United States needs an inclusive narrative which must seek to co-opt a post-Second World War generation of Pacific Islanders into the American worldview of the future," writes Patrick Kaiku and Moses Sakai for the Lowy Institute America's potential for positive soft power is considerable, they argue.

"The United States can take a lesson from the Chinese experience. China has been able to make inroads into a diverse range of countries because its activities are grounded on the pragmatism of the South-South cooperation narrative."


 

Member activities and updates

 

 

Disarmament strategy discussion with Minister for Disarmament and Arms Control (MDAC)


You are invited to join an online disarmament strategy discussion with the Minister for Disarmament and Arms Control, Phil Twyford, on Tuesday, 24 August, from 3.30pm to 5pm.

The Minister will outline NZ's disarmament strategy, which was released in June and has seven objectives around nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, strengthening international humanitarian law, and issues such as killer robots and responsible behaviour in outer space; followed by discussion.

If you would like to read through the strategy in advance, it is available here with a summary here.

To join this discussion, please register via this link.

 

CID Talk on Ethical Research and Evaluation


International development research and evaluation involves working with diverse communities, including vulnerable or ‘high risk‘ populations, in circumstances that can give rise to power imbalances.

The additional ethical considerations involved in these research settings means that robust ethical practice is imperative to ensure activities adhere at a very minimum to the fundamental principle of ‘do no harm’.

This CID talk will outline the ‘why’ and the ‘what’ of ethical research and evaluation.

The speaker, Dr Philippa Smales, is the Business Development and Member Engagement Manager with the Council for International Development (CID).

She previously managed the Research for Development Impact Network (RDI Network) in partnership with the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID), and is finishing up a consultancy project on Ethical Research and Evaluation with ACFID and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

 

CID welcomes new staff


We are excited to announce that Sarah King will be joining our small team as the new (permanent) Office Manager, Events and Communications expert.

Sarah comes with an impressive CV, having been working for the last seven years at the Institute for Development Studies (IDS - a development research and teaching institute) in the UK.

She has led events, digital communications, project management and much more for IDS, and joins us with a deep understanding of development.

We'd like to thank Emily Wakelin who has being holding the fort for CID in this role and kept us all going, while finishing a research project for us (and her degree!).

 

UNICEF Report: The Climate Crisis is a Child Rights Crisis


The UNICEF report The climate crisis is a child rights crisis presents the Children’s Climate Risk Index (CCRI), which uses data to generate new global evidence on how many children are currently exposed to climate and environmental hazards, shocks and stresses.

A composite index, the CCRI brings together geographical data by analysing:
exposure to climate and environmental hazards, shocks and stresses; and
child vulnerability.

The CCRI helps to understand and measure the likelihood of climate and environmental shocks or stresses leading to the erosion of development progress, the deepening of deprivation and humanitarian situations affecting children or vulnerable households and groups. 

 

 

Oxfam Aotearoa Climate Campaign & Appeal


Oxfam Aotearoa is currently running a Climate Campaign to support people across the Pacific and beyond to continue to grow the food they need to survive. This is an opportunity to add your voice to ask the New Zealand government to take bolder climate action, and support New Zealand farmers to transition to sustainable, climate-friendly farming. Information on the Oxfam Aotearoa Climate campaign is available here. 

'Our Pacific neighbours have contributed the least to climate change, but are paying the highest price. Intense, frequent storms and flooding are destroying their livelihoods and constantly putting families at risk with little time to rebuild before the next disaster hits. The Oxfam Aotearoa Climate appeal is an opportunity to help people in vulnerable situations get the land and services they need to continue to grow their food, even with the changing weather conditions. The link to the Oxfam Aotearoa Campaign appeal is available here.


 

Useful links, webinars & podcasts

 

New research on Modern Slavery and recruitment


CID, in partnership with the Mekong Club and Dr. Jacqueline Parisi’s Impact Effect, has released new research on 'Responsible Recruitment of Migrant Workers; Recruitment Fees'.

The research explores how migrant workers in South East Asia and elsewhere are vulnerable to exploitation by brokers who charge excessive recruitment fees, withhold identification documents of the migrant workers, and provide misleading information regarding job offers.  

The research has been limited by Covid, and it's clear more research is needed. 

The authors call on companies not to use recruitment firms that directly or indirectly condone the use of slavery as acceptable methods of employment; to employ best practise for recruitment fees and practices; and they highlight the clear violation of human rights for migrant workers in the work force.  

The second phase of this research process take place later.

Lead author: Dr Jacqueline Parisi, Impact Effect
Contributing researcher and authors: Emily Wakelin, Campbell Garrett, and Laura Turner


 

FREE Webinar: 3 ingredients for successful partnership


The Australian Charity Guide is running a free webinar on partnering with corporates. 

'Corporate giving is increasing, but it's a more competitive landscape. You need to stand out from the crowd.
​Find out the 3 key ingredients for prospecting success and how you can turn lukewarm leads into a hot opportunities.

Register HERE
 
 

The CID weekly is proudly sponsored by

 
 Direct Impact Group supports organisations to maximise their social impact, because changing the world isn't easy, and in dynamic times this work is more important than ever.
 

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