CID Weekly: COVID deaths reach one million

+ COVID deaths reach a million

COVID deaths have reached a million globally, and could go to two million according to the WHO, reports France 24.

Developing countries haven't seen this kind of devastation since the Great Depression in the 1930s, reports the Wall Street Journal.

"The world’s biggest developing countries are witnessing some of the steepest economic contractions on record, throwing tens of millions out of work and turning back the clock on gains against poverty."

One of the challenges is the inability for poorer countries to borrow, compared with countries like New Zealand.

"While rich nations can simply print more money or take on debt at a low cost, such a move by developing nations might create more economic instability by sparking a selloff of the local currency."
 

+ Pacific  - 'same challenges but worse'

The Pacific is facing tough times ahead post COVID, writes Jonathan Pryke at the Lowy Institute.

"All of the main threads of economic reliance that connect the Pacific to the outside world — tourism, migration, remittances, aid — will be affected. On average, the economies of the region may experience a contraction of as much as 10 per cent."

"Pacific governments will draw on every domestic resource available to them to stimulate their economies, largely rolling out small and medium business subsidies and mass employment programs.

"Donors, including China, will respond through a major regional financing program of at least A$5 billion — double what the Pacific normally receives in aid — coordinated by the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. Most of this will come in the form of extremely concessional long-term loans. A debt crisis is looming but the crisis of today is more immediate.

Australia and New Zealand will lead the support efforts.

+ Register for Conference now

Please register now to take part in this historic event.

For the first time, the international development networks of New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific are joining together to hold an Oceania Connect Regional Conference.

Held from 27-30 October, the conference will focus on fulfilling the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, and how best to respond and rebuild during COVID.

Registrations are now open.
 

+ Register for CID AGM and dinner @ The Beehive!

The CID AGM and dinner will be held in Wellington at the Beehive on November 5, starting after lunch and going into the evening.

This is a chance for us all to come together after a very challenging year.

There will be a keynote speech (we hope from a new minister), entertainment, photo competition and the annual Collaboration Award.

Please join us for a celebration.

Register here. 
 

+ 15th anniversary of 'Responsibility 2 Protect' (R2P)

Responsibility to Protect (R2P or RtoP) is a global commitment, endorsed at the 2005 World Summit after the horrific genocides in Rwanda and Srebrenica, where other countries failed to act in time. 

R2P aims to give countries a legal framework to prevent genocide, crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing, and war crimes, even if it infringes on the sovereignty of another state. 

R2P is based on the underlying principle that national sovereignty not only involves 'rights', but also  'responsibilities', particualrly to protect all populations from human rights violations and mass atrocity crimes. 

This month marks the 15th anniversary of R2P. From todays vantage point we can see that for all the political and procedural progress made towards its implementation, a substantial amount of governments that willingly pledged themselves to R2P have failed where it matters most: in the prevention of atrocity crimes and protection of vulnerable populations. Responsibility to Protect (R2P or RtoP) remains an unfulfilled promise.   

The principle covers, not just the Responsibility to Protect, but the Responsibility to Prevent and to Rebuild.

On the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the adoption of R2P, the Global Centre is calling upon all UN member states to embrace the five policy actions this year:

1. Prevent: Build Societies that promote and preserve universal human rights,
2. Invest in peacekeeping and protect vulnerable populations,
3. Actively oppose xenophobia, antisemitism, racism and religious extremism,
4. Uphold international law and promote justice and accountability, and
5. Support civil society, humanitarian workers and human rights defenders.
    

+ 'International Development Young Professions' - launch in Wellington

On Thursday, 8th October the International Development Young Professionals group (IDYP) is launching their chapter in Wellington.

The launch is taking place at the office of VSA at 6:30pm with  a World Cafe discussion on how the current global pandemic is affecting international development and what this means in a post-COVID world? Tickets are available here. 

IDYP provides opportunities for its members to expand networks, build knowledge, and share and develop ideas by convening meaningful events, supporting skills and training opportunities and providing a credible space for learning and sharing ideas. 
 

+ Human Capital in the time of COVID-19

The Human Capital Index (HCI) is an international metric that benchmarks key components of human capital across all countries. This index was launched in 2018 as part of the Human Capital Project (HCP), a global effort to accelerate progress towards a world where all children can achieve their full potential.

Measuring the human capital that a child born today can expect to attain by their 18th birthday, the HCI highlights how current health and education outcomes shape the productivity of the next generation of workers. In this way, the index underscores the importance for governments and societies of investing in the human capital of their citizens.

Data for the latest Human Capital Index report (2020) was collected before the onset of COVID-19, and as such acts as baseline to track the effects of COVID-19 on health and education outcomes.

+ 2 Years since Sulawesi Earthquake & Tsunami

It is two years since a 7.5 magnitude earthquake devastated communities in Central Sulawesi i, Indonesia. The earthquake and tsunami it triggered (along with liquefaction of a vast swath of land) on the 28th September 2018 left more than 4,340 people dead and over 200,000 displaced from their homes.

Two years on, many agencies are still reflecting and learning from their responses, while communities continue to rebuild.
 

+ Remembering Trailblazing PNG Politician Nahau Rooney

One of Papua New Guinea’s political pioneers, Nahau Rooney has been remembered as a trailblazer for PNG women in power following her death on 15th September, aged 75. In 1977, Rooney was one of just three women elected to PNG’s first post-independence parliament – out of 109 members – where she served as the regional member for the province of Manus.

In the 2000s, retired from politics, Nahau Rooney's environmental and women’s rights activism continued. She also served as president of the National Council of Women, and on the Council of University of Papua New Guinea, where she had earlier studied social work.

+ Revitalising the 'Global Compact' post COVID

How does the 'UN Global Compact' and the SDGs stay relevant now? Adva Saldinger from Devex gives an update.

 "When the UN Global Compact was founded 20 years ago, terms like “corporate sustainability” were far from the mainstream."

Kofi Annan, then-secretary-general of the United Nations, told the World Economic Forum, “We have to choose between a global market driven only by calculations of short-term profit and one which has a human face.”

The UN Global Compact has grown from about 44 companies in 2000 to more than 12,000 member companies in about 160 countries today.

+ Send nominations: Photo Competition & Collaboration Award 

Celebrate the creative and collaborative side of the sector. 

The impact of COVID has made this year particularly challenging, but many of these challenges have been mitigated through innovation, collaboration and the awesome creativity of the sector.

Please see below information on the CID Collaboration Award, and the CID Photo Competition for 2020. Winners will be announced at the Annual Dinner taking place on the 5th November.

2020 CID Collaboration Award

We want to hear from CID Members and Associate Members that have successfully worked together on a project with a mix of organisations and individuals – for example, each other, local entrepreneurs or partners, governments, funders, private sector, consultants, academics or researchers. Applications must be submitted by 15th October, and will be judged on the following criteria:

• The narrative - how compellingly you tell the project's story
• The scope - who and how many people were reached
• The impact - what is the likelihood of impact and sustainability
• The collaboration - how the collaboration led to the successes or results of this project.

2020 CID Photo Competition

The broader theme of the 2020 CID Photo Competition is COVID related activities, with submissions to showcase partnership, collaboration and good development outcomes. The photo competition is sponsored by Fisher Print. Further information is on the CID website at the link above, and we are accepting submission up until 15th October, and will also be announced at the CID Annual Dinner.

Submission are to be provided under three catagories:

• For Amateur Photographers:
  • Development
  • Humanitarian Aid | Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) 
• For NZ-based Professional Photographers:
  • Humanitarian and Development 

+ Contribute to research - digital access in the Pacific

An invitation to contribute to research on 'Digital Access Across Cultures'.

COVID has shifted how humanitarian, development and aid programmes are funded and delivered. In-country delivery and engagement by international actors is increasingly challenged across the Pacific.
 
Pacific communities and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have identified digital connectivity and affordable internet access as a critical enabler post COVID.
 
Unfortunately Pacific nations’ internet penetration is low.
 
Increasing digital access would open development pathways, empower local actors and enable the development of knowledge economies.

As an integral component to enabling localisation, the potential exists for it to see New Zealand doctors ‘sit over the shoulder’ of doctors and surgeons in the Pacific; enable schools in isolated islands to keep learning; and support communities to pivot from tourism to primary produce, source markets and become digital exporters.
 

• What opportunities does the localisation agenda provide?
• What does digital connectivity in the Pacific, implemented through a ‘Pacific lens’ look like to you?

Darrin Brinsden, MBA Candidate, from University of Otago is conducting research in October, with the support of CID, and is seeking volunteers to be interviewed on this topic.

The research will be published before Christmas so there is a quick turnaround. Interviews will be tailored to your timetable and location.

Please contact Darrin at brida274@student.otago.ac.nz or call / text on +64 21 400 998 to book an interview time.

+ Where do carbon emissions come from?

Sector-by-sector, where do global greenhouse emissions come from? To reduce emissions we need to know where to direct our efforts.

Hannah Richie from Our World in Data, describes what each category means.

"To prevent severe climate change we need to rapidly reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. The world emits around 50 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases each year [measured in carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2eq)].

"To figure out how we can most effectively reduce emissions and what emissions can and can’t be eliminated with current technologies, we need to first understand where our emissions come from.

I brief -  three-quarters of emissions come from energy use; almost one-fifth from agriculture and land use  [this increases to one-quarter when we consider the food system as a whole – including processing, packaging, transport and retail]; and the remaining 8% from industry and waste."

Read more here.