New funding alliance aims to advance access to energy for all
1/11/2021: The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet aims to unlock $100 billion in public and private financing to reach 1 billion underserved people with reliable, renewable power. It aims to change the current trajectory of 243 GW of coal plants being planned, permitted, or under construction in developing countries.
Source: The Rockefeller Foundation
Global wealth is increasingly unequal
27/10/2021: A new World Bank report makes a distinction between conventional GDP growth and measures which include renewable natural assets such as forests and fishing resources.
Source: Devex
Half of the world is failing to manage its water resources
18/10/2021: Over half the countries across the world are unlikely to achieve the 2030 target date for managing their water resources sustainably, according to a report by the World Meteorological Organization. As water know no borders, more coordination between countries will be necessary.
Source: Devex
How the UK took $200m away from the most marginalised
5/10/2021: The reality of what happens when funding for neglected tropical diseases, such as trachoma and river blindness, is suddenly turned off, as told through a programme leader’s diary entries.
Source: African Arguments
World leaders hail agreement on global corporate tax rate
8/10/2021: Most countries have signed up to a historic deal on corporate taxation that will now be put to G20 leaders for approval. It will ensure a minimum 15% corporate rate and that multinational companies will be taxed in the countries where they generate their revenue.
Source: DW
What will replace coal finance for poor countries?
5/10/2021: China has withdrawn finance for new coal-fired power plants overseas but Africa still needs to triple its electricity capacity to end energy poverty. The successful diplomacy that has eliminated public funding for overseas coal projects needs to be matched by funding clean power plants.
Source: Inter Press Service
Poor countries advised to restructure external debts
5/10/2021: The World Bank has urged low and middle income countries to consider restructuring their debts when the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) expires at the end of this year. The DSSI was established to help countries concentrate their resources on fighting the Covid-19 pandemic.
Source: The East African
Billions pledged, but UN food summit fails to heal divisions
28/9/2021: The UN Food Systems Summit has encouraged countries to implement their declared “national pathways” to food security, supported by a new coordination hub led by the three Rome-based UN food agencies and the International Fund for Agricultural Development. But fundamental disagreements about global food strategies remain.
Source: The New Humanitarian
Food Systems Summit urges swift action by 2030
24/9/2021: The troubled UN Food Systems Summit has been held on the sidelines of the General Assembly. The US government has committed $5 billion over 5 years for USAID’S Feed the Future program. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation also announced a $922 million, five-year commitment.
Source: Devex
The biodiversity crisis is a global security crisis
23/9/2021: Environmental degradation is a key driver of insecurity. To achieve peace, we must protect the planet and finance these efforts accordingly. It is no coincidence that 6 of the 10 largest UN-led peacekeeping operations currently exist in areas highly exposed to the impact of climate change.
Source: African Arguments