In 2019, the illegal wildlife trade reached staggering levels. Pangolin scales and ivory were being trafficked in massive quantities from Africa to Asia, exposing a network of crime syndicates operating at an industrial scale. The sheer volume of these shipments marked a disturbing milestone, one that revealed the global reach …
Based on assessments in 24 countries across Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Asia, it shows that 85 million households in Asia now have limited or no food supplies, with 8 million children forced into child labour or begging. In Latin America, every third Venezuelan migrant child is going to bed …
The COVID-19 pandemic and its domestic and global impact will require that South Africa fundamentally rethink and review the strategic underpinnings and operational modalities of its foreign policy along two axes, namely its ‘Africa Agenda’ and its approach to multilateralism.
This 18th IMB Report follows videoconference meetings that the Board held with the GPEI Strategy Committee, donors, wider polio partners and the governments of the polio-endemic countries on 29 and 30 June and 1 July 2020. The discussions were complex because they had to take account not only of the …
The new UN report examines how COVID-19 has affected eleven countries in South-East Asia and proposes action-oriented recommendations on mitigating immediate impacts and planning pathways out of the crisis.The uneven landscape of social protection systems has placed tackling inequality at the centre of both short and long-term recovery efforts, according …
Amid last year’s recession, loss of savings, job uncertainty, lockdowns, and the pandemic-related economic and social restrictions, India’s aspirations have been challenged this year. In fact, aspirations across all age groups have shrunk. The worst-hit among them is the Early Jobber – the twenty-something, whose aspirations have been dampened by …
COVID-19 & Global Food Security brings together a groundbreaking series of IFPRI blog posts looking at the impacts of COVID-19 and the policy responses. IFPRI researchers and guest bloggers provide key insights and analysis on how the global pandemic is affecting global poverty and food security and nutrition, food trade …
Coronavirus is changing the face of hunger across the world, according to a report published by the United Nations. The UN’s ‘Policy Brief on COVID-19 in an Urban World’, confirms fears that cities are on the front lines of the current rise in acute hunger. The new “epicentre” of the …
The COVID‑19 crisis is affecting everyone, but women and girls are being differently impacted and could face disproportionate economic, health and social risks. These gender-differentiated socio-economic risks must be recognized for an effective COVID-19 response and recovery. This in-depth checklist can be used to guide UNDP Country Offices, UN sister …
To help countries tackle the devastating social and economic dimensions of the pandemic, with a focus on at-risk groups, the UN issued the UN framework for the immediate socio- economic response to COVID-19 (SERF) in April 2020. The SERF sets out the strategy and blueprint for the UN’s urgent socio-economic …
The COVID-19 crisis has thrown into sharp focus the importance of digital connectivity in daily life. As many countries underwent lockdown periods, digital infrastructure was critical to mitigate the impact of stay-at-home restrictions. Connectivity players have contributed by taking short-term actions to ensure continued access during the crisis. More importantly, …
The Asian Development Bank conducted a Philippine enterprise survey from 28 April to 15 May 2020 to gauge the impact of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on the business community. Questions focused on production, finance, workforce, supply chains, and other issues. The survey also asked about the support measures needed …
A higher level of preparedness is urgently needed to prevent and mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic in Southern Africa, including additional resources for testing and to reduce the impact on households and the economy, the African Development Bank said in its new Southern Africa Regional Economic Outlook. In the worst-case scenario, …
The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) region faces an unprecedented triple threat to food security caused by the combined effects of recent severe floods, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and an upsurge of desert locusts. Additionally, there is an increased risk of below-average rains during the upcoming October to December season …
The daily Covid-19 biomedical waste generation in Delhi increased by 15 times in June as compared to the previous month, and the city is presently producing more refuse than its common biomedical waste treatment facilities (CBWTF) can treat, data shared with the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) shows. …
Report of the Oversight Committee headed by Justice SVS Rathore July 24, 2020. The report was in compliance with the National Green Tribunal (NGT) order passed in Original Application No. 710/2017 in the matter of Shailesh Singh Vs Sheela Hospital and Trauma Centre & Others. The issue related to non-compliance …
This paper aims, first, to estimate the short-run behavioural, social and environmental impacts of air travel reductions due to COVID-19, and, second, to explore the potential for different policy measures to curb demand and reduce carbon dioxide emissions beyond the lifetime of the pandemic with minimal impacts on welfare. Focusing …
In the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, while it is of paramount importance to provide early diagnosis and treatment to all infected individuals, it is also critical to promote research and development for larger public health benefit. For development and validation of new diagnostics, therapeutics or vaccines, access to different …
As the rate of new COVID-19 cases accelerates across the developing world, it exposes the potentially devastating costs of job losses and income reversals. Unconditional emergency cash transfers can mitigate the worst immediate effects of the COVID-19 crisis on poor and near-poor households that do not currently have access to …
“Recover Better” reflects and furthers the discussions United Nations High-level Advisory Board on Economic and Social Affairs (HLAB) members have had on a wide range of development trends and issues of critical importance to the achievement of the SDGs and the recovery from COVID-19. The insights compiled in the edited …
In this issue, the UNESCO Courier gives women a voice. Political scientists, journalists, sociologists, researchers, writers, and teachers have drawn the contours of the post-pandemic era – whether it is the future of museums, changes in schools, the rise of disinformation, or the challenges of scientific research. These are all …
