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From: Devex Global Development Briefing <info@devex.com>
Date: 1 June 2017 19:35:56 BST
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Subject: A plea to save the Paris Agreement, but little attention for Yemen: This week in development news
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To ensure delivery to your inbox, please add info@devex.com to your address book. June 1, 2017 THIS WEEK'S MUST-READ DEVELOPMENT STORIES A plea to save the Paris Agreement, but little attention for Yemen: This week in development news By Kelli Rogers @kellierin United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres makes an appeal for the Paris climate agreement, the 70th World Health Assembly comes to a close and Germany rewrites its engagement with Africa. This week in development news. When it comes to climate change commitments, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres is urging the development community to look beyond the U.S. The U.N. chief — who did not mention U.S. President Donald Trump directly during his 25-minute opening remarks at the New York University Stern School of Business on Tuesday — noted that China is the only country with a long-term economic plan with an eye on sustainability. Guterres presented a new five-point global climate action plan, calling for intensified political engagement on lowering global temperatures; stronger, "integrated" U.N. support for countries; and engagement with governments and private sector actors. He also announced plans to convene a U.N. climate summit in 2019 for the first, formal review of the Paris Agreement's implementation. After nearly two weeks of intense debates, the 70th World Health Assembly in Geneva came to a close on Wednesday — with several resolutions and key discussions on top of the election of new director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. After long and arduous discussions on the budget, outgoing Director-General Margaret Chan was able to convince member states to increase their assessed contributions by 3 percent, Devex's Jenny Lei Ravelo reported. To address some of the key challenges in many African countries, the WHO's regional office released a set of new programs that will include a focus on adolescent health and the creation of emergency hubs. Member states also took stock of the progress countries made in developing their national action plans to tackle the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance. Chan stressed that this World Health Assembly was "historic" in terms of the number of items approved and interventions addressed. Crisis isn't looming — it's already present  — in Yemen, which is facing "total social, economic and institutional collapse," according to U.N. Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Stephen O'Brien. O'Brien warned the U.N. Security Council that "urgent action is needed" to bring the country back from the brink of famine and disease, the BBC reports. An outbreak of cholera has killed 500 people since late April, and the U.N. expects 150,000 more cases of the disease in the next six months. Despite "very generous pledges" at a conference in Yemen in April, O'Brien said that only 24 percent of the $2.1 billion needed for humanitarian aid in the country had so far been pledged and urged the international community to take action. At least 7,800 people have been killed and 44,000 others injured since March 2015, according to U.N. figures, while an estimated 18.8 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance. Germany's development ministry has released an ambitious, private-sector oriented "Marshall Plan" to rewrite the country's engagement with the African continent. The proposal comes as Germany prepares to take a stronger lead in shaping donor policy ahead of hosting the G-20 summit. Analysts and advocates working in Africa say the plan puts into writing some of the trends already underway in aid, including a shift towards the private sector, but it's still only a proposal, and Germany's position on Africa is set to evolve rapidly in the coming weeks, writes Devex's Andrew Green. The finance ministry is currently constructing a separate "Compact with Africa," and the country is set to host the G-20 summit in July, where relations with Africa will feature heavily on the agenda. German elections in September could also impact the development agenda, particularly if Chancellor Angela Merkel loses her bid for a fourth term. FROM THE EDITOR Top picks this week By Devex @devex As the world waits for U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to leave or stay in the Paris climate agreement, which is scheduled to be announced Thursday, here is a look back at Devex's coverage of climate change policy over the past six months. From our archives, here's a look at Trump's international climate budget, ways to reframe climate programs in an era of climate denial, and ideas to sway the Trump administration on climate change. We also look at the U.N.'s call to action and how to engage the private sector in climate change policy. Other top stories this week include analysis of Australia's bid for a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council, a look at Germany's "Marshall Plan with Africa," and a wrap-up from the African Development Bank's annual meeting in India. As Trump mulls a Paris exit, climate advocates pivot to the private sector The White House has pushed back a meeting to decide whether to stay in the Paris Agreement on climate change. But climate action advocates are already turning to business and city leaders to lead a new charge. Read also: Engaging the private sector to finance climate change adaptation Australia's fight for a seat on the UN human rights council Australian officials are working hard to secure one of two seats on the United Nations Human Rights Council for the 2018-2020 term. Yet at home, there is increasing evidence of human rights abuses in the treatment of refugees, indigenous Australians and children in detention. It has human rights experts debating if Australia's questionable record will impact the final vote. Guterres calls for action on Paris climate deal amid fears of US withdrawal The United Nations chief said he is working to engage the United States on continued partnership and commitment to the Paris Agreement on climate change, but also spoke of the economic and political losses that the U.S. and others could face if they don't work to address climate change. Germany's 'Marshall Plan with Africa' Germany's development ministry has released an ambitious, private-sector oriented "Marshall Plan" to rewrite the country's engagement with the African continent. The proposal comes as Germany prepares to take a stronger lead in shaping donor policy ahead of hosting the G-20 summit. AfDB seeks to strengthen Indo-African relations The African Development Bank held their 52nd annual meeting in India, the continent's fifth largest investor. Devex takes a look at Indian-African ties and how the AfDB plans to strengthen them to achieve Africa's development goals. Read also: Who were AfDB's top contractors in 2016? SPONSORED ANNOUNCEMENT Tufts University — Online Graduate Courses and Programs in Nutrition Tufts University's world-renowned Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy is pleased to offer several programs designed for those working in the fields of international development and aid. Global Nutrition Programming: a 100 percent online graduate certificate program that includes three courses: Malnutrition Prevention and Response Underlying Causes of Malnutrition Program Monitoring and Evaluation Master of Nutrition Science and Policy: An online master's degree that includes a one-week residency in Boston each semester. 10 courses that can be completed in one or two years. 30+ online courses in nutrition science, food policy, sustainable agriculture and food systems, and developing healthy communities. Study with Tufts faculty in an interactive, flexible format designed for busy people. Students can take a single course, complete a three-course Certificate of Graduate Studies, or earn a Master's in Nutrition Science and Policy. SPONSORED ANNOUNCEMENT How the refugee crisis has changed the European development landscape The Donor Tracker looks at the eight countries that are Europe's biggest donors of foreign assistance and how the refugee crisis has impacted their funding decisions. The recent flow of refugees to Europe has transformed Europe's flows of official development assistance. Donors have responded differently to this challenge, with different implications for their development budgets. In some countries, such as France and Germany, increases in refugee costs come on top of ODA, not affecting funding for other programs; in others, such as Norway and Sweden, refugee costs come out of the ODA budget, reducing funding for other programs. What unites them are significant changes to the focus of their ODA. You can find the full report on the Donor Tracker, a free, independent website that analyzes 14 major OECD donors: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the European Union (the United States profile is coming in later 2017). The Donor Tracker is an initiative by SEEK Development, a strategic and organizational consultancy supporting human development globally. Global Development Briefing - Your inside guide to the week's must-read development stories. Copyright 2017 Unauthorized commercial reapplication, reproduction or retransmission, in whole or in part, is prohibited. Manage your newsletter subscriptions |  Read the latest Devex News |  RSS Feed Connect with us Devex is the media platform for the global development community. Corporate Headquarters: 1341 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036 USA Main +1.202.249.9222  |  Fax +1.202.318.2456   www.devex.com

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