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Cities face huge climate finance gap, study says

Cities face huge climate finance gap, study says

CITIES are receiving only a fraction of the climate finance they need, especially in low-income countries, according to a study published on the sidelines of the COP28 climate talks. The Cities Climate Finance Leadership Alliance (CCFLA) said cities are on the front line of climate hazards and responsible for three-quarters of global emissions, but multilateral development banks (MDB) needed to adopt new strategies to address a gaping financing gap. Cities were receiving only 1% of the climate finance they required, which is estimated to be as high as $5.4 trillion per year up to 2030, according to the study, the…
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How COVID controls hit farmers in 7 low-income countries, most in Africa

How COVID controls hit farmers in 7 low-income countries, most in Africa

SINCE its emergence more than two years ago, COVID-19 has reached nearly every corner of the globe. It has infected hundreds of millions of people, and overwhelmed health systems worldwide. But its impact goes beyond its direct health consequences. Measures to contain its spread – such as travel restrictions and lockdowns – have also had severe consequences for economies and food systems worldwide. Despite the global impact, the consequences of pandemic-related restrictions vary widely among individuals. In the West, massive stimulus spending has helped ease the economic burden of the lockdowns. In low and middle-income countries, steep drops in employment…
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Just give us the vaccines, WHO pleads, as poor countries go wanting

Just give us the vaccines, WHO pleads, as poor countries go wanting

MICHAEL SHIELDS and STEPHANIE NEBEHAY RICH countries are opening up societies and vaccinating young people who are not at great risk from COVID-19, while the poorest countries cruelly lack doses, the World Health Organization said yesterday, condemning a global failure. The situation in Africa, where new infections and deaths jumped by nearly 40% last week compared to the previous week, is "so dangerous" as the Delta variant spreads globally, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. "Our world is failing, as the global community we are failing," he told a news conference. Tedros, who is Ethiopian, chastised unnamed countries for reluctance…
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How COVID-19 hit people globally in the pocket

How COVID-19 hit people globally in the pocket

NITA BHALLA ONE in two people worldwide saw their earnings drop due to the coronavirus, with people in low-income countries particularly hard hit by job losses or cuts to their working hours, research showed on Monday. U.S.-based polling company Gallup, which surveyed 300,000 people across 117 countries, found that half of those with jobs earned less because of COVID-19 pandemic disruptions. This translated to 1.6 billion adults globally, it said. "Worldwide, these percentages ranged from a high of 76% in Thailand to a low of 10% in Switzerland," said researchers in a statement. In Bolivia, Myanmar, Kenya, Uganda, Indonesia, Honduras…
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New malaria vaccine proves highly effective – and COVID shows how quickly it could be deployed

New malaria vaccine proves highly effective – and COVID shows how quickly it could be deployed

CORONAVIRUS vaccines have been developed and deployed in record time, but as global rollout has progressed, too few doses have been made available in low-income countries. It’s a stark reminder that when it comes to infectious diseases, the world’s poorest often get left behind. ADRIAN HILL, Director of the Jenner Institute, University of Oxford This is a problem that extends far beyond COVID-19. In Africa, for example, malaria has probably caused four times as many deaths as COVID-19 over the past year. Thankfully, our new research shows that an effective vaccine against malaria could now be closer than ever before.…
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COVAX vaccines reach 102 countries

COVAX vaccines reach 102 countries

STEPHANIE NEBEHAY THE COVAX vaccine facility has delivered nearly 38.4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to 102 countries and economies across six continents, six weeks after it began to roll out supplies, according to a statement yesterday. The programme offers a lifeline to low-income countries, in particular, allowing them in the first instance to inoculate health workers and others at high risk, even if their governments have not managed to secure vaccines from the manufacturers. But there have been some delays, the GAVI vaccine alliance and World Health Organization said in a statement. Reduced availability of delayed some deliveries in…
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G20 to discuss post-pandemic world, back debt relief

G20 to discuss post-pandemic world, back debt relief

JAN STRUPCZEWSKI LEADERS of the 20 biggest world economies (G20) will debate this weekend how to deal with the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic that has caused a global recession and how to manage the recovery once the coronavirus is under control. High on the agenda are purchases and global distribution of vaccines, drugs and tests for low-income countries that cannot afford such expenses themselves. The European Union will urge the G20 on Saturday to invest $4.5 billion to help. "The main theme will be to step up global cooperation to address the pandemic," said a senior G20 official taking part in…
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