CID Weekly: Election debate, youth and COVID, Pacific partnerships

+ Election 2020 debate this week




"Foreign policy was rarely an election issue in the past, but Covid-19 makes this contest different," writes Professor Rob Patman, professor of International Relations at Otago University in today's NZ Herald.

"Voters need options to decide how New Zealand can best protect its core values and interests in a world where these are directly threatened."

We are proud to announce that the Asia New Zealand Foundation and the Pacific Cooperation Foundation are sponsoring this key election debate.

This election debate on 'Trade, Aid and New Zealand's Place in the World post Covid' will be the first big election debate of the season.

Moderated by Newshub's (TV3's) Tova O’Brien with:

• David Parker (Labour)
• Simon Bridges (National) 
• Fletcher Tabuteau (NZ First) 
• Golriz Ghahraman (Greens)  
• David Seymour (ACT)

Co-hosted by CID and NZIIA (The New Zealand Institute of International Affairs).

CID members pay only $10 per ticket.

Thursday 6 August 2020  5.30-7.30pm
 
Location: The Ballroom, Intercontinental Hotel, 2 Grey Street, Wellington.
 
Please register at Eventbrite (registration is required and a small fee applies to cover our costs)

+ Pacific health systems struggle 

As COVID cases mount in Papua New Guinea, experts warn already fragile services will not be able to combat other diseases such as TB, HIV/Aids and malaria, writes Ben Doherty and Daniel Hurst in the UK Guardian.

Efforts to combat endemic diseases such as tuberculosis, HIV/Aids, and malaria could be derailed by counter-Covid measures, dramatically increasing deaths across the developing world, a study published in the Lancet has found.

• Malaria deaths could increase by 36% in five years due to interrupted campaigns/treatments
• HIV deaths could rise 10% because of poorer access to antiretroviral drugs
• TB deaths could increase by 20% because of interruptions to diagnosis and treatment.

"While Melanesia’s largest nation Papua New Guinea has recorded only 63 cases, 52 of those – more than 80% – have been in the last two weeks. The capital Port Moresby, where tens of thousands live in crowded, unofficial settlements, has been forced back into lockdown in an effort to arrest the spread, with a curfew enforced and face-masks mandated."

Testing is weak in countries like PNG so the full impact of COVID is not known.
 

+ New Zealand's first Negotiated Partnerships signed 

World Vision New Zealand, Save the Children New Zealand and ChildFund New Zealand have signed a Negotiated Partnership with New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade with their programme WOVEN (Wellbeing Outcomes to End Violence, Enable Livelihoods and Improve Nutrition).

MFAT has committed approximately $35M to these co-investment partnerships to deliver improved outcomes for children and youth in the Pacific and South East Asia. The five year partnership will enable these organisations to reach more of the most vulnerable communities in the Pacific.

Collectively, the partnerships have identified their goal: 'We will reach more than 57,000 people across the five Pacific nations, ensuring children are protected from violence, have improved nutrition and that families have the resources they need to meet their basic needs.'

The three partners will also contribute around 20 percent of additional funding to the programme, for a total investment of approximately $45M. There are several other partnerships currently in negotiations as a part of MFAT's Partnering for Impact programme. 
 

+ 'Collective Resilience' - Launch of Oxfam NZ Report

Join Oxfam New Zealand from 12:30pm to 1.30pm on Tuesday 11th August for the release of the report Collective Resilience: New Zealand’s aid contribution in times of inequality and crises. This is happening in GBLT1, Government Buildings, Pipitea Campus, Victoria University of Wellington (Oxfam New Zealand will also livestream the talk on their Facebook page).
 
The Collective Resilience report assesses how New Zealand’s aid is given against principles of quality aid, and how well our aid contributes to citizen engagement, and economic, gender and climate justice. The report is part of the Big Hearts Connected World campaign for a Collective Resilience Plan.  Dr Joanna Spratt, Communications and Advocacy Director at ONZ, and Dr Terence Wood, Research Fellow at Devpolicy, will present the report.

For more information contact CID at office@cid.org.nz or Jo Spratt direct at joanna.spratt@oxfam.org.nz
 

+ UNA NZ Launch Annual Publication 

United Nations Association New Zealand recently launched their annual publication covering a wide range of activities related to the UN over the past year. 

The publication includes stories discussing multilateralism, human rights, funding and migration, with pieces from a range of reputable actors. It also provides an overview of the activities of UNA NZ over the past year. 

The publication can be viewed here.
 

+ World Day against trafficking (during COVID)

“Just because we have a plague doesn’t mean that, under our watch, slavery can just proliferate - and the traffickers win.” - United Nations

Globally the COVID pandemic has created new trafficking opportunities for organised crime to profit. In particular, travel restrictions have forced new dangers upon victims, who are often sold into sexual exploitation and forced marriage amongst other activities. The UNODC (UN Office on Drugs and Crime) has stated that with so much attention on COVID, there must be a scaled response by Governments and civil society to place the focus back on slavery.  

30th July marked World Day against Trafficking in Persons. The annual day was established by the UN to address the “need for raising awareness of the situation of victims of human trafficking and for the promotion and protection of their rights.”

The 2020 theme for the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons focuses on the first responders to human trafficking, including those who work on identifying, counselling and seeking justice for victims of trafficking. 2020 also marks the twentieth anniversary of the 'Palermo Protocol' to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime (UNODC) - the main international anti-trafficking instrument

+ Mandatory reporting sexual violence?

The onus on health professionals to report sexual violence creates a potential conflict with their duty of care to the patient, and can make workers a target for retaliation by perpetrators, experts warn in a recent Devex article.

In some countries, health care personnel are obliged to report known or suspected cases of sexual or gender-based violence to the authorities. This can be done without the victim's consent and, in some cases, is a precondition to providing them with medical care. 

One health care worker says: "It doesn't feel like the procedure is there to support people." 

Here's more on what health care staff on the frontline are saying about mandatory reporting.

+ Youth will pay the price for COVID

The International Labour Organization recently warned the economic crisis during COVID is hitting younger people “harder and faster than any other group”. And it is adding fuel to existing grievances, reports Catherine Wilson at the Lowy Institute.

At least half of all Pacific Islanders are aged under 23 years.

"Before the pandemic, global youth unemployment was 13.6%....across the Pacific Islands region, it was an estimated 23%, rising to an estimated more than 40% in the Solomon Islands. Needless to say, these statistics will rise."

+ But youth are managing the pandemic - podcast

What’s it like to manage a soap factory during the pandemic?

How are young people using the internet to build bridges between generations during lockdowns?

How does this virus exacerbate the ongoing economic crisis and rates of youth unemployment?

Young people’s voices are often the last to be heard during a crisis. In this podcast you'll hear from young people running a blood bank in Pakistan, a Community Conversation Facilitator tackling fake news in Ethiopia and young people volunteering in Bangladesh, Canada, Quebec and Italy.

The Oxfam podcast is here.

+ Food Security Crisis for Asia-Pacific Farmers 

The COVID-19 pandemic is presenting a critical food security crisis for Asia-Pacific’s smallholder family farmers.

A collaboration of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and advocacy groups warn that despite Asia-Pacific’s smallholder family farmers producing more than 80% of the world’s food, they are facing a disproportionate impact on their livelihoods and food security. The economic sluggishness has provoked susceptibilities and exacerbated inequities.

FAO has launched a regional campaign to increase awareness and understanding of the role family farmers’ play in building a resilient food secure region. Globally, there are approximately 500 million family farmers. In the Asia-Pacific region, smallholder farmers own and operate the vast majority of farmland but representing less than five hectares per farm.

Full article is available here 
 

+ Human trafficking in India increases during COVID

One of the risks exacerbated due to the effects of COVID-19 is the potential for vulnerable people, especially children, to become victims of human trafficking, abuse, and exploitation.

In India, lockdown was imposed for the 1.3 billion inhabitants on 24 March 2020. By 12 May, reportedly over 122 million people in India had already lost their jobs, many of which were small traders and daily wage-laborers. Events such as these cause child vulnerability to increase rapidly.

This was evidenced by the fact that, at one point during lockdown in India, over the course of 11 days, 92,000 cases of child abuse in the family and in the communities were reported to government helpline.

Caritas India is working to help vulnerable children by supporting peer-to-peer learning, psychosocial support, and family applications for government aid.

Full article available here 
 

+ CID Conference 'Oceania Connect: Our Region, Our Development'

*Expressions of Interest for hosting sessions now!*

This year, for the first time ever, CID will co-host our annual conference as an Oceanic regional effort – together with our partners ACFID in Australia and PIANGO in the Pacific.

The regional on-line part of the conference will be held from 27–30 October 2020.
There will also be a face to face dinner event, and the MFAT partnerships day, both in Wellington.

The joint Conference will officially be launched very soon! Stay tuned for the upcoming announcement. 

In the meantime, we are looking for expressions of interest from those who would like to host a virtual session during the event. You could do this on our own, in partnership with other CID members, or with your ACFID and Pacific partners.

If you can share insights, expertise, strategies, or partnerships that will help us achieve the Sustainable Development Goals in a COVID world, we want to hear from you. To learn more and apply, details are available here

+ Seasonal workers schemes post COVID?

A podcast on seasonal workers schemes post COVID in Australia, also shines a light on the issue in New Zealand.

Will a new government in September expand the scheme here if we get a Pacific bubble, or will they reduce it if a COVID vaccine is still not available?

This Good Will Hunters podcast discuses the Seasonal Worker Programme in Australia, and the challenges Covid-19 has posed.

"We discuss how prior to Covid-19, being selected for the programme felt like winning the lottery for workers from the Pacific, but this year that experience has changed dramatically, as workers have been stranded, in some cases unable to go home and in other cases unable to return to Australia (or New Zealand)."

For more excellent podcasts on development issues in our region, go to the Good Will Hunters website.

+ Last week for Code Committee Member Rep Nominations

This is the last week to receive nominations for the Member Representative role in the CID Code of Conduct Committee. The closing date for nominations is Friday, 7th August.

Please contact Aaron Davy if you require further information, including a copy of the Code of Conduct Committee ToR and nomination form. 

CID is looking for two new Member Representative for the Code of Conduct Committee, for a period of two (2) years (renewable) from September 2020 – August 2022. 

The aim of the Code of Conduct Committee is to provide assurance to CID members, donors, the public and partners that the CID Code is being implemented effectively. It monitors adherence to the Code and compliance self-assessment and ensures that complaints in relation to the Code are examined promptly and fairly. The next 12 months will also be an exciting time as we continue with the implementation of recommendations from the Code Review.

The Member Representative will be nominated and elected by CID member organisations. The elected Member Representative can be:

• current staff or board members of CID organisations
• ex-staff and ex-board members of CID organisations
• fully elected CID board members but not the Chair of the CID board.

+ Humanitarians and Climate Change Communication

Meaningful communication with the public around climate change is complex, political and challenging. As increasing evidence demonstrates the link between the changing climate and disasters worldwide, more humanitarian actors are joining the conversation - including establishing wide-reaching campaigns.

However with less than 40% of humanitarian agencies having an accessible public-facing message, or a clear call-to-action on climate change, there are a number of  barriers to climate communication in the humanitarian sector. These include:

1. Neutrality and the politicisation of climate change,
2. Emergency messaging is too frightening or overwhelming
3. Issue fatigue and information overload.

The Humanitarian Advisory Group (HAG) and The Behavioural Architects has put together a 'Creating Communications That Works: Humanitarians and the Climate Crisis'. It is written for an Australian context, there is a lot here lends itself to the New Zealand context. The guidance paper analyses how humanitarian agencies are communicating on climate change, and seeks to provide guidance on how the humanitarian sector can enhance messaging on climate change to promote wider engagement, advocacy and action within the general public.