SDG Challenges, COVID outbreak in PNG, Srebrenica milestone and more.
Posted on 21 July 2020
+ CID members raise profile of children during COVID
Thirteen CID memberscame together to issue an urgent warning that millions of children could be plunged into hunger as a result of COVID and the impact of strict lockdowns.
Adra, Caritas, CBM, ChildFund New Zealand, Hagar, Hope St, International Needs, Orphans Aid International, The Salvation Army, Save the Children, Tearfund, VSA and World Vision - are calling on Kiwis to help "resource their global neighbours" to help deal with the mounting disaster.
'A preliminary assessment suggests that Covid-19 may add between 83 and 132 million people to the total number of undernourished in the world,' reports the NZ Herald.
Tearfund's Helen Manson kick-started the campaign to bring CID members together quickly, and get a message to the New Zealand public that you can help these children get the food and support they need by giving to one of our organisations.
+ COVID Community Transmission in PNG
Papua New Guinea hasreported its 16th caseof COVID-19, linked to previous cases at the Central Public Health Laboratory and raising concerns for an outbreak in the capital, Port Moresby.
In response to the recent rise in cases in the capital, Prime Minister James Marape has directed the health ministry to increase testing in the area.
This movement is beingsupported by the World Health Organisationin partnership with the Australia and New Zealand Governments, providing additional laboratory supplies to increase testing capacities.
Commenting on the New Zealand Government's response, Adam Linnell, First Secretary, New Zealand High Commission, stated “strong testing capability is an essential tool for addressing the challenges presented by this pandemic and for protecting communities”.
+ 25 Years on from Srebrenica
Saturday, 11th July marked the 25th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre; Europe's worst atrocity since World War 2 and the only one to be declared a genocide.
Srebrenica was supposed to be a UN safe haven. Yet some 8,000 Muslim men and boys were killed by Bosnian Serb forces over a week from July 11, 1995 in and around the town, in what is now Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Twenty-five years after the Srebrenica genocide, the events that unfolded continue to be a source of dispute and tensions in the area. While two UN courts found the massacre in Srebrenica constituted genocide, and several high-level perpetrators have been convicted for their involvement in crimes committed in and around Srebrenica,survivors are still confronted by an increasingly powerful legion of genocide denierswithin their own communities.
A quarter century on from Srebrenica, the world has become painfully used to atrocities. Mass killings in Syria or Yemen no longer always make the news, and the world appears to have lost its appetite to investigate and fight war crimes. While Ratko Mladic, the Bosnian Serb general convicted of ordering the execution of 8,000 men and boys from Srebrenica, questions are asked ofthe lack of desire to investigate similar mass killings in Syria, Yemen and Myanmar.
+ Low public awareness of SDGs in richer countries
Last week, UN member states and civil society met virtually at the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) to discuss progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
There were criticisms of governments, particularly the low awareness amongst the public of the SDGs in developed countries, although 74% globally are at least aware of the SDGs.
The recent 2019 global poll by Ipsos MORI was held in 28 countries, and it was found that awareness of the SDGs is highest in emerging countries.
The incidence of adults who have at least heard about them, is highest in Turkey (92%), mainland China (90%), followed by India (89%) along with Brazil, Malaysia and Sweden (87% in all three).
But those who say they are more than just aware - and are somewhat or very familiar with the SDGs make up only one quarter of all adults globally (26%).
Again, the majority of people who are more familiar with the SDGs are in emerging countries - India (55%), Turkey (53%), China (52%) and Saudi Arabia (51%).
In contrast, only about one in ten people surveyed in Japan (8%), France (11%), Italy (11%), Canada (11%), and Great Britain (13%) report being familiar with the SDGs.
This survey asked more than 19,000 adults from 28 countries about their awareness and opinions of 16 of the 17 SDGs.
Zero hunger (Goal 2) was ranked the most important, followed by Clean Water and Sanitation (Goal 6) and Good Health and Well Being (Goal 3).
Gender equality was ranked the lowest importance, but still at 74% support.
New Zealand was not in the survey.
+ Pacific launches its own localisation survey
PIANGO (Pacific Islands Association of NGOs, and CID's sister organisations in the Pacific) has launched its own survey into localisation.
Survey details
What: Humanitarian and development actors across the Pacific region are invited to take part in this localisation mapping survey.
Why: The survey will provide an overview of existing strengths, areas for strengthening in implementation for the Framework for Resilient for the Pacific and explore opportunities for south-south collaboration amongst humanitarian actors in the Pacific
Who: For the Resilience Partnership (PRP) Technical Working Group on Localisation in Humanitarian Action.
+ 'Millionaires for humanity' call for higher taxes post COVID
A group of83 millionaires from seven countries, including New Zealanders Sir Stephen Tindall (The Warehouse Group) and Peter Torr Smith (Hire Things), released an open letter to governments, calling for a permanent tax increase on the very wealthiest to help pay for the global recovery from the COVID-19 crisis.
Calling themselves 'Millionaires for Humanity', the letter praises the essential workers who have been on the frontline of the crisis and highlights the role that the richest people in the society can play in helping to rebalance the world economy.
The group also urges governments to raise taxes on millionaires and billionaires “immediately, substantially and permanently.”
The millionaires released their call ahead of this weekend’s G20 Finance Ministers and Central Governors meeting, and the Special European Council meeting in Brussels, both of which are expected to discuss the global effort to rebuild economies in a post-COVID world.
They hope politicians will address global inequality and acknowledge that tax increases on the wealthy and greater international tax transparency are essential for a viable long-term solution.
+ Antonio Guterres on inequality
The Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture Series invites prominent people to drive debate on significant social issues. Previous speakers include former US president Barack Obama, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. A full list (and recordings of) previous speeches is availablehere.
The 2020 Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture was delivered by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on 18 July 2020. Owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, the lecture was, for the first time, an online-only event, delivered at the UN headquarters in New York City. You can watch it here.
Mr. Guterres began by noting that the COVID-19 pandemic has played an important role in highlighting growing inequalities, and exposing the myth that everyone is in the same boat, because “while we are all floating on the same sea, it’s clear that some are in superyachts, while others are clinging to the drifting debris.”
Global risks ignored for decades – notably inadequate health systems, gaps in social protection, structural inequalities, environmental degradation, and the climate crisis – have been laid bare, he said.
+ Election debate heats up - still some seats left!
The CID/NZIIA election debate on Trade, Aid and New Zealand's Place in the World will be the first big election debate of the season.
Sign up now if you don't want to miss out.
How has the pandemic changed New Zealand’s role in the world and in the Pacific?
Can we realistically keep our borders closed for a year or longer?
What does our aid look like if borders stay closed?
Can we expand a Pacific bubble beyond the Cook Islands?
Lockdowns in places like Yemen are leading to famines. What's New Zealand's humanitarian role now?
Moderator Newshub (TV3's) Tova O’Brien with:
David Parker (Labour)
Simon Bridges (National)
Fletcher Tabuteau (NZ First)
Golriz Ghahraman (Greens)
David Seymour (ACT)
Please register for this major election debate on Trade, Aid and New Zealand's Place in the World post-COVID, 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)
+ Government surveillance a permanent trend?
A number of governments have increased surveillance of their citizens to contain COVID.
However, discussions following the implementation of these surveillance methods have focused on the issues of privacy and personal freedom.
Experts consider levels in at least 35 countries to be invasive and dangerous. Many civil society groups fear that these events, triggered by COVID-19, indicate a future where tech-based surveillance could become an ‘unstoppable trend’.
ThisDevelopmentAid articlepresents a review of the forms of surveillance applied during COVID-19 and maps those locations around the world who now have increased surveillance measures.
This year, for the first time ever, CID will host our annual conference as an Oceanic regional effort – together with our partners ACFID in Australia and PIANGO in the Pacific.
The joint Conference will officially be launched at the end of the month.
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.
The 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.
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.
Comvoices is launching Aotearoa New Zealand's Nonprofit Chairs Forum at the first Chair's Brown Bag Session.
"We want to recognise one of the most demanding voluntary jobs on offer - chairing the not for profit board. Chairs are expected to be a bit of everything - expert on the organisation, group facilitator, supervisor of the manager, organisational advocate & spokesperson, expert on meeting procedure, and do it as a part-time hobby," Comvoices Nicola Sutton.
"Usually little if any training or even support is available. We think its time to change that and for us to have Chairs' Forum to share ideas and dilemmas, find out helpful resources, and get support from our peers."
The theme is "Lessons from the Lockdown - what chairs have learnt for the next big threat".
The virtual session will be held on Zoom, 12 noon to 1:30pm on Thursday 22 July, and be facilitated by two experienced chairs, Garth Nowland-Foreman & Sandy Thompson. BYO lunch.
“We need to send a very crystal-clear message here, and the message is that the sexual and reproductive rights agenda has to remain in the spotlight,” said Mariarosa Cutillo, chief of strategic partnerships at UNFPA. “COVID-19 is not only impacting the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in general, but it is really putting at stake this agenda.”
+ Webinar (ISOS) - Emergencies in Asia during COVID
As COVID-19 continues to impact countries globally, how should organisations respond to natural disasters during this monsoon season and rising security concerns in Asia against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic?
Where are the hotspots and what are the implications for your organisation? Join our panel of country security experts as they provide an update and advice around:
Natural disasters hotspots in Asia
Risk environment - with a focus on Hong Kong (SAR), India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Korean Peninsula and Myanmar
What are your peers doing to mitigate against these risks
Direct Impact Group supports organisations to maximise their social impact, because changing the world isn't easy, and in dynamic times this work is more important than ever.
+ Nominations for Code Committee Member Representatives
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.
Please contact Aaron Davy if you require further information, including a copy of the Code of Conduct Committee ToR and nomination form.
The closing date for CID to receive nominations for the Member Representative role is Friday, 7th August.
