DevDispatch Recommends: May 2021 Publications
Welcome to our May edition of DevDispatch recommendations. This month marks our largest selection of new global development publications released in the same month. The global development space has been busy indeed and we have something on the list for everyone!
They are hot off the press, so let’s dive right in.
Tax Transparency in Africa 2021: Africa Initiative Progress Report
By African Union, OECD
Around USD 50-80 billion dollars of illicit financial flows (IFFs) pass through Africa annually. This report analyses the responses of 34 African countries on a tax transparency survey put out by Africa Initiative. The Africa Initiative currently has 32 African member jurisdictions.
Exchange of information (EOI) has played an integral role in combating illicit funds and tax evasion while increasing Domestic Resource mobilisation. The main pillars of EOI have been identified as legal and beneficial ownership, accounting records and financial accounts.
The report documents the progress that has been made towards tax transparency since 2019, while addressing the capacity building that had to be undertaken during the COVID 19 pandemic. The case studies of Kenya, Rwanda, Senegal and Uganda show an in-depth look of how national tax revenue authorities have managed to implement the Africa Initiative mandate while shorter country profiles highlight the success and challenges faced by each member jurisdiction.
This publication is 88 pages and the prefect read for all revenue authority employees, accountants and financial advisors.
2021 State of Civil Society Report
By CIVICUS
The pandemic has been at the forefront of all of our minds but it has not overshadowed civil society action around the globe. There have been global efforts and movements to combat issues such as racial inequality, economic and environmental justice and a fight for democracy during the global pandemic.
This report which can conveniently be downloaded chapter by chapter is tackles everything from racial justice movements like Black Live Matter in America, the memorialisation of racism the U.K., and Haitian Lives Matter in the Dominican republic to the fight for equality in the LGBTQI+ community with Costa Rica adopting same-sex marriage and the decriminalisation of same-sex relations in Bhutan and Gabon.
The fight for climate justice has intensified in Africa with a march against oil pollution in Mauritius as well as a climate justice march in Uganda and the pandemic has strengthened the resolve of citizens to demand economic support from their government especially when all livelihoods have been negatively impacted by the unforeseen pandemic.
Elections seemed far from possible as the whole world went into lockdown but some countries managed such as New Zealand and South Korea where incumbents managed to win over their citizens with their response to the pandemic but it was an opportunity for other countries to show their dissent such as the Seychelles and the Dominican Republic.
This report is a fascinating read for all social change advocates and CSO’s campaigning for change.
Opportunities for Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship -Understanding the African Continental Free Trade Area
By International Trade Centre, ALDA
The AfCFTA was implemented at the beginning of this year and has great potential to benefit the region on all accounts. It will be an effective tool for the African youth to take advantage of, especially since they face the highest rate of unemployment yet have the highest potential to effectively take control of the digital economy. This paper explains the AfCFTA and how it can specifically benefit the youth.
As we begin to make use of the AfCFTA it is important to note that more advocacy and awareness raising is needed for the youth to know what opportunities lie ahead and a lot of work needs to go into establishing and strengthening national digital economies.
This paper is a short read at 40 pages and should be read by all youth in Africa, especially young entrepreneurs and creatives.
COVID 19: Make it the Last Pandemic
By The Independent Panel
We have not only seen the effects of the COVID19 pandemic on the news but we have felt them deeply in our lives. Globally more than 150 million people were infected by the virus in less than a year and a half, and we have lost over 3 million people; our family, friends, co-workers and neighbours. This has been the largest health and socioeconomic event in living memory. This has come on the back of other epidemics like S.A.R.S, Ebola and Zika.
This report seeks to get an insight of the global response to COVID19 so far and glean any insight into the challenges faced by global healthcare systems to prevent such a catastrophe from happening again.
Here are a few of the urgent calls the report calls for:
1. The application on non-pharmaceutical public health measures
2. High income countries must scale up vaccine coverage and should commit to providing at least one billion doses for low to middle income countries.
3. G7 and G20 countries to provide necessary funds for vaccines, diagnostics and the strengthening of health systems
4. WTO and WHO to convene major vaccine producing countries to hasten the voluntary licensing and the sharing of technology transfer agreements.
This report is great for all public and private health officials and government officials and is not a large time consumer at 86 pages.
Transit Oriented Development in practice.
A powerful example of impact on the ground in the area of Housing by our Brazil Cities team – and a story of how interventions in one city led to an approach that was scaled up and adopted as part of a Brazilian national law that set the standards for better quality social housing.
Three Challenges to Safe and Affordable Urban Housing
The blog raises three critical challenges: (i) importance of core services in informal settlements and slums, (ii) need to support housing rental markets, and (iii) making better use of underutilized land in city centers.
Can Housing Be Affordable Without Being Efficient?
The blog highlights the importance of giving due attention to building efficiency in affordable housing projects, both location efficiency and on-site energy and water efficiency. The key message: over their lifetimes, efficient homes are more affordable, healthier and provide better opportunities for residents than conventional buildings.
Report on current practices in Conversion therapy, emerging technology, and the protection of LGBTQ+ rights in Africa
By the Centre for Human Rights
For quick reads, check out these blog posts
Despite homosexuality no longer being recognised as a mental illness since 1990 by the WHO, it is still largely treated as a psychiatric disorder which needs intervention in many parts of the world especially Africa. There is a large resistance on the continent towards members of the LGBTQI+ community and homophobia is very much at the centre of all discussions surrounding sexual orientation. Conversion therapies have long been seen as a “cure” for the diseases and although these have largely been discontinued in the west, they are still heavily prevalent in Africa. Conversion therapies include a large range of socio-cultural and religious practices performed to alter one’s sexual orientation to the perceived norm of heterosexuality.
This paper analyses the detrimental effects conversion therapy can have on a person emotionally, physically and psychologically. It sets out a strong argument for why these therapies should be banned as they go against human rights and dignity. Already existing frameworks to ban conversion therapies in countries like Malta, Taiwan and Brazil provide a roadmap for African countries to emulate.
This is an important paper for community leaders, clergy, members of the LGBTQ+ community and their family members to read. It is very short at 31 pages but it is packed with a lot of pertinent facts for today’s climate.
Transit Oriented Development in practice.
A powerful example of impact on the ground in the area of Housing by our Brazil Cities team – and a story of how interventions in one city led to an approach that was scaled up and adopted as part of a Brazilian national law that set the standards for better quality social housing.
Three Challenges to Safe and Affordable Urban Housing
The blog raises three critical challenges: (i) importance of core services in informal settlements and slums, (ii) need to support housing rental markets, and (iii) making better use of underutilized land in city centers.
Can Housing Be Affordable Without Being Efficient?
The blog highlights the importance of giving due attention to building efficiency in affordable housing projects, both location efficiency and on-site energy and water efficiency. The key message: over their lifetimes, efficient homes are more affordable, healthier and provide better opportunities for residents than conventional buildings.
Malawi Economic Monitor, December 2020 : Doing More with Less - Improving Service Delivery in Energy and Water
By the World Bank
The pandemic has induced a sharp recession in many countries across the globe. Malawi’s economy has been heavily affected, with growth projected at 1.0 percent in 2020, down from earlier projections of 4.8 percent. With population growth around 3.0 percent, this represents a 2.0 percent contraction in per capita GDP. Political stability has returned following the June 2020 Presidential elections, which should support investment. However, global and domestic factors emanating from the pandemic are affecting Malawi’s economy, including: 1) disruption in global value chains and trade and logistics; 2) decrease in tourism; and 3) decrease in remittances. This has combined with social distancing policies and behavior to also reduce domestic demand. The Malawi Economic Monitor (MEM) provides an analysis of economic and structural development issues in Malawi. The publication intends to foster better-informed policy analysis and debate regarding the key challenges that Malawi faces in its endeavor to achieve high rates of inclusive and sustainable economic growth.
Global Report on Food Crises 2021
By Global Network Against Food Crisis, Food Security Information Network
This report provides an in-depth analysis of the state of global food crises around the world. The 10 most severe food crises have been identified as coming from the DRC, Yemen, Afghanistan, the Syrian Arab Republic, Sudan, Nigeria, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Zimbabwe and Haiti. The highest drivers of food insecurity are conflict/insecurity, weather events and climate change, and economic shocks which have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
After a global overview the report delves into the specifics of the food crises per region and then country by country. Africa remains the most affected continent accounting for 63% of the total number of people in crisis globally. East Africa has been particularly affected after having experienced the worst locust invasion in the last 25 years.
This report is quite lengthy at 307 pages but is broken down into manageable chapters and country profiles filled with easy to read infographics for those who do not have the time to read the full report. This read would be particularly useful for policy makers, the agricultural sector and NGOs tackling food insecurity.
Global Report on Internal Displacement 2021:Internal displacement in a changing climate
By Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, Norwegian Refugee Council
In 2020 the highest recorded displacement in ten years occurred with 40.5 million new displacements being recorded bringing the total number of people living in internal displacement worldwide to a record high 55 million people. Despite great strides being taken in forming regional and national policies to combat internal displacement, the true extent of progress cannot be documented as the lack of data continues to be a large barrier as many statistics are often an underestimation.
This report takes a look at the reasons and contributing factors for displacement such as natural disasters and conflict, then takes a look at their economic and social impacts on receiving countries as well as the impact on those who have been displaced. A spotlight is shone on Burkina Faso, which is experiencing unprecedented migration due to escalating violence in the Sahel as well as Cabo Delgado in Mozambique which has become a convergent hub for people fleeing the armed attacks of the homegrown militia group Ahlu Sunna Wal-Jama (ASWJ)
This is a moderately long report with 85 pages and is a must read for people working with refugees and all those in the humanitarian aid sector.
Community-driven systems change
By Firelight
The current global aid and charity arena is often not mutually beneficial for the CSO’s in the Global South that collaborate with INGOs in the Global North. Despite years of investment people are often left questioning why little impact seems to reach the ground and why it seems like communities never seem. To uplift themselves despite the support. Funding usually comes with heavy restrictions and very little room to decide how to implement programs on the ground. This report dives deep into why a community-driven systems approach is better for all parties and better for communities in the long run.
The essence of the matter is that nobody knows how to truly implement effective aid if they have not lived the experience themselves. The best people suited to plan how to change a situation are the people within the community itself. Grassroots organisations made up of the community itself not only have a deep understanding of their issues but they are trusted by the community to have their best interests at heart. This report maps a way forward for global aid.
Global progress report on HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections, 2021
By WHO
This report looks into how effective the strategies planned for 2016-2021 have been in the fight against HIV, viral hepatitis and STIs. Progress has indeed been made despite the disruption of the global pandemic but in the same breath, there are still many targets that have not been reached. The number of new HIV infections has fallen by 23% to its lowest rate since 2010 with 1.7 million new infections in 2019 however this is far from the target of only 500 000 new infections.
Stigma and lack of resources to implement people-centred policies and services still remain the largest hindrance. COVID-19 severely affected the ability for people to get tested easily. This report analyses the success and shortfalls of each WHO region. The report recommends that the only way to try and get back on track is for governments to collaborate their efforts into universal health care systems beneficial for the most vulnerable.
This report is targeted at anyone who works with marginalised communities of people infected by HIV, hepatitis or any STIs and is also a good read for health care workers and policy makers. It is moderately long at 108 pages.
Mainstreaming gender in urban public transport
By Stockholm Environment Institute
Africa is the fastest urbanizing continent, yet walking still remains the most affordable mode of transport in urban areas. This is due to a lack of service provision. There is also a large gender inequality problem when it comes to transport both in operation and in use. This report seeks to shed light on the under researched matter of women’s participation in transport decision making and their use of public transport systems.
The report uses the case studies of Nairobi, Dar es Salaam and Kampala by interviewing all members of society from taxi drivers to policy makers in the ministries of transport and transport planners. The report identifies accessibility and safety of public transport systems, sexual assault and harassment, lack of integrated and gender sensitive urban planning and underrepresentation as larger barriers towards gene=der mainstreaming in transport.
This report is the perfect short read for city and transport planners at only 40 pages.
Terrorism in the Sahel Facts and Figures
By NATO Strategic Direction- South, ACSRT
The fight against terrorism in the Sahel is still a major issue that deserves attention as the number of terrorist attacks has increased by 18.5% in 2020. This report analyses current and past data to show a conclusive analysis on the rate of terrorism. The largest threats come from the following terrorist groups Boko Haram, ISGS, JNIM and ISWAP and the most affected countries are Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Chad.
This analysis is taken in the form of quantitative analysis with a lot of informative graphs and infographics as well as qualitatively by looking at the types of attacks. The report concludes that 2020 has been the most intense year in terms of terrorism in the Sahel.
This report is target to all members defence ministries and counter-terrorism organisations. It is a very brief read with only 37 pages.
That’s all we got for you this month. Let us know if you tuck into any of these.