DevDispatch Recommends: November 2021 Publications
From economic zones in Africa, the world’s preparedness for future pandemics, economic inclusion of refugees, women’s social movements transforming gender norms and a survey of how young people view the world, the November DevDispatch Recommends promise to leave you feeling more knowledgeable on an array of global development perspectives.
Enjoy!
The Changing Childhood Project: A multigenerational, international survey on 21st century childhood
By UNICEF
UNICEF in collaboration with Gallup sought to understand what it means to be a child in the 21st century and to ascertain how young people view the world differently from older generations in light of the world’s changing landscape- characterised by digitalisation, globalisation and the COVID-19 pandemic. This inter-generational inquiry culminated in a survey conducted with 21000 young people and adults in 21 countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, and North and South America focusing on two age cohorts: young people (aged 15–24) and those aged 40+.
The results reveal that overall, young people hold a positive outlook on how the world is evolving and anticipate more possibilities, access and opportunities associated with the world being more digital than older generations who rely more on traditional media to stay informed. Younger people also reported improvement in physical safety, quality of education and health care, opportunities to play, and access to clean water and healthy food than older people. However, young people raised concerns and expressed urgency around climate change with nearly three-quarters of young people who are aware of climate change expressing that governments should take significant action to address it. The younger generation also indicated greater struggle with mental health issues with more than a third of young people reporting often feeling nervous or anxious, and nearly one in five stating that they often feel depressed or have little interest in doing things.
The 73 paged visual report is recommended for policymakers concerned with education and children’s wellbeing as well as advocates for children’s rights and the youth
Economic Zones in Africa Report
By Oxford Group in partnership with AEZO
The report highlights the importance of economic zones including special economic zones and free trade zones as drivers of trade, job creation and foreign direct investment inflows across the continent in light of the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement which presents an opportunity to extend the activities of these zones through promoting intra-African trade, and developing regional value chains.
The 36 paged publication is broken down into case studies and viewpoints from Polaris Parks, Tanger Med Zones, Lagos Free Zones, Ghana Free Zones Authority, Misurata Free Zone and Sebore International Farms and presents six key takeaways:
1. The African Continental Free Trade Area is expected to unlock a range of opportunities for economic zones and the companies located in them.
2. Economic zones in Africa are embracing digitalisation and technological change. In particular, they are upgrading legacy industrial activities towards more high-tech processes and digital services to improve efficiency and increase their value proposition, and are transitioning to asset-light, technology-intensive investment.
3. Governments often turn to economic zones as a tool to attract innovation and boost productivity, and to encourage development, diversification and industrialisation.
4. Economic zones are useful tools for Africa to overcome logistical and mobility barriers, and have the potential to unleash considerable economic growth.
5. One of the primary benefits of economic zones is that they are an effective tool for creating jobs and bridging the skills gap through knowledge transfer and specialised training programmes.
6. Economic zones in Africa are working to improve their environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategies, and following sustainable business practices.
This report is a must-read for trade practitioners and entrepreneurs.
2021 World AIDS Day report — Unequal, unprepared, under threat: why bold action against inequalities is needed to end AIDS, stop COVID-19 and prepare for future pandemics
By UNAIDS
Amidst the goal to end AIDS by 2030, a lot of concerns still linger and pose a threat to the world’s preparedness in addressing pandemics. The 2021 World AIDS Day report takes stock of the global response and progress around HIV/AIDS, as a benchmark for measuring the effectiveness of current interventions to curb future pandemics with the COVID-19 pandemic as a case in point.
The research shows that the curves of HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths are not bending fast enough to end the pandemic and there are concerns that attention to and financing for HIV will drift as the world’s attention shifts to addressing the COVID-19 pandemic. The report stresses the importance of more balanced and sturdy strategies towards global responses to pandemics and identifies five critical elements that are needed to strengthen global pandemic prevention, preparedness and response architecture including Community-led and community-based infrastructure, Equitable access to medicines, vaccines and health technologies, Supporting workers on the pandemic front lines, Human rights at the centre of pandemic responses, and People-centred data systems that highlight inequalities.
This 73 paged report is a great resource for CSOs working with HIV/AIDS related programmes, community workers, health practitioners and policymakers.
From Displacement to Development: How Kenya Can Create Shared Growth by Facilitating Economic Inclusion for Refugees
By Center for Global Development, Refugees International, Jimmy Graham, Sarah Miller
Economic inclusion of refugees is one of the markers of a progressive world. The report centres this ideal with a focus on Kenya as one of the world’s largest refugee-hosting countries. As a background, the report presents a profile of refugees and hosts in the country, including their demographics, main locations and economic outcomes, before highlighting the barriers refugees face towards economic inclusion.
Three main types of barriers are identified including policy barriers that hinder refugees’ right to work including lack of work permits and identification, as well as the encampment policy which requires all refugees to live in camps in one of two designated areas in the country. Political barriers, notably perceptions of refugees as security threats are also cited, followed by economic barriers including poor infrastructure around camps and lack of access to financial capital and savings mechanisms, as banks often see refugees as too risky to do business with. As a result of such barriers, refugees earn lower incomes and face higher rates of poverty and much lower rates of employment than the average Kenyan.
In the latter chapters, the report explores progress and efforts to eliminate barriers across the three tiers including the Kalobeyei settlement designed to enable greater economic self-reliance by creating designated areas for refugee businesses to operate and efforts to increase refugee access to education. In partnership with development actors, the Ministry of Education has drafted a policy for increasing refugee inclusion in the national education system—a move that could increase refugees’ access to quality education.
This 50 pager is recommended for CSOs, NGOs and government departments overseeing refugee policies.
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.
Mobilising for change: How women's social movements are transforming gender norms
By ODI
For quick reads, check out these blog posts
The visual report examines the impact of women’s social movements in transforming and breaking down patriarchal norms towards gender equality and justice. The main points are broken down into two main chapters discussing feminist and women’s movements working on a range of issues related to gender equality and justice across various regions, and their impacts on gender norm change, and a discussion of how women’s participation and leadership in broader social movements – such as those for land rights, cultural autonomy, environmental justice and democracy – impacts gender norms.
The key findings of the report are that shifts in gender norms associated with women’s leadership and participation in social movements happen through two main pathways:
1. Changes in laws and policies pertaining to women’s rights, which enshrine a new normative order, providing incentives or disincentives for behavioural change; and
2. Renegotiations of gender roles and relations, which directly target the gendered beliefs and behaviours(held by men or women) that underpin gender inequalities in everyday life.
The 64 paged report report provides important insights for policymakers, activists and supporters of feminist movements.
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.
The Mobile Gender Gap Report 2021
By GSMA
With digital transformation taking shape around the world, access to mobile phones and the internet continue to prove to be the gate key into the new digital era. Mobile phones are the primary way for most of the population to access the internet in low and middle income countries. More and more people are getting connected everyday however there is a noticeable gender gap as women are getting left behind due to various reasons such as lower incomes, lower literacy rates. Even women who have experienced similar levels of education and income too. Men are still less likely to own a mobile phone.
This report reviews the barriers women face in adopting the internet and owning a mobile phone compared to the barriers faced by men. This topic is of importance as the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need to be digitally connected for work, education and social wellbeing. There is a clear need to focus on gender equality when reaching women at an organisational and policy level.
This report lays out recommendations for mobile operators, internet companies, policymakers and regulators as well as the development community at large, and should be a quick read for all at only 63 pages.
Global SDG Accountability Report
By the Transparency, Accountability and Participation (TAP) Network.
This report serves to ascertain the level of accountability for the Sustainable Development Goals at a subnational, national and international level. Information gathered from the SDG Accountability Survey serves as the basis of this report by collecting reflections and inputs from stakeholders around the world.
Split into four sections the report looks at:
1. The foundations of the 2030 Agenda – which explains and contextualises the SDGs;
2. A snapshot of SDG accountability – which outlines the challenges being faced by stakeholders in implementing the SDGs especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic
3. Building a Global Multistakeholder Movement for SDG Accountability – which focuses on case studies of different stakeholders and their role in accountability and how they can improve accountability
4. Recommendations to Advance Accountability for the SDGs & the 2030 Agenda – which summarises the findings of the report and provides recommendations for specific stakeholders.
This report is an asset for the media, parliamentarians and national human rights institutions. It’s 101 pages but is organised such that it can be read in sections relevant to the information you are looking for.
The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Education, Livelihoods & Food Security Status: Policy Implications For Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)
By P. Tamasiga, A.T. Guta, H. Onyeaka, H. Nkoutchou and M.S. Kalane.
Sub-Saharan countries were particularly vulnerable to the impacts of the COVID-19 as they were already experiencing weak health care systems, low financing for testing and very few resources for response measures. This data-driven report outlines the key trends of the COVID-19 pandemic by region, highlighting case trajectories, lockdown and containment measures, economic impacts, education impacts and health impacts. South Africa still accounts for the highest number of cases and deaths followed by Ethiopia and Nigeria.
Along with containing COVID-19, Central Africa is still facing the additional challenges of pre-existing health concerns, especially malaria.
The policy implications are focussed on supply chains, trade and market access, food and agricultural production, misinformation and the media, health, education and strategic communication. Sub-Saharan Africa has already been deemed to be the most at risk for food insecurity and this is expected to increase 2.5 fold.
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.