CID Weekly: Advocacy Snapshot released, women leading NGOs and more.

+ Aid cuts during Yemen's worst famine

A further 16 million people throughout Yemen will go hungry this year unless urgent interventions are made, according to the United Nations. 

At a UN donor conference this week, secretary-general Antonio Guterres will ask the world for $3.85bn (£2.76bn) in aid for Yemen, at  time when donor funding is falling. Former Tory minister Andrew Mitchell said UK funding might fall by as much as half from 2020 levels, when £214m was sent.

The UK government has been warned against cutting aid to Yemen, amid fears tens of millions of pounds will be slashed from Britain’s contribution to humanitarian relief efforts.

Yemen’s deteriorating situation, potentially the worst famine in decades, is part of a global surge in famine as the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted humanitarian efforts, food systems, and exacerbated existing inequalities and injustices. 

+ Women leading NGOs & civil society

Women are not only represented in leadership in governments - they are also leaders in civil society. As heads of NGOs, founders of female-focused philanthropic foundations or NGOs, and in their communities, mobilizing other women to join social movements.

But factors such as class, race, religion, sexual orientation, and disability may influence a woman’s capacity or motivation to participate, writes Devex.

To mark International Women Day, Devex interview three women leading civil society organisations in Making A Mark - women transforming politics.

Also, over half the world’s farmers and food producers are women. Here's study that will look at their experiences in the covid crisis.

"There has been an 82% increase in acute food insecurity compared to pre-Covid needs," and more than half the world’s food producers and farmers are women, writes the Lowy Institute. 

Also, here's a video on the World Trade Organisation's first female, Secretary General (and the first leader of the WTO from Africa), Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

+ More equal countries are less poor - measuring poverty

Equality within a country matters. But we focus - rightly - on extreme poverty measurements to draw attention to the most vulnerable. 

"Yet, only measuring global poverty relative to such extremely low poverty lines has its own large downside, writes Max Roser.

"By focusing on an income threshold that is lower than the incomes of 90% of the global population we are ignoring what is happening to the majority of the world’s population. This matters. The majority of the world do not live in extreme poverty anymore, but billions are nevertheless living in great poverty still.

Latest data from Our World in Data shows that those countries in which few are living in poverty are countries that are relatively equal.

+ 2021 OCHA Asia Pacific Regional Focus Model (RFM)

A key challenge faced by humanitarian agencies is how to ensure that limited available resources are allocated where they are most needed and are efficiently delivered in a principled manner. Decisions to allocate resources must strike a balance between meeting the immediate needs of crisis affected communities and supporting efforts to strengthen resilience and response preparedness to future emergencies.

The 2021 OCHA Asia Pacific Regional Focus Model (RFM) has been released. The model is intended to be a practical tool to inform and guide disaster managers, and provide evidence to help prioritisation. 

The model:

• Identifies hazard-prone countries that combine high vulnerability and low capacity to respond, and are therefore more likely to request and accept support from the international community.
• Includes a 'Humanitarian' component, reflecting issues more directly related to OCHA's coordination work.
• This is combined with INFORM, a tool to produce a 'Focus score'. 

INFORM is a global risk index that identifies and analyses where crises requiring international assistance may occur.

+ Advocacy report  - COVID still dominates but other issues emerging

A snapshot of advocacy activities in the New Zealand sector from September-December 2020, shows that Covid-19 related advocacy activities still dominated members’ focus areas, with over 30% of members’ activities related to aspects of Covid-19 advocacy including vaccinations, vulnerable communities, and relief efforts.

However, this has decreased from the previous May – August period, which saw almost half of advocacy activities related to Covid-19.

Activities started to shift more towards a much wider spread of activities, with members increasing their educational/youth related advocacy activities, environmental activities, and a new campaign on modern slavery.

This period also saw the continuation of the Big Hearts, Connected World campaign, with the mid-2021 deadline to influence the New Zealand government’s budget approaching soon. 

Read the report here

+ Ākina launch social enterprise toolkit

Ākina has just launched a new set of 24 tools on the Impact Initiative website to help social enterprises start up and grow. There are a range of short videos, case studies, short guides and templates covering subjects such as impact, mission lock, social procurement and impact investment. We encourage anyone with an interest in social and impact enterprises in Aotearoa, but also overseas, to dip in here

+ New 'Manaaki' round announced

+ Fiji announces vaccine plan

Fijians can now register for covid-19 vaccines using the digitalFIJI online platform, as the country prepares to rollout immunisation.

Over the weekend,12,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine arrived in Fiji, making it the first Pacific island country to get vaccines through the Covax scheme.

+ Take the survey - Pacific business post COVID 

Pacific Trade Invest are conducting a regular survey to monitor the ongoing impact of COVID-19 on businesses in the Pacific.

Take the 8 minute survey here.

+ Has the 'Pacific way' lost its way?

When Micronesian leaders broke away from the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) after their candidate for secretary general was not elected to the Forum’s top job, it reflected the ongoing erosion of  relationships at the Pacific’s premier regional body, writes Dr Henry Ivarature for the Asia & the Pacific Policy Society.

'Strong human relationships and connections have characterised the Forum’s decision-making processes for decades. However, in recent years, the Forum has increasingly become characterised by dry, impersonal, and bureaucratic interactions.'

Dr Henry Ivarature (Pacific Lecturer at Australia Pacific Security College, at The Australian National University) says that Pacific leaders must put human security at the top of their agenda to guide the region through the current turbulence.

+ Is the WTO making it harder to end the pandemic?

Economist podcast, Trade Talks discuses vaccine IP waivers, versus existing rules at the WTO. What is the best way to accelerate vaccine distribution?

India, South Africa, and more than 50 other countries propose changing WTO rules for vaccines and other medical supplies. Rachel Silverman (Center for Global Development) and Tom Bollyky (Council on Foreign Relations) help explain compulsory licensing, the proposal to waive intellectual property rights protections for the duration of the pandemic, and its implications for access to vaccines

+ Register: CID Talk on Digital Connectivity in the Pacific

Join us virtually for a lunchtime CID Talk with Otago University's Darrin Brinsden, as he discusses his joint research with CID into digital access in the Pacific.

The findings of Darrin's research are sobering.

Digital access is patchy across the Pacific. Some countries like Vanuatu and Fiji have fast fibre optic connections, while others, like Niue and Tuvalu have slower satellite connection via mobile phones.

In some countries the cost of data is as much a barrier as the lack of up to date infrastructure. Understanding this digital ’tapestry’ across the Pacific will help INGOs and donors identify weaknesses, and work out the best platform, tool or application (app) to use, country by country when engaging and rolling out programmes with partners.

Date: Wednesday 10th March
Time: 12:00 - 1:00pm
Location: Online (Zoom)

For more details and to register, click here.

+ Faith and aid - Podcast

Rates of religiosity are high throughout the Pacific, writes Gordon Peake, Julia Bergin in Devpolicy.

In Papua New Guinea for example, 95% of the population identify themselves as Christian.  You can listen to the podcast here.

+ Registrations open for upcoming CID Training with Graham Teskey

We need to understand the political environment that we're working in if want to make long term change. But who and how do you influence? Why are reforms not implemented when it is clear to all that they are needed?

CID is hosting two workshop sessions where these questions will be examined through the lens of political economy analysis.

The workshops will be led by globally renowned governance expert, Graham Teskey from Abt Associates, and include presentations from MFAT.

Graham will share tools and techniques to get below the surface of things to help understand what is really going on and what drives individual and collective behaviour.

Dates: Wed 24th March & Thurs 25th March
Time: 12:00pm - 1:00pm (both days)
Location: Online (Zoom)

For more details and to register, click here.

+ SDG hui - sign up now

The online Hui - 'Be the change' will be held on Thursday, 25th March (7-9.30pm).

It is the second of 3 online hui preceding the SDG Summit in Ōtautahi Christchurch later this year. The series takes participants on a journey from individual to collective action we can take to tackle the issues of our time. 

Visit the official summit website or Facebook for more info. Tickets are $10 and $5 for youth under the age of 24.  Get your ticket here.

+ “Sphere in Practice” Massive Online Open Course (MOOC)

This full 5-week Sphere in Practice MOOC will be run for the first time between 21 March and 3 May 2021 (with some additional time until 14 May for ongoing discussions and catching up). You can register for the course here.

Sphere in Practice is a brand new online course. You can study at your own pace (e-learning modules only), or you can study as part of a massive online open course (MOOC). The MOOC includes e-learning modules, assignments, live webinars, and moderated discussion forums. Studying at the same pace (3 to 4 hours per week) as hundreds of other people, you will learn from experts and each other.