Liebe Schockwellen-Leser*innen,

Leider können wir Ihnen in dieser Woche aus Kapazitätsgründen keine deutsche Version des Schockwellen-Newsletters zusenden. Damit Sie aber auch in dieser Woche auf dem neuesten Stand bleiben, was die globalen Folgen der COVID-19 Pandemie betrifft, senden wir Ihnen die englische Version des Newsletters.

Vielen Dank für Ihr Verständnis!

Ihr ONE-Deutschland Team

Top News:

Ticking clock: We’re nearly halfway to the 2030 delivery deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals, but a global food crisis illustrates how far off track the world is in achieving them. 345 million people are experiencing acute hunger, and 50 million are on the verge of starvation. Refugees from Somalia are fleeing to Kenya as food supplies already cut short by drought are worsened by yet another crisis: the war in Ukraine. This week, 238 NGOs (including ONE) published an open letter, noting leaders’ lack of action to address the hunger crisis ("In a world of plenty, leaving people to starve is a policy choice") and urging them to do more. Confirmed donor contributions to the World Food Programme are just one-third of what’s needed, and humanitarian aid to avert famine in Somalia faces a $424 million shortfall. On Wednesday, Biden announced $2.9 billion in additional funding to strengthen global food security, mostly to be delivered via US agencies.

Every billion counts: Over 60 donors pledged $14.25 billion at this week’s 7th Global Fund Replenishment conference. Highlights include a 30% funding increase from the majority of G7 countries (Italy and the UK have yet to pledge), nearly $54 million from African countries, at least $315 million from the private sector, plus $912 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. But there’s still a $3.75 billion funding gap for the Global Fund, which could have major consequences. Our analysis shows that falling just $1 billion short could result in 25 million more new infections or cases across the three diseases. And every $1 billion under the Global Fund’s $18 billion target could result in up to 1.6 million fewer people accessing treatment for HIV. In Tanzania, a new drug will allow up to six months treatment of chronic tuberculosis, highlighting the importance of continued research and investment.

Prepare for the worst: The Global Fund, the only multilateral agency specifically created to fight pandemics, also aims to address the gap in pandemic preparedness that COVID-19 laid bare. A new Lancet Commission report issued a blunt indictment of the failed global response to the pandemic, condemning poor global coordination, vaccine hoarding, and governments’ inability to combat health disinformation. But it looks like some lessons have yet to be learned: COVID-19 vaccine rates in low-income countries are still under 20%, even as the WHO’s 70% global vaccination deadline expires. But hey, at least the rich got richer during the pandemic!

Another viral outbreak: Uganda officially declared an outbreak of a rare Ebola strain, last detected 10 years ago. There’s no vaccine to protect against it. In previous outbreaks, mortality rates ranged from 41% to 100%. The declaration comes after a case was identified in a 24-year-old male, who first showed symptoms on 11 September and since passed away. Six other people are already suspected to have died, and the WHO is investigating eight additional cases. The Africa CDC has deployed teams to assist Ugandan health authorities.

Debilitating chokehold: Interest payments on public debt will constrain health spending in low-income countries by 7% on average in 2027. In some countries, it could constrain spending by 30%. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari called for debt relief to ease the "debilitating chokehold" on low-income countries. Guterres urged creditors to consider debt relief and major central banks to expand liquidity facilities and currency lines. Meanwhile, Nigeria’s chronic dollar shortage has reached crisis levels, as "massive theft" has helped push the country’s oil output to a 32-year low amid surging demand for the dollar.

Damage control: This week, Denmark became the first country to pledge “loss and damage” climate funding. Climate activists have long urged climate polluting countries to set up a fund to compensate climate vulnerable countries for losses and damages stemming from climate change. It wasn’t a priority at COP26, but activists have pledged to push for it at COP27, which takes place in Egypt in November. Meanwhile, climate vulnerable countries are proposing the establishment of a “climate-related and justice-based” global tax to help offset climate loss and damage. Guterres says that "polluters must pay" and called for a windfall profits tax on fossil fuel companies. Bloomberg Philanthropies announced it would invest in 15 additional lower-income countries – 11 in Africa – to help facilitate their transitions to clean energy. Earlier this year, the initiative announced a similar investment in 17 countries, including 10 lower-income countries.

From the ONE Team:

• The shortfall in Global Fund pledges has serious implications for the lives of millions. Learn how in ONE’s latest analysis, "Is the red ribbon fraying?".
• ONE’s Global Policy Director David McNair talks with the London Political Podcast about risk, political change, and what it means for development and aid.
• It’s been a year since world leaders committed to vaccinate 70% of the world’s population by...em...now. David McNair looks at what went wrong.

The Numbers:

• 30% increase: Nearly 20 countries increased their Global Fund contributions by 30% or more, including major donors like Canada, Germany, Japan, and the European Commission. Shoutout to Korea for increasing its pledge by 300%, and to the US for pledging $6 billion. 🥳
• 0: The number of recycled Special Drawing Rights vulnerable countries have received, despite many promises. This week, French President Macron pledged to rechannel 30% of France’s SDRs to countries in need, especially in Africa. It’s welcome news, but rapid delivery is crucial.
• 1.7%: The share of USAID funding going to local suppliers in low- and middle-income countries in 2021, far short of its 25% target. A new regional initiative in Africa aims to help achieve that objective.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"Africa has suffered enough of the burden of history... it does not want to be the breeding ground of a new Cold War, but rather a pole of stability and opportunity open to all its partners, on a mutually beneficial basis."

– Senegalese President Macky Sall, addressing UNGA this week.

What you should read, watch & listen to:

• African healthcare systems rely on women, making equity doubly important. (Devex)
• Government-led persecution of journalists in Nigeria is on the rise, again. (AllAfrica)
• Somalia is on the brink of famine, and help may arrive too late for many. (Global Dispatches)
• The international order is in desperate need of repair, and the stakes could not be higher. (The New York Times)
• Food supply disruption is another front for Russian falsehoods. (The New York Times)
• Stuck in a neocolonialist past: Is the migration brain drain an outdated concept? (Deutsche Welle)

A look ahead:

On 27 to 30 September, the 57th session of the IPCC is set to finalise approval for its Synthesis Report, which will provide an overview of current climate science.

From 27 to 29 September, the G20 Agriculture Ministers Meeting will be held in Bali, Indonesia.

From 28 to 30 September, the UNESCO-MONDIACULT 2022 World Conference will be hosted by the Government of Mexico, focused on culture as a global public good.

The ONE Campaign’s Africa COVID-19 Tracker brings together the key data points on how COVID-19 is impacting Africa. Check it out HERE.