Africa launches the largest trials of treatments for mild and moderate COVID-19 cases, mayors join forces to tackle gender inequality, and UK cuts its aid budget. Plus, a look at which countries have gender-balanced cabinets. Here are six crucial stories you may have missed this month. Africa’s largest COVID treatment trial launches A network of 13 African countries joined forces with global researchers to launch Africa’s largest clinical trial of potential COVID-19 treatments. The Anticov study aims to identify treatments for mild...
Global coverage of protests against police brutality in Nigeria continues, as Tanzanians head to the polls in a crucial election. And as government representatives gathered virtually for the World Health Summit, a new study finds a global mental health crisis and African nations announce plans to increase the use of rapid diagnostic COVID-19 tests. Here are six crucial stories you may have missed this month. Nigerian protests against police brutality in the global spotlight Earlier this month, Nigerian security forces opened fire...
Even before COVID-19 hit, the world was experiencing a global learning crisis: 90% of children in low-income countries could not read and understand a simple story by their 10th birthday. In Nigeria, three-quarters of primary teachers could not pass a fourth grade test. The onset of COVID-19 is exacerbating this: at its peak, the pandemic pushed 1.6 billion children out of school. 8 out of 10 children surveyed in 46 countries reported that they have learnt very little or not...
The World Bank predicts the greatest drop in remittances in recent history, with low-income developing countries set to receive US$110 billion less, due to COVID-19 in 2020. Remittances, which are the cash flows sent home by migrant workers to help their families, are a huge source of finance for low- and-middle-income countries. Last year, these countries received 78% of the US$714 billion that were sent around the world. Global remittance flows were five times higher than official development assistance in...
September saw shocking new reports and data on COVID-19’s impact on women and girls and on global wages. But, there was also an emphasis on how young African innovators are successfully creating home-grown solutions to tackle the pandemic in their communities, as well as new surveys that show massive support for global cooperation and vaccine equity during COVID-19. Governments failing to protect women during the pandemic Only one in eight countries have measures to specifically protect women from the impacts of...
Africa is declared free of wild polio thanks to extensive vaccination campaigns, a new report finds 2019 was the most dangerous year for humanitarian workers, and political talks stall after a coup in Mali. Here are six stories you might have missed this month. COVID-19 is derailing progress on AIDS, malaria, and TB Before COVID-19, rates of HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis were declining. But now, nearly 80% of TB, HIV, and malaria programs worldwide have reported disruptions in services, according to the...
At the end of July, in private closed-door discussions, donor countries reached an agreement on debt relief that will have massive implications for development aid. Spoiler alert: it’s bad news. This deal could allow donors to artificially inflate their aid statistics, counting relief for loans that are not for development, and double counting aid money if they provide relief. This is an unfair change, particularly in the middle of a global pandemic when more aid — not double counted aid...
ONE’s team in Brussels is working at the heart of the European institutions, campaigning and influencing decision-makers to keep on advancing the fight against extreme poverty and preventable diseases. Here’s what’s keeping the team and our global activists across Europe busy. 1. The EU’s seven-year budget The EU’s seven-year budget, also known as the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), has kept the Brussels team occupied, with more than two years of relentless campaigning. On 21 July at a European Council summit that...
In times of crisis, strong leaders are of the utmost importance. We look to our leaders to demonstrate how we should respond to the issues at hand and guide us in the right direction. COVID-19 is a global crisis that requires the attention and efforts from leaders worldwide. However, more than half a year into this pandemic, we are still awaiting strong global leadership. In the past six months, we have seen unimaginable changes to how we live. Countries have...
Activists gather virtually for the International AIDS Conference, Sudan bans female genital mutilation, and the latest US funding bill fails to deliver global COVID-19 response funds. Here are six stories you might have missed this month. COVID-19 could wipe out equality gains for women at work The COVID-19 pandemic could wipe out “the modest progress” made on gender equality in the workplace, warns the International Labour Organization (ILO). The drop in global working hours is “significantly worse than previously estimated” earlier this...