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Reviving the Economy, Creating the ‘new Normal’

Tue, 06/16/2020 - 07:39

By Anis Chowdhury and Jomo Kwame Sundaram
SYDNEY and KUALA LUMPUR, Jun 16 2020 (IPS)

The Covid-19 pandemic has significantly impacted most economies in the world. Its full impacts will not be felt, let alone measured, until it runs its course. Many countries are still struggling to contain contagion, while the costs on both lives and livelihoods will undoubtedly have long-term repercussions.

Anis Chowdhury

Back to the future?
The pandemic has exposed economic vulnerabilities building up for decades, especially since the counter-revolution, against Keynesian and development economics in the 1980s, gathered pace with transnational corporation-led privatization, liberalization and globalization.

As the world become more interdependent via trade, finance and communications, inequality and economic insecurity have waxed and waned unevenly, exacerbated by deregulation, reregulation, financialization and less public social provisioning, undermining public health and social protection.

Policymakers shied away from addressing the fundamental causes of several financial crises from the 1990s (e.g., in Mexico, East Asia and Russia) and during the first decade of this century, e.g., the dotcom, food and global financial crises. Now, once again, all too many are focused on getting back to ‘business as usual’.

What multilateral coordination?
The global economic situation remains unpredictable, with uncertainties about the varied nature of pandemic recessions. Government responses have not only been diverse, but often poorly conceived due to the novel nature of the crisis. Impacts have varied with the contagion and policy responses, unhelped by often confusing, if not misleading metrics.

Such uncertainty is also reflected in the wide-ranging growth forecasts by major international organizations. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has recognized the ‘Great Lockdown’ as due to ‘self-imposed’ contractions, leading to the “worst recession since the Great Depression”.

Jomo Kwame Sundaram

The IMF has supported government fiscal and monetary initiatives, declaring that it “stands ready to mobilize its US$1 trillion lending capacity to help its membership”. The World Bank has also promised an additional US$14 billion to help governments and businesses address the pandemic.

Plurilateralism also almost irrelevant
A March G-7 countries’ joint statement promised “a strongly coordinated international approach”, with no specific actions mentioned or forthcoming thereafter. Instead, countries have pursued their own divergent strategies, even banning exports of medical equipment.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration continues to prioritise ‘America First’ while undermining most multilateral institutions and even plurilateral arrangements, including those created by the US, such as the G20.

Already, G20 members have been dragged into US-China tensions, as the White House blames China for the pandemic and other American problems. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia, the G20 chair for 2020, is itself embroiled in its own political and economic quagmire, undermined by falling oil revenues, worsened by its oil price war with Russia.

Poor diagnosis, bad medicine
Economic growth slowdowns, especially in manufacturing, services and trade, started prior to the Covid-19 outbreak. Yet, the pandemic’s economic effects were expected to be short-term as factories and offices were closed, and strict ‘stay in shelter’ lockdowns were enforced to stop contagion.

The drop in economic output, as the epidemic began and spread to industrial hubs, has had international repercussions with supply chains disrupted.

Such supply disruptions have engendered and interacted with prolonged, wide-ranging demand shocks as Covid-19 crisis-induced policy responses and other uncertainties reduced consumption and investment spending, slowing economic growth and undermining employment.

Almost 2.7 billion workers, around 81% of the world’s workforce, work and earn less due to the Covid-19 recession, with those in lower middle-income developing countries losing most. And almost 1.6 billion in the informal economy are in the hardest hit sectors or significantly impacted by lockdown measures.

The longer the lockdowns persist, the greater the economic disruption and adverse impacts as the effects spread via trade and finance linkages to an ever growing number of countries, firms and households.

Governments have adopted various monetary and fiscal measures to try to revive and sustain economic activity. Such measures include cash transfers to households, extending unemployment insurance or social security benefits, temporary deferment of tax payments, and increasing guarantees and loans to businesses.

Early ‘stimulus packages’ assumed that the ‘pandemic shock’ would be short-lived and easily reversible. They have largely ignored addressing the unsustainability, inequality, instability and other vulnerabilities of their economic, social and ecological systems.

Monetary ruse, liquidity trap
Basel 3 recommended capital conservation and countercyclical capital buffers for all banks. Many central banks have cut interest rates and increased liquidity through a combination of measures, by lowering reserve and Basel 3 requirements, besides easing loan terms for new temporary loan facilities for banks and businesses.

Continued credit support, through unconventional monetary policies, has not addressed liquidity problems due to truncated business turnover. Increased liquidity provision has instead been captured by better ‘credit risks’, even fuelling inflation while doing little for the most vulnerable and needy, deepening pre-Covid-19 inequalities.

Unconventional monetary policies before Covid-19 were already creating stock market bubbles, instead of financing investments in the real economy, thus contributing to growing inequality.

Central banks have not been able to repair their balance sheets or draw back excess liquidity, for fear of financial sector collapse, thus ironically increasing its fragility by pumping in more liquidity, increasing speculation and fuelling inflation.

Fiscal traps unsustainable
Without better planned coordination, initial relief measures for households and businesses were often wrongly portrayed as fiscal stimulus packages while output has remained constrained by lockdown enforcement.

Despite cuts in government expenditure, especially for public health and social protection, there was little political will to increase progressive taxation. Still mounting government debt, already at historically high levels prior to the pandemic, has not helped.

Instead, earlier tax cuts have increased public debt, while the failure to improve fiscal capacities after the 2008 global financial crisis has meant eschewing productivity enhancing public investments, boosting revenue via progressive taxation, and strengthening universal health coverage and social protection.

Designing recovery
The design of measures matters, crucially affecting likely effects. As countries prepare for recovery, they should ask what ‘recovery’ can and should mean. To address the many problems we have to contend with, it should not mean a return to ‘business as usual’.

First, as workplaces and social spaces – where people meet, socialize, shop, etc. – have to be redesigned and repurposed to meet precautionary public health requirements, such as physical distancing. Second, the unsustainable, financialized and grossly unequal pre-Covid-19 economy needs to be fundamentally transformed.

Covid-19 policy responses have rarely addressed deeper prior malaises, such as stagnant or falling productivity growth and declining labour remuneration, not to speak of ‘sustainable industrial policy’ measures to address global warming, resource exhaustion and other sustainability problems.

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Categories: Africa

UN chief in ‘support migrants’ plea, as remittances drop by 20 per cent predicted

Mon, 06/15/2020 - 19:10

By External Source
Jun 15 2020 (IPS-Partners)

Marking International Day of Family Remittances, the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, has released a message appealing for “people everywhere” to support migrants, at a time when remittances – the money migrants send home to support their families – have fallen by more than $100 billion, causing hunger, lost schooling and deteriorating health, for tens of millions of families.

In his message, Mr. Guterres recognized the determination of the 200 million migrants who regularly send money home, and 800 million families, in communities throughout the developing world, who depend on those resources.

Following a record $554 billion sent home by migrants in 2019, The World Bank estimated, in April, that the economic crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting shutdown, would cause the “sharpest decline in remittances in recent history”, and projected a fall of 19.7 per cent. Millions of migrant workers have lost their jobs, pushing dependent families below the poverty line.

In order to help migrants, “engines of the global economy”, who make “crucial contributions to well-being across the world”, the UN chief called for a reduction in remittance transfer costs, financial services for migrants and their families – particularly in rural areas – and the promotion of financial inclusion for a more secure and stable future. Such measures are proposed in the UN’s Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, described my Mr. Guterres as a “key platform for action”.

Migrants facing ‘socio-economic crisis’

At the beginning of June, Mr. Guterres launched a UN policy briefing on the protection of “people on the move”, in which he referred to the “socio-economic crisis” facing migrants, especially those working in the informal sector who have no access to protection schemes, and the drop in remittances which, he said equates to “nearly three-quarters of all official development assistance that is no longer being sent back home to the 800 million people who depend on it.”

The UN chief also called for human dignity to be upheld in the face of the crisis, suggesting that lessons can be learned from those countries which have implemented travel restrictions and border controls while respecting international principles on refugee protection.

On 16 June, from 9:30 to 11:30 Eastern Standard Time, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is hosting a virtual observance event for the International Day of Family Remittances: Supporting Remittance Families Build Resilience in Times of Crisis.

International Day of Family Remittances

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Categories: Africa

Delaying Death Amid the Coronavirus Pandemic

Mon, 06/15/2020 - 13:56

By Joseph Chamie
NEW YORK, Jun 15 2020 (IPS)

While the end of life remains the inescapable fate of every man, woman and child, death can be delayed as has been demonstrated repeatedly throughout human history. Amid the current coronavirus pandemic, a paramount objective is delaying death from Covid-19 for many millions of people across the globe.

Yet, now approaching 500,000 Covid-19 deaths worldwide and many more expected before a vaccine becomes available, the objective of delaying deaths due to the novel coronavirus is far from being realized. Greater efforts are clearly required to contain the pandemic’s spread and minimize its lethal consequences, especially among those most vulnerable.

Delaying death has significantly extended the length of human lives worldwide. Average life expectancy at birth today for the world is 73 years, or more than twice the level at the start of the 20th century. At age 60 years average life expectancy is 21 years, which is nearly a decade longer than it was at the end of the Second World War, with growing numbers of those older women and men surviving to become centenarians.

Since the start of 2020, the numbers of Covid-19 deaths have grown rapidly and spread relentlessly across the globe. Among the major regions, however, Covid-19 deaths are distributed very differently than the world’s estimated total annual deaths. The more developed regions, which account for 22 percent of total annual deaths worldwide, have experienced a surprising 72 percent of Covid-19 deaths (Figure 1).

Source: United Nations Population Division for estimated total annual deaths in 2020 and Worldometer for Covid-19 deaths as of 12 June 2020.

In striking contrast, the less developed regions, which account for 78 percent of the world’s estimated total annual deaths, have experienced about 28 percent of the Covid-19 deaths. A plausible explanation for this unexpected distribution of coronavirus deaths remains unclear.

In addition to its unusual regional distribution, Covid-19 deaths are heavily concentrated in the oldest age groups. In many developed countries, such as Germany, Italy, Japan, Sweden and Switzerland, 80 to 90 percent of Covid-19 deaths are among those aged 70 years and older (Figure 2).

Source: National statistics as of 3 June 2020.

In general, children and adults below age 50 years have been found to have relatively low fatality rates from the disease. The elderly and those with pre-existing health conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, asthma and obesity, face higher risks of becoming severely ill from the coronavirus and have experienced relatively high Covid-19 mortality rates. Many of the elderly deaths have occurred in nursing homes and long-term care facilities, where the disease was able to spread easily due to close living conditions and inadequate health safeguards.

However, recent data from some developing countries, such as Brazil, India and Mexico, are finding that the novel coronavirus are killing far higher percentages of young people than was experienced in the wealthier developed countries. In India almost half of the Covid-19 deaths are reported to be below age 60 years and in Mexico nearly one fourth of the Covid-19 deaths were aged 25 to 49 years. This new twist in Covid-19 mortality highlights the unpredictable nature of pandemic as it continues to spread across the various regions of the world.

Covid-19 death rates also vary markedly by sex. More men than women have succumbed to the coronavirus. Current estimates are finding that the majority of Covid-19 deaths, approximately 60 percent, are men. Why the novel coronavirus tends to affect men more severely than it does women has not yet been established.

Historically, delaying death came about largely through a complex, integrated combination of individual behavior, collective action, scientific knowledge and human ingenuity. And that four-factor combination continues to be the basic strategy needed to effectively confront the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The less developed regions, which account for 78 percent of the world’s estimated total annual deaths, have experienced about 28 percent of the Covid-19 deaths. A plausible explanation for this unexpected distribution of coronavirus deaths remains unclear

As has been the case in previous pandemics, a crucial ingredient in confronting the novel coronavirus is individual behavior. Individuals, especially the elderly and those with preexisting health conditions, can take numerous precautions to limit their exposure to the coronavirus, minimize their chances of contracting COVID-19 and reduce the risks of infecting others. Those precautions need to be continued when people return to their normal daily activities, including employment, personal responsibilities and recreation.

Social distancing, hand washing, mask wearing, disinfecting touched surfaces, avoiding crowded places and staying at home when ill are among the responsible actions that each individual can take to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Prudent health practices are also essential at the workplace, in schools, in shops, during travel, when attending religious services and participating in social events.

Collective action to safeguard the public’s health and wellbeing is also a vital component in addressing the pandemic. In addition to facilitating testing, tracing and isolating and providing access to urgent medical care, local governments and communities can limit the number, size and types of gatherings, enlist the cooperation of businesses and institutions, identify people in need, support medical and essential workers and assist the elderly and other high-risk groups.

Governments at the national level have a key role in confronting the coronavirus pandemic. Based on past pandemics, history indicates that their efforts should focus on timely and decisive actions in critical areas. Among those areas are providing leadership, coordinating overall strategies, promoting sound information and clear messaging, supporting research, testing and data collection, softening the economic consequences and cooperating with regional and international efforts to curb the spread of the pandemic and limit its deadly consequences.

Also, very importantly, government officials should avoid politicizing the pandemic. National leaders need to unite the efforts of the entire country, as has been demonstrated in a number of countries such as Germany, Japan, New Zealand and Vietnam, to stem the spread of the coronavirus disease and reduce Covid-19’s death toll.

Much remains unknown about the novel coronavirus as the pandemic is still in its initial stages. Nevertheless, preliminary evidence clearly finds that early, comprehensive and sustained mitigation interventions by governments, local communities and public health organizations coupled with responsible individual behavior can result in comparatively low Covid-19 death rates.

Scientific studies are continuing to determine infection levels, case fatality rates, effective treatments, the extent of immunity after surviving an infection, health complications from the illness and whether herd immunity through infection can be achieved and if so, the expected numbers of deaths to reach herd immunity. Until a vaccine becomes available, scientific knowledge provides valuable insight and useful guidelines for individuals, communities and governments to curb the contagion’s spread.

Scientists and medical researchers around the world with the valuable support of governments, businesses, global agencies, foundations, non-governmental organizations and individuals are racing at record speed to discover a vaccine for Covid-19. Recently reported research efforts are encouraging and point to a possible vaccine in the near future. However, human ingenuity to develop an effective and widely available vaccine may require considerably more time for research and testing than currently envisioned.

Throughout its thousands of years of history, humanity has endured through many terrible pandemics. The deadliest pandemic in recent history, the 1918 influenza pandemic, killed more than 50 million people worldwide. Much has been learned from past pandemics and that accumulated knowledge and experience coupled with today’s medical and public health expertise should be utilized to effectively confront the current pandemic.

Irrespective of political ideology, religious beliefs, economic status, educational level, citizenship, age or sex, death remains the inescapable fate for the world’s population of nearly 8 billion men, women and children. Although unavoidable, death’s timing can be delayed even now amid the coronavirus pandemic through a combination of individual behavior, collective action, scientific knowledge and human ingenuity.

*Joseph Chamie is an independent consulting demographer and a former director of the United Nations Population Division.

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Categories: Africa

Human and Societal Behaviour: How Pandemics Have Shaped Them

Mon, 06/15/2020 - 12:57

Left: German Ambassador to Singapore Ulrich Sante and Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan at the official opening of the German European School Singapore on Sept 13, 2018. Dr Sante says he will be leaving Singapore with a heavy heart but also a treasure trove of good memories. PHOTO: GERMAN EUROPEAN SCHOOL SINGAPORE

By Dr. Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury
SINGAPORE, Jun 15 2020 (IPS-Partners)

The departing German envoy in Singapore, Ambassador Ulrich Sante, in a recent published article in the Straits Times shared some of his thoughts with the readership including on the impact on the community of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Among other things he has noted that it has implanted in us what in German is called Lebensangst, literally meaning ‘fear of life’ but in a broader sense, the loss of trust in resilience, and coldness. He has impassionedly argued: “We need to regain trust in each other again, to show warmth and affection and not treat everyone as potential messengers of death. Social distancing serves its purpose, but it cannot be a recipe for all time. It has the power to lead to social division, perhaps the most serious danger our societies face these days”. He is right. There is nothing to replace a light touch or a gentle caress to bring humans closer together. The handshake and the embrace were tools devised as humanity progressed towards civilized conduct, as these acts were performed to demonstrate that those hands carried no weapons.

This essay wishes to make three points with relevance to how pandemics have shaped human and societal behaviour in their wake. The first is that these have tended to strain love and friendship throughout ages. In Classical Greece, the historian Thucydides has recorded an account of a plague that ravaged Athens around the time of the Peloponnesian War. He noted the resultant breaks in friendships and observed “the dejection of mind” that accompanied it. To visit the sick at that time was to invite death on yourself; not to visit was to allow the stricken to die lonely and forlorn. It was truly placing yourself between Scylla and Charybdis. The Philosopher Aristotle described man, above all, as a social animal. The Greeks believed that social gatherings, theatres, the Olympic games and the like energized the human spirit and lifted the mind and intellect, enabling the pursuit of higher ideals.

Closer to our times, during the Asian Influenza of 1957-58, the pandemic spread from the Far East, through South East Asia to the South Asian sub-continent. But in a few weeks the severity of the virus gradually declined. That brought about a rapid change in human behaviour. The carrier of the germ was not seen as an angel of death, but a victim to be cared for. Friends and families rallied together. In this island, Singapore, communities such as the Chinese, Malays and Indians held hands and provided relief and succour to one another.

A second point is the proclivity for finger- pointing blame at aliens or foreigners. The Black death in Europe in the fourteenth century, that decimated the continent’s population, was attributed to the Mongol hordes from the Central Asian steppes that had been besieging and attacking the cities of Mediaeval Europe relentlessly. The cholera epidemic in Britain in the nineteenth century was said to have emanated from Calcutta, in Bengal, British India. In turn, when the outbreak occurred in East Coast America later in the century, it was the Irish community from the British isles, who constituted the indigent segment of the immigrant population was blamed. The most recent example of this is a current one ,that of President Donald Trump’s insistence on calling the COVID-19 “Wuhan virus” , even alleging that it was manmade in a laboratory rather than involving ‘zoonatic’ animal to human contagion ,to the great chagrin of the Chinese. Indeed, this accusation has not only sharpened the divide between US and China considerably, to the extent of bringing the world closer to the onset of a new Cold War, or even a full-blown war.

A third point would be the resultant empowerment of the State. Because other elements within the civic system , such as the civil society , the private sector and the non-governmental institutions do not possess the wherewithal to counter a threat of the proportions a pandemic of the current kind pose , the State , by default , has to step in. This is often with the consensus of the community. Since States would concern themselves with their own population, this can come at the expense of globalist sentiments. Since supply chains can become affected, there would be a consequent preference for self-reliance. This would militate against the notion of globalization and free trade based on the principles of comparative advantages. Global bodies that have been created to uphold and encourage free trade are adversely affected. We see an example of this in the growing ineffectiveness today of the World Trade Organization, leading to the resignation of its Director General. Burgeoning nationalism would prioritize State self-interest, as is evidenced in the US pushback against the World Health Organization, alleging its bias for China. As States, as individuals, self-isolate, multilateral institutions, including the United Nations, suffer. The absence of a global watchman as the UN could sharpen inter-state issues and disputes. Increasing self-reliant isolationism, weakening of multilateral institutions, and growing nationalism can feed inter-State conflicts as we see in the current spats between the US and China and China and India. Massive numbers of Pandemic deaths erode the fear of large number of fatalities that can result from war, which is always a deterrence to inter -State conflict. A combined result of all this is that Wars are rendered more likely. As a result, even the thresh-hold of a Nuclear war could be lowered.

So, what happens to the individual as all these phenomena unfold. It is, not surprising, therefore, that in most recent times there is a perceptible rise of a sense of helplessness that a person might feel. Hence, there would be, as there perhaps is, a propensity to a resort to seeking contentment from the circumstances in the best way possible. This explains the growing popularity all across the world of the ideas proffered by Stoicism, a philosophy that originated in Classical Greece. It evolved at points in time when human beings were confronting situations that they felt they were unable to control, including epidemics and war. Note the similarity to our own current times. Stoicism taught that eudaimonia or happiness (in Greek) can be found by accepting the moment as it presents itself. The famous Stoic teacher Epictetus once displayed the supreme serenity of reason by calmly observing : “If I am to die now , I shall die; If I am to die later , then I shall have my lunch, for the hour of lunch has come, and I shall tend to dying later!”

Dr. Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury is Principal Research Fellow at ISAS, National University of Singapore, former Foreign Advisor and President of Cosmos Foundation Bangladesh.

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Categories: Africa

African Development Bank COVID-19 response: moving from commitment to action

Mon, 06/15/2020 - 12:36

By African Development Bank
Jun 15 2020 (IPS-Partners)

The African Development Bank has responded swiftly to the needs of its member countries during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The Bank’s operations have continued to run smoothly since the first cases appeared in early March, despite the wide range of lockdowns and measures imposed by governments to flatten the curve.

The COVID-19 pandemic is forecast to cause Africa’s GDP to drop by between $22.1 billion and $88.3 billion.

African countries, with the experience of having fought off Ebola, are working to adapt to this new threat and looking to the Bank for an effective, multilateral response to the crisis.

As of June 12, the Bank’s COVID-19 emergency packages have reached the continent’s five geographic regions.

West Africa

Before the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, West Africa was home to at least four of the continent’s fastest-growing economies, and it has felt the impact of the disease hard, as borders remain closed and economic and social distress deepens.

Gambia, Mali and Niger will benefit from an ECOWAS support package to bolster national health systems in response to the pandemic. Much of the funds to this region will seek to address shortages in personal protective equipment (PPE), ventilators and other emergency equipment. The support will also enable governments to provide shortfall cash to the millions of people who have been affected by mass layoffs or are unable to work because of lockdowns.

North Africa

The North African region is the worst hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, with over 60,000 cases as at 12 June. The disease has already triggered a sharp drop in household incomes in North Africa, as export and tourism earnings suffer. The region will be assisted with a series of emergency operations to boost containment measures and help to ensure the supply and distribution of laboratory tests and reagents. The package will also support national and regional coordination mechanisms.

Morocco

Tunisia

Egypt

East Africa

East Africa, the continent’s fastest-growing region economically, has been simultaneously struck by the coronavirus outbreak and an infestation of desert locusts, a double whammy for the region’s farmers and economies.

In a region of climate change and water scarcity, post-harvest losses and poorly developed agricultural markets could threaten the promise of economic reforms and investment.

Ethiopia, Kenya and Rwanda are the top-performing countries, which have all seen a sharp fall in tourism revenue.

Kenya

Southern Africa

A decisive lockdown has been effective in stemming the spread of COVID-19 in the region’s economic powerhouse, South Africa. The spread of the virus is by no means curtailed. Measures taken across the region to contain the pandemic have affected millions of people, many of whom work in the informal economy.

Assistance to this region comes in the form of preventive and protection measures as well as financial assistance to the vulnerable beyond the end of the epidemic.

Mauritius

Zimbabwe

Central Africa

In Central Africa, Cameroon has reported over 8,000 cases as at 12 June and significant community transmission.

The package approved for this region, $13.5 million, will target the provision of PPEs, testing kits and healthcare and laboratory facilities, for Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic, which is among the countries with the least number of ventilators on the continent.

CEMAC/RDC

Timeline of COVID-19 support:

The Bank’s rollout of emergency response support to assist African countries began in March and has provided a package of financial relief and preparedness and response assistance.

March 27: The Bank raised $3 billion from the Fight COVID-19 Social Bond, the largest dollar-denominated social bond ever launched in international capital markets. Proceeds from the bond, with a three-year maturity, will help alleviate the impact of the pandemic on livelihoods and Africa’s economies.

April 2: The Bank provided $2 million in emergency assistance to the World Health Organisation (WHO) to bolster the capacity of member countries on infection prevention, testing and case management. WHO Africa will also boost surveillance systems, procure and distribute laboratory test kits, and support coordination at national and regional levels.

April 8: The Bank announced a COVID-19 Response Facility that will provide up to $10 billion to African governments and the private sector to tackle the disease and mitigate suffering that results from the economic downturn and job losses.

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Categories: Africa

Agroecology Strengthens Farmers’ Resilience But Highly Underfunded in Africa

Mon, 06/15/2020 - 12:34

Samson Tanui, from Kenya’s Eldoret town in the Rift Valley region, is practising agroecology and his permaculture unit has become the centre of attraction for farmers from near and afar amid food shortages during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Credit: Isaiah Esipisu/IPS

By Isaiah Esipisu
NAIROBI, Jun 15 2020 (IPS)

With just a quarter of an acre of land in Kesses near Kenya’s Eldoret town in the Rift Valley region, Samson Tanui is practising agroecology and his permaculture unit has become the centre of attraction for farmers from near and afar amid food shortages during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

“Many people are impressed that even with the markets being closed to enable social distancing and the containment of COVID-19, my household had sufficient food and even more to sell to neighbours,” the 45-year-old farmer and a father of two told IPS.

On his plot, he grows different types of vegetables including kales, amaranth, vine spinach, ordinary spinach, tomatoes, capsicum, chilli and African nightshade. For the food crops, he grows maize, arrow roots and sweet potatoes in a homemade greenhouse. He also keeps chicken, has beehives for honey, rabbits, dairy goats, a dairy cow and pigeons.

As a result, Tanui’s household has been food secure since 2017 despite the small piece of land on which he farms. He’s also become an inspiration to several farmers who come every Saturday to learn about permaculture.

Tanui’s methods of agriculture are proven to be sustainable. In fact, the Food Sustainability Index, created by the Barilla Centre for Food and Nutrition (BCFN) and the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), recognises that agroecology “taps into traditional agricultural knowledge and practices, plays an important role in sustainable farming by harnessing local ecosystems”.

“Tapping into local ecosystems, for example via using biomass and biodiversity, the traditional farming practices that make up agroecology can improve soil quality and achieve food yields that provide balanced nutrition and increase fair trade,” the Food Sustainability Index notes.

However, a new study by researchers from Biovision, International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (IPES-Food) and the United Kingdom-based Institute of Development Studies shows that such sustainable and regenerative farming techniques have either been neglected, ignored or disregarded by major donors.

The study titled ‘Money Flows: what is holding back investment in agroecological research for Africa?’ released on Jun. 10 focused mainly on; the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, because it is the biggest philanthropic investor in agri-development; on Switzerland, a major bilateral donor; and Kenya, one of Africa’s leading recipients and implementers of agricultural research for development.

One of the major findings, according to Hans Herren, the President for Biovision, is that most governments, both in developing and developed countries, still favour “green revolution” approaches, with the belief that chemical-intensive, large-scale industrial agriculture is the only way to produce sufficient food.

“These approaches have failed,” said Herren, winner of the 1995 World Food Prize and 2013 Right Livelihood Award. “They have failed ecosystems, farming communities, and an entire continent,” he said in a statement to the press.

Herren added, “With the compound challenges of climate change, pressure on land and water, food-induced health problems and pandemics such as COVID-19, we need change now. And this starts with money flowing into agroecology.”

However, Dr Lusike Wasilwa, a senior research scientist at the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO), believes that donors are investing more money in industrial agriculture not because it is the magic bullet for Kenya and other African countries, but because they have an agenda.

“Kenya needs to wake up and find its position in production of crops such as avocado and macadamia nuts, which are largely grown using sustainable and largely environment-friendly methods,” Wasilwa, who is also the director of Crops Systems at KALRO, told IPS. “No donor is willing to support such crops that could easily make Africa rich,” she said.

So far, Kenya is the number one country in avocado production in Africa and fourth in the world. It is also third in the world for macadamia nut production.

“We should not let donors set our research agenda because they are not going to fund research that [will help Africa] make money,” the scientist told IPS in an interview. She challenged the government to honour the Malabo declaration and invest at least 10 percent of the GDP in agriculture instead of waiting on donors for finance.

According to the new report, just like the case of Tanui in Eldoret, agroecology has the potential to build resilience and sustainability at all levels, by reducing vulnerability to future supply shocks and trade disruptions, reconnecting people with local food production, and making fresh, nutritious food accessible and affordable to all.

This, according to the scientists, will reduce the diet-related health conditions that make people susceptible to diseases, and provide fair wages and secure conditions to food and farm workers, thereby reducing their vulnerability to economic shocks and their risks of contracting and spreading illnesses.

However, the findings show that very little agricultural research funding in Africa is being used to transform such food and farming systems.

The scientists found that only 3 percent of Gates Foundation projects in Africa support sustainable, regenerative approaches or agroecology.

Nonetheless, the report points out that support for agroecology is now growing across the agri-development community, particularly in light of climate change. But this hasn’t yet translated into a meaningful shift in funding flows.

“We need to change funding flows and unequal power relations. It’s clear that in Africa as elsewhere, vested interests are propping up agricultural practices based on an obsession with technological fixes that is damaging soils and livelihoods, and creating a dependency on the world’s biggest agri-businesses. Agroecology offers a way out of that vicious cycle,” Olivia Yambi, co-chair of IPES-Food said in a statement.

According to KALRO’s Wasilwa, Africa has huge population that can potentially provide manpower, sufficient land, good soil, and the sun, “but the only problem is that we do not support what is the best for the continent”.

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Categories: Africa

A Single Seven Year Term for the UN Secretary General?

Mon, 06/15/2020 - 08:06

UN Security Council in session. Credit: United Nations

By James A. Paul
NEW YORK, Jun 15 2020 (IPS)

Many UN supporters expressed disappointment that Secretary General Antonio Guterres said almost nothing, until last week, about police violence against African-Americans in the United States, or about the massive protest movement that has erupted and the repressive response to the protests by US authorities and police forces.

This moment of grievance towards UN silence and impotence prompts us to look for answers in the structure and history of the UN: why is it unable to call to account its most powerful member when the most basic rules of human rights and democratic conduct are so clearly violated?

The answer is that the UN was created in 1945 to operate under the control of its most powerful members – the United States, in particular, and also the other four Permanent Members of the UN Security Council (the United Kingdom, France, Russia and China).

The UN Charter makes this perfectly clear, but so also does the history of the Organization and the way in which it has grappled with global conflicts over the years. The Charter gives to the Permanent Members a near monopoly over the selection of the Secretary General.

Anyone holding this office has been carefully selected to avoid controversy and to act cautiously when it comes to these sponsors.

A variety of reforms have been proposed over the years to give the UN and its Secretary General more autonomy. NGOs and smaller states would like to see a stronger UN and a leader that could call the big powers to account.

Some have proposed more financial independence for the UN, so that major dues contributors could not withhold financial support as a means of pressure. A global tax could serve this purpose but mere mention of such a tax by a UN think tank drew such fire from Washington that UN officials immediately disavowed the idea.

Today the UN is teetering on the brink of insolvency in spite of its compliant posture.

Another reform idea is to make the Secretary General more independent of pressure from Permanent Members by changing the rules of the election process and by mandating a single, seven-year term.

A 1996 study by two former UN officials proposed the seven-year term as part of a larger reform project. Instead of the standard arrangement of two five-year terms, the authors proposed a single seven-year term in hopes of lessening the pressure that re-election inevitably brings.

http://www.ipsnews.net/2020/06/un-chiefs-silenced-big-powers-vetoes/

This idea is useful perhaps but not by itself a very powerful tool to shield the UN leader, as there are so many means of pressure and threats (and re-election is only effective, anyway, as a means of pressure in the first term).

No person acting as Secretary General can be unaware of the ultimate danger that too much independence can bring. Dag Hammarskjold, the greatest Secretary General of them all, died in an aircraft crash in Africa that most observers now believe was the result of a direct attack on his plane, organized with the direct involvement of three of the five Permanent Members.

More recently, Secretary General Kofi Annan, in his second term, made cautious statements that were critical of the US-UK role in the Iraq War. Washington and London read him the riot act and came close to removing him from office.

In the end, he was allowed to continue to serve, but most of his closest advisors were forced out of office.

Antonio Guterres knows UN finances are under threat and he knows that if he acts there will be serious consequences. If we want him to be able to speak out, we must insist on the transformation of his office and of the UN itself.

The post A Single Seven Year Term for the UN Secretary General? appeared first on Inter Press Service.

Excerpt:

James A. Paul, a writer and consultant, was Executive Director of Global Policy Forum (1993-2012), an NGO monitoring the work of the United Nations. He is the author of the book “Of Foxes and Chickens: Oligarchy & Global Power in the UN Security Council,” and was for many years an editor of the Oxford Companion to Politics of the World.

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Categories: Africa

Delivering Humanitarian Assistance in Cox’s Bazar During COVID-19

Mon, 06/15/2020 - 07:44

Congestion before the project came into force. Credit: WFP/Nalifa Mehelin

By Srabasti Sarker
Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, Jun 15 2020 (IPS)

The novel coronavirus has affected the lives of millions worldwide at its very onset. The situation in Bangladesh is no different. Wearing masks and washing hands frequently have become the new normal. The first laboratory confirmed COVID-19 case was identified in Cox’s Bazar on 23 March. Unforeseen circumstances often lead to unprecedented innovative actions as is exemplified by a Humanitarian Access Project.

To mitigate the spread of COVID-19 amongst the 860,000 Rohingya refugees living in Cox’s Bazar, the Government of Bangladesh moved rapidly to reduce the humanitarian footprint in the refugee camps.

Refugees in Cox’s Bazar live in cramped makeshift shelters made of bamboo and tarpaulin with less than one metre between each shelter. Physical distancing is not an option in the densely populated camps. Simple hygiene practices such as regular hand washing can be difficult in a place where even access to clean water is limited. To mitigate the spread of the virus in and out of the camps and to ensure the continuity of the humanitarian assistance in the safest way possible, a solution had to be found.

Jointly launched by the Logistics Sector and its lead-agency the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), the Inter-Sector CoordinationGroup (ISCG) and the Office of the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC), the Humanitarian Access Project supports government authorities to regulate vehicle access to the camps while allowing humanitarian entry in accordance with the prioritised needs of the population.

Initially, the access control entailed RRRC approving a list of vehicles each day and the local and national law enforcement agencies manually cross-checking each vehicle against the RRRC approved list to ensure access is granted only to the authorized vehicles. This process created long waiting times and bottlenecks of up to two hours, leaving less time to deliver essential humanitarian assistance needed in the camps.

Eventually, those involved came up with the idea of QR coded vehicle passes for a limited number of vehicles. This vehicle monitoring system is now enabling the authorities track the number of vehicles as well as passengers entering the camps daily. Now that a number of cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the camps, this system becomes even more important to help the humanitarian community maintain essential services.

Logistics Sector and WFP staff assisting the Bangladesh Army to distinguish a vehicle from a particular humanitarian organisation by scanning the unique QR code. Credit: Logistics Sector/Uttam Das

The Quick Response Code (QR-Code), is an effective, fast readable technology used for scanning various details of a vehicle.

Sahand Tahir, Information Management Officer in the logistics sector, explained how a fully digitized vehicle tracking tool was designed and introduced in less than 48 hours to minimize delays at the checkpoints. “WFP staff assist the authorities to distinguish vehicles from the respective organisations going to the camps by scanning the unique QR codes the vehicles have been provided with. This enables the authorities to cross-check the vehicles and approve them for entry while practicing physical distancing as vehicle occupants are not required to get out of the vehicle,” he said.

At present, there are seven checkpoints where 11 staff are supporting the Bangladesh Army, Border Guard Bangladesh and local police in this work.

One vehicle driver Larry Areng told IPS, “The process now takes anywhere between 10 and 15 seconds per vehicle. Before this system came into effect, we would have to wait long hours in traffic before our vehicles were given access to the camps. This would waste our valuable time needed to deliver humanitarian assistance in the camps. The system has made my life a lot easier.”

The WFP Representative in Bangladesh, Richard Ragan emphasised, “This collaboration between agencies to get projects up and running is extremely important in the fast-paced environment of emergencies. The entire humanitarian community has reduced the number of vehicles and staff entering the camps to about 540 vehicles and 2300 staff each day.”

Amongst other things, these workers provide food, health and nutrition guidance, WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) and logistics services, and site management; for the entire camp. All of these are critically important activities for the refugee population in the context of COVID-19.

Since August 2017, more than 745,000 refugees fled to Cox’s Bazar, following an unprecedented exodus of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports the total refugee population to stand at 860,000. As a result, the humanitarian operation supporting the government-led response was scaled-up to manage the crisis.

The post Delivering Humanitarian Assistance in Cox’s Bazar During COVID-19 appeared first on Inter Press Service.

Categories: Africa

Racism and Dominance

Mon, 06/15/2020 - 07:29

By Jan Lundius
STOCKHOLM / ROME, Jun 15 2020 (IPS)

The #MeToo movement triggered worldwide protests that hopefully was instrumental in making people better aware of a continuous and often hidden mistreatment of women. Maybe can the current I can’t breathe movement make people realize that institutional racism is far from extinct.

It was in 1967 the term Institutional Racism was coined by Stokely Carmichael (later known as Kwame Ture) and Charles V. Hamilton. They wrote that even if individual racism can be quite easy to detect, institutional racism is less perceptible. Such racism makes a difference between people through more subtle means than outright discrimination. It is expressed through disparities in wealth, income, criminal justice, employment housing, health care, political power and education. Carmichael and Hamilton stated that the entire United States is imbued with institutional racism. A social ill that can only be abolished if people, irrespective of their colour, culture, or ethnic origin, are provided with equal, appropriate, and professional services.

The concept of institutional racism has been further developed and is no1w generally referred to as systemic racism to indicate how ideas of white superiority are captured in everyday thinking, influencing the entire society, not only from an institutional point of view but on all levels of social interaction. Racism has become intrinsic in the social fabric and colours the thinking and behaviour of all individuals living within such a society. Stokely Carmichael became increasingly troubled by the disinterested, oppositional, or even violent response he was met with and came to despair about the effectiveness of non-violent opposition to racism, stating that if it was only going to work if ”your opponent has a conscience. The United States has none.”

It is easy to be reminded of Carmichael’s desperation when the current U.S. president is rambling, telling U.S. governors ”Overwhelming force. Domination … it’s a beautiful thing to watch […] If you don’t dominate, you’re wasting your time. They’re going to run all over you. You’ll look like a bunch of jerks. […] I will not allow angry mobs to dominate.”

Donald J. Trump´s parlance reveals his thinking and state of mind. Dominance has nothing to do with equality, compassion and social justice – it is all about power. Social dominance means that human relations are not based on justice, but on the maintenance and stability of group-based social hierarchies. Accordingly, it favours institutional- and individual discrimination.2

Such a system makes us believe there is a difference between ”us” and ”the others”. National bigots, whose presence now is felt all over Europe and the U.S., tend to avoid the word “race”. It is considered to be an outdated concept, which died with Nazism and Apartheid. However, racism is just changing appearance. The basic idea remains, that ”white” people with their roots in Europe are better than people, especially those of a darker complexion, who find their origin in other parts of the world. Racism is apparently now hiding its ugly face under the cover of ”culture”. This “new” racism stresses ”insurmountable cultural differences”, and has thus become a racism without racism.

Racist notions consider human behaviour to be biologically preconditioned instincts. Objectionable demeanour of ”others”, i.e. people not belonging to your own racial category, may be referred to their ”inferior genetic code”. The evolutionary biologist Stephen Jay Gould has rightly pointed out:

It is hard for fortunate people to fathom the misery emerging from poverty and even harder to accept that their indifference may be a cause for the torment of others. Primo Levi’s introduction to his personal memories of the bottomless hell of Auschwitz describes this difficulty in having empathy with those who suffer misery and injustice:

You who live safe
In your warm houses,
You who find warm food
And friendly faces when you return home.
Consider if this is a man
Who works in mud,
Who knows no peace,
Who fights for a crust of bread,
Who dies by a yes or no.
Consider if this is a woman
Without hair, without name,
Without the strength to remember,
Empty are her eyes, cold her womb,
Like a frog in winter.4

Fatal misconceptions about people’s ”racially determined” qualifications was driven to murderous absurdity by Nazi extermination policies, many of which could be traced back to the disgusting writings of Joseph Arthur de Gobineau, especially his Essai sur l’inégalité des races humaines, which was published in four volumes between 1853-55. In those books Gobineau did with ingenuity, but fuzzy science, claim “Aryan” racial superiority and the right of this race to dominate the world. Gobineau´s fantasies attracted people who considered their privileged position was well-deserved, due to a ”superior biological nature”. They claimed not much could be done about other people’s misery – after all it was considered to be hereditary and determined by implacable ”natural laws”.

Gobineau differentiated not only between a superior ”Aryan” race and racially inferior ”riffraff” outside the borders of the European continent, he also explained Europe’s social differences along racial lines. For him, the ”underdevelopment” of the European proletariat was not caused by lack of education, weak resource allocation and limited rights, but was simply due to the fact that they were ”common people” with bad genes.

Such perceptions were with delight and relief embraced by members of the privileged classes. Instead of arriving at the correct conclusion that State and Government should support health, education and guarantee human rights, they could now state that poor people’s misery was hereditary, they were simply unable to assimilate benefits provided by nature. It was no longer a question that equal rights and welfare policies could clean up the large urban ghettos, instead wealthy citizens had to be protected from a threatening underclass, which was kept in place by police and military. Stephen Jay Gould again:

How convenient to blame the poor and the hungry for their own condition – lest we be forced not to blame our economic system and our government for an abject failure to secure a decent life for all people.

The classification of humans into social classes and different races have served economic interests and been the basis for policy decisions, like restricting state support to education, public health and legal rights. Similarly, categorizations of people into different groups with specific and genetically transfixed characteristics have been used as a defence for abuse of power, exclusion and exploitation. Racism veils the structural causes to poverty, exclusion and disease, transferring the responsibility for their own misery and marginalization to the unprivileged themselves.

Racism is concerned with the surface, assuming that the exterior determines inner qualities. To judge someone on the basis of appearances is a serious violation of an individual’s integrity and personality. Being forced to submit to the prejudices of strangers is a painful experience that daily affects millions of people. Frantz Fanon wrote in his book Black Skin, White Masks from 1953:

Fanon, who was a psychiatrist, compared the feeling of being black with what it means to be a Jew. According to him, the two groups were victims of discrimination. However, a Jew might choose to hide her/his Jewishness, while a black person immediately is revealed as being of ”another race” and accordingly exposed to the inquisitorial gaze of racists, becoming the object of their condemnation and contempt, completely devoid of any interest in the personality and qualities of the despised ”Negro”.

Racism combined with convictions about their own superiority may hinder decision makers like Donald J. Trump and his equals from addressing the very core of a problem, in the case of the recent upheavels – the lack of individual rights and possibilities which prevents the poor themselves from finding viable solutions to their problems. They ignore social disparities and revert to the use of violence, or what they label as ”dominance”, a combative approach that can only result in more tension and violence. Instead, it is now high time to once and for all get rid of the most absurd obstacle to development and equal rights – racism, and above all try to cleanse our own minds from its deadly poison.

1 Carmichael, Stokely and Charles V. Hamilton (1992) Black Power: Policis of Liberation. New York: Vintage.
2 Sidanius, Jim and Felicia Pratto (1999) Social Dominance: An Intergroup Theory of Social Hiearchy and Oppression, Cambridge: Canbridge University Press.
3 Gould, Stephen Jay (1977) Ever Since Darwin: Reflections in Natural History. New York: W.W. Norton, p. 257.
4 Levi, Primo (1987) If This is a Man and The Truce. London: Abacus, p. 17.
5 Fanon, Frantz (1977) Black Skin, White Mask. New York; Grove Press, p. 143.

Jan Lundius holds a PhD. on History of Religion from Lund University and has served as a development expert, researcher and advisor at SIDA, UNESCO, FAO and other international organisations.

The post Racism and Dominance appeared first on Inter Press Service.

Categories: Africa

Was There Slavery in Australia? Yes. It Shouldn’t Even Be Up for Debate

Sun, 06/14/2020 - 20:12

In 1891 a ‘Slave Map of Modern Australia’ was printed in the British Anti-Slavery Reporter.

By External Source
Jun 14 2020 (IPS)

Prime Minister Scott Morrison asserted in a radio interview that “there was no slavery in Australia”.

This is a common misunderstanding which often obscures our nation’s history of exploitation of First Nations people and Pacific Islanders.

Morrison followed up with “I’ve always said we’ve got to be honest about our history”. Unfortunately, his statement is at odds with the historical record.

This history was widely and publicly documented, among other sources, in the 2006 Australian Senate report Unfinished Business: Indigenous Stolen Wages.

What is slavery?

Australia was not a “slave state” like the American South. However, slavery is a broader concept. As Article 1 of the United Nations Slavery Convention says:

Slavery is the status or condition of a person over whom any or all of the powers attaching to the right of ownership are exercised.

These powers might include non-payment of wages, physical or sexual abuse, controls over freedom of movement, or selling a person like a piece of property. In the words of slavery historian Orlando Patterson, slavery is a form of “social death”.

Slavery has been illegal in the (former) British Empire since the Act for the Abolition of the Slave Trade of 1807, and certainly since 1833.

Slavery practices emerged in Australia in the 19th century and in some places endured until the 1950s.

Early coverage of slavery in Australia

As early as the 1860s, anti-slavery campaigners began to invoke “charges of chattel bondage and slavery” to describe north Australian conditions for Aboriginal labour.

In 1891 a “Slave Map of Modern Australia” was printed in the British Anti-Slavery Reporter, a journal that documented slavery around the world and campaigned against it.

Reprinted from English journalist Arthur Vogan’s account of frontier relations in Queensland, it showed large areas where:

… the traffic in Aboriginal labour, both children and adults, had descended into slavery conditions.

Seeds of slavery in Australia
Some 62,000 Melanesian people were brought to Australia and enslaved to work in Queensland’s sugar plantations between 1863 and 1904. First Nations Australians had a more enduring experience of slavery, originally in the pearling industry in Western Australia and the Torres Strait and then in the cattle industry.

In the pastoral industry, employers exercised a high degree of control over “their” Aboriginal workers, who were bought and sold as chattels, particularly where they “went with” the property upon sale. There were restrictions on their freedom of choice and movement. There was cruel treatment and abuse, control of sexuality, and forced labour.

A stock worker at Meda Station in the Kimberley, Jimmy Bird, recalled:

… whitefellas would pull their gun out and kill any Aborigines who stood up to them. And there was none of this taking your time to pull up your boots either. No fear!

Aboriginal woman Ruby de Satge, who worked on a Queensland station, described the Queensland Protection Act as meaning:

if you are sitting down minding your own business, a station manager can come up to you and say, “I want a couple of blackfellows” … Just like picking up a cat or a dog.

Through their roles under the legislation, police, Aboriginal protectors and pastoral managers were complicit in this force.
Slavery was sanctioned by Australian law
Legislation facilitated the enslavement of Aboriginal people across the Northern Territory, Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland. Under the South Australian Aborigines Act 1911, the government empowered police to “inspect workers and their conditions” but not to uphold basic working conditions or enforce payment. The Aboriginals Ordinance 1918 (Cth) allowed the forced recruitment of Indigenous workers in the Northern Territory, and legalised the non-payment of wages.

In Queensland, the licence system was effectively a blank cheque to recruit Aboriginal people into employment without their consent. Amendments to the Aboriginal Protection and Restriction of the Sale of Opium Act 1897 gave powers to the Protector or police officer to “expend” their wages or invest them in a trust fund – which was never paid out.

Officials were well aware that “slavery” was a public relations problem. The Chief Protector in the Northern Territory noted in 1927 that pastoral workers:

… are kept in a servitude that is nothing short of slavery.

In the early 1930s, Chief Protector Dr Cecil Cook pointed out Australia was in breach of its obligations under the League of Nations Slavery Convention.

‘… it certainly exists here in its worst form’

Accusations of slavery continued into the 1930s, including through the British Commonwealth League.

In 1932 the North Australian Workers’ Union (NAWU) characterised Aboriginal workers as “slaves”. Unionist Owen Rowe argued:

If there is no slavery in the British Empire then the NT is not part of the British Empire; for it certainly exists here in its worst form.

In the 1940s, anthropologists Ronald and Catherine Berndt surveyed conditions on cattle stations owned by Lord Vestey, commenting that Aboriginal people:

… owned neither the huts in which they lived nor the land on which these were built, they had no rights of tenure, and in some cases have been sold or transferred with the property.

In 1958, counsel for the well-known Aboriginal artist Albert Namatjira argued that the Welfare Ordinance 1953 (Cth) was unconstitutional, because the enacting legislation was:

… a law for the enslavement of part of the population of the Northern Territory.

Profits from slaves

Australia has unfinished business in repaying wages to Aboriginal and South Sea Islander slaves. First Nations slave work allowed big businesses to reap substantial profits, and helped maintain the Australian economy through the Great Depression. Aboriginal people are proud of their work on stations even though the historical narrative is enshrined in silence and denial.

As Bundjalung woman Valerie Linow has said of her experiences of slavery in the 1950s:

What if your wages got stolen? Honestly, wouldn’t you like to have your wages back? Honestly. I think it should be owed to the ones who were slave labour. We got up and worked from dawn to dusk … We lost everything – family, everything. You cannot go stealing our lousy little sixpence. We have got to have money back. You have got to give something back after all this country did to the Aboriginal people. You cannot keep stealing off us.

UPDATE: This article was updated on June 12 to add detail about the pearling industry.

Thalia Anthony, Professor of Law, University of Technology Sydney and Stephen Gray, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Law, Monash University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Categories: Africa

Impact of COVID-19 on Women in South Asia

Fri, 06/12/2020 - 13:59

By Raghbendra Jha
CANBERRA, Australia, Jun 12 2020 (IPS)

Prior to the onset of the coronavirus crisis South Asian women participated only sparingly in the labor market. Even though South Asia was and still has the potential to become one of the fastest growing regions in the world (post COVID19) female labor force participation rates were low at 23.6% compared to 80% for men (World Bank figures).

Raghbendra Jha

The principal reasons for low female labor participation rates are (i) relatively low literacy rates for women as compared to men1 although the gap between the two is falling and both rates are rising; (ii) gender norms that view household work as women’s work and work outside the house as men’s work,. Again these norms are changing, especially for educated women; (iii) lack of electricity. In rural areas acts as a deterrent to female employment.2 This constraint has also been eased considerably with the electrification of all villages in India, although this may still be a problem in other countries; (iv) poor physical connectivity which impairs access of women to markets and other work places; (v) laws that restrict women’s employment in certain areas (e.g. occupations involving lifting) and the hours of the day in which they can work. These laws have recently been amended in India. (vi) work places that are not family friendly, e.g. with poor maternity leave provisions.

Many of these constraints are being eased. But there is quite a way to go. Some economists argue that globally female employment has a U-shape in the employment income per capita space. When family income is low women have to work because they need to augment the family resources. At high levels of income women work in elite professions. At intermediate levels of income female employment is low.3 If this is true then the drop in female employment is actually a reflection of rising income. It should increase when incomes have risen sufficiently. However, female employment is needed for the sake of gender equity and because women bring in a different set of skills and also because working mothers are good managers of their households.

The onset of the COVID-19 crisis has seriously shaken up this state of affairs. Men and women particularly in the services, manufacturing and non-formal sectors will have experienced serious job separation issues. Many of these women and men have returned to their villages where agriculture is already quite feminized.4 How this reverse migration affects incomes and employment will depend on the ensuing recovery. If the slowdown is protracted these workers – both male and female – will have to be accommodated in the non-formal or rural sectors. This means that alternative sources of job opportunities will need to be created on a large scale.

The government of India has pumped in an extra ₹400 million into the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Program for fiscal year 2021 in addition to the amount already budgeted.5 Similar initiatives have been taken in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Non-agricultural rural employment would need to grow fast if the downturn is drawn out. It is likely that in some of these occupations (e.g. handicrafts, khadi and other work involving some amount of processing) women will find employment whereas men will be take in for more onerous work. But, it is hard to see total employment rise for women because of these activities. However, some states in India (e.g. Uttar Pradesh) have begun skill mapping of returning migrants so that they can be employed locally and do not have to go back to cities and large towns.6 Since women will rarely migrate back to cities and towns without men folk they will have to make do with whatever work is available at the local level, if they work at all.

Whenever full economic activity resumes and these workers and their families return to towns and cities their employment will depend on the speed of the recovery. On balance, it is difficult to imagine that most men or women will get back to positions similar to those they had prior to the onset of COVID. In the case of India generous loans for entrepreneurial activities have been made available and some families may get involved in these. So, one can foresee a strong move toward self-employment in the post COVID era. Ironically, this may see an improvement in women’s employment as many of them will be involved in family enterprises.

All told, next few months will be a testing period for workers in South Asia. Women workers have been adversely affected more than men and face an uncertain future whether they remain in the cities or have reverse migrated to their homes. This period of adjustment will test many of these workers. If the pace of recovery is rapid and geared towards low value-added, low skill intensive jobs or involve considerable self-employment the labor market will recover soon. However, if the recovery is slow prospects for female employment will remain weak.

1 https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.LITR.FE.ZS Accessed 12th June 2020
2 https://www.iza.org/publications/dp/12956/analyzing-female-employment-trends-in-south-asia Accessed 12th June 2020
3 https://www.ideasforindia.in/topics/social-identity/what-explains-the-decline-in-female-labour-force-participation-in-india.html Accessed 12th June 2020.
4 The concept of feminization of agriculture refers to a phenomenon when men go to work in towns and cities and women stay to work on the farm. See https://wle.cgiar.org/thrive/big-questions/what-truth/feminization-agriculture Accessed 12th June 2020
5 https://indianexpress.com/article/business/centre-to-pump-rs-40000-crore-more-into-mgnrega-for-fy21-6414887/ Accessed 12th June 2020.
6 https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/uttar-pradesh-launches-skill-mapping-of-returning-workers-to-provide-jobs-within-state/article31767273.ece Accessed 12th June 2020.

The author is Professor of Economics, Australian National University and Executive Director Australia South Asia Research Centre

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Categories: Africa

Target Boys to Break Menstruation Taboos

Fri, 06/12/2020 - 12:46

High school student in eastern India, studies a leaflet on menstrual hygiene. Credit: Stella Paul/IPS

By Webster Mavhu
HARARE, Jun 12 2020 (IPS)

An all-male panel assembled to discuss menstrual health on International Menstrual Hygiene Day sparked outrage on social media and a flurry of memes of all-female panels discussing male issues.

But the social media spat should not divert attention from the issues the day tries to raise in order to break menstrual taboos and raise awareness about the importance of menstrual health and hygiene management for women and adolescent girls worldwide.

And if we truly want to do this, then we must include men not just in the conversation but also in the interventions being implemented.

Despite it being a natural biological process, menstruation is characterized by myths, stigma and taboos across the world.

Among both boys and girls, reproductive health knowledge is often acquired too late. For example, menstruation is often discussed only after it has happened, and begins with a feeling of fear.

As in many cultures, I grew up with menstruation taboos. For example, a menstruating woman is not supposed to slaughter a chicken, prepare certain foods, or brew beer for spiritual occasions.

Also, a menstruating woman is not supposed to verbally inform her sexual partner that she is menstruating. Instead, she will do so symbolically for example, by placing a piece of red cloth on their sleeping mat as there can be no discussion about the matter.

It is not just couples who do not discuss menstruation. Young girls are not able to talk about it openly with their mothers, grandmothers, aunts or fathers – all of whom are potential sources of reliable information.

My work over the past 15 years has included exploring sexual and reproductive health issues among adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa. A key finding has been that among both boys and girls, reproductive health knowledge is often acquired too late.

For example, menstruation is often discussed only after it has happened, and begins with a feeling of fear. In some of my research, an adolescent described her first experience: “Initially, I thought I had urinated without realizing it but I was shocked to see blood. When I informed my mother, she said I was supposed to use rags as sanitary pads and to wash myself three times a day so that I would not smell bad.” The discussion ended there.

Gaps in information are often filled by hearsay. Another girl described how, when she began menstruating, her elder sister advised her to use cotton wool as opposed to sanitary pads “as the latter make one lose virginity”. The elder sister said she had also been told this by her friend.

Myths around menstruation are also common among boys. For example, boys tell each other that unprotected sex with a menstruating girl has no risk of pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections. There is also the belief that potential health “effects” of having unprotected sex with a menstruating girl can be prevented by drinking a solution made from mature soot.

Clearly, efforts to tackle myths around menstruation must target both girls and boys to reduce menstrual-related stigma and ill-treatment, as well as improve sexual and reproductive health.

When I was in my sixth grade, a fellow classmate had her first period and bled on her school uniform. She tied her jersey around her waist. When the boys realized what had happened, they untied her jersey. She desperately tried to cover the stain with her hands, but the boys kicked away her hands to make sure the stain would remain exposed, jeering in the process. She missed the following week of school.

More than three decades later, girls continue to miss school during their menstrual period. Studies conducted across the whole world have highlighted full or part-day school absences as a result of menstruation.

Of course a range of measures are being introduced into schools to reduce girls’ absenteeism from school including: provision of sanitary products, access to socially acceptable disposal facilities, access to water for washing near toilets, and space for changing. However, very few seem to be targeting boys.

Targeting boys with menstrual health education will not only improve girls’ school attendance but will help address menstrual-related myths and stigma.

A pilot study conducted in Uganda tested a multicomponent school-based menstrual health and hygiene intervention, and evaluated its impact on several issues including, secondary school attendance. The intervention targeted both boys and girls.

Study findings indicated a potential intervention impact on improving menstrual-related school absenteeism. Of note, a drama skit on menstruation was very popular with both boys and girls, and worked well to involve boys in this topic and de-stigmatize menstruation.

It is therefore critical for menstrual health and hygiene interventions to include boys not just for immediate benefits but also for influencing their future thought patterns and behaviors.

Ultimately, men will be able to discuss menstruation with their wives and daughters, thereby significantly breaking taboos and reducing menstrual-related stigma.

Webster Mavhu is a linguist-turned social scientist and global health practitioner who has been conducting research to inform programming for the past 15 years. He is a 2020 @aspennewvoices fellow.

The post Target Boys to Break Menstruation Taboos appeared first on Inter Press Service.

Categories: Africa

Q&A: Global Poverty Expected to Move to Middle Income Developing Nations in Asia

Fri, 06/12/2020 - 11:33

India is an Asian country with a middle-income economy. An increase of poverty is expected in Asian countries as a result of the economic recession linked to the coronavirus lockdowns. This dated photo shows women from the Mishing community in Dhemaji district. Credit: Priyanka Borpujari/IPS

By Samira Sadeque
UNITED NATIONS, Jun 12 2020 (IPS)

Global poverty, which is increasing because of the economic impact of the coronavirus crisis and ensuing worldwide lockdowns, is shifting and a dramatic increase in middle-income developing countries in Asia is expected.

This is according to new research published by the United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER).

Andy Sumner, a professor of International Development at King’s College London and co-author of the report, told IPS that recent research which estimates the number of people who will be pushed into poverty because of the virus also shows that the increase in poverty could be an “absolute increase” for the first time in two decades.

“The potential increase in extreme poverty could mark the first absolute increase in the global count since 1999—and the first since 1990 in terms of the headcount ratio,” he told IPS.

The research estimates that the COVID-19 pandemic could push between 80 to 395 million people into extreme poverty globally, under the World Bank’s definition of poverty of people living under $1.90 per day. When measured with the World Bank’s upper threshold of the poverty line (people living under $3.20 and $5.50 per day) the estimate of people to be pushed into poverty is even higher at more than 500 million people.

Sumner, along with authors Eduardo Ortiz-Juarez of King’s College London and Chris Hoy of Australian National University, published the paper titled “Precarity and the pandemic COVID-19 and poverty incidence, intensity, and severity in developing countries” as a follow-up to their April report.

While the estimates remain similar to the ones made in April, Sumner said the key findings in this report show there will potentially be a major shift in the location of global poverty.

This, he said, is because “poverty is likely to increase dramatically in middle-income developing countries in Asia.” Furthermore, the “intensity and severity” of poverty will also likely increase dramatically.

“The resources needed to lift the incomes of the poor to the poverty lines could increase by 60 percent, from $446 million a day in the absence of crisis, to above $700 million a day,” he explained.

Excerpts of the interview follow. Some of the answers have been paraphrased for clarity purposes.

Inter Press Service (IPS): The impact of COVID-19 on global poverty seems to be a significant issue. What was the root cause of poverty in a pre-pandemic world, and what is the root cause of poverty currently in COVID-19’s context?

Andy Sumner (AS): The root cause of poverty in many developing countries is a governance failure to put in place more redistributive policies. This is made difficult for developing countries given their place in the global economy. In the context of COVID-19, the situation is made worse as so many millions of people live just above the poverty line and are at risk of falling back into poverty.

IPS: Your report says “[the] potential effects that the current COVID-19 crisis could leave on poverty look more dramatic when focusing on the composition of global poverty since 1990.” Could you elaborate on this last part, about the ways in which the poverty arising out of COVID-19 could be more dramatic?

AS: There could be much more new poverty not only in countries where poverty has remained relatively high over the last three decades, but also in countries that are not among the poorest anymore. This points not only to their population size, but also suggests that much of their previously poor people moved to just above the poverty line, and as a result implying that the recent progress they achieved has been relatively fragile.

IPS: What is an indicator of the “intensity and severity of poverty” you mentioned in your report. How would the middle-income countries’ increase in poverty affect the distribution of global poverty?

AS: For “intensity and severity of poverty,” we estimate the daily income losses among the existing poor and new poor. As for the terms of the middle-income countries’ increase in poverty, many of them are in Asia, and are populous. As a result, changes in poverty in middle income countries will tend to shift the pattern of global poverty towards Asia.

IPS: One of your findings is also that “The resources needed to lift the incomes of the poor to the poverty lines, as indicated by the poverty gap, could increase by 60 percent, from $446 million a day in the absence of crisis to above $700 million a day under a 20- percent contraction.” Are governments and world leaders prepared with these resources? In the event these resources are not met with, how will it further impact poverty levels?

AS: Governments in developing countries have started to try to address the poverty impacts of COVID-19 through increasing the size and coverage of social protection payments. This reflects a tiny fraction of what G7 countries have spent on their own economies.

The world’s richest countries have collectively spent trillions of dollars stimulating their economies. So far, Germany and France have spent 9 to 11 percent of GDP. The United States has spent 13 percent of GDP, while Japan has spent 21 percent of GDP since the crisis started. In contrast, we estimate the cost of ending both pre-crisis extreme poverty plus the new extreme poverty as a result of the crisis will be just 0.63 percent of the combined G7’s GDP.

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Categories: Africa

The Global Economic Reset—Promoting a More Inclusive Recovery

Fri, 06/12/2020 - 11:21

Indigenous schoolchildren in Bolivia's Andes highlands. Credit: Marisabel Bellido/IPS

By Kristalina Georgieva
WASHINGTON, Jun 12 2020 (IPS)

The COVID-19 crisis is inflicting the most pain on those who are already most vulnerable. This calamity could lead to a significant rise in income inequality. And it could jeopardize development gains, from educational attainment to poverty reduction. New estimates suggest that up to 100 million people worldwide could be pushed into extreme poverty, erasing all gains made in poverty reduction in the past three years.

That is why policymakers must do everything in their power to promote a more inclusive recovery, one that benefits all segments of society.

Our new research, prepared jointly with the World Bank for the G20, focuses on how to increase people’s access to opportunities, no matter who they are and where they are from. More equitable access to opportunities is associated with stronger and more sustainable growth and higher income gains for the poor. But unlocking the full potential of all individuals is not an easy task.

As they move forward, all governments will need to gear up for a more inclusive recovery. This means taking the right measures, especially on fiscal stimulus, education, and fintech. And it means sharing ideas, learning from others, and fostering a greater sense of solidarity

The reality is that low-income households face higher health risks from the virus. They bear the brunt of record-high unemployment and are less likely to benefit from distance learning. Children’s nutrition may also be harmed by the disruption to school-provided meals. According to UN estimates, more than half a billion children worldwide have lost their access to education as a result of coronavirus lockdowns. Many won’t return to the classrooms after the pandemic, with girls more likely than boys to drop out.

These inequalities are truly shocking, but not unexpected. We know from experience and recent IMF analysis that major epidemics often exacerbate pre-existing income inequality.

A policy response like no other

The good news is that governments around the world have deployed extraordinary policy measures to save lives and protect livelihoods. These include extra efforts to protect the poor, with many countries stepping up food aid and targeted cash transfers. Globally, fiscal actions so far amount to about $10 trillion.

But given the severity of the crisis, significant further efforts are essential. This includes taking the measures needed to avoid a scarring of the economy, including from job losses and higher inequality. It is clear that increasing access to opportunities is now more critical than ever if we are to avoid persistent increases in inequality.

With this in mind, I would like to highlight three priorities:

1. Use fiscal stimulus wisely

Substantial fiscal stimulus will have to be deployed during the recovery phase to boost growth and employment. We know from the global financial crisis that countries that experienced larger output losses relative to the pre-crisis trend tended to have higher increases in inequality.

Yet securing a return to growth is not enough. Let’s remember the post-financial crisis reforms and investments that made banking systems more resilient. We will need a similar surge in reforms and investments during the recovery phase to significantly improve the economic prospects of the most vulnerable.

So, we will need a fiscal stimulus that delivers for people. This means scaling up public investment in health care to protect the most vulnerable and minimize the risks from future epidemics. It also means strengthening social safety nets; expanding access to quality education, clean water, and sanitation; and investing in climate-smart infrastructure. Some countries could also expand access to high-quality childcare, which can boost female labor force participation and long-term growth.

These efforts are critical to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. But how can we significantly scale up spending when so many countries are now facing rising public debt? Public debt in emerging markets has risen to levels not seen in 50 years.

The IMF and the World Bank have championed debt service suspension as a fast-acting measure for countries that lack the financial resources to adequately respond to the crisis. The G20 has responded by agreeing to suspend repayment of official bilateral credit for the poorest countries, from May 1 through the end of 2020.

Over the medium term, there will be room to improve the efficiency of spending and mobilize higher public revenue. There will also be room for tax reform: for example, some advanced and emerging economies could raise their top personal income tax rates without slowing growth. Countries could ensure that the corporate tax system captures an appropriate part of the unusual gains received by the “winners” of the crisis, including perhaps from digital activities. And there should be a concerted effort to combat illicit flows and close tax loopholes, both domestically and internationally.

2. Empower the next generation through education

The virus-related disruption to education has left millions of children at risk of “learning poverty,” which means being unable to read and comprehend a simple text by age 10. Driven by poor access to quality schooling, learning poverty is already too high, especially in emerging markets and low-income nations.

We are also concerned about the long-term effects of the crisis on income and education gaps. In our research, we looked at the link between education and inequality. A 10-point increase in a country’s Gini coefficient (with such increases observed in some economies around the time of the global financial crisis) is associated with significantly lower educational attainment of about half a year. This could reduce lifetime earnings and cause income and opportunity gaps to become persistent across generations.

In other words, safeguarding our future means safeguarding our children. That is why we need more investment in education—not just spending more on schools and distance-learning capacity, but also improving the quality of education and the access to life-long learning and re-skilling.

These efforts can pay large dividends in terms of growth, productivity, and living standards. Simulations, based on a model reflecting an economy like Brazil, show that reducing the educational attainment gap by a quarter, relative to the OECD average, could boost economic output by more than 14 percent.

3. Harness the power of financial technology

COVID-19 has triggered a mass migration from analog to digital. But not everyone has seen the benefits; and the growing digital divide is set to become one of the legacies of the crisis.

What can policymakers do? A key priority must be to broaden the access of low-income households and small businesses to financial products, which will allow households to smooth consumption in the face of shocks and businesses to undertake productive investments. This “inclusion revolution” is now gaining momentum as governments are providing emergency cash transfers in record amounts. For example, in Pakistan and Peru, new support programs cover one-third of the population.

Reaching the most vulnerable can be challenging in developing economies, where nearly 70 percent of employment is informal. But this is where fintech opportunities abound. Think of the fact that about two-thirds of all unbanked adults (1.1 billion people) have a mobile phone, and one-quarter have access to the internet. Moving routine cash payments by governments into accounts could reduce the number of unbanked adults by 100 million globally, and even bigger opportunities exist in the private sector.

Of course, governments also need to manage fintech risks. Reforms are needed to promote competition, enhance consumer protection, and fight money laundering. Finding the right balance will be critical for lower inequality and growth.

Our research shows that greater access to finance and technology is associated with higher intergenerational income mobility. And we have estimated that there is a 2- to 3-percentage-point GDP growth difference over the long term between financially inclusive countries and their less inclusive peers.

In all these areas, the IMF is working with the World Bank and many other partners to support countries in this time of crisis. We are deeply committed to helping vulnerable groups through our hands-on technical assistance, policy advice, and lending programs. And we have increased our focus on social spending issues, including safety nets, health and education.

If there is one lesson from this crisis, it’s that our society is only as strong as its weakest member. This should be our compass to a more resilient post-pandemic world.

The post The Global Economic Reset—Promoting a More Inclusive Recovery appeared first on Inter Press Service.

Excerpt:

Kristalina Georgieva is the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)

The post The Global Economic Reset—Promoting a More Inclusive Recovery appeared first on Inter Press Service.

Categories: Africa

How Cities Can Turn COVID-19 Crisis into an Opportunity to Build Better

Fri, 06/12/2020 - 06:29

High rise apartments & green spaces contrast with the adjacent sprawling slum area in Mumbai, India. Credit: Johnny Miller

By Johnny Miller
CAPE TOWN, South Africa, Jun 12 2020 (IPS)

From shocking death tolls to widespread job losses, there is no understating the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the world’s cities.

Health care systems, economies, and social lives have been upended by a virus for which the world was totally unprepared.

But even as cities struggle with basic needs like providing a safe environment for all, there is as an opportunity for long-lasting changes to make our cities both more prosperous and equitable and less vulnerable to future shocks such as highly contagious diseases.

Cities and local governments should be recognized for steps they are already taking to build public health, social, and economic resilience during this crisis. They are disinfecting public transport and are keeping public spaces clean.

They are mobilizing both professional and volunteer networks to source, make, and distribute personal protective equipment for frontline workers. They are making sure food reaches older persons who are self-isolating for their own safety and struggling families with children who are no longer going to school, being challenged equally by new ways of working such as home schooling and home office.

This unprecedented moment requires emergency action and social solidarity. We can seize on this brief window to “retro-fit” and make permanent improvements by both delivering the fundamentals of sustainable cities from the pre-pandemic era and adopting the measures that are likely to be necessary in the post-pandemic era.

Our future cities need to be resilient, sustainable, inclusive and equitable. They need to be forward-thinking, able to innovate and better positioned to withstand shocks and catastrophes like the Covid-19 pandemic.

To do this they will need to respect core human values of dignity and care, and invest in citizens’ health along with decent shelter, clean water, and free education. They will recognize that diversity is a strength, and that achieving equality of outcomes for all means safeguarding the rights of expression and culture.

Future cities must rethink and reorganize their built environment using the lenses of equity and access. COVID-19 has exposed the reality of profoundly divided populations. Regenerating neglected urban areas can bring healthy, sustainable benefits to local communities, which in turn increases city resilience as a whole.

Connecting communities with people-friendly parks, green spaces, and community-aligned infrastructure allows neighborhoods to prosper and thrive once more.

We see some cities embrace the “new normal’. Lyon has a plan to more permanently house 1,500 homeless people who were offered temporary shelter during France’s lockdown. Cities around the world have closed streets to cars in order to provide more space for pedestrians and cyclists.

Already, Seattle and Paris have said some of those changes will be made permanent. Bogota, one of South America’s most cycle-friendly cities and already a leader in sustainable transport, just dedicated over 70 more kilometers of bike lanes on top of the 550 that already exist.

With the disruption of global supply chains and long-distance air travel, it is possible that future cities will look and act more locally, with localized and self-sustaining networks of food production, green spaces, and even power generation.

By moving away from a reliance on overseas producers, we can unlock the true value of neglected assets and resources within communities which currently lie dormant.

At the same time, the cities of the future will be more reliant on digital technology and the wide utilization of the internet even as children learning from home eventually go back to school and knowledge workers connecting remotely will eventually return to spending more time in the offices again.

Even in the poorest regions of the world, city dwellers are beginning to rely on the internet for education, business, banking, and social relationships. COVID-19 has already opened our eyes to a world where only those with the freedom and privilege to be able to access the online world are the ones able to access all society has to offer.

The current crisis provides an opportunity for cities to ensure that digital services are available to everyone, but they need to take a proactive approach to digital technologies.

This could include investing in community broadband and free public wi-fi, providing digital literacy and skills to older people and marginalized communities and making websites and online platforms accessible to people with disabilities. Bridging the digital divide, already a pre-pandemic challenge, will be essential to building back better neighborhoods.

The good news is that many cities already see the benefits of resilient, inclusive societies, and some areas like Kerala state in India are weathering the COVID-19 storm well even without massive financial resources.

This is showing that focusing on public health delivery in a compassionate, equitable way, is just as important as economic stimulus to the recovery of a region once the pandemic is over.

The choices we make in the next year will define our societies for an entire generation and perhaps beyond. Let’s use this opportunity as a fulcrum to leverage the future that we know we can build together.

The post How Cities Can Turn COVID-19 Crisis into an Opportunity to Build Better appeared first on Inter Press Service.

Excerpt:

Johnny Miller is a photographer, documentary maker and UN-Habitat Champion based in Cape Town South Africa.

The post How Cities Can Turn COVID-19 Crisis into an Opportunity to Build Better appeared first on Inter Press Service.

Categories: Africa

China’s “Two Sessions”, and the Hiccups in Hong Kong

Fri, 06/12/2020 - 06:13

By Dr. Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury
SINGAPORE, Jun 12 2020 (IPS-Partners)

The eyes of much of the world were focused on Beijing during the last week of May. That was because China had scheduled for that time-perod what is generally collectively termed “Two Sessions” or Lianghui in Mandarin. These are back-to-back annual parliamentary meetings of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the National People’s Congress (NPC). The event usually take place in March, but this year had to be pushed back to May because of the COVID virus. Again, ordinarily, these last ten days, but this year, for the same reason, the period was compressed to a week.

The first, the CCPPC, which has 2000 representatives drawn from different segments of society is considered the country’s foremost political advisory body, is mandated to make proposals and advance policy suggestions to the government. At this meeting they offered hundreds of proposals on public health security. This session, which kicks of the Liangui, was followed as is wont, by the session of the NPC, which, with its 3000 delegates is usually considered the nation’s legislative organ. It is tasked to review and endorse the government’s immediate past and future work, adopt fresh legislation, approve the budget and ratify senior administrative appointments. Unsurprisingly, of the two sessions, that of the NPC is more keenly watched.

In the past China’s “Two sessions” had rarely not gripped the global media. These did not feature the lively debates of the British House of Commons, or the hullaballoo of the Indian Lok Sabha. But currently the attention has grown enormously. This is in tandem of the perceptible rise of China, not only as the world’s second largest economy, but also as a superpower peer. Behind the veneer of apparently staid rubber stamp Chinese bodies, the international media and global powers are now aware that huge politics are at play, and they are at pains to discern their intricacies. The speeches made there are seriously parsed and the body-language of the key participants carefully noted and analyzed. For all are aware that what happens during these deliberations in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, do not remain in Beijing but have a huge impact on the world beyond.

A major event in the NPC, as is always the case, was the presentation of the Annual work Report by Premier Li Keqiang. In this session stabilizing employment, ensuring living standards and eliminating poverty were the key themes. Li announced fiscal and monetary policies to stimulate the economy, but with a modicum of restraint. He noted the challenges in the external environment posed by the China-United states strategic rivalry, the global recession, and the anti-globalization sentiments. He made known that domestic consumption, and advances in high technology, would be the key components of China’s response.

Economists and financial analysts waited with bated breath to see if Li would declare a growth target in this pandemic year. He did not. Last year he had set it at between 6 to 6.5 percent of the GDP, a modest one by Chinese standards, and it did grow by 6.1 per cent, in the midst of a fierce trade war with the US. Showing prudence, this year he eschewed naming a growth figure number. He attributed this to “the COVID-19 and the world economic and trade environment”. To spur the economy, China would raise the budget deficit target from 2.8 per cent of the GDP last year to3.6 per cent, breaching the self-imposed traditional ceiling of 3 per cent. Also, a 1 trillion yuan special government bond was to be issued. A logical take-away of the observers was that China was adjusting to realities of the situation, but confident of a recovery, and indeed of leading the way in this regard.

The main outcome, that dominated overseas commentary, came with the decision to impose national security legislation in Hong Kong. Such an attempt was made in the past in 2003, but withdrawn after half a million protesters took to the streets in Hong Kong .Since Hon Kong’s return to China in 1997, the former British Colony had been governed under a “one country, two systems” principle , guaranteeing a high degree of autonomy for 50 years, with Beijing controlling defence and foreign affairs. This also facilitated special trade privileges from the US, upon certification of the State Department of the continuation of such autonomy. The legislation, likely to be implemented this summer would allow for “relevant security organs” to set up units in Hong Kong, raising fears among some Hong Kongers that the “two systems” principle would be eroded, though Beijing denied it , citing the narrow and specific focus of the law.

Unconvinced by Beijing’s explanation, thousands of demonstrators hit the streets. Scenes created brought back memories of the chaos of last year’s anti-government protests. But the fact that after seventeen years Beijing had resurrected the legislation displayed confidence in their capabilities this time round. This, despite their full awareness that the US and the West would react adversely. China obviously believes it has come a long way since 2003. The United Kingdom immediately made an offer of the possibilities of citizenship to Hong Kongers choosing to make such application. The US State Department denied the ‘autonomy ‘certification that was necessary for continued trade privileges. President Donald Trump, already making his anti-China agenda a key plank of his re-election campaign, immediately revoked Hong Kong’s trade privileges, stating that the island would be treated at par with China.

Ironically, this may be exactly what China wants; that Hong Kong is organically its part! Beijing must have calculated that it has sufficient fiscal wherewithal to counter major dents to Honk Kong’s economy by US actions. Though it appears to deny it , it may actually have other options as economic hubs, should Hong Kong fail to retain this status, though it is difficult to see, at least at this time, how the western system would accept such alternatives. However, one never knows. There is another irony in these developments. Criticizing civil rights violations, as she perceived it, the US Congressional Speaker, Nancy Pelosi had described the earlier chaotic demonstrations in Hong Kong as “a beautiful sight”. Then, in Minneapolis in the US, a black man George Floyd, died, not in the hands, but by the knee of a white policeman, pressed against his neck , till life slowly ebbed away from him , in full view of onlookers. Violent rioting ensued as a result, from coast to coast in America, led by black minorities, still raging at the time of writing, causing huge destruction in their trail. China’s media pointed to this, and simply repeated Pelosi’s remarks that it was “a beautiful sight”!

Dr. Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury is Principal Research Fellow at ISAS, National University of Singapore, former Foreign Advisor and President of Cosmos Foundation Bangladesh.

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Categories: Africa

Strengthening Economic Institutions for a Resilient Recovery

Thu, 06/11/2020 - 21:07

(photo: metamorworks/iStock by Getty Images)

By Antoinette Sayeh
Washington DC, Jun 11 2020 (IPS)

Exceptional times call for exceptional action. In response to COVID-19, the IMF has moved with unprecedented speed and magnitude of financial assistance to help countries protect lives and livelihoods. Economic stabilization and a sustainable recovery, however, will require more than financial assistance. For recovery to be sustainable, policymakers will need to strengthen economic institutions that enable resilient, inclusive policies.

Integrating capacity development with financial support

Governments today face difficult policy decisions – but many lack the strong economic foundations and technical know-how to design and implement the necessary policies. Consider, for instance, the impact of COVID-19 on national budgets, which includes massive spending pressures, lost government revenues and higher debt. This makes progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals even more challenging, particularly for the most fragile and vulnerable countries.

Which is why the IMF has been providing immediate and real-time policy advice and capacity development support to over 160 countries to address urgent issues such as cash management, financial supervision, cybersecurity, and economic governance. Direct, ongoing conversations with policymakers to develop capacity to tackle these issues always goes hand-in-hand with IMF financial support. Thus far, over 90 percent of countries that requested pandemic-related emergency financing have also received capacity development support in the form of hands-on technical advice, practical tools and policy-oriented training.

Strengthening public finances and debt management

Business continuity and protecting revenue streams are crucial for governments to rapidly mobilize and maintain domestic resources. And as countries ramp up emergency spending, they also want to ensure that they have strong institutional frameworks and good governance so money can quickly get to those who need it the most – especially when it comes to health expenditures and social protection systems. The IMF has been working with tax administrations and budget offices in many countries to help them restore operations and strengthen support to businesses and individuals, without compromising safeguards and accountability.

An even greater challenge lies ahead for policymakers in debt management, resulting from worsened fiscal positions and higher financing costs. The IMF has provided immediate debt service relief to 27 of our poorest member countries, and together with the World Bank, has led the call to major bilateral creditors to suspend debt service payments from the poorest countries. Debt managers worldwide are grappling with strategic, recording, and management issues in the COVID-19 environment – and are working with IMF technical experts to revise and update their debt management strategies and systems. An important element in this process is data, because it provides key information to assess the crisis and associated financing needs. For managing debt well, statistics are crucial. Short, “micro-learning” videos on the IMF Institute’s YouTube Channel have also been developed to tackle issues related to public sector debt data.

As governments carefully begin to shift towards reopening, stronger economic institutions will enable them to better assess the challenges created by the pandemic and resume efforts on policies that promote opportunities for all of their people – like tackling inequality, taking action on climate, and leveraging digitalization.

Maintaining close engagement

We are all navigating uncharted territory in adapting to new ways of working. The IMF recognizes this and is building virtual platforms to facilitate knowledge sharing, including a policy tracker covering the actions taken by 196 economies to combat the impact of COVID-19. Drawing on decades of working with countries, we have produced 45 Special Series Notes that provide practical policy guidance to countries on the nuts and bolts of common crisis-related policy challenges. We have expanded free online courses to increase global access to IMF expertise on topics such as fiscal policymaking, financial inclusion, and macroeconomic management. The IMF is also leveraging its global network of regional capacity development centers to respond quickly to countries’ emerging needs and ensure closer coordination with development partners.

As a former policymaker, I know first-hand the important role economic institutions can play in shaping policies that impact ordinary people. The laborious task of strengthening economic foundations is not glamourous – but it is one that can have the greatest, long-term impact on the economic and social wellbeing of people. As the world emerges from the Great Lockdown, policymakers and development partners should treat rebuilding stronger, more resilient institutions as a top priority.

The post Strengthening Economic Institutions for a Resilient Recovery appeared first on Inter Press Service.

Excerpt:

Antoinette Sayeh is Deputy Managing Director of the IMF.

The post Strengthening Economic Institutions for a Resilient Recovery appeared first on Inter Press Service.

Categories: Africa

Covid-19 has increased children’s exposure to traffickers

Thu, 06/11/2020 - 20:11

By Tasneem Tayeb
Jun 11 2020 (IPS-Partners)

With Covid-19 bringing economic activities across nations to a halt, more and more people are being pushed into poverty. Job losses, business losses and farming losses, leading to economic stress, are pushing many to the fringes of poverty. And as families are being rendered helpless, the worst sufferers are invariably the children.

“46 percent children suffer from multidimensional poverty,” suggests a report shared recently by Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS). And in the face of the growing economic hardships of the people, triggered by Covid-19, the number is likely to shoot up in the coming months.

From increased threats of modern slavery—domestic servitude, sex trafficking, and forced labour, such as begging—and reduced access to nutrition, basic healthcare facilities and education, to increased risk of emotional abuse and mental trauma, children today, especially the ones born into poverty, are at greater risk of exploitation.

According to Unicef, “The economic fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic could push up to 86 million more children into household poverty by the end of 2020.”

Save the Children and Unicef suggest that, “Immediate loss of income means families are less able to afford the basics, including food and water, less likely to access health care or education, and more at risk of child marriage, violence, exploitation and abuse. When fiscal contraction occurs, the reach and quality of the services families depend on can also be diminished.”

And with more and more people becoming jobless, chances of families abandoning their children, or using them to earn money is increasing by the day. According to a United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report, “due to the pandemic, more children are being forced onto the streets to search for food and money, thus increasing their risk of exploitation.”

And more concerning are the lurking threats of the different ways in which children, in the wake of Covid-19 are being forced into sexual exploitation. For one, families in this part of the world, unable to feed “extra mouths”, often marry off their girls at an early age. Sometimes even in exchange for money. These little girls are subjected to marital rape by their husbands, and more often than not, suffer severe reproductive health damages due to the burden of early motherhood.

And if the girls are not so lucky, they are sold to traffickers by their husbands for money. Sometimes, in fact, predators marry young girls to be able to sell them for good money into sex slavery. While writing a detailed piece on this issue last year, I found that at times of desperation, the families themselves sell girls into prostitution. There have been cases where young sex workers had claimed that they had been sold to dalals by their own mothers.

Young boys face a different kind of fate. They are sent away to work in the informal sector to earn money for their families. And some of these young boys are preyed upon by predators for trafficking as slaves and sometimes into male prostitution.

According to a 2014 report by The Scelles Foundation, 42 million worldwide were involved in sex slavery. Of them, about eight million were men—it is not just women who are at the risk of being trafficked into sexual slavery. Male prostitution remains a less discussed issue, which is why when referring to sex slavery, the dialogues mostly centre around girls. But young boys do get raped and the possibility of them being forced into prostitution cannot be ignored.

And the children who have been sent out of the house to earn their living as beggars live with the constant threat of being exploited by their ring leaders. These girls and boys are not only taken advantage of by their employers but are also at times abused by the people giving them alms. I was once horrified when I saw a driver holding on to a semi-clothed girl’s hand while giving her alms. The girl—not knowing that it is not right for someone to touch her without her permission—was just happy that she got a note! Next time on the road, take a careful look, and the abuse of these children will become apparent.

But with Covid-19, you would think the demand for prostitution would have taken a hit, but you’d be wrong. The risk remains: according to Mama Fatima Singhateh, Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, appointed by the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, the Covid-19 lockdown has resulted in people finding newer ways of availing prostitution services—through “delivery” or “drive-through”. According to Singhateh, people’s tendency to access illegal websites featuring child pornography has also increased— “Producing and accessing child sexual abuse material and live-stream child sexual abuse online has now become an easy alternative to groom and lure children into sexual activities and to trade images in online communities.”

A report published by the Council on Foreign Relations echoes the same fear— “While the current drop in global demand might temporarily disrupt exploitative circumstances, this effect is likely short-lived and eclipsed by increased vulnerability. Within sex trafficking, for example, the demand for commercial sex has dropped due to social distancing regulations. However, there is evidence that online sexual exploitation of children is on the rise, indicating that perpetrators are adapting in response to the environment.”

And this brings into the picture a new set of prey: children from middle-income to higher-income families who have access to the internet. These children, for whom the internet is the only means of staying connected with their friends and teachers, are at risk of being preyed upon by malicious traffickers.

And stuck at home, detached from the life they used to live, these children—according to Kazi Amdadul Hoque, Director-Strategic Planning and Head of Climate Action, Friendship, an international NGO—face a different kind of trauma. The fear of uncertainty, the fear of contagion and the depression from the lack of access to friends and outdoor activities make these children especially vulnerable to predators.

Child psychologist Tarana Anis suggests that now more than ever, parents and families have to be vigilant about the kind of online content their children are being exposed to, who their children are interacting with online, and which website they are accessing frequently. She suggests that families should engage in more shared activities and open discussions about current issues with their children.

This is certainly one way of tackling this problem. But we must keep in mind that the threat of physically trafficking children and selling them into prostitution or forced labour remains. Maybe there has been a decline in demand now, but it is only temporary. With the state’s resources already stretched fighting Covid-19, the government will find it difficult to fight off these other diseases, but this one definitely needs attention.

The government, along with bringing the poor under social safety schemes, must also mobilise the law enforcement agencies to strictly monitor the trafficking situation in the country. And families should spend more time with children and educate them about the risks that they might face online. The communities must look out for each, support each other and report suspicious activities. It is time we start looking out for ourselves, our loved ones and our communities, and report the wrongs to the concerned authorities, for the greater good of our children.

Tasneem Tayeb is a columnist for The Daily Star.
Her Twitter handle is: @TayebTasneem

This story was originally published by The Daily Star, Bangladesh

The post Covid-19 has increased children’s exposure to traffickers appeared first on Inter Press Service.

Excerpt:

Families, communities and policymakers must now work in tandem to eliminate this life-scarring menace

The post Covid-19 has increased children’s exposure to traffickers appeared first on Inter Press Service.

Categories: Africa

From farm to fork: The women championing agricultural transformation in Africa

Thu, 06/11/2020 - 19:56

By African Development Bank
Jun 11 2020 (IPS-Partners)

From Sudan to Mali, Senegal to Mozambique, and Zambia to Mauritania, women are changing the face of agriculture, adapting and innovating to tackle the challenges of climate change, and feeding the continent’s growing population.

African women are actors along the entire agricultural value chain, as farmers, livestock breeders, food processors, traders, farm workers, entrepreneurs and consumers.

Through the African Development Bank’s Technologies for African Transformation (TAAT) initiative, millions of African women have gained access to new agricultural technologies that have boosted their crop yields, enabling them to tap new markets and increase their incomes .

Improved seeds can help Africa’s smallholder farmers, the majority of whom are women, to produce high crop yields even in areas plagued by climate change-related drought, floods and locust swarms that can destroy an entire harvest. Add in the constraints recently imposed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it’s a tough time to be a subsistence farmer.

Fathia Mohamed Ahmed, who belongs to a collective of two dozen women farmers in Sudan’s Darfur region is one such farmer. Through the TAAT initiative, her collective has been provided with high quality seeds for cultivating sorghum, a grain suited to hot, dry conditions. Sorghum, also known as millet, yields a grain that is rich in carbohydrates, protein and other nutrients that can be made into porridge, flatbreads, and cakes.

As a result of higher yields, collective members have gained opportunities for business expansion, including selling sorghum for cash at local markets. “It is an important breakthrough for the group to start our business,” Fathia said. “Our group is still in its infancy, but our focus is to grow and increase our agricultural business activities in the near future.”

West across the Sahel in Mali, 54-year-old Dramane Diallo works alongside a group of women who cultivate rice in Baguinéda, in lowlands on the banks of the Niger river.

Thanks to a Bank-funded food and nutrition project, rice and cereal harvests in Mali’s “rice bowl” have risen sharply, and farming families are reaping the benefits. “It used to be that you couldn’t go near the embankments because they were in such poor condition. We had problems irrigating our fields,” Dramane said. “But the irrigation channels have been restored and this has made my work less of a chore.”

At the local market, new produce is available. Every evening, stallholder Adiaratou Traoré goes to meet growers in their fields to buy vegetables to sell the next morning. One of her customers, Ténin Traoré, is enjoying the new variety of food on offer:

“Agricultural products used to be scarce in our market. Despite the demand, what was available from farmers was expensive and poor quality. It hasn’t been like that for the last two years. Now, we have a modern market, we have everything we need and the quality is good too,” she said.

In neighbouring Mauritania, the government partnered with the Bank to roll out a $12 million irrigation project that has breathed new life into the west Brakna region, which is prone to droughts, food insecurity and other effects of climate change.

The development of irrigation systems and dredging of backwaters that flow out of the Senegal River has increased the arable and irrigated farmland from 300 hectares to almost 7,000 hectares.

The project has benefited local women, including Oumou Salif Diop, president of a cooperative of 150 women farmers. The women, who grow tomatoes, onions and rice among other crops, have received training under the project.

“We know how to work and how to preserve what we harvest,” said Oumou. “We farm better, generating better yields and higher profits. Compared with before, there has been a huge change.”

Further up the agricultural value chain is Monica Musonda, a Zambian businesswoman and CEO of food processing company Java Foods(link is external), which produces affordable and nutritious snacks made from local ingredients.

Although African women are well represented in cultivation, primary processing and as market traders, Monica is one of only few female entrepreneurs that have created large, profitable agri-businesses.

One problem is access to finance. The Bank estimates that a $15.6 billion financing gap exists for African women in agricultural value chains. Women are forced to rely on personal savings and family loans which are rarely enough to fund businesses to scale.

The Bank’s Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) adopts a three-pronged approach–improving access to finance, providing technical assistance and strengthening the enabling environment—to close that gap.

As well as supporting women farmers’ access to improved seed technologies and irrigation systems, The Bank is also promoting women’s transition into the most profitable segments of agricultural value chains. And with good reason: when African women thrive their societies share fully in the dividends.

The post From farm to fork: The women championing agricultural transformation in Africa appeared first on Inter Press Service.

Categories: Africa

Malawi’s COVID-19 Cash Transfer Almost Ready But Election Fever may Prevent Lockdown

Thu, 06/11/2020 - 12:17

Malawi’s small scale traders selling their merchandise at Limbe market in Blantyre. Credit: Lameck Masina/IPS

By Lameck Masina
BLANTYRE, Malawi, Jun 11 2020 (IPS)

Malawi remains one of the few nations in the world that has not gone into a coronavirus lockdown as the government rushes to meet the conditions of a court order to implement a cash transfer scheme for the poor before doing so. But as some parts of the world are slowing coming out of their lockdowns, it could be likely this southern African nation won’t go into one as the rerun of the country’s presidential election nears.

On Apr. 27, President Peter Mutharika announced the roll out of a multimillion dollar emergency cash transfer exercise aimed to cushion the peri urban poor from the impact of the coronavirus.

Mutharika said the $51 million bailout initiative targeted 172,000 households in the cities of Lilongwe, Blantyre, Mzuzu and Zomba.

The exercise, which was expected to roll out in May, was in response to demands from civil rights organisations, who obtained a court injunction against a planned 21-day lockdown scheduled to start Apr. 18, outlining the lack of measures to cushion the country’s vulnerable. The court ruled the cash transfer scheme be implemented and a lockdown would be suspended until then.

Under the World Bank-funded programme, beneficiaries will receive MK35, 000 (about $47) a month, for six months.

Country’s vulnerable still waiting

Widow Elizabeth Longwe has been earning her daily income by selling tomatoes at Limbe market in Blantyre. But since the country confirmed its first case of coronavirus on Apr. 2, her daily sales have reduced by almost half.

Her customers stopped purchasing from her for fear of contracting the virus, which has killed over 400,000 people across the globe.

“Instead, people started buying things in bulk and using them sparingly, making it difficult for small scale businesses like mine to enjoy the same kind of sales one would do on a normal day,” she tells IPS.

The mother of three says she “thanks God” that her lack of sales came after the government suspended schools in response to the pandemic.

“It would have been a disaster to me because I couldn’t have managed to provide transport money for my two older children to school daily. But still, my worry was how I would manage to feed my children,” she says.

But she had been hopeful for financial assistance when the cash transfer scheme was been announced.

So too was Lackson Tembo, who trades in second-hand clothes, also at Limbe Market.

“This was a relief to me because with this meant I would still be feeding my children. I would be able to buy soap for washing and bathing. I would be able to pay my monthly rent,” Tembo tells IPS.

Where is the money?

But Tembo and Longwe, who are among the first beneficiaries listed for the cash transfers, are yet to receive the money. And they have not been informed why. They fear that remarks by the country’s Vice President Saulos Chilima, who said at a political rally in May that donors have withheld the funds for fear of abuse, may in fact be true.

However, spokesperson for the Treasury Department in the Ministry of Finance Williams Banda tells IPS that the funds are there but disbursement is delayed because they have been working on “implementation modalities”.

“The World Bank was targeting the peri-urban hotspots of the major cities … [but] when the technical committee looked at the list, they noted that the targeted beneficiaries [vulnerable groups] were not on the lists,” says Banda.

Banda says this forced the technical committee to suspend the listing and start engaging with “the ones who do the normal social cash transfer, to get to those who are indeed vulnerable and very poor individuals in the peri-urban hot spots”.

Lockdown versus elections

However, many still doubt if the lockdown will ever take off as political leaders intensify their campaign rallies ahead of the country’s presidential re-run, expected to be held on Jul 2.

Malawi is expected to go polls after the Constitutional Court nullified the country’s May 21, 2019 presidential elections citing massive and systematic irregularities, including the use of correctional fluid on the ballots.
In its verdict on February 3, the court ordered fresh polls within 150 days, which ends on July 3. Parliament, which is currently sitting in the capital Lilongwe, is expected to set a date for the fresh polls.

But at a political rally on Saturday, Jun. 6, in the Zomba City in southern Malawi, former President Joyce Banda accused the government of exaggerating figures of COVID-19 cases.

Malawi has so far confirmed 455 COVID-19 cases with 4 deaths and 55 recoveries.

“Since April, we have only registered four deaths, and recently we saw the government faking people suffering from the coronavirus, to find an excuse to postpone the election through a lockdown, but still, more are recovering.

“Let’s just thank God that we have been spared from this pandemic rather than deliberately bloating cases to attract donor money,” she had said.

Her remarks were an echo of what other opposition leaders have been saying; that the government should forget imposing a lockdown as Malawians are eager to go to polls.

Cash transfer to start soon … but what of COVID-19 testing?

While it is uncertain if the country will ever go into a lockdown, Minister of Population Planning and Social Welfare Clara Makungwa tells IPS that with or without the lockdown, the emergency cash transfer will still roll out because of the increasing number of people impacted by COVID-19. This includes migrant workers who are returning home, as well as those who are unable to run their businesses as people implement their own social distancing measures here.

“Figures for those affected are getting bigger and bigger now. For example we have 17 busses coming soon with people [migrant workers who were stranded in South Africa because of the lockdown there] who are coming back home, they are helpless. Those that have businesses are suffering. They are not enjoying the usual business as they were doing before. These people still need assistance,” she tells IPS.

Makungwa says some of the issues which delayed the roll out of the programme have been resolved and expectation is that the exercise would start by the end of this month.

“We needed to train the enumerators, brief the block leaders because they are the ones to benefit and also work with city councils. So we have come that far and we are now ready for the enumerators to go round doing the enlisting and the programme will roll out,” says Makungwa.

However a lecturer in economics at Malawi Polytechnic, Betcheni Tchereni, tells IPS that although the cash transfer would help mitigate the impact of the virus on the poor, efforts to contain the spread of the virus should also be funded.

“The best thing that we should do is procure enough testing kits and make sure that pretty much everybody has been tested. That way then it will be alright and make sure that porous borders have been closed. Because you have seen that most of the people have been affected or infected because of someone who travelled from abroad,” Tchereni tells IPS.

Malawi with a population of about 18 million has just tested 13 COVID-19 testing sites according to the Public Health Institution of Malawi. About 6,000 people have far been tested.

The post Malawi’s COVID-19 Cash Transfer Almost Ready But Election Fever may Prevent Lockdown appeared first on Inter Press Service.

Categories: Africa

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