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DEVEX Development news for the period to JUNE 27, 2022 Original article: Peter Burgess COMMENTARY Peter Burgess | ||
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PRESENTED BY DATA.ORG BY MICHAEL IGOE JUNE 27, 2022 On Friday the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a nearly 50-year-old constitutional right to an abortion in the United States. Global reproductive health advocates say the consequences of that decision will be felt around the world. In today’s edition: We’ve also got details on the British Investment Partnerships, and an update on WHO’s view of monkeypox. With its ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the U.S. Supreme Court opened a tumultuous new era in women’s rights and sexual and reproductive health in the country. It also cast the United States as an outlier among countries that have mostly trended toward protecting abortion rights around the world. The U.S. now joins Poland, El Salvador, and Nicaragua as the only nations to backtrack on or restrict abortion policy in decades. Adva Saldinger reports that advocates who have pushed for reproductive health rights around the world are worried about the message the ruling could send — and about the possibility anti-abortion groups in other countries could learn from the U.S. playbook for attacking what many believed to be firmly established law. In Indonesia, it could further galvanize proponents of a family resilience bill that would restrict women’s rights and access to contraceptives and criminalize homosexuality and extramarital affairs, said Marcia Soumokil, the Indonesia country director at Ipas, at a recent media roundtable. In Bangladesh, a local organization that works with Population Action International reported that within 24 hours of last month’s leak of the draft opinion on the Supreme Court’s ruling, groups opposed to the expansion of sexual and reproductive health and rights were “using this as additional fuel for why access to abortion and SRHR is not something Bangladesh should be moving forward with,” says Kazi Hutchins, president and CEO at PAI. In Malawi, advocates have pushed for legislation to expand access to safe abortions when a pregnancy is the result of rape or incest, or if a woman’s health is at risk. That effort has stalled, and advocates worry that the U.S. ruling will further energize its opponents, says Pansi Katenga, director of development at Ipas. Read: Bracing for global impact as Roe v. Wade abortion decision overturned ----------------------------------------- A MESSAGE FROM DATA.ORG Building data talent for the world's most pressing challenges A new report from data.org and the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation reveals the critical need for diverse data professionals focused on social impact. Learn more about the opportunity to cultivate data talent around the globe and four pathways forward. Download the report → ----------------------------------------- Howdy partner The United Kingdom’s development finance institution — formerly CDC Group, and now British International Investment — is looking like one of the few winners in a U.K. aid strategy designed to align a slimmed-down budget with British economic goals. William Worley reports that the recently revamped development finance institution is widely seen as the favored development tool of Foreign Secretary Liz Truss despite having faced criticism in the past over lack of a strong anti-poverty focus in its investments — an accusation BII executives have denied. BII is now also part of a broader portfolio of investment-related assistance tools, collectively known as British Investment Partnerships, or BIP, which came to light in the U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office’s new international development strategy, released in May. Will has the details on what these partnerships might look like. Read: What will FCDO's British Investment Partnerships do for development? + Devex Pro subscribers can watch a panel of experts dissect the U.K.’s new international development strategy to better understand its content and impact on global development. Not gone Pro yet? Sign up and start your 15-day free trial. ----------------------------------------- Wait and see More than 50 countries have reported 3,000 monkeypox cases since early May, but the World Health Organization, following advice from a group of experts comprising the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee on the outbreak, deemed it’s not yet a public health emergency of international concern, or PHEIC — a decision that surprised many. In its final report Saturday, the committee — though it noted internal “differing views” — advised WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus not to call it a PHEIC, saying a reassessment should take place if the rate of reported cases increases over the next three weeks, if:
“The window to contain and control this outbreak is getting smaller,” she tells Devex via email. “Declaring this a PHEIC, while mostly for namesake, could bring more attention, resources and vigilance worldwide.”Prior to the decision, some experts were already saying that the current monkeypox outbreak meets all the criteria for a PHEIC — an extraordinary event with the risk of international spread, potentially requiring a coordinated international response. But some note that declaring it a PHEIC now could be problematic, given monkeypox outbreaks have been occurring in parts of Africa since the 1980s. Get exclusive global health news and insider insights by signing up for Devex CheckUp — our free, must-read Thursday newsletter. SPONSORED BY SUSTAINABLE MARKETS INITIATIVE Opinion: Taking collective action to decarbonize the health care sector Recognizing that health care contributes to 4%-5% of greenhouse gas emissions per year, leaders from across the health care sector are joining forces to accelerate the delivery of net-zero health systems. Download the report → ----------------------------------------- Cutting ties The United Nations Office for Project Services’ fallout continues. David Ainsworth reports that Finland has cut all its core funding to U.N. initiatives pending an inspection of their risk management mechanisms, according to a statement from the country’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Read: Finland freezes funding to UN agencies in wake of UNOPS scandal + Catch up on our coverage of the UNOPS scandal. Rape allegations French media reported last week that the country’s recently appointed minister of state for development, francophonie and international partnerships is under investigation for rape. The two separate allegations against Greek-born Chrysoula Zacharopoulou stem from her time as a gynecologist in France. She is also facing a third complaint for violent treatment of a patient in 2018. Zacharopoulou released a statement through her lawyer rejecting the “unacceptable and revolting” accusations and saying she “never imposed any exam on any of her patients without their consent.” As co-chair of the COVAX Shareholders Council, Zacharopoulou impressed European Union officials in Brussels with her advocacy on EU-Africa relations, including as rapporteur of a report on relations between the two continents. SPECIAL NOTICE Join top global development professionals at Devex World Register for our biggest event this year and expect a full-day livestream of inspiring, interactive, and collaborative sessions with one focus: turning ideas into action. Join in person for Devex World in Washington, D.C., and online, on July 12. Register now at ›› DevexWorld.com. In other news G-7 member countries announced Sunday a $600 billion infrastructure and investment plan to rival China’s Belt and Road Initiative. [Politico] The World Trade Organization last week welcomed a historic deal to limit fishing subsidies that contribute to overfishing. [The Guardian] Tuvalu has pulled out its attendance from this week’s U.N. Ocean Conference after China restricted the credentials of the Pacific nation’s Taiwanese delegates. [RNZ] Thank you for reading today’s Newswire, edited by Fiona Zublin and produced by Janelle Cruz and Yula Mediavillo. Have a news tip? Email michael.igoe@devex.com. ©Devex is the media platform for the global development community. 1701 Rhode Island Ave NW Washington, DC 20036 USA +1.202.249.9222 This email was sent to peterbnyc@gmail.com. You received this email because you signed up for the Devex Newswire, or as part of your Devex membership. To stop receiving this newsletter, unsubscribe.
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