

Migration in African intermediary cities: why multi-stakeholder partnerships are key to inclusive action
By Janina Stürner-Siovitz, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, and Lasse Juhl Morthorst, Research Fellow, The Equal Partnerships Project1, Research on Migration, Displacement and Integration University of Erlangen-Nuremberg
Intermediary cities in Africa are becoming major hubs of mixed migration, but local governments often lack legal mandates and resources to include migration questions in urban planning. Multi-stakeholder partnerships open opportunities for inclusive and context-sensitive urban migration governance.
Continue reading “Migration in African intermediary cities: why multi-stakeholder partnerships are key to inclusive action”
The influence of media on trust in government and climate policies
By Dr. Stephen P. Groff, Governor, National Development Fund, Saudi Arabia, former Vice-President for East Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific at the Asian Development Bank, and former Deputy Director of the OECD’s Development Co-operation Directorate
Last year saw historic floods devastate Pakistan, South Asia and West Africa; massive storms pummel the Philippines and southern United States; and droughts, heatwaves and wildfires rage across Europe, China and the western United States. Despite the extreme weather events that continue to ravage many regions in the world, public support and trust in many OECD government climate-action plans remains disappointingly low.
What role does media coverage play in building or diminishing this trust, and how can we address this moving forward?
Continue reading “The influence of media on trust in government and climate policies”
Calling for an International Green Bank
By Hafez Ghanem, Senior Fellow at the Policy Center for the New South, Distinguished Fellow at the Paris School of Economics, Nonresident Fellow at the Brookings Institution, former Vice President of the World Bank [1]
Humanity is losing the climate battle, and existing international institutions are not delivering on essential environmental action points. We urgently need a new international institution whose sole mission is to develop, finance and support the implementation of green projects in the Global South.
Continue reading “Calling for an International Green Bank”
Poverty reduction and climate finance: pieces of the same development puzzle
By Susanna Gable, Deputy Director, Development Policy and Finance, Gates Foundation
Economic growth, poverty reduction, and climate action are deeply interlinked: none can move ahead without the other. So why isn’t more happening?
Our recent report A transition approach to poverty reduction and climate finance – The missing link to implementation from the Global Council on SDG1 points to the lack of ‘transition thinking’ both in policy and financing. It argues that to achieve poverty reduction goals alongside necessary climate actions, we need a just green transition supported by policy and financing that takes the specific development context and level of economic transition of each country into account.
Continue reading “Poverty reduction and climate finance: pieces of the same development puzzle”
It’s time to develop better automotive value chains in Africa
By Dave Coffey, Chief Executive Officer · AAAM[i] – African Association of Automotive Manufacturers
Where is the last frontier for significant automotive development and growth in the world? It’s Africa. The challenge then is, how can local skills and raw materials be better allocated to balance contributions to global supply chains and Africa’s own industries?
Continue reading “It’s time to develop better automotive value chains in Africa”
Can LDCs reach 7% annual GDP growth by 2031?
By Brendan Vickers, Head of Section, Salamat Ali, Trade Economist, and Neil Balchin, Economic Adviser: Trade Policy Analysis, The International Trade Policy Section of the Commonwealth Secretariat
If all 46 countries categorised as “Least Developed” by the UN achieve annual GDP growth of at least 7%, their combined GDP could almost double – between 2022 and 2031 – going from USD $1.1 trillion to more than USD $2.25 trillion.
—> This is the target set by the United Nations’ Doha Programme of Action (DPoA).
Yet, in the rapidly changing global economic landscape, with the threat of a worldwide recession and multiple and interrelated food, energy, and debt crises, achieving this ambitious growth target seems a herculean task.
Continue reading “Can LDCs reach 7% annual GDP growth by 2031?”
The Time Has Come for Multi-dimensional Development Metrics – India’s G20 Presidency
By G A Tadas, Visiting Fellow, Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), New Delhi, India. Views expressed are personal.
GDP has long served as the key indicator of a country’s development, but is this the only factor that matters in citizens’ lives? Does more money categorically result in better lives? The India G20 presidency is looking for other metrics to complement these measures.
Continue reading “The Time Has Come for Multi-dimensional Development Metrics – India’s G20 Presidency”
Can electric vehicles drive climate change action in India?
By Trupti Deshpande, Former Senior Associate and Spurthi Ravuri, Senior Associate, Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP)
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the transportation sector globally, pushing more people away from public transport and towards privately owned cars. How has it impacted emissions in India and can electric vehicles be the answer to “cleaner and greener” transportation?
Continue reading “Can electric vehicles drive climate change action in India?”
Stopping the leaks: a fresh look at tax breaks for foreign aid
By Rachel Morris, Policy Analyst – Financing for Sustainable Development (Development Co-operation Directorate), and Joseph Stead, Senior Policy Analyst – Tax and Development (Centre for Tax Policy and Administration), OECD
Faced with the worst economic downturn since World War II, developing country governments are scrambling to maximise resources to stay afloat. During the COVID-19 pandemic, developing countries took a massive hit to their government revenues: USD 689 billion fewer revenues were generated in 2019 compared to 2020.1 The poorest countries are now faced with an increasing gap to finance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) due to higher financing needs and fewer resources to spend on recovery. In addition to declining government revenues, increasing pressures on available foreign aid mean that resources to avoid debt and climate crises are stretched2. With government revenues in developing countries expected to remain almost 20% below pre-pandemic levels, every penny counts, especially those coming from tax revenues. But tax exemptions can stand in the way of maximising tax revenues.
Continue reading “Stopping the leaks: a fresh look at tax breaks for foreign aid”
How to make gender equality work for everyone
By Laura Parry-Davies, Digital Communications Officer, OECD Development Centre
The pandemic has set equal rights for women and girls back significantly. What can the international community do to reverse this trend and put social, economic and physical equality back on track?
Experts from UN Women, London School of Economics and Political Science, MenCare Global Fatherhood Campaign, and the OECD gathered to discuss next steps for empowering young women and girls as part of the OECD Development Centre’s 60th Anniversary Dialogues.
Continue reading “How to make gender equality work for everyone”