The Third UN Ocean Conference (UNOC-3) made a clear case for putting the ocean at the centre of the sustainable development agenda. While this should be celebrated, much work remains to translate UNOC-3’s achievements into real accomplishments. Continue reading The Third UN Ocean Conference: Reflections and the road ahead
Around the world, young people are turning to protest as electoral politics fails to address their grievances. So what do today’s young people want- and are policy makers prepared to respond? Continue reading From Kenya’s ‘Gen Z protests’ to the world: Youth as a global constituency
Development finance providers and policy makers must play a central role in expanding local currency financing and ensuring that the risks of currency volatility are not borne exclusively by those least able to manage them. Here are some short and long-term measures that can help. Continue reading Beyond hard currency: A new approach for development finance
Digital trade offers major benefits for Africa. But a lack of comprehensive frameworks is preventing Africa from reaching its e-commerce potential. Here’s what Africa’s policy makers should prioritise. Continue reading What’s holding back Africa’s digital trade revolution?
Urbanisation has historically led more women to enter the workforce, but this has not been the case in South Asia. Could a focus on social norms explain why? Continue reading Urbanisation vs. tradition: The paradox of female labour force participation in South Asia
By Harald Hirschhofer and Ugo Panizza
At COP29 in November, negotiators agreed to triple annual financing for developing countries from USD 100 billion to USD 300 billion by 2035. The challenge is that even if this ambitious target is met— a big “if” given the declining political commitment to official development assistance (ODA)—it will still fall short of the resources needed to scale up climate and SDG financing while ensuring debt sustainability.
Continue reading “To make ODA fit for the future, focus on currency risk “By Daniel Cash, Associate Professor at Aston University and Senior Fellow at the UN University Centre for Policy Research
Africa is in a debt crisis. On the continent, interest payments on debt have risen by 132% over the past decade. Thirty-two African countries now commit more to servicing debt than they do investing in healthcare, and 25 spend more on debt than education. In September, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned about the potential of social unrest across Africa due to lack of access to effective debt relief. Past debt crises in Africa have been met with internationally co-ordinated responses, but this time, similar efforts have failed.
Continue reading “To fix Africa’s debt crisis, reform credit ratings “
By Benjamin Kumpf, Head of the OECD Innovation for Development facility
As we are all too aware, the world is off track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. Progress will require major changes in policy, regulation, infrastructure, procurement, and planning, as well as social and behavioural shifts. And it will require a major increase in financing: the UN’s Financing for Sustainable Development Report 2024 puts the SDG investment and financing gaps at between USD 2.5 trillion and USD 4 trillion annually.
Continue reading “Can a focus on scaling help transform development co-operation?”
As the new Commission takes office this December, the European Union (EU) is embarking on a drive to rethink its approach to development co-operation. What will this mean for countries exposed to high fragility? Continue reading Understanding fragility: Why should the EU care?
Desertification, land degradation and droughts (DLDD) often go overlooked compared to other global crises linked to climate change or biodiversity loss, yet they devastate ecosystems, livelihoods and food security for billions worldwide. As policymakers gather in Riyadh from 2 to 11 December 2024 for the sixteenth Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), this is an important opportunity to raise ambitions, scale up resources and strengthen global co-operation to tackle these challenges. Continue reading Financing the Fight Against Desertification
