Lack of swift and bold action towards a low-carbon transition has challenged least developed countries (LDCs) according to the latest report of ‘Least Developed Countries Report 2022’ of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
As the report indicates, over the last 50 years, 69 per cent of worldwide deaths caused by climate-related disasters occurred in LDCs, including Ethiopia. Currently 46 countries have been evaluated as least developed countries of the world, 31 from Africa’s, 8 from Asian and seven from the Islands including Haiti.
According to the report, although LDCs bear the least historical responsibility for climate change, they are on the front lines of the climate crisis. They have committed to climate-resilient development pathways by 2030 and delivery on net-zero emissions by 2050.
The 46 LDCs are home to about 1.1 billion people or 14 per cent of the world population but have contributed minimally to CO2 emissions. In 2019, LDCs were estimated to have accounted for about 1.1 per cent of total world CO2 emissions from fossil-fuel combustion and industrial processes, the main sources of greenhouse gas emissions globally. Even in per capita terms, the CO2 emissions of LDCs barely reached 10 per cent of the world average. In contrast, the carbon footprint of an average person in a developed country or a non-LDC developing country was at least eight times larger than that of an average person in an LDC.
As the report states, while they are at the forefront of the negative consequences of global warming, LDCs contribute barely 4 per cent of current greenhouse gas emissions, yet account for 65 per cent of the global population lacking access to electricity. Hence, nowhere is the need for a “just energy transition” starker than in the LDCs.
Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic shock and its compounded adverse effects on trade, investment and development as the pandemic abruptly revealed deficiencies in development paradigms that have severely reduced the capacity of the State to generate domestic resources for economic, social and environmental investment.
As the report indicated, a combination of pre-existing factors and the war in Ukraine, LDC populations have experienced a sharp decline in living standards and increasing inequality, while the countries’ current account balances have come under additional pressure from rising external debt payments and soaring international energy and food prices.
Of the 1.1 billion people living in LDCs in 2020, an estimated 244 million were undernourished, 466 million had no access to electricity, 665 million lacked accesses to safely managed drinking water, and 874 million had no access to clean fuels and cooking technologies. These figures dramatically demonstrate the efforts that will be required to build adequate resilience to climate change, embark on sustainable adaptation, and meet the targets enshrined in Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The 27th United Nations Climate Conference Conference of the Parties (COP27) – presents a unique opportunity to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement, the Bridgetown Covenant, the Doha Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the Decade 2022–2031 (DPoA), and, more generally, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. These goals aim to achieve a mutually beneficial climate and development-friendly nexus.
“LDCs represent the litmus test against which history will judge how effectively the efforts of the international community to make the low-carbon transition take into account the development dimensions and reflect the principles of equity and differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities,” the report read.
Low-carbon transition signaled to have daunting implications, report reveals
New report reveals steady rise in demand for contraception
As the world faces a pivotal moment for family planning, new data released shows that the use of modern contraception is soaring around the world, with an estimated 371 million women of reproductive age in low- and lower-middle-income countries now using a modern method of family planning 87 million more than just a decade ago.
The new data released at a press briefing this morning at the International Conference on Family Planning was accompanied by commitments from governments, including the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and the announcement of a historic new five-year pledge to FP2030 of US$15 million from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Calling USAID, “a pillar of this global family planning partnership since FP2030 were created ten years ago,” Dr. Samukeliso Dube, executive director of FP2030, said the new commitment, “affirms the success in our new report: that a diverse global partnership, deliberately working together, can accelerate the use of family planning everywhere. The findings presented here provide us with a message for global leaders meeting at major events in parallel to ours: whether at the COP27 in Egypt, the G20 in Indonesia, or the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Thailand; whether their goal is to address climate change, inequality, or economic development, they must begin with a commitment to invest in family planning.”
According to FP2030’s 2022 Measurement Report, more women in low- and lower-middle income countries are using modern family planning methods than ever before: today, 1 in 3 women of reproductive age in low- and lower-middle income countries are now choosing to use modern contraception. Contraceptive prevalence has steadily increased in these countries, but in 14 countries, the number of contraceptive users has actually doubled. The sharpest growth has been in sub-Saharan Africa.
In the last year alone, women’s use of contraception in low- and lower-middle income countries has averted more than 141 million unintended pregnancies, 29 million unsafe abortions and almost 150,000 maternal deaths.
The FP2030 report also suggests that despite the unprecedented strain COVID-19 placed on national health systems and global supply chains, and throughout restrictive lockdowns, record numbers of people around the world continued to seek out and use family planning products and services.
“The scale of the COVID-19 pandemic was unprecedented,” said Dr. Dube, “and over the past 10 years health systems have been buffeted by a number of threats, including natural disasters, violent conflicts, epidemics of Ebola and Zika, political shifts and changing economic conditions.”
Paired with the significant commitments made by governments and philanthropies, the new FP 2030 report demonstrates the strength and resilience of a movement that has withstood a host of global challenges, as more and more countries and organizations recognize that voluntary, rights-based family planning is integral to their development and a major driver of gender equality.
“The benefits of family planning are enormous, and have a multiplier effect,” added Dr. Dube. “Family planning is the key to reducing maternal deaths; it is the difference between finishing high school and entering into early marriage and parenthood; and it can unlock a woman’s economic survival and prosperity. That is why we are delighted to welcome the announcement of the USAID’s decision to support FP2030.”
Growing support for family planning, as a human-rights centered approach to development
Less than two years after the FP2030 global partnership was launched, 24 governments and 78 non- governmental actors including civil society organizations, private sector providers and youth-led organizations have now made a public financial, policy or programmatic pledge to advance rights- based family planning, vowing to expand access to voluntary, rights-based contraception.
Also at the press conference, the government of DRC announced its commitment to provide every person of reproductive age in the Congo Basin country with access to affordable, quality family planning information and services, regardless of social class, geographical location or political or religious affiliation. The government also pledged to increase access to family planning information and services for all adolescents and young people, from 13.1% in 2018 to at least 18% in 2025.
Nineteen countries in sub-Saharan Africa have also finalized their FP2030 commitments: Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, and Uganda. These commitments share many common priorities, including improving service delivery for young people, increasing domestic financing, scaling up postpartum family planning and strengthening supply chains.
According to Jason Bremner, FP2030 senior director of Data and Measurement, “the number of women seeking modern methods of contraception has continued to climb. This is a testament to women’s desire to control whether and when to have children, and how many children to have.”
Speakers at the press briefing noted that meeting the growing demand for family planning will require continued efforts to understand the changing needs and preferences of women and their partners.
For example, implants are the most used method in 10 countries and the second most common method in another 14 countries. This represents a stark contrast with the method mix a decade ago, when implants were not as widely available.
Protecting hard-fought gains and stepping up progress
While celebrating the good news, Dr. Dube also noted that in many places, access to family planning services is under attack. The recent United States Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization imperils not only abortion access, but also the right to contraception, the right to make personal medical decisions and potentially the right of LGBTQ individuals to marry and have children.
“Repressive movements around the world are threatening to roll back women’s rights, depriving people of bodily autonomy and reproductive freedom,” said Dr. Dube. “Despite the overwhelming demand for family planning, the progress of the last few years should not be taken for granted.”
At the same time, donor government funding for family planning is not keeping up with the growing demand for modern contraception. Data released shows that bilateral donor funding totaled approximately US$1.4 billion in 2021: essentially flat compared to 2020, but substantially lower than the peak achieved in 2019 (US$1.52 billion). Given current financial instability and inflationary trends around the world, there could be further funding cuts in the future.
“Failing to adequately fund family planning efforts would be a missed opportunity for millions of women,” said Dr. Dube. “We need not only to hold the line, but also to secure new funding to accommodate the surge in demand for family planning. To ensure that the world stays on track to meet the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 including the intersecting goals of gender equality, health, and prosperity investments in family planning must be safeguarded and strengthened.”
In 2021, FP2030 introduced a new decentralized, regional model, consisting of five regional hubs on four continents. This new structure promises to make FP2030 more inclusive and therefore more effective than ever before, and places family planning decisions where they should be; firmly in the hands of the nations and communities making these commitments and seeking their own solutions.
“As more and more young people enter their reproductive years, the demand for family planning services will continue to grow. This rising demand must be met by adequate funding and increased supply,” said Dr. Dube. “The hard-won gains of the last 10 years could slip away if we don’t act now.”
Hosea Trading House successfully turnkeys ‘Yerer Homes Residential Village’
Hosea Trading House plc accomplishes timely turn-key of its construction project of over 310 residential apartments and shops within two and a half years.
The real estate developer and successful investor on various sectors disclosed that the houses have been transferred for buyers.
The project called ‘Yerer Homes Residential Village’ located at Ayat 49, Lemi Kura Sub City of northeastern Addis Ababa was constructed on a 23,000 square meter plot of land.
The project has 14 apartments with four flats and 20 villas resting on 250 square meters each.
The apartments accommodate 280 houses that have from one to three bedrooms. The apartments have also 10 shops behind the residential compound.
The state of the art village has an underground water system, anaerobic baffled reactor system that manages liquid waste, different sport fields and a children playground.
According to the developer, buyers have secured their title deeds. In the different construction phases, ten contractors are said to have been involved for the success of the project.
The developer stated that there were several challenges including dynamic and heavy price hikes on construction material. Nonetheless, Hosea has successfully accomplished the project as per the time frame it gave to its buyers.
“Compared with the contract agreement signed, the price of construction materials has spiked ten folds. But we never adjusted the initial contract with the home buyers and we have stayed true to our word,” officials of the company explained.
Hosea Trading House is involved in different business including importing of medical equipment, steel wholesale, and hotel and tourism sector besides the real estate development.
About two years ago it also transferred an apartment that holds 30 houses.
DILEMMA OF INCOME DISBURSEMENT
In the industrial regime of the 20th century, core economic activities effectively rested on the two major pillars of the system, namely labor and capital. To be sure, capital is nothing more than ‘dead labor’, but we will not go into that today. To a large extent, these two protagonists shaped the ideologies of the 20th century nation-states. In the socialist camp, countries like the USSR and China, with many other aspirants, tried new social formations along the values of labor. In the west, which was dominated by the logic of capital, the reaction to the rising radical tendency of eastern nations was to vigorously temper the excesses of capital. The result; ‘social democracy’ in the industrial west, including the USA. These opposing, yet searing orientations of the above two contenders, still reverberate in the 21st century.!
The 21st century economic problematic harbors, amongst many other intractable challenges, the very mechanism of income distribution. In other words, how to distribute income to the vast, but economically marginalized majority of the world system? With the advent of technology, the global economy has been moving towards the employment of less labor. As a result and unlike the 20th century, labor lost significant negotiating power vis-à-vis capital. In the western world today, the average working adult doesn’t earn enough to support a family life. She has to resort either to some kind of state assistance or try to do without a whole lot of things. Going into massive debt to sustain basic livelihood/lifestyles, without the remotest possibility of ever paying back the debts whole, has become another strategy for survival! Herein lies the crux of the matter: When both labor and capital get incessantly de-valorized, how is the global sheeple, (human mass) including asset owning urbanized plebs, going to survive? In the olden days the major contention between labor and capital was how to share the surplus that were accruing from general productive activities, mostly commodity production! Since then, automation, robotics and informatics conspired to devalue labor. In fact, when AI (artificial intelligence) becomes fully integrated into the global economy, things will get even worse, particularly for physical labor!
In earlier times plenty of institutions were set up to facilitate the project of commodity production, industrial or otherwise. The effort was supported by both labor and capital. Training skilled labor for the economy was the driving force behind the modern education system that was put in place in the 20th century. Putting resources to this end was also supported by capital. A word of caution is in order. Do not confuse this project of the mills (educational institutions) with that of genuine enlightenment. Obviously, the status quo intentionally wants to muddy the water when it comes to these two qualitatively separate undertakings, so that it can get away with murder, so to speak. Today, the ethos of enlightenment is being approximated by such initiatives as ‘home schooling.’ The status quo’s purpose of public schooling still remains the creation of effective human drones. And this is ‘indoctrination’ pure and simple! Be that as it may, finding jobs in economies where technology increasingly takes over the functions of human labor is not going to be easy. Subsequently the dilemma arises; if people can’t find meaningful occupation with commensurate remuneration, how are they going to purchase stuff produced by non-humans? For whom are the commodities intended in the first place?
It is not only labor that is in a fix, so to speak. Capital is also becoming superfluous. For instance, finance capital used to set its own terms for its own use. Interest rates were one way of measuring the cost of capital. Yet today, there are over $17 trillions worth of bonds in the world with negative yields, i.e., negative interest rates! Just like labor’s precarious predicament, capital’s position in late modernity is also in a pickle. To avoid the impending calamity of capital’s massive devalorization, the managers of globalization are enacting various policies. Liberalization, deregulation and privatizations are aggressively pushed by the neoliberal institutions of the world system in order to find viable outlets to the glut of capital that is threatening to burst at the seams! The phenomenon of asset inflation, whose scale and breadth is unseen and unheard in all of human societal history, has taken root across the world. We believe such abnormalities are harbingers of things to come. We believe, the fraudulent global system of ‘fractional reserve banking’, based on ‘fiat’ currencies, might well be on life support system. No wonder central banks of various countries are feverishly hording precious metals (as reserves).
‘Universal Basic Income’ is one proposal that is being looked at, rather carefully, by Nordic countries. UBI’s main objective is to try to ameliorate labor’s position in the aforementioned new realities that have skewed the traditional mechanisms of income distribution. As the modern world’s structural crisis deepens, the dilemma of availing purchasing power to the general sheeple is bound to impose serious problems.
This was first published in 2019
