While news of Russia taking control of Ukraine’s largest nuclear facility emerges, the two countries have tentatively agreed to establish humanitarian corridors into the besieged country so that assistance can reach people affected by the conflict. Based on Russia’s conduct in Syria, however, it’s way too early to call that a victory for humanitarian access.
Today we’re also keeping tabs on follow-up from the African Union-European Union summit, taking a more nuanced approach to vaccine hesitancy, and tracking Russia’s increasing isolation from development institutions.
This is a preview of Newswire
Sign up to this newsletter for an inside look at the biggest stories in global development, in your inbox daily.
With a growing number of Ukrainian cities surrounded by Russian troops and artillery, negotiators from both countries acknowledged some possibility of limited ceasefires in specific parts of the country to allow evacuation.
But experts who watched Russia’s handling of humanitarian corridors and ceasefires in Syria say that while that sounds like good news, Putin’s military is likely to manipulate these kinds of arrangements for its own benefit.
Still, USAID Administrator Samantha Power finds reason to hope this week’s resounding United Nations vote condemning Russia’s invasion will also signal international solidarity for humanitarian access to Ukraine.
“We need the entire world to stand for access,” Power said Thursday at the German Marshall Fund, a Washington think tank.
Power contrasted the global push for humanitarian protections she wants to see in Ukraine with what has occurred in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, where she said some countries have offered rhetoric about humanitarian access, “but just really haven’t put much behind it.” She noted that “China could have a critical role to play in pressing on the humanitarian front,” as could African countries, but she noted it is Russia that will ultimately have to feel the pressure.
“Because it is Russian troops that are encircling these towns and forcing civilians to be subjected to shelling and bombardment and food shortages … it is the Russian Federation that will have to be pressed to open up access,” she said, adding that those negotiations will happen “tactically” on a town-by-town basis.
The current reality for aid workers in Ukraine is a far cry from delicate political negotiations over humanitarian corridors. Aid representatives tell us their colleagues in the country are dodging artillery fire.
"Our aid workers in Ukraine are in bomb shelters and fleeing from attacks. Most of our staff are still not safe,” a Norwegian Refugee Council representative tells my colleague Shabtai Gold, adding that the organization is nonetheless making plans to scale up assistance.
+ Catch up on our coverage of how the conflict is affecting humanitarian work in the country.
With friends like these
On Thursday, the Beijing-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and Shanghai-based New Development Bank — also known as the BRICS bank, and yes, the “R” stands for Russia — both suspended their activities with Russia.
While the banks explained their actions as largely business-prudential decisions stemming from sanctions and other financial concerns, they effectively mean that Russia has forced itself outside of development institutions it helped to create.
Shabtai writes: “In a statement Thursday, AIIB was cautious, expressing concern for ‘all who are suffering’ and reaffirming a commitment to multilateralism. The bank said that ‘international law lies at the very core of our institution.’
AIIB pledged to help its members deal with the war’s fallout, citing commodity price shocks and financial market volatility. Commodity prices have been soaring over the past week, including huge spikes in oil and gas, along with wheat, corn, and other staple foods.”
Read: China-based AIIB and NDB halt work in Russia as sanctions hit
Help wanted
Officials from the U.S. State Department are asking philanthropic organizations to provide funding for Ukrainians displaced by the Russian invasion of their country as well as those who remain in Ukraine.
In a call with the members of the Council on Foundations trade group on Thursday, U.S. State Department officials directed people to donate to an online fundraiser it organized in partnership with GoFundMe.org. They also suggested donations be made to the National Bank of Ukraine’s fundraiser to support the country’s armed forces.
New hires
The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet — an international public-private alliance seeking to use philanthropic funding to attract private capital to green energy projects in the global south — is staffing up and preparing to quickly mobilize initiatives to support the transition to renewable energy.
The coalition which includes the Bezos Earth Fund, the IKEA Foundation, and The Rockefeller Foundation, named Ravi Venkatesan, a special representative for young people at UNICEF, as its board chair and Simon Harford as its first CEO, Stephanie Beasley reports for Devex Pro subscribers.
Hartford was recently a senior adviser at Actis, a sustainable infrastructure investment firm.
Green energy: Foundation-led alliance announces CEO, global south plans
+ Pro subscribers can also read up on how the $100B green energy alliance will work. Not gone Pro yet? Start your 15-day free trial now for deeper analysis of the development sector, exclusive digital events, and access to the world’s largest global development job board.
Watching EU, watching me
With members of the European Parliament, Devex journalists, and European Union officials themselves eager to understand how the European Commission intends to pull off its €150 billion ($163 billion) investment pledge to Africa, interest in the deliverables from last month’s summit with African leaders is sky high.
That has set the stage for behind-the-scenes jostling over who’s in charge of making sure that this time, the summit’s aims are met.
The EU is putting its weight behind a new Africa-Europe Foundation to drive engagement with business leaders, communicate on progress, and potentially monitor how promised investments are rolled out. But the African Union remains wary, keen to safeguard the existing institutional arrangements.
AU-EU: Who is actually monitoring the partnership?
Middle ground
“Vaccine hesitancy should not be considered an ‘evil,’ which is what is happening in certain circles … because of how polarizing the issue has become.”
— Ananta Seth, assistant manager, Asia Pacific Immunization CoalitionMost people are somewhere in between all-out acceptance of vaccines and all-out refusal, and it’s up to public health organizations to work within that spectrum through effective communication and outreach, Jenny Lei Ravelo reports.
How to increase vaccine uptake? Don’t “demonize” vaccine hesitancy.
+ Get exclusive global health news and insider insights by signing up for Devex CheckUp — our free, must-read Thursday newsletter.
In other news
Nepal’s Parliament has approved a contentious $500 million grant from the United States, despite street protests and strong opposition from critics. [Deutsche Welle]
Obesity is on the rise in 10 countries in Africa, with 1 in 5 adults, and 1 in 10 children and teens projected to be obese by December 2023, according to the World Health Organization. [Xinhua]
Vince Chadwick contributed to this edition.
Sign up to Newswire for an inside look at the biggest stories in global development.
Update, March 8, 2022: This article has been updated to better reflect details related to an online fundraiser organized by the U.S. State Department and GoFundMe.org.
About the author
Michael Igoe@AlterIgoe
Michael Igoe is a Senior Reporter with Devex, based in Washington, D.C. He covers U.S. foreign aid, global health, climate change, and development finance. Prior to joining Devex, Michael researched water management and climate change adaptation in post-Soviet Central Asia, where he also wrote for EurasiaNet. Michael earned his bachelor's degree from Bowdoin College, where he majored in Russian, and his master’s degree from the University of Montana, where he studied international conservation and development.
