We take a look at how besieged Yemenis are faring in their daily lives now that a tenuous United Nations-brokered truce is in place.
Also in today’s edition: We give you updates on how the U.N. wants to address the reversal in progress on global education goals since the start of the pandemic, and the geopolitical fight over providing humanitarian aid to Syria.
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.
A truce between the Houthis, who control much of northern Yemen, and the exiled Saudi-backed government in the south has surprised many Yemen observers, Devex Managing Editor Anna Gawel writes.
There is a “palpable sense of relief” throughout the country, Renata Rendon, the Yemen advocacy director for the Norwegian Refugee Council, says. Yemenis no longer have to worry about hearing airstrikes, says Rendon, who is based in the Houthi-controlled capital of Sanaa.
However, the U.N.’s $4.3 billion appeal for humanitarian aid to Yemen is just over 25% funded, and many Yemenis still face daily challenges that make their lives difficult, according to Philippe Duamelle, UNICEF’s representative to Yemen.
“As someone who has been living in Yemen for almost two years now, I can tell you we feel the difference,” he tells Devex. “However, the fundamentals have not changed. Access to health care, access to water, access to basic services haven't changed.”
Read: Truce offers besieged Yemenis some relief, but not enough
ICYMI: Humanitarian funding gap hits new record
Final countdown
Devex World is happening tomorrow, July 12, both in person at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., and virtually for a global audience. While we’ve got plenty of big names speaking — Bill Gates, Kristalina Georgieva, Mark Malloch-Brown, among many others — the all-day event will also feature people who may not be household names but who are playing a huge role in shaping 21st-century development, covering topics like blockchain’s role in humanitarian aid, “data colonialism,” and the power of Muppets to storytelling, aided not just by Sesame Workshop President Sherrie Westin, but by two Rohingya Muppets created to connect with children growing up in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar. Join us for the free livestream tomorrow by saving your spot here.
Left behind
1 in 6
—That’s the proportion of countries on track to meet Sustainable Development Goal 4 and achieve universal access to quality education by 2030, according to a UNESCO report released last week. My colleague Rumbi Chakamba spoke to Collen Vixen Kelapile, president of the U.N. Economic and Social Council, about the global regression on education goals during the pandemic — and he says the disparity in learning between low- and middle-income countries and high-income countries is growing, with Africa especially vulnerable.
“So even if we went online now, the means of doing that technologically for our countries are not there,” says Kelapile, who is from Botswana. “So in a way, we would be worsening the disparity between the developed and developing countries, as far as discharging education is concerned.”
ECOSOC president: Solidarity key to universal education access
Recap: Over 100 countries gather to transform education for world's poorest
Stuck in the middle
Last week, the U.N. Security Council was unable to find a solution to keep open the border crossing between Turkey and Syria, used to deliver humanitarian aid to 4.1 million people. The agreement over aid deliveries expired yesterday, after a Russian proposal for a six-month extension dueled with a Norwegian and Irish proposal for a 12-month reprieve — and neither was successful.
U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield called it a “dark day,” while Russia accused the U.S. of playing “dubious political games.” Other experts still hoped a compromise could be reached.
International cooperation
The United States is partnering with the World Health Organization’s technology transfer hub in South Africa to develop messenger RNA vaccines for diseases like COVID-19, tuberculosis, malaria and Ebola, my colleague Sara Jerving reports.
The partnership was announced Friday and it is to further the work of the hub, which is the first of its kind globally. It will include the sharing of technical skills and materials to accelerate vaccine production.
Read: US forges partnership with South Africa’s mRNA tech transfer hub
+ Devex Pro members can read about a new “bespoke” facility for vaccine manufacturing nearing completion in Senegal, and aimed at enhancing health security in Africa by lessening dependence on companies abroad to supply vaccines. Not gone Pro yet? Sign up now and start your 15-day free trial
The art of storytelling
Helping people feel invested in telling their story on their own terms is key to the success of visual storytelling in global development, according to Habitat for Humanity photographer and video producer Raymond McCrea Jones. He lists additional tips and career advice for Devex readers, including that storytelling work be “fuelled by compassion, integrity and humanism.”
Read: Career advice from a Habitat for Humanity International photographer
+ A Devex Career Account membership gives you access to our entire global development job board, all of our career advice, and the ability to feature your professional profile for thousands of recruiters to find. From now to tomorrow, we’re offering a 50% discount for new members!
In other news
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday announced an additional $368 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine. [U.S. State Department]
Kiribati has withdrawn from the Pacific Islands Forum, citing the forum’s inability to address the concerns of Micronesian countries. [The Guardian]
U.K. Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs Liz Truss has made her bid to replace Boris Johnson as prime minister. [BBC]
U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to announce $100 million funding for Palestinian hospitals during his trip to the Middle East this week. [Axios]
Shabtai Gold contributed to this edition of Devex Newswire.
Sign up to Newswire for an inside look at the biggest stories in global development.
About the author
Stephanie Beasley@Steph_Beasley
Stephanie Beasley is a Senior Reporter at Devex, where she covers global philanthropy with a focus on regulations and policy. She is an alumna of the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism and Oberlin College and has a background in Latin American studies. She previously covered transportation security at POLITICO.
