With time running out for millions in Afghanistan, the United Nations Security Council and U.S. Treasury have offered some signs of reprieve for a country on the verge of catastrophe.
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After extensive negotiations, the 15-member Security Council unanimously approved a resolution on Wednesday that creates carve-outs to the sanctions regime that has crippled Afghanistan’s financial sector, so that aid groups can operate without fear of legal persecution, Shabtai Gold reports.
That resolution was then matched by an announcement from the U.S. Treasury of three new general licenses that expand the scope of humanitarian action that will not be subject to sanctions and also allow for some noncommercial development work.
“These are both very important steps and we should take the wins when we get them," says Jacob Kurtzer of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "But I don’t think anyone should view the activities as sufficient. This solves a small part of the problem.”
Read: UN Security Council, US Treasury move to ease aid to Afghanistan
Devex Top 10
The results are in — and these are the 10 most-read Devex articles of 2021. It should come as little surprise that our coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic dominates the list, but we also published widely read articles about the geopolitics of foreign aid to Ethiopia, and big problems inside the African Union Commission.
Looking back: The 10 most-read Devex stories of 2021
How much do you know about the biggest global development news from 2021? If you’re a regular Devex Newswire reader, we hope you know a lot. But it’s been a long, strange year, so we made this global development news quiz to jog your memory.
Take the quiz, and share it with your friends and colleagues on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, and find out who among you is an “SDGenius.”
Working knowledge
Machine learning has helped inform countries’ COVID-19 response plans, but the right conditions have to be in place to make these models useful, Catherine Cheney reports. Here are three lessons on turning analytics into policy, according to Marelize Gorgens, digital health lead at the World Bank:
• Government capacity is key. “Without a champion in the government or capacity in the government, it's difficult to ensure uptake,” Gorgens says.
• Involve governments early on and in an active way.
• Establish clear metrics that define both the policy question you’re asking and the meaning of success.
Devex Pro: How to turn digital health analytics into action
Go Pro in 2022
In our last Newswire edition of 2021, we want to thank you, our readers, for reading down this far even as you’re wrapping your work up for the year. For a limited time, we’re offering a rare holiday discount of 25% off our annual Devex Pro membership — coming down to just $25 per month. Your exclusive discount will be added at checkout.
Still not sure? You can try it out completely free for 15 days. Happy holidays from the Devex News Team!
One step back
Last week, my colleague Teresa Welsh brought you news of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s plan to return Washington-based staff to the office in phases early next year. Now, the agency has pushed its timeline back, with phase 2 and phase 3 reentry dates postponed by 30 days.
"Since my announcement of the domestic reentry plan in early December, COVID-19 transmission rates in the National Capital Region have increased substantially, and the Omicron variant continues to spread rapidly," USAID Deputy Administrator Paloma Adams-Allen wrote to staff yesterday in an email obtained by Teresa.
Keeping the faith
“I've made a commitment to this country because of my faith and background. That has given me the ability to do more than others have been able to do in my position.”
— Larry Sthreshley, Democratic Republic of Congo country director, IMA World HealthThe localization agenda is flying high, and Will Worley reports that missionaries feel they have a role to play in moving it forward. One thing that sets missionaries apart, Sthreshley says, is that they tend not to jump from project to project, but rather spend years developing relationships with communities.
Read: Why missionaries believe they can help the localization agenda
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Spotlight on philanthropy 2022
We care about a lot more than just billionaire philanthropists. Devex wants to hear from you about other organizations that are doing good work and might not be getting enough press for a spotlight series we’re working on.
Send suggestions and tips to stephanie.beasley@devex.com.
DAC another day
High-income countries in OECD’s Development Assistance Committee still do not have a deal on how to count surplus vaccines donated to low-income countries in their aid budgets. Talks will continue in January. The United States and the Netherlands are two of the main critics of the current text, which sets a price of $6.72 per dose for reporting of 2021 official development assistance.
“By relabelling the costs of these vaccines as ODA, there is a substantial risk that countries will have less ODA budget available for other development cooperation priorities,” the Dutch foreign ministry tells Devex. “There is also a risk of a perverse effect, namely the (continued) over-buying of vaccine stocks by developed countries, since these could later be donated and added as ODA afterwards anyway.”
Read: US, Netherlands unconvinced on aid eligibility of surplus vax donations
In other news
South Korea has earmarked 2.13 trillion won ($1.78 billion) for development aid in 2022, up from 1.85 trillion won ($1.56 billion) this year. [Yonhap News]
An important crossing into northeast Syria remains shuttered after a week following clashes at the border, hampering the flow of goods and commodities as well as aid delivery to the region. [VOA]
A U.N. document shows the international body is proposing to pay Taliban forces to protect its personnel and facilities in Afghanistan, which could be a breach of sanctions. [Reuters]
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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.
