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Major changes with global implications could be coming in U.S. philanthropy, under a bill that would limit how long donors can store their money before actually paying charities.
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Holders of donor-advised funds receive an immediate tax break when they set up the account, but for now there are no deadlines for them to disburse the money. Some estimate that restricting how long money can stay in DAFs could free up more than $140 billion for charities.
Opponents say the move is misguided though, and would prevent donors from letting their funds grow over time.
Our new senior reporter on the philanthropy beat, Stephanie Beasley, has the story.
Read: US bill to accelerate donor-advised funds could have global impact
Good news
The World Health Organization and the government of Guinea declared the end of the Ebola outbreak in Guinea on Saturday — marking the first time the African continent has been considered Ebola-free since February.
This outbreak in Guinea was contained in four months after 12 deaths, compared to over 11,000 lives lost in the 2014-2016 West Africa outbreak. One big difference: This time, more than 2,800 front-line workers were vaccinated against Ebola, a technology that was still in development during the previous epidemic.
Read: From years to months: How the Ebola response is getting better
Abiy’s test
Many Ethiopians go to the polls today in national and regional elections that will be watched closely by an international community increasingly alarmed about the conflict in the northern Tigray region. Just over a fifth of the nation’s more than 500 parliamentary constituencies are not voting due to logistical problems and unrest, The Observer reports.
The European Union’s special envoy to the region, Pekka Haavisto, said last week that “the Ethiopian leadership” told him in February that they were going to “wipe out the Tigrayans for 100 years.”
My latest story looks at how the European Commission is planning its 2021-2027 program of aid to Ethiopia while simultaneously freezing budget support payments to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government over the situation in Tigray.
Read: EU teases Ethiopia aid plans amid budget support freeze
Ethiopia has also seen increased focus in USAID’s Q3 forecast, with a record $359.9 million expected for health care initiatives — a 26% jump from the previous record in Q2 2016. Explore Lisa Cornish’s deep dive into that forecast for Pro subscribers.
… speaking of elections
The politician-turned-France-director of the ONE Campaign-turned-politician, Najat Vallaud-Belkacem placed fourth in the first round of regional elections Sunday in Auvergne-Rhône Alpes. The center-left politician had only been in charge of ONE in France for a year before taking unpaid leave to run against popular incumbent Laurent Wauquiez.
People & Planet
At least 200 million adolescent girls face a heightened risk from the effects of climate change.
Catherine Boyce, director of enterprise development at the NGO CAMFED, says countries with more women in government are more likely to adopt climate protection policies.
In the latest in our People and the Planet series, Rumbi Chakamba looks at girls’ education, one of the most overlooked mechanisms for fighting climate change — even as climate change threatens the gains made in educating women and girls around the world.
Read: How educating women and girls can mitigate climate change
In other news
The IKEA Foundation and Rockefeller Foundation will launch a $1 billion fund aimed at reducing 1 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions. [Reuters]
UNHCR reported that 82.4 million people were displaced worldwide at the end of 2020 — the highest number on record. [Al Jazeera]
In a rare move, the U.N. General Assembly on Friday condemned Myanmar’s military coup and called for an arms embargo against the country in a resolution that demonstrated widespread global opposition to the junta. [The Guardian]
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About the author
Vince Chadwickvchadw
Vince Chadwick is a contributing reporter at Devex. A law graduate from Melbourne, Australia, he was social affairs reporter for The Age newspaper, before covering breaking news, the arts, and public policy across Europe, including as a reporter and editor at POLITICO Europe. He was long-listed for International Journalist of the Year at the 2023 One World Media Awards.
