Residents of a Nigerian town facing mounting climate threats are calling for urgent government intervention to save their land, expressing concerns that without immediate action, their community may disappear completely.
Also in today’s edition: The World Economic Forum has launched an alliance focused on fixing gender disparities in health care.
First law of ocean
The town of Ayetoro located along the Atlantic coast in southwestern Nigeria is facing an existential threat due to recurrent sea incursion and coastal erosion caused by global warming, Devex contributor Pelumi Salako reports. The community, founded in 1947, is on the brink of extinction as more than half of its land has been destroyed, homes flattened, and lives disrupted. The accelerated sea level rise, linked to climate change, has not only affected Ayetoro but is a broader issue along Nigeria's coastline.
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Ayetoro's residents, traditionally fishers, have also seen their way of life erode: The fishing industry has been hampered by both rising waters and oil spills. The situation is exacerbated by inadequate government response, despite warnings, and the allocation of contracts for shore protection that have not been fulfilled.
With an estimated 27 million to 53 million people in Nigeria at risk of displacement due to rising sea levels, the economic and social consequences are dire. Climate experts emphasize the need for comprehensive coastal zone management strategies and international collaboration to address the complex challenges posed by sea level rise.
Read: Why a Nigerian coastal town is on the brink of extinction
Should the UN govern AI?
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said Wednesday that artificial intelligence is "now undoubtedly the most important potential contribution for global development." However, he warned that members of the U.N. High-Level Advisory Body on AI are "extremely concerned" that low- and middle-income countries are "particularly ill-prepared in this domain."
Guterres briefed reporters at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on the advisory group's first interim report, released last month — “Governing AI for Humanity.”
Asked whether nondemocratic states like China would play a constructive role in global efforts to strike international rules on AI, Guterres said: "[Chinese President] Xi Jinping told me when we met that he can see that this is something that is very important and that the U.N. should be at the center of this process."
However, it was clear that Guterres is taking the softly-softly approach for now, repeating many times that the U.N. was approaching the issue with "humility."
"We are not asking to be the leaders of a global governance system for AI," he said. "We believe that ... any system of governance needs to be something that is networked, that is inclusive, that has different levels — at national level, at regional level — but with some aspects that might require some global perspective."
It's all a bit clear as mud for now, my colleague Vince Chadwick — who is in Davos this week — tells me.
ICYMI: Can the UN tame artificial intelligence?
+ Catch up on our coverage on AI in global development.
The gift of gap
WEF also released a report Wednesday highlighting the economic and societal benefits of closing the women's health gap — and responded to the findings by launching the Global Alliance for Women’s Health, a multisector platform with commitments from 42 organizations to advance women's health priorities, including financing, science and innovation, and agenda-setting.
Developed in collaboration with the McKinsey Health Institute, the report — which emphasizes the correlation between better health and economic prosperity — estimated that addressing health conditions affecting women could add $1 trillion to the global economy annually by 2040. It advocates for greater access to gender-specific care.
Key partners for WEF’s new alliance, such as Rotary International and Tower Capital Group, have already pledged $55 million to improve women's health outcomes. The alliance will be guided by a governing board co-chaired by Brazil’s Minister of Health Nísia Trindade Lima and Anita Zaidi, president of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s gender equity division, with participation from global leaders across sectors.
“Investing in women’s health goes far beyond individual women. It is a direct investment in families, communities, societies and economies,” Zaidi said in a statement. “Our collective future rests on closing the women’s health gap.”
Background reading: Why Bill Gates wants a COP for global health
+ Don’t forget to check out Davos Dispatch, a selection of special episodes focusing on WEF annual meeting for our This Week in Global Development podcast. Subscribe and get updates here.
Better not best
The U.S. Agency for International Development is being overly generous in assessing its funding allocation to local organizations, according to a report published by Oxfam’s U.S. arm. USAID committed to spending 25% of its funding with local organizations by 2025, but that only applies to funding deemed “eligible” to such groups — and the agency is underestimating the amount that could qualify, Oxfam says.
USAID awarded more than $35 billion a year in the last two years. Less than half of that funding would be eligible for local organizations under USAID terms, Devex Business Editor David Ainsworth writes. That means that instead of needing to spend $9 billion per year with local organizations to hit its target in 2023, USAID would only need to spend around $4 billion, he notes.
Oxfam is pushing for USAID to adopt a broader criteria and potentially double eligible funding. Any funding not going directly to governments should qualify — including programs implemented by multilaterals, global programs, and United Nations agencies, the group says.
Read: Is USAID excluding too much funding from its definition of ‘local’? (Pro)
+ A Devex Pro membership gives you access to all of our coverage on USAID — including updates on its localization drive. Not a Pro member yet? Get these perks and more with our offer of $100 off an annual membership — ending today!
The newest numbers
Sunday, Jan. 14, marked 100 days since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. On Oct. 12 of last year — just five days after the surprise attack from Hamas that precipitated the current assault on Gaza — the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs launched a flash appeal to respond to the crisis, raising $690 million of a total $1.26 billion in development aid sent to the occupied Palestinian territories of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in 2023.
But with the conflict ongoing, the agency says millions more are needed to address needs. We’ve updated our figures on which countries, organizations, and companies have sent aid to Gaza so far.
Funding tracker: Who's sending aid to Gaza?
Kicking the can
USAID quietly revealed on Friday that it will extend the global health supply chain contract that handles HIV products and technical assistance for an additional two years. The project, currently led by contractor Chemonics International, was scheduled to end in November this year.
The latest extension pushes that end date to November 2026, as USAID continues the slower-than-expected rollout of its new “NextGen” global health supply chain project, valued at close to $17 billion.
A USAID spokesperson tells my colleague Michael Igoe that the extension is intended “to provide continuity of services until the NextGen contracts are awarded and fully operational,” while noting that the contract currently procures more than 4,500 HIV commodities.
Related reading: 'Too big to fail' — How USAID's $9.5B supply chain vision unraveled
In other news
The Zambian government is launching a mass vaccination program following a major cholera outbreak that has killed over 400 people and infected more than 10,000. [AP News]
The International Monetary Fund has granted Kenya a $941 million lending boost, providing immediate relief for the country's financial pressures. [Reuters]
Local authorities say over 200 people have died from starvation in Edaga Arbi town in Ethiopia's Tigray region since July, with warnings of an impending famine denied by the central government. [BBC]
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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.
