“In 2020, the world experienced the single largest increase in global hunger ever recorded, a trend that has only continued this year. This predictable and multi-year funding to Canadian Foodgrains Bank will help ensure that food and nutritional support is provided to those who need it most in times of crisis.” -- Harjit Sajjan, Minister of International Development
Click here to read more about Canada’s announcement of emergency food assistance through the Canadian Foodgrains Bank.
Good news! Canada is supporting the resilience of small-scale farmers and the health of rural communities through its highest-ever funding commitment to the UN International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
This international fund invests in rural people, empowering them to reduce poverty, increase food security, improve nutrition and strengthen resilience. Read more about Canada’s increased commitment here.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a global impact on education. The regions most affected are those with a less robust education system. This is an opportunity for governments in sub-Saharan Africa to reform their school systems. Click here to read five actions for the way forward.
The New Humanitarian has released its annual assessment of global crises and trends to watch for in the year ahead. Among them, the hidden health risks of climate change, global inequities and poverty laid bare by the pandemic, and unprecedented hunger. Click here for the full report and here for an 8-minute video summary.
Listen to this 20-minute segment from CBC radio program The Current on the growing call for vaccine equity. Pauline Worsfold, a registered nurse and a member of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions, explains how waiving patent protections would help ramp up vaccine production. Dr. Githinji Gitahi, Global CEO of Amref Health Africa and Dr. Wafaa El-Sadr, epidemiologist, explain what needs to be done now to address the current inequities in global vaccine distribution.
This World AIDS Day, UNAIDS is highlighting the need to end the inequalities that drive AIDS and other pandemics around the world. Economic, social, cultural and legal inequalities must be ended as a matter of urgency if we are to end AIDS by 2030. Read the UNAIDS call to action here.
The United Nations is marking the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence from 25 November to 10 December 2021 under the global theme set by the UN Secretary-General’s UNiTE Campaign: Orange the World: End Violence against Women Now! Follow this link to find out more about the issue and to read inspiring stories of change from around the world.
“The project that doesn’t involve the community is doomed to failure.” -- Diegane Ndiaye, SOS Sahel
Only 4% of Africa’s Great Green Wall’s original goal has been met, and an estimated $43 billion would be needed to achieve the rest. Organizers have shifted their focus from planting a wall of trees to trying a mosaic of smaller, more durable projects to stop desertification, including community-based efforts designed to improve lives and help the most vulnerable agriculture. Read more here.
Leading Canadian climate activists and organizations have responded with disappointment to the outcomes of COP26.
A recent study of large-scale interventions to improve girls’ education worldwide identifies four successful strategies:
- Make school cheaper.
- Make schools more accessible.
- Teach better.
- Explicitly address gender barriers.
Click here to read more.
