It’s time to make the World Bank the “World’s Bank.”
Extreme poverty is on the increase for the first time in a generation. Countries affected by fragility and conflict are at the front line. We have 75 months to go before we use what is left of our carbon budget. After that we lose the battle to stay within 1.5°C.
The choices and actions implemented in this decade will have impacts now and for thousands of years to come. Business as...
COVID-19
More than a hundred Presidents, celebrities and economists have come together to propose a ten-point-plan to reform the World Bank and make it fit for the 21st Century.
The world is not on track to meet its goal of ending extreme poverty by 2030. In fact, global progress to reduce extreme poverty “has grinded to a halt” over the past few years. We‘re in the middle of the largest increase in global inequality since World War II.
Here are six things to know about the current state of global inequality, including how you can help tackle it now.
1. People with the lowest incomes faced the steepest costs during...
You might have seen reports we‘re headed for a ’tripledemic‘ this winter. But what is it? It’s the combination of COVID, flu, and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, that threatens to overwhelm hospitals over the coming months. Why might this happen? Let‘s look at four reasons behind this.
1. COVID cases are rising
Although COVID cases are currently low, they‘re rising in parts of the US. China, the UK, France, and Germany have seen an increase in people being admitted to...
We‘ve all been living through the pandemic. So how much could we learn from a documentary about it? Turns out, a lot.
HBO‘s new documentary, “How to Survive a Pandemic” is an emotional rollercoaster. It taps into how we‘ve all felt over the past two years: from the sheer shock of it all, to the hope from the first promises of vaccines, to the frustration of realizing that we‘ve still got a long way to go before achieving vaccine equity.
To...
The Global Fund is an organization designed to end AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria as epidemics. Since its creation in 2002, the Global Fund has helped save 44 million lives and halved the combined death rate from all three diseases.
It has invested more than $53 billion over 20 years. Annually, the Global Fund mobilizes and invests more than $4 billion into programs run by local experts in more than 100 countries to fight all three diseases. The Global Fund and...
In the South African townships of Gqeberha, communities confront challenges on their way to success. They encounter high unemployment rates, lack of access to quality education, and a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS. And these challenges are exacerbated due to COVID-19.
The Eastern Cape, the province home to Gqeberha, has the highest unemployment rate in South Africa, a staggering 47.1%. Unlike its Western Cape neighbor, the Eastern Cape is a rural region. It’s far behind in the country‘s fight for equal...
So… is the pandemic over? It seems like it is — mask mandates have lifted, social distance eased, and plenty of people are fully vaccinated. However, the evidence does not support this view. Let’s look at 5 reasons the pandemic is not over.
1. Cases are rising around the world
The most obvious reason: COVID-19 cases are rising, notably in Europe and China. The new European wave comes as restrictions such as wearing face masks indoors are lifting. Meanwhile, China recently...
In Cape Town, South Africa, NewDay United has stepped up during the pandemic to make sure everyone has access to a bright future. As an after-school program, NewDay United is addressing some of the inequalities exacerbated by COVID-19 and helping children and young adults build a better future. They‘re providing both hands-on learning and training, and tackling food security with homegrown solutions.
Here‘s a look at how.
Giving students a second chance to learn
Abongile Bono, a 21-year-old from the township of...
Do you remember what you were doing on March 11, 2020? Whether you were watching Tiger King or celebrating Parasite‘s Academy Award, that date will probably live in history books for a very long time.
That‘s because March 11, 2020 was the day that COVID-19 was officially declared a global pandemic. A lot has happened in those two years — from putting blocks of feta into pasta and kicking off the Tokyo Olympics, to schools closing because of lockdowns and...