UK doubles international climate finance, and other news (24 September 2019)

Urgent action needed in southern Africa to prevent food crisis, and climate pledges for the most vulnerable countries

Each week we highlight some of the international development stories from across the globe that have caught our attention.

  • The UK has announced it will double its investment into tackling climate change, focusing on helping low- and middle-income countries reduce the causes of climate change. The move will increase the UK's international climate finance spending to £11.6 billion over the next five years. Read more via Relief Web.
  • Zambia will receive £1 million to help alleviate hunger crisis caused by droughts. UNICEF is providing emergency cash transfers and acute malnutrition treatments in vulnerable districts, while plans to deliver emergency response activities in other areas are underway. Read more via LasukaTimes.
  • Norway is providing funding for school meals in Mali, which will be given to 55,000 children facing malnutrition due to instability in the region. Up to 30% of children under the age of five in Mali are stunted due to poor nutrition. Read more via Africa News. 
  • The UN World Food Programme has called for urgent action in Zimbabwe. The country is likely to run of of staple foods, such as white corn by January, and faces a risk of severe famine following economic crisis, drought, and cyclone-induced flooding.  Read more via Business Live (Zimbabwe). 
  • Kenya is rolling out Social and Economic Inclusion programme across five counties, aiming to provide business skills training alongside a cash transfer programme to increase entrepreneurial skills and empower the beneficiaries. Read more via The Star (Kenya).
  • USAID will help develop the institutional capacity of higher education institutions in Ethiopia, aiming to equip graduates with the skills necessary to pursue and land appropriate job opportunities. Read more in Africa News.
  • The Least Developed Countries (LDCs) group has launched its 2050 vision for a climate resilient future, asking for initial US$450 million investment to help deliver the adaptation and resilience work for communities most vulnerable to climate change impacts. Six nations are the first to join. Read more at Nyasa Times (Malawi). 
  • The US is providing support to religious minorities in Iraq affected by Islamic State attacks. Mass displacement of religious minorities has taken place in the country since 2014. Read more in Rudaw (Iraq).