Roxanne Bauer
These are some of the views and reports relevant to our readers that caught our attention this week.
2016 Ibrahim Index of African Governance
Mo Ibrahim Foundation
The IIAG provides an annual assessment of the quality of governance in every African country. Originally established with the John F. Kennedy School of Government (Harvard University), presently the IIAG consists of more than 90 indicators built up into 14 sub-categories, four categories and one overall measurement of governance performance. These indicators include official data, expert assessments and citizen surveys, provided by more than 30 independent global data institutions. This represents the most comprehensive collection of data on African governance. MIF defines governance as the provision of the political, social and economic goods that a citizen has the right to expect from his or her state, and that a state has the responsibility to deliver to its citizens. The Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG) assesses progress under four main conceptual categories: Safety & Rule of Law, Participation & Human Rights, Sustainable Economic Opportunity, and Human Development.
World Economic and Social Survey 2016- Climate Change Resilience: an opportunity for reducing inequalities
UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs
The World Economic and Social Survey 2016 contributes to the debate on the implementation challenges of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In addressing the specific challenge of building resilience to climate change, the Survey focuses attention on the population groups and communities that are disproportionately affected by climate hazards. It argues that, in the absence of transformative policies which coherently address the economic, social and environmental dimensions of development, building climate resilience will remain elusive and poverty and inequalities will worsen. To the extent that the differential impact of climate hazards on people and communities is determined largely by the prevalence of multiple inequalities in respect of the access to resources and opportunities, policies aimed at building climate resilience provide an opportunity to address the structural determinants of poverty and inequality in their multiple dimensions.
Ending Extreme Poverty: a Focus on Children
World Bank/UNICEF
Children are more than twice as likely as adults to live in extreme poverty, according to a new analysis from the World Bank Group and UNICEF. Ending Extreme Poverty: A Focus on Children finds that in 2013 19.5 per cent of children in developing countries were living in households that survived on an average of US$1.90 a day or less per person, compared to just 9.2 per cent of adults. Globally, almost 385 million children were living in extreme poverty. Children are disproportionately affected, as they make up around a third of the population studied, but half of the extreme poor. The youngest children are the most at risk – with more than one-fifth of children under the age of five in the developing world living in extremely poor households.
Counting the Invisible
Plan International
Millions of girls are ‘invisible’ to governments and policy makers because vital data is not being recorded about their lives. The new report from Plan International reveals how improving the information we have about girls will help create a just world and equality for all. 'Counting the Invisible' explores the current state of gender data and exposes the gaps: we don’t count how many girls leave school because of early marriage, pregnancy or violence, exactly how many give birth before they turn 15, how many hours a day they spend working, what kind of work they do and whether they get paid for it. Bringing visibility to these realities can transform girls' lives.
Constraints and opportunities – what role for media development in countering violent extremism
International Media Support
Media developers around the world work with institutions, organisations and individuals to ensure reliable and professional information is available to communities and to spark and encourage responsible debate that is key to good governance. By extension the fight against both terrorism and countering violent extremism (CVE) stresses the importance of media development, but also increasingly puts this work in the spotlight. It is imperative that there is consideration of the linkage of media and media development and what role they may play in the prevention of radicalisation and violent extremism. This work has already begun and CVE-related activities are now making their way into the field of media. This paper seeks to provide initial guidance on the definition of “Countering Violent Extremism” and what it means for the media development sector, its donors and other organisations that work with media developers.
Media freedom groups welcome resolution to protect journalists
The Guardian
The UN human rights council (HRC) has adopted a ground-breaking, comprehensive resolution aimed at protecting journalists and demanding the release of all journalists who have been arbitrarily detained. It urges the reform of laws designed to obstruct editorial work, and calls on states not to interfere with the use of encryption and digital security tools that enable anonymity. The resolution also addresses gender-based attacks against women journalists, the forced closure of media outlets, and the right of journalists to protect confidential sources. The HRC, which consists of 47 states, agreed the resolution by consensus. It expects the UN’s high commissioner for human rights to report back on the effectiveness of the existing monitoring and complaint mechanisms related to journalist safety. Typically, however, fewer than half such requests are answered. So, although its adoption was welcomed by journalists’ organisations, press freedom bodies and human rights campaigners, all also expressed caution.
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