Archives: Opinions
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World Environment Day: The fable of the boiling frog
On June 5, 2020, the world celebrates World Environment Day. It is an acclaimed United Nations Day to raise awareness and encourage action to protect our environment. This year, the day is being recognised as the world copes with the COVID-19 pandemic especially at a dire time when we have been called to reflect on…
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Energy access and clean cooking solutions must be part of Covid-19 economic recovery plans
The response to the Covid-19 crisis must not divert the world away from reaching the climate goals, a just energy transition and an equal and inclusive society, say Eco Matser (Program Manager Climate & Energy at Hivos), Sheila Oparaocha (International Coordinator and Program Manager at ENERGIA) and Hon. Kandeh Yumkella (Ph.D., Founder & CEO of…
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Fostering citizens’ trust through an Open Government
Kenyans seem to be an angry lot. This is true if we consider the suspicions, distrust and cynicism with which government’s pronouncements on COVID-19 have been met. What began as a public health emergency has morphed into a trust crisis. Granted, a modest dose of citizenry suspicion is deemed necessary for a healthy democracy. Trust…
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The unseen link between clean cooking and the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated inequalities and revealed to what extent current economic models are not sustainable. It has also shown that most countries are not equipped to cope with a health crisis. The World Food Program is warning that the lives and livelihoods of 265 million people in low and middle-income countries will be…
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Boosting collaboration for stronger and more accountable health systems
By Daniel Dietrich, Program Manager, Open Up Contracting, and Conrad Zellmann, Program Development Manager, Freedom & Accountability. As COVID-19 spreads throughout the world, the immediate priority is to ensure that health systems and emergency support measures are able to save lives. Then, the focus must turn to strengthening public health systems, and to addressing the…
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COVID-19 and the climate crisis: two sides of the same coin
Disaster movies are more popular than ever, now that the coronavirus outbreak has turned into a global pandemic. Comparisons seem logical: the virus is new, uncontrollable, and has already killed tens of thousands of people. Yet the suggestion that the current disaster appeared out of the blue does not hold true for COVID-19 – as…
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COVID-19: a wake-up call to rebuild our global food system
Instead of treating the COVID-19 outbreak as a stand-alone crisis, we should acknowledge that it is a symptom of something larger. Namely, the disruption and destruction of natural ecosystems and biodiversity, which has brought us much closer to wild animals – and their viruses. And our globalized food system is a strong driver of this…
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Whose voices count most at the 2021 Food Systems Summit?
Written by Nout van der Vaart, Hivos Advocacy Officer Sustainable Food There is turmoil in the world of food governance and decision-making. Civil society has been criticizing states and businesses for the perceived “corporate capture” of food decision-making bodies and processes. So we need to start aligning agendas now to ensure all voices will be…
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What lockdowns mean for food security in East Africa
Festivities to mark a new year and decade have been short-lived the world over as the first months of 2020 witnessed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Parts of Africa were already plagued by desert locusts, but before these could be tackled, the new corona virus arrived. This has created a double pandemic for some…
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We must not forget clean procurement in response to COVID-19
As the world copes with the COVID-19 health crisis, governments’ initial responses have been rapid in rushing to guarantee citizens of their health, well-being and safety. We have witnessed quick measures through lockdowns to stem the spread of the virus through shutdown of schools and business operations affecting the daily life of every citizen. These…
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COVID-19 lockdown and human dignity
By Sally Akinyi, Virginia Munyua Up to 25 million jobs could be lost worldwide at the heart of the Covid-19 crisis–is – a latest profound statistic from the ILO in these unprecedented times. In the last couple of weeks or so, countries have put on a tough resolve to control the spread of the pandemic.…
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Ramifications of COVID-19 for workers at the beginning of the supply chain
As COVID-19 unfolds and drastically affects all aspects of our lives, it has brought to light longstanding problems in global supply chains. Low wages, reliance on casual labor, gender inequality, and a lack of social protection make people at the beginning of supply chains suffer the most. Now is the time to demonstrate global solidarity…