Newsletter: Pacific Update livestreaming | ANU-WB labour mobility launch | Innovation and data | Climate change financing | Reform in fragile states

2016 Pacific Update – livestreamed event 

The upcoming Pacific Update, the region’s premier public policy conference will be broadcast around the world in livestream format. The conference, co-organized by the ANU, ADB, ADBI and USP, will be held at the USP campus on 18-19th July from 8.00am to 5.30pm in Suva, Fiji. The program includes panel discussions on a range of subjects, including health, climate change, governance and private sector development. Access the USP livestream here.

Pacific Possible: labour mobility

The above mentioned Pacific Update sees the launch of a new report on labour mobility in the Pacific (as well as two other sessions on the subject). The report from the World Bank and the Development Policy Centre explores the economic impact of expanding labour mobility in the Pacific, and how best this could be done. The report will also be launched in Canberra on 3rd August at 12.30pm in the Brindabella Theatre, ANU. Details and registration information here.

Data and innovation

On the blog, Kate Finch, Pippa Markham and Mary Moran lament the disconnect between declared support for R&D, and an enduring reluctance to actually embrace innovation and invest in the new tools desperately required. To illustrate their point, they take aid agencies to task for investing only US$1.1 million in R&D for postpartum haemorrhage in 2013, despite it being responsible for 30% of maternal mortality in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

Anthony Swan looks at how user-generated data can be harnessed to generate timely, informed and responsive policy. Although he cautions against inferring user-generated statistics as uniformly representative of the general population, he argues there is still value in them as indicators of change, in particular, in developing-country regions of data paucity (PNG or the Pacific, for example).

While on data, Robin Davies reviews progress on the International Aid Transparency Initiative standard (IATI), aid reporting and the need for accessible mediums to facilitate international comparison.

Financing responses to climate change in the Pacific

Devpolicy and the University of Canberra’s Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance will host a panel discussion on climate finance in the Pacific. The panel brings together experts on international climate change policy and climate finance, and will explore the extent and nature of climate financing in the Pacific, its governance, and Australia’s contribution. The event will be held on Monday 25th July at 12.00pm, Barton Theatre, ANU. Further details and registration here.

Reform in fragile states

Rim El Kadi, Research Associate at the Development Policy Centre, will present her research into the fraught implementation of donor-supported water resources reform in Lebanon. Her work shows that donor driven reforms failed to improve economic, social or environmental sustainability, and explore potential lessons for aid in post conflict states. Please note the date change to 27th July. 12.30pm, Brindabella Theatre, ANU. Further details here.

Upcoming events

2016 Pacific Update
18th-19th July, University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji. Details here.

Financing responses to climate change in the Pacific
25th July, Barton Theatre, ANU. Details and registration here.

The difficulties of supporting reform in fragile states: the case of water sector reform in Lebanon
27th July, Brindabella Theatre, ANU. Details here.

 Pacific Possible: labour mobility
3rd August, Brindabella Theatre, Crawford School, ANU. Register here.

2016 PNG Update
POSTPONED. New dates soon. University of Papua New Guinea, Port Moresby. Details here.

Blog highlights

A lack of imagination undermines support for international aid, argues Stephen Howes

What do the crossbenchers think about aid?

Closing the gap between evidence and action in global malnutrition

On the blog

Aid workers, aid bunnies, and the need to help by Camilla Burkot

Aid law rules by Jo Spratt

After the election: Australia and the Pacific private sector by Bob McMullan

Alcohol, gender and violence in Bougainville by Richard Eves

Far below what Australians find acceptable (or imaginable?) by Stephen Howes

Bridging data gaps for policymaking: crowdsourcing and big data for development by Anthony Swan

Shifting the food and development agenda by Sam Byfield

The new Senate crossbench and aid by Ashlee Betteridge

Global aid transparency: taking the data out of the darkness by Robin Davies

The innovation disconnect holding back global health by Kate Finch, Pippa Markham and Mary Moran

In brief

Fortnightly links: Kiribati, malaria, data, refugee mental health, #WhatIReallyReallyWant and more

Pacific Update livestream

An update on US aid legislation

This is the fortnightly newsletter of the Development Policy Centre at Crawford School of Public Policy, The Australian National University, published every second Friday.

 

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