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SATuRDAY, NoVeMBeR 27, 20214Saudi Arabia's exciting journey into a reimagined futureActing Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alame-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.comSaturday, November 27, 2021Counting our blessingswhile the same lastAmedia report some years ago said that due to ice rainssome 3 lakh inhabitants of the Canadian city of Torantowere passing their days and night in very great agonies.And this is typical of Canada. Too harsh winters are commonfeatures of that country. The power lines of tram cars were socovered with snow that year that the system becamedysfunctional and was completely shut down. 3 lakh inhabitantsof this city were trapped in their homes living without power indarkness and freezing cold for days. Outside their homes thetemperature was reported to be minus 10-12 degrees centigrade.The heavy snowfall turned the roads too slippery and dangerousfor motoring. Thus, it hardly required imagination to realize thesorrow-filled conditions of people in this otherwise prime city of adeveloped country which is Canada.Canda is a huge countrynearly fifty times the size of Bangladesh physically. But it has toofew people by comparison. This is mainly because big humanpopulations can be reared in countries easily where the weatheris moderate or not extreme like in Bangladesh. Such weathermake it possible for humans to live and grow up in large number.The opposite is the case of countries where life of humans getshazarded by inhospitable weather. Thus, in this sense, we can saythat Bangladesh as a country is much more livable than Canada.It enjoys moderate weather with much variety throughout theyear. It never is very hot like in the desert or very cold like inSiberia. Even migratory birds come to Bangladesh fromthousands of miles away to feel the warmth of the sun, to get foodand enjoy the healthful surroundings. This example alone shouldsuffice to underline how livable our country happens to be. Butalas! A few of our countrymen recognize the blessings of theAlmighty on then as they remain captive to ideas of better livingin far away lands. A survey by the Economist, a traditionallyfamous periodical paper of London, rated 140 cities round theworld to determine how livable or not these seemed to be in itsjudgment . Bangladesh's capital city some years ago came out lastfrom the bottom or as the worst city in the results of the survey.There is no need to say that there can be no happiness forBangladeshis from knowing about the Economist survey. Thesame in no way shall contribute positively to the image of ourcountry internationally. But it is also pertinent to question theobjectivity of the exercise done by the Economist. For it cannot besaid that despite its renown, the Economist has been doing a fairjob in its ratings of countries or places . There are no reasons totake the Economist's survey as an infallible guide to Dhaka'spresent or the future. This survey was conducted in six majorareas namely stability, health services, education, infrastructures,Under the first head--stability-- that vitally includes law andorder, political tumults, terrorist activities and related factors,Dhaka can be described as almost a serene city at least by regionalcomparisons. For citizens, law and order and concern for theirphysical security and safety of their properties are very importantindicators to determine a city's livability or otherwise. In thisextremely important area, the Economist surveyors seemed to beblind to the remarkably better position of Bangladesh's capitalcity compared to major regional cities.The position of Bangladesh in this area can be considered betterthan even some big cities of developed countries. For example,the number of serious crimes such as murders, rape androbberies committed on average in New York City in a day wouldbe many times more than the average for the same in Dhakanotwithstanding that Dhaka is home to over 16 million peopleand most of them have an existence below or close to the povertyline who should have every incentive to engage in crimes.If one only remembers the incidents for days at a stretch fromwhich emerged rows and rows of charred homes and looted shopsin London in the early part of 2016 or when the famous subwaysystem in London came to a standstill from terrorist attacks fouryears ago and hundreds of thousands of people were stranded andhad to sleep on pavements finding no room in London's hotels, ,then one can see the point that Dhaka so far has not had law andorder slides on such a scale.As for the environment, Dhaka continues to be far more livablethan many other cities. For example, Muscovites choked fromsmokes and heat for some months in 2017 and were confined totheir homes . Many Canadian and US cities remain in sub zerotemperatures in winter that severely curtail unprotected humanmobility. Humans can get frost bitten and die quickly whenexposed to such freezing temperatures. Planes could not fly inand out of London's famous Heathrow airport intermittently forweeks in 2017 from throwing up of volcanic ashes in theatmosphere. Airplane as well even road travel remainedsuspended in some major North American cities in that year fromexcess snowing on roads and runaways.Dhaka faces no such great climatic or environmental hazards .Even during the very serious flood in 1988 that engulfed Dhakacity international travel to and from it through airlines remainedquite unhampered. It is also questionable how far theEconomist's assessments of Dhaka city in terms of culture andeven education reflect accuracy. Dhaka may not be culturally atthe top of the world's cities. But it is still distinguished for itscultural vibrancy compared to many other cities of the world.It may not be a centre of the globalized pop culture. But theexpressions of its own rich culture reared from antiquity, are quiteprominent and felt round the year in Dhaka. Its educational baseis weaker compared to cities of developed countries but shouldnot fare so badly in contrast to many other developing countries.As for medical services, it has some world class hospitals no lessthan the ones found in developed countries. Infrastructures suchas flyovers exist and more are fast coming up.Therefore, it appears that there are many reasons to feel awfullydisheartened by the Economist's report on Dhaka city. It shouldhave rather praised Dhaka for tackling so much when it itspopulation density is the highest among the world's cities.Even in its degraded conditions , Dhaka, realistically ranked,should be seen as better endowed than many other cities in Asiaand Africa. One only has to grasp the point that a city which hasbecome so unlivable-- like in the Economist ranking-- does notdraw people to it at such a brisk rate. People rather tend to fleeaway from such a city. That the rush to Dhaka city is turning onlystronger by the day is proof of the fact that its attraction for peopleremains unchanged or its pull factors remain undiminished.Dhaka is considered as one of the fastest growing city in the worldfrom the number of people migrating to it voluntarily from otherparts of The reality also is that many expatriates deliberately seekto come to Dhaka for in this station they can save the most fromtheir salaries paid in foreign currency because costs of living inDhaka--including food and rent--are comparatively muchcheaper than in other famous international destinations likeLondon, Tokyo, Paris, etc.Great things can come from sheerimagination, provided a country'sleadership is able to understand thepublic pulse and then rechart its nationaldestiny on the basis of a reimagined future.Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, an outcome ofsuch imagination by Crown PrinceMohammed bin Salman, is steering theKingdom into a futuristic journey, with onegrandiose project after another. Oxagon isthe latest addition - a floating hexagonalindustrial complex that will, in a decade'stime, provide the world's first fullyintegrated port and supply chain ecosystemfor NEOM.NEOM itself is being built as a futuristiccity at a price tag of $500 billion on the RedSea coast in the northwestern Saudiprovince of Tabuk. Powered by greenhydrogen, it seeks to provide a postmodernexperience in urban living that we can onlydream about - with robot maids, airbornetaxis, an artificial moon and much more.The Line is NEOM's flagship project. It isa linear city linking the coast of the Red Seawith the region's mountains and uppervalleys that is being built along a 170 km line- with no cars, no streets, no carbonemissions and a hyperloop running downthe middle, providing a supersonic, frictionfreetravel service to its 1 million residents.Oxagon represents a fundamental shift inhow the world views manufacturing. Itssmart factories will offer products insustainable energy, autonomous mobility,water innovation, sustainable foodproduction, health and well-being, modernmethods of construction and technology,and digital manufacturing, includingtelecoms, space technology and robotics.NEOM and its flagship projects will operatein "digital air," with satellitecommunications, cloud parks and ahyperdata center. Together with two majortourism and entertainment destinations -the Red Sea Development Project andAMAALA - they are geared towardaccomplishing Vision 2030's strategic goalof making Saudi Arabia a hub ofinternational investment, business, travel,tourism and trade.The same goal underpins so many othermega-tourism and entertainment projectsthat celebrate and promote Saudi Arabia'sheritage and natural beauty, such asQiddiya near Riyadh, AlUla in thenorthwest and Soudah in the Asir region.There are also ambitious infrastructureventures, from multi-lane metros to smarthousing complexes and business districtsacross major cities.Being the center of the Islamic world,Saudi Arabia already hosts millions ofISHTIAQ AHMADMuslims for Umrah and Hajj every year.However, its liberal visa policy introduced in2019 is meant to attract other foreigntourists who yearn to explore and seekpleasure in a new territory. Vision 2030seeks to attract 100 million tourists annuallyby the end of the decade, with the NationalTourism Strategy announced in Octoberplanning to invest $1 trillion in the tourismsector.But the Kingdom also wants more foreigninvestors, hoping to raise $100 billion inforeign direct investment by 2030. Underthe National Investment Strategyannounced at the Future InvestmentInitiative Forum in October, it will spend $7trillion to implement the Vision 2030projects. The contributions will come fromthe Public Investment Fund, with a networth of $450 billion, and the private sector,including Saudi Aramco and thepetrochemical firm SABIC.The FDI is hard to come by, but itsprospects have increased due to therevamping of the regulatory framework andprogress in other enabling conditions,MARIeNNA PoPe-WeIDeMANNresulting in the issuance of more than 400FDI licenses in the first quarter of 2021. InFebruary, the government also issued anultimatum to international companies toeither shift their regional headquarters tothe Kingdom by January 2024 or risk losingtheir government contracts. The responsewas prompt, with 40 multinationals,including PepsiCo, Siemens and Unilever,deciding to relocate to Riyadh - a trend thatis likely to accelerate.Saudi Arabia has a clear advantage overother Gulf states in terms of geography: Ithas a landmass the size of Western Europe,with two vast coastlines on key shippingroutes. The Red Sea ports, with NEOM andOxagon as the major industrial outposts,will particularly help the Kingdom toharness 13 percent of the world's tradethrough the Red Sea.Saudi Arabia also has an edge over otherGulf competitors in terms of demography:The bulk of its 33 million population isyoung, offering an enormous demographicdividend. Vision 2030 seeks to tap thispotential by using the Saudi drive todiversify its oil-based economy and becomeone of the 15 largest economies in the worldby 2030 to significantly curtail youthunemployment, especially by promotingsmall and medium-sized enterprises andraising women's participation in theworkforce, which has already increasedfrom 20 percent to more than 33 percent injust two years.Source: Arab newsTime for Japan to stop funding coal power in BangladeshNon-governmental organizationshave filed a formal complaintagainst the Japan InternationalCooperation Agency - the first of its kind -to the US Securities and ExchangeCommission (SEC). The complaintaddresses JICA's false assertion that itsbond issued on US markets was free frominvolvement in coal-fueled powergeneration, when in fact its plans involvecontinuing to fund coal-fired power plantsin Bangladesh.While climate impacts are alreadyravaging that country (in May 2020,Cyclone Amphan caused widespreaddamage and forced the relocation of 2million people), JICA has announcedplans to fund Phase 2 of the 1,200-megawatt Matarbari coal plant,highlighting the economic developmentoutcomes that will come with the project.Located on a densely populated islandin Cox's Bazar district that is home to100,000 people, the Matarbari coal plantwill bring devastation to the communityinstead of the development that JICA haspromised.It is estimated that air pollution fromthe Matarbari Phase 1 coal plant will causeup to 14,000 premature deaths during itsoperational years, according toGreenpeace. Air quality in parts ofBangladesh is already ranked as amongThe UK is facing an epidemic of violence against women and girlsIn November 2017, Dorset Policelaunched a missing personsinvestigation to find Gaia. But by thenthey had already let her down.In 2015,when she was just 17, Gaia told us that shehas been raped and that she wanted toreport it to the police. We are a close-knitfamily and my cousins are like sisters tome, so I sat with her through her policeinterviews to support her. I also contactedour local rape crisis centre in an effort toensure she had access to counselling andadvocacy support.Gaia did everything she could to bringthe man who abused her to justice andprevent other women and girls from beingvictimised by him. But despite herbravery, the police decided not to pursuethe case.The "alleged perpetrator", ConnorHayes, was already a known sex offenderwhen Gaia accused him of rape. Dorsetpolice were already aware of his other,mostly underage, victims. But they stilldecided to drop Gaia's case. Hayes waseventually convicted for other offences,but he only served a year in prison beforehe was released to re-offend.The police failure to prosecute Gaia'scase was a crucial factor in her healthchallenges, disappearance and death. Therape crisis centre, National Health Serviceor NHS and social services also failed tosupport Gaia and to help her cope withthis injustice. And, not much has changedin the four years since we lost Gaia - inSaudi Arabia also has an edge over other Gulf competitors in terms of demography:The bulk of its 33 million population is young, offering an enormous demographicdividend. Vision 2030 seeks to tap this potential by using the Saudidrive to diversify its oil-based economy and become one of the 15 largesteconomies in the world by 2030 to significantly curtail youth unemployment.SHIBAYAN RAHA AND SHARIF JAMILthe worst in the world. The project fails tomeet JICA's own Guidelines forEnvironmental and SocialConsiderations, which state thatcommunities affected by its projects mustbe compensated at full replacement cost.The guidelines also state that countrieshosting JICA projects must make effortsto enable people affected to improve theirstandard of living and their incomeopportunities to be restored to pre-projectlevels.Two turbines of the Phase 1 plant werebuilt on land meant for shrimp farming,crops, and salt production, thedisturbance of which have destroyed thelivelihoods of people in Matarbari. Thosedisplaced by the project were not givenprior notice as required by the LandAcquisition Act of 1982, nor given any faircompensation for damages.Japan has some of the strongestfact, things have got much worse.Today, women and girls in the UK haveeven less reason to believe the policewould take the necessary steps to ensureour safety and hold those who harm us toaccount. The national conviction rate foreven the most serious sexual offencesstands at less than 3 percent, and the oddsare even worse when the victim is Black ora woman from a minority group. Whywould anyone trust the police under thesecircumstances? But the police are onlyone part of the problem. British society asa whole is knee-deep in misogyny, andthis willful ignorance is adding fuel to theepidemic of violence against women andgirls in our country. Indeed, the Britishpublic appears to be highly confusedabout what constitutes abuse and whatcounts as consent. A third of men whoresponded to a 2018 survey by YouGov onattitudes to sexual consent, for example,said if a woman has flirted on a date itgenerally would not be rape, even if shehad not consented to sex. Twenty-oneemission standards at home, but theoverseas coal plants funded by its publicagencies apply lenient emission limits onair pollutants. They rely on outdatedtechnology for reducing pollution,emitting many times the amount of sulfurdioxide and other toxins than an averagenew coal plant in Japan.At the recent COP26 climate talks inGlasgow, newly elected Prime MinisterJapan has some of the strongest emission standards at home, but theoverseas coal plants funded by its public agencies apply lenient emissionlimits on air pollutants. They rely on outdated technology forreducing pollution, emitting many times the amount of sulfur dioxideand other toxins than an average new coal plant in Japan.Fumio Kishida spoke of Japan's"determination" to address the "sharedhuman challenge of climate change withall our strength." He committed theequivalent of an additional US$10 billionin public and private assistance over fiveyears toward Asia's decarbonization withthe aim of advancing zero-emissionsgoals, taking the country's total financialpledge to $70 billion.But in contradiction to this statement,Kishida emphasized the role of thermalpercent of female respondents echoed thisview. With the state having failed toeducate such a large segment of society onthe basics of consent, sexual abuse cannoteven be recognised when it is in front ofour faces. Is it any wonder then that theBritish police appear unable and unwillingto protect women and girls?The British police and justice systemhave arguably never been on the side ofsexual assault survivors. In recent years,however, due to a toxic combination ofausterity and rising misogyny, they havecompletely turned against them - theyhave elevated disbelieving survivors fromTake the case of Dorset Police. According to data obtained byour organization, Justice for Gaia, which was launched in thedays after my cousin's death to fight for justice for her and forall survivors, of 2,058 sexual offences recorded by Dorset Policebetween 2019-2020, only 46 resulted in criminal charges.an art to an actual policySarah Everard's rape and murder by apolice officer in London in March thisyear, followed by scenes of extreme policebrutality directed at women at her vigil inClapham, was a gruesome reminder ofwhat most of us already knew: the policedo not protect us.Sarah's murder turned the nationalspotlight on police misogyny and violenceenergy as a reliable power source in Asiaand expressed support for dubioustechnological "fixes," including theburning of coal combined with ammoniaand hydrogen to reduce carbon-dioxideemissions from coal-fired power plants.Japan's reluctance explicitly to rule outcoal-fired power sees the country trailingbehind other large economies on climateaction. Bangladesh's energy future lies inrenewables, not in coal or natural gas.After 50 years of independence,Bangladeshi energy experts should havemore of a say in preparing the energysector master plan than foreign expertsfrom JICA.Japanese investment in Bangladeshshould take the form of scaling up itsrenewable-energy transition to benefitfrom the rapid decline in the cost of solarand wind energy globally and for powerstorage technologies. Coal and natural gasare carbon-intensive fossil fuels, and willbecome a burden for Bangladesh in thelong run.Prime Minister Kishida and his LiberalDemocratic Party must prioritize actionon climate change by ushering in newgovernment policies to combat the crisis,starting by ruling out funding Phase 2 ofthe Matarbari coal plant.Source: Asia timesin London and other urban centres, butthis is not solely an "urban" problem.Police forces are working against womenand girls in every corner of this country.Take the case of Dorset Police.According to data obtained by ourorganization, Justice for Gaia, which waslaunched in the days after my cousin'sdeath to fight for justice for her and for allsurvivors, of 2,058 sexual offencesrecorded by Dorset Police between 2019-2020, only 46 resulted in criminalcharges. Between 2015-2019, 13 Dorsetpolice officers or members of staff havebeen arrested for serious crimes,including rape, but most have beenreleased without any charges ordisciplinary action. Since 2020, oneDorset police officer has strangled a localnurse to death, another has been sackedfor sexually assaulting a colleague, and yetanother has been found guilty of abusinghis position "to engage in sexual activitywith members of the public". AnotherDorset officer is currently facing grossmisconduct charges related to the SarahEverard investigation. Today, it is anundeniable fact that there is an epidemicof violence against women and girls inBritain, and the police are at the epicentreof it. No institution that is unwilling tohold perpetrators accountable within itsown ranks can be expected to tackle abuseeffectively in society.Source: Al Jazeera
SaTurday, noveMber 27, 20215Women must be heard on climateFIona HarveyWomen must be enabled to play agreater role at the Cop26 summit, asthe needs of women and girls arebeing overlooked amid the globalclimate crisis, a coalition of feministgroups has said.The Global Women's Assembly forClimate Justice has laid out a call foraction at the UN general assembly,including demands that world leadersmeeting at Cop26, in Glasgow thisNovember, must end fossil fuelexpansion and move to 100%renewable energy.More than 120 groups have signedthe call, to be presented at a six-dayonline forum starting on Saturday,which also includes demands topromote women's leadership andequity, protect the rights ofindigenous peoples, improve foodsecurity, recognise a human right towater, and to protect forests, oceansand other ecosystems.Osprey Orielle Lake, of theWomen's Earth and Climate ActionNetwork, and convener of theassembly, said: "Every day, we can seefor ourselves forest fires burning,massive flooding, extreme droughts,people losing their livelihoods andlives- - we are in a global climateemergency."As the world prepares for one ofthe most important climate talkssince the Paris agreement, we knowsolutions exist, and that women areleading the way." She said Cop26must deliver a pathway to limitingglobal heating to 1.5C, and helppeople around the world - particularlywomen and children, who are oftenthe worst affected - build resilience tothe impacts of the climate crisis."We need systemic change," sheadded. "It's not going to work if wejust barrel through another Cop andnothing happens." As women areresponsible in many countries forgathering fuel, water and food, theyoften suffer the most when shortagesare caused or made worse by theclimate crisis. As they are usuallylacking land rights, they are also morelikely to be displaced in climatedisasters. Studies have also found theclimate crisis exacerbates genderbasedviolence against women.Neema Namadamu, founder of theSynergy of Congolese Women'sAssociations, from the DemocraticRepublic of the Congo, said: "I wasborn in the forest, my whole being isfrom the forest. Women are on thefrontline, working for climate justiceand affected by climate change. Weare planting trees - without trees thereis no life. We cook with fires and havefires for light at night. We really needto start working together."Many of the remedies to the climatecrisis would also benefit women. Forinstance, replacing cooking fires withsolar stoves would reduce indoor airpollution that affects women andchildren more as they spend moretime at home. Bringing cleanrenewable energy to low-incomecountries would enable more womenand girls to gain access to education,as without electricity they often lackthe means to study after nightfall.Mary Robinson, former UN highcommissioner for human rights,former president of Ireland and chairof the Elders group of world leaders,has long been a critic of the lack ofwomen's representation at Cops, the"conference of the parties".She said: "We need to centrewomen and girls in the climatecontext - women need to be includedat the table. The UK promised themost inclusive Cop, but it is not. TheCovid crisis has exacerbated andcemented gender inequality, and weneed to build on the gender actionplan [agreed at the last Cop, inMadrid, in 2019]."The Guardian revealed last year thatthe UK as host country was fielding anall-male top team for Glasgow,headed by the cabinet minister andCop president Alok Sharma, with 10ministers, civil servants and otherofficials who were all male. Thegovernment came under heavycriticism after the revelation, andappointed Anne-Marie Trevelyan,now trade secretary, as a "champion"to focus on climate adaptation andresilience. About 45% of the Cop26unit are now women, but almost all ofthe most senior public-facing roles aretaken by men.During the two-week Cop26summit, there will be a day devoted togender issues, which will include adiscussion of the gender action plan.A Cop26 spokesperson said:"Women and girls have a critical roleto play in the fight against the climatecrisis - as decision-makers, educatorsand advocates at all levels. Progress isbeing made, with women amongsome of the most influential figures ininternational climate diplomacytoday, but there is more to be done."The UK is committed tochampioning diversity and inclusivitythroughout our Cop26 presidencyand advancing gender equality inThe words of the suffragist leader Millicent Fawcett adaptedinto an environmental call to action at Parliament Square inLondon.Photo: Hannah McKayclimate action and finance." DiptiBhatnagar, of Friends of the EarthInternational, said there wereconcerns that women from lowincomecountries would faceobstacles coming to Glasgow, asarrivals from red list countries mustquarantine in the UK.The UK government is running a pre-Cop vaccination programme fordelegates and has pledged to fund therequired quarantine stays for registeredattenders, including party delegates,observers and media from the globalsouth who would otherwise find itdifficult to attend the conference.However, Bhatnagar said: "Cop26going ahead in person is very unsafeand inequitable now. Manyorganisations have demanded the UKgovernment postpone."Community-led upgrade to a Nairobislum could be a model for AfricaPeTer MuIrurIThe people who live inMukuru, one of the vast,sprawling "informalsettlements" in Nairobi,used to dread the rains,when the slum's mudpackedlanes would dissolveinto a soggy quagmire ofsewage, stagnant water andslimy rubbish.But a few years ago, thingsbegan to change. On a newlypaved road BenedettaKasendi is selling sugar canefrom a cart. It gives her aclean platform, somewhereshe can keep her wares tidy.Her biggest challenge now iswhat to do with the sugarcanewaste as she does notwant to clog up Mukuru'srevamped sewers."You can have a piece ofsugar cane here. The place isclean now," Kasendi tellsPatrick Njoroge,programme officer at theAkiba Mashinani Trust(AMT), a fund that raisescapital for slumimprovement projects.Njoroge has been workingfor the past 10 years on amasterplan for Mukuru, andhe knows how filthy theplace used to be."This road was more of anopen sewer. It is not a placeyou could have wished tospend an extra second.Walking was dangerous asone risked falling into thesewer. This lady set up hereafter the road wasrehabilitated - slumupgrading spurs newbusinesses, however small,"says Njoroge.A few metres away, DianaMwende lines up jerrycansat a kiosk where free freshwater is available. "I used towalk 30 minutes to fetchwater. Today, that walk hasbeen reduced to twominutes since these waterpoints were installed in ourMukuru in 2010, before the upgrade to the slum began. Photo: Tony Karumbaneighbourhood," she says.The improvements saveher more than time: "I usedto pay 400 shillings [£2.70]for water every month and1,000 shillings to access thecommunal toilet. Now Ihave a clean toilet by myhouse."Kasendi and Mwende areamong thousands who havebenefited from acommunity-basedprogramme to upgrade oneof Africa's biggest informalsettlements and whosesuccess will be used totransform similar slums inKenya and beyond.The ambitious projectfollows consultations withmore than 40 organisationsled by the MuunganoAlliance, an umbrella bodydriving reforms in Kenya'sinformal settlements, andincluding universities, civilsocieties, the private sectorand Nairobi countygovernment. The goal is tomake the slum a "healthy,functionalcityneighbourhood".Community involvementin improving the sprawling243-hectare (600 acre)slum was the key. A residentwas chosen to representgroups of households andthousands of people wereasked for their views; 250community mobilisers wereengaged to raise awarenessof the project. Residentswere trained to collect data -a huge task given the size ofMukuru, which has apopulation generallyestimated to be at least400,000. Every latrine,water tap and electricitypole in the settlement wasmapped.One of the most urgentissues was toilets, and therewere many requests toreplace the 3,800 filthy pitlatrines. Now, 1,000households have access toflushing toilets and runningwater.Kennedy odedeThe UK's cut to its aid budget comes toabout £4bn a year. Such a dramaticreduction is a blow to many, but most ofall to the local organisations whoperpetually find themselves last in linefor funding.New research by the VodafoneFoundation reveals that, too often, only asmall proportion of philanthropicfunding earmarked for Africandevelopment reaches local, African-ledcivil society organisations. Instead, mostdevelopment funding favoursintermediaries in the global north andinternational organisations.Funding that does reach Africa istypically distributed among locallyregistered international NGOcounterparts and then allocated toAfrican-led organisations on a projectbasis. This limits the scope and flexibilityof activities on the ground and promotesaid reliance, instead of durable,transformative change.It's been a year since the racialreckoning that erupted after GeorgeFloyd's murder. At the time, I wrote thatcalls for racial justice on the streets, ingovernment offices and boardroomsmust extend to the internationaldevelopment sector.A year on, the report on funding is asobering reminder that the racial biasand microaggressions I have experiencedas an African leader and CEO are deeper,more pernicious and prevalent than evenI, someone who lives this every day,understood. To respond and rebuild,racial bias needs to be replaced with trust,redistribution of power,acknowledgment of a global anti-blackbias, and flexible funding.During Covid-19, we have seen thepower of local actors to effectivelyrespond to the pandemic and protectmarginalised communities, where topdowninstitutions have failed. In someways, Covid-19 has erased theboundaries between humanitarian aid,as it is traditionally known, and longtermdevelopment work.For example, my organisation, ShiningHope for Communities (Shofco), wasFeny nuroKTavIanIIndonesia's population hasincreased by 32.56 millionpeople over a decade with anaverage population growthrate of 3.26% per year. Theincreasing human populationcreates a predicamentregarding the availability ofland because the existinglands must be utilized for theincreasing housing needs.Meanwhile, lands are alsovital for food needs andagricultural development.Indonesia is experiencing aspeed loss of agricultural landaround 140,000 - 187,000hectares per year, due to theincrease in residential andindustrial areas. The gapbetween food demand, foodproduction, and landavailability need to beresolved.There is a hope to createnew agricultural lands fromsuch areas which peoplerarely glimpse, namely thesuboptimal land. Suboptimalland, often known asmarginal land or idle land, islow-quality land that lackseconomic value and refers toland that is not used due topoor natural conditions, butis capable of producing crops,including agriculturalproduction.Suboptimal land is rarelyused as land for agriculturebecause it is considered tohave low productivity - it isoften infertile, marginal, lowpotential, poor in resources,degraded and difficult tocultivate for productiveagricultural land.However, limited anddecreasing fertile land forcesus to develop innovations inmeeting future food needs byutilizing suboptimal land.Around 157.2 million ha ofland in Indonesia issuboptimal, consisting of123.1 million ha of dry landand 34.1 million ha ofwetlands, includingpeatlands.The sustainable use ofabandoned or degraded landcan be a solution to securefood supplies. This is becausethe harvest produced onsuboptimal land will increasethe availability andaccessibility of food,Anti-black bias in fundingshould be addressedChildren learn how to wash hands to prevent the spread of Covid atKibera slum in nairobi, March 2020. Photo: yasuyoshi Chibafound by independent researchers to bethe most recognised responder to thepandemic in Kenya's informalsettlements in 2020. Despite the fact thatShofco is not a humanitarian agency, wehad boots on the ground and workedwith community leaders to mobilise arapid response to Covid-19, reaching 2.4million urban slum dwellers with healthscreenings, food relief, clean water, cashsupport and more. Perhaps the deepcommunity trust that organisations likemine have built is the true enabler forlong-term change. We need the sector toput real funding behind the idea thatproximate leaders best understandproblems and therefore the solutions.During Covid, we are seeing the wallscome down in the sector. Going forward,all development actors will be expected toknow how to respond to crisis situations.For this reason, it has never been moreimportant for development funders toloosen restrictions and increase flexibleespecially for thesurrounding area.Imagine if populationgrowth is not balanced withan increase in food supplydue to limited landavailability. A country withtoo much dependence onimports to meet its foodneeds might disrupt itsstability.The solution to thisproblem is by utilizingsuboptimal land. Suboptimalland can strengthen theconstruction of local foodbarns - which can overcomethree main issues: inequalityin food production centers,long and ineffective fooddistribution, and farmers'welfare. In addition, localfood barns can meet foodsecurity in an unexpecteddisaster such as the currentpandemic.Strengthening the use ofthese marginal lands whichare accessible to locals toproduce food commodityproduction can increase theavailability, consumption,and sales of foodcommodities and helpimprove communitynutrition.To maintain food securityby making use of suboptimalland, we can apply "thinkglobally, act locally" to picturebroadly and take actionlocally adapted to regionalconditions.Thinking globally isimportant when the marketcannot adequately serve the(global) community's foodneeds due to the interruptionof physical access caused bydisaster or disruption ofeconomic access due to pricespikes, or like during thispandemic. Then, we can takeaction locally by increasinglocal food productivity byutilizing suboptimal landused as gardens or fields asan alternative that is alwaysready to be harvested.Several studies haveidentified effective ways toconvert suboptimal land intoproductive lands, such as thesuitability of wetlands forgrowing chilies and rubbercorn intercropping. At thesame time, agriculture on dryland is suitable for rainfedcrops that depend on rainfall.Agriculture on suboptimalland can be done well bypaying attention to suitablesoil characteristics, effectivewater management, andappropriate plantingmethods to optimallyproducevariouscommodities, includingsecondary crops, vegetables,and fruits.With the support ofknowledge and technology,we can experiment on whichmethod is the most effectivefor regulating the land. Wecan combine traditionaltechniques and moderntechnology in overcomingfunding to local partners. It is imperativethat we reshape the development sector,putting local actors at the centre, wherethey are best placed to respond. As mymother has always told me: "Those whowear the shoes, know where it pinches."As the pandemic rages on and deepensthe wedge of inequality worldwide, localpractitioners and marginalisedcommunities on the ground have run outof patience for platitudes, debates orlengthy strategic planning processes.We are also out of patience for emptypromises to "do better" or "examine bias"without significant shifts in funding anddonor accountability.International donors and policymakersmust make immediate anddemonstrable efforts to shift power,resources, and decision-making to localorganisations that are in tune withcommunity-level realities and alliances,and are able to act in real-time, towardschange that is community-driven.Use of unconventionalland for food securityIndonesia has a vast tract of suboptimal land that is rarely used. Photo: Collectedagricultural constraints onsuboptimal land.The success of suboptimalland in agriculturaldevelopment can be seen infarm practices in SouthSumatra Province. Around15% or 1.4 million ha of landin South Sumatra Provinceare dominated by swamp andpeatland, and 89.7% of thewetlands are plant rice,accounting for 73.7% of thetotal harvested area. Wetlandcultivation has contributed tolocal food security bydelivering the expectedresults and sustainability.As an alternative toeconomic revitalization andmeeting the community'sfood needs, farmers in SouthSumatra also use peatlands tocultivate secondary crops andhorticulture such as rice,corn, cassava, beans, andvarious other vegetables.Plantation practices onpeatlands are carried out inan environmentally friendlyand sustainable manner.Therefore, the suboptimalland has potency significantto be used as a strategicchoice for developingagricultural production areasin the future and as a sourceof supporting national foodsecurity. Especially tocompensate for the shrinkingof arable land and increasedproduction for food securityandagribusinessdevelopment.
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