3 Things to Note this April in Global Development News

Here are some of the stories on global development that caught our attention in April:

1. Prime Minister Trudeau speaks out on the importance of girls’ education in crises in advance of the G7 Leaders’ Summit.

Girls are 2.5 times more likely to be out of school than boys in times of crises. Yet it is in these moments of turmoil that education can offer a lifeline to young girls and their families.

Prime Minister Trudeau made clear his commitment to championing gender equality and girls’ education at the upcoming G7 Leaders’ Summit (to be held this June in Charlevoix, Québec) in a statement he made last week. In it, he says, “Gender equality must play a key role in creating lasting solutions to the challenges we face as a world – whether building economies that work for everyone, preparing for jobs of the future, fighting climate change, or advancing peace and security. Investing in girls’ education, especially in crisis situations, is a vital part of making that a reality.”

WUSC has been working alongside a coalition of organizations across Canada that are urging G7 leaders to help millions of disadvantaged girls get back in the classroom where they can learn and thrive. Learn more – and how you can get involved – at educateallgirls.com. Don’t miss signing the petition by Student Refugee Program alumnus, Fatuma Omar Ismail!

2. New research shows how migration is key to economic development and closing the gap between the rich and the poor.

When people move across borders, whether by choice or by forced displacement, they bring with them much more than what is contained within their suitcases. When people move, so to do their skills, knowledge, and expertise.

New research by Dany Bahar, a Fellow at the Brookings Institution, and Hillel Rapoport, a Professor of Economics at the Paris School of Economics, has shed light on how migrants and refugees are driving economic development in countries around the world by driving knowledge across borders.

They found that the most important type of knowledge that migrants and refugees bring is tacit knowledge, or “know-how,” which is not easily transferable outside of human interaction. The tacit knowledge they bring improves productivity in their country of destination, and may eventually find its way back to their country of origin either through return migration or diaspora networks.

3. The global community is exploring how to achieve greater accountability in the world of impact investing.

Impact investing for development is a quickly growing field. Its aim is to leverage private money as one of the ways to help address the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) $2.5 trillion financing gap.

When individuals engage in impact investing, they are not only looking for financial returns, but also measurable and positive social and environmental impacts. This more holistic view of return on investments make this form of investing a great fit for global development efforts.

However, the global community has recognized that as the field expands, so to must our ability to create accountability tools that will work in complex and high-risk environments. These tools should be available globally, but should also be able to respond to unique country contexts around the world. Such accountability tools will help ensure that investments are truly delivering positive social and environmental impacts, and are not “business as usual” investments with a new name, or worse, doing more harm than good.

More news from WUSC:

We launched a new report on digital and blended innovations for increased access to post-secondary education for refugee youth, State of Play.

This report introduces and explores promising practices for in-camp solutions to increase the availability of quality post-secondary education for refugees. Read the report.

We celebrated our volunteers during National Volunteer Week!

From Tanzania to Mongolia to Peru, we once again want to extend our deepest appreciation for the contributions of our incredible international volunteers! In Canada, our heartfelt thanks go out to our volunteer WUSC Local Committee members who raise awareness on global development and forced displacement on their campuses and in their communities!

Our Local Committees wrapped up a successful year on campuses across Canada.

Thank you to all of the students, staff, and faculty members who participated in our WUSC Local Committees this academic year. Through our combined efforts, we have supported 122 students to resettle in Canada and continue their post-secondary education in the 2017/2018 school year. We hope you all have a wonderful, well-deserved summer holiday! And a very special congratulations to our student members who graduated this April. To everyone else, we look forward to seeing you again in the fall!Our Local Committees wrapped up a successful year on campuses across Canada.