Overseas Development Institute

There are just five years remaining to secure the Sustainable Development Goals and achieve traderelated gains while maintaining the Paris Agreement target of limiting global temperature rise to below 1.5° Celsius. Trade is an important tool for securing development and climate objectives for the least developed countries (LDCs). However, many unilateral policy initiatives are working in the opposite direction, with potential negative spillover effects, dubbed the “green squeeze”.

The Least Developed Countries (LDCs) stand at a critical juncture. As they strive to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and combat the intensifying impacts of climate change, they face a complex and rapidly evolving global trade landscape. New measures to green production and trade, on the one hand, present new important economic opportunities, but also major challenges for LDCs given capacity constraints.

Join us for a timely seminar that will unpack post-election developments and chart a way forward for Sri Lanka's economic future. Sri Lanka stands at a critical juncture. Following the recent Presidential elections and with Parliamentary elections set for 14th November 2024, the nation is poised to embark on a new economic chapter.

In the wake of our decision at ODI to suspend all activity on X (formerly Twitter), this episode examines the polarisation and hate we are witnessing in today’s social media landscape and what is driving it. Since Elon Musk took ownership of X two years ago there has been a rise of hate speech, mis- and disinformation on the platform. The UK riots, which we dissected in a recent episode, are a case in point.

In recent months, there has been a substantial rise in hate speech, mis- and disinformation on X. Most recently, X played a prominent role in spreading inflammatory misinformation which fuelled the racist riots in the UK. As an organisation that takes a firm stance against the spread of hate speech online and conducts research into the corrosive effects of mis- and disinformation, ODI has decided, after consulting with internal and external stakeholders, to suspend its activity on the platform.

In 2022, fragile and conflict-affected countries received only one quarter of the climate finance they need. In the coming months, we must see a meaningful shift towards closing this gap. What is common to Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen? Besides being classified as fragile and conflict-affected situations, they are among the 25 countries which are most vulnerable to climate change and which have the lowest capacity to adapt to and cope with climate shocks.

The financial capacity of the World Bank and the other major multilateral development banks will be central to conversations this week at the Annual Meetings in Washington, on how to meet global development and climate investment needs. A key driver of these debates is the recommendations of the G20 MDB Capital Adequacy Framework (CAF) review of 2022. MDBs have collectively generated $300bn-$400bn in additional lending capacity over the coming decade, through CAF reforms.

China is emerging as a major player in international climate finance, directing resources towards developing countries' efforts to mitigate climate change and adapt to its impacts. However, questions remain about the scope, direction, and effectiveness of this financial support.

Micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) make up over 90% of all firms. They account, on average, for 70% of total employment and 50% of GDP worldwide. However, there has been limited data on the uptake and impact of digital payments on small and micro enterprises (MSEs). This report explores the wide-ranging impacts of digital payments on MSEs, highlighting opportunities for business growth and enhanced security alongside concerns around exclusion, cost, privacy, and fraud.

This report sheds new light on the overall level of multidimensional poverty in Small Island Developing States. Poverty is not often associated with Small Island Developing States (SIDS), because many have upper middle-income and high-income status. Yet SIDS face unique social, economic and environmental challenges due to their size and geographical isolation, which in turn create severe economic constraints and vulnerability to external climate-related shocks.