March 2021

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Posted: Tuesday March 23, 2021. 6:39 PM CST.

By Aaron Humes: Belize joined its Central American partners in presenting four key demands of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) at its virtual annual general meeting, held March 19-21 in Barranquilla, Colombia.

These are: implementing financial instruments that provide liquidity to restore fiscal space; provide resources for the reconstruction and development of countries affected by natural disasters; study the possibility of paying for the patent and manufacture of vaccines in Central America; develop an IDB concessional resource strategy for the provision of financial and technical support for the resilient recovery of productive systems in Central American countries.

Prime Minister John Briceño represented Belize as one of the Bank’s Governors alongside Minister of State and Acting Governor Christopher Coye; CEO Narda Garcia and Elvira Mendez, Advisor in the Office of the Executive Director of the IDB in Belize.

A government statement reports: “The expected outcome of these meetings is to advocate for an increase in the Bank’s resources to meet increased demand and to adopt a resolution ordering the Management and the Board of the IDB to conduct a rigorous analysis of the Bank’s capacity to support countries in the medium and long term. He adds that Belize has been joined by representatives from all Central American countries except Panama to form a unified position to be taken forward in the formal sessions of the annual Board of Governors meeting.

In his presentation during the session of the IDB Group Strategic Vision 2021-2025, the Prime Minister mentioned the imperative for the IDB Group to help our countries to implement a transformation agenda while respecting fully the fundamental principles of access, equality, gender equity, integration and, above all, inclusion. In his statement, he also stressed that the Strategic Vision 2021-2025 must include a comprehensive strategy on concessional resources to help countries develop a comprehensive strategy for reducing climate change and natural disasters to foster resilience.

As the region’s main strategic partner, Prime Minister Briceno underlined the principle of shared but differentiated responsibility between borrowing and non-borrowing countries, a principle that requires the pursuit of inclusion and special consideration of the poorest countries. and the most vulnerable like Belize.

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PETALING JAYA: The harsh conditions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic have prompted Malaysians to be better prepared financially, according to StashAway’s Insight report “2021: How Investors Responded to Covid-19”.

In the wake of the pandemic, he found that 7% of his Malaysian customers are now saving more than half of their income compared to 3% before Covid-19 entered the scene, while 21% of those polled said they had invested 30-50% of their savings compared to 13% who have done so before.

In terms of financial preparedness, the fintech actor revealed that 47% of respondents to his survey think they should have more than six months of spending in their emergency fund, although only 24% saved more than this amount.

Its CEO and co-founder Michele Ferrario (Photo) noted that 2020 is a challenge for many industries and will go down in the books as one of the most volatile years in modern history.

“Investors have suffered unprecedented market volatility and economic uncertainty, brought on by a global pandemic and other events, such as the US general election,” he said in the report.

Ferrario explained that such challenges have prompted StashAway to educate its clients and on long-term financial planning and investing, especially during times of extreme market volatility.

“We saw behavioral biases similar to what we saw during the 2018 market correction. This is why this year we wanted to reveal how Covid-19 and the 2020 stock market crash impacted behavior. investors, and how it made them change the way they think about their finances. “

Following the global market crash of March 2020, 9% of investors were more likely to stop contributing to their usual investment plans, while 41% of investors were more likely to withdraw their funds from their investment portfolios .

The report suggests that such a reaction to the stock market crash is because investors want to prevent their investments from losing more value, as they are more likely to check their investments and withdraw funds when they think the value of their investments will decline.

StashAway’s survey found that impulse investors who withdrew their investments during the stock market crash and took no action during their breakeven point saw a money-weighted average return of -5.61% , compared to 10.74% in money-weighted average return those who continued to invest as usual. .

In Malaysia, he found that inexperienced investors, who have never traded in securities, are 73% more likely to suspend regular deposits in the event of a stock market crash.

Stashaway also found that those under 30 are 7% more likely to suspend their deposits and 24% more likely to withdraw their funds during the stock market crash.

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SOURCE American Financial Resources, Inc.

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The financial cost of last year is heavy on football clubs at all levels of the game and it may well reset the landscape of the game for years to come.

Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea are funded very differently from the established giants of the game and with that in mind I suspect a new era is about to dawn.

City’s success in appealing their two-year Champions League ban has been a hammer blow to UEFA’s financial fair play rules and this verdict could be even bigger amid the ongoing pandemic.

While the owners of Liverpool and Manchester United have openly admitted that they might not be able to compete for the best players in the transfer market this summer, Man City, PSG and Chelsea will see this as their biggest opportunity at this day.

With these three clubs run by sugar-daddy owners who don’t care how much they spend and never have to sell players to balance the books, they’ll look at a player like Haaland and think they can outbid them. others to have it.

I’m sure Liverpool and United would want the Norwegian striker and let’s be honest, who wouldn’t.

At 20, he is scoring Champions League goals and has all the attributes you look for in a player who is set to become something special.

However, if Liverpool do go bidding with Man City, PSG and Chelsea for Haaland this summer, they stand no chance of winning.

You would like to think Haaland would want to join one of the big clubs in the game and a few weeks ago German media hinted that he was not interested in joining Chelsea for that very reason.

Yet when Haaland and his agent Mino Raiola start negotiating his transfer to Dortmund and the oil-rich clubs start paying insane wages and accepting the massive upfront payment that will be demanded, Liverpool and United are unlikely to stand a chance. .

Let’s say City or PSG offer him £ 500,000 a week and give their agent millions of dollars as part of the signing fee, which they are more than capable of doing.

Traditionally funded clubs would not be able to compete with this kind of financial firepower and that means all the top players could end up in the same three clubs in the years to come.

Abu Dhabi backers who fund Man City, Qatar-backed PSG or Roman Abramovich at Chelsea can dip into their cash pools and pull out a few hundred million in an instant and Haaland will be the next addition to the bank. their fantasy football game.

Meanwhile, the clubs that have worked so hard to build great stories and help grow the game over generations might let “plastic” clubs (literally) profit from the misfortune of others.

That’s why I can see a scenario where Lionel Messi and Haaland meet at Manchester City or PSG this summer.

Chelsea will spend big again under new boss Thomas Tuchel and by the start of next season they could well be the three dominant teams in European football.

Is it a bad thing for new clubs to break through and win in the Champions League?

Not at all, but the three clubs that threaten to resume play risk leaving the fair play section of the UEFA rulebook more than redundant.

The only factor Liverpool, United and Europe’s established big clubs have on their side is a massive global fan base, which should ensure that the money starts flowing again very quickly when this pandemic ends.

Still, as the game’s big clubs start to regain a balanced financial position, Man City, PSG and Chelsea could have a stranglehold on the game that will be difficult to shake for some time.

We are at the end of a lasting period which has seen Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo lead the way as two of the best players in European football and a new era is about to begin, with stars like Haaland and Kylian Mbappe coming together. climbing to the top.

If all the top players end up playing for the money at clubs built on the ambitions of super-rich owners, a game that was already taken away from fans last year will be harder than ever to identify.

The National AIDS Control Agency (NACA) said that despite notable progress in reducing the number of cases and deaths from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) / acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS ) and many others, ending AIDS by 2030 is awash with challenges that threaten to erode successes.

NACA Director General Dr Gambo Gumel Aliyu on the occasion of the first anniversary of NACA Day / 14th anniversary on Monday February 22, 2021 said one of the main challenges is the need for data strategic and in real time for decision making. as well as a cap on financial resources to continue the fight against the virus. “As we look back on our successes over the past 14 years with nostalgia, it is imperative that we recognize that now is the time for all hands to be on deck! ” he said.

The Director General of NACA said the day was an opportunity to reflect on the road traveled so far, take stock, review the state of the response, share the vision to end epidemic by 2030 and to celebrate all communities, partners and stakeholders for the milestones achieved.

Aliyu said the agency has led the national HIV response through notable milestones ranging from a rapid response to a more controlled epidemic. “More people are placed on treatment in Nigeria than ever before, morbidity and mortality rates are declining, making it easier to suppress the high viral load in the population among HIV-positive people on antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Nigeria. There is increased ownership of the response as the federal government has continued to deliver on its promise to put 50,000 people on treatment each year, ”he said.

The CEO of NACA said that in 2018, the agency, with the support of its partners, conducted the largest population-based HIV / AIDS survey in the world, leading to a rebasing of the HIV epidemic in the world. Nigeria from 5.8% to 1.4% prevalence. . Aliyu said the survey provided the Agency and its partners with the data needed to pursue the global goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, thus meeting the 95 targets. : 95: 95.

He said that the year 2020 presents new challenges for the HIV response following the COVID-19 pandemic and that the lessons learned from the success of the multisectoral response to HIV, the levers on the community and the infrastructure of HIV and its resources have been instrumental in the resilience of the Nigerian response to COVID-19.

Aliyu said the ongoing pandemic is a grim reminder that despite “our best efforts, we cannot rest on our oars as new public health and development challenges will emerge and we must learn lessons and best practices. of the past 14 years to strategize a people will answer them. We must ensure that we control the HIV epidemic and establish systems and structures that will support all of our achievements in the future. “

According to the Joint United Nations AIDS Program (UNAIDS) World AIDS Day (WAD) report 2020, only six countries saw treatment initiations return to the same levels as in January and February, including including Nigeria, which reported large increases in July, August and September.

The secretary of the government of the Federation (SGF) and president of the Presidential Working Group (PTF) on COVID-19, boss Gida Mustapha, in a goodwill message on the occasion of the inaugural day of NACA, said said: “The inauguration and celebration of the day when this agency was founded is certainly an opportunity to remember historically and collectively how the HIV epidemic has created a terrible burden on millions of people, from families and communities around us and around the world.

“By the time NACA was inaugurated as an agency that day in 2007, the challenges the agency faced were the burden of HIV-related stigma, the lack of knowledge about the disease by most people. health workers, lack of access to treatment, lack of vigorous prevention efforts, lack of effective social awareness and support for the most vulnerable. Thanks to past efforts and the Agency’s current leadership, most of these challenges have been overcome.

“Over the past 14 years, I dare say that this agency has accomplished so much in its mission to the admiration of the government and its partners. In 2018 alone, NACA led the Nigeria HIV / AIDS Indicators and Impact Survey (NAIIS). This was a national household survey that assessed HIV prevalence and related health indicators. The timeline for completion / recorded successes of this survey was rated as best to none. With the onset of COVID-19, the NACA model has worked well to demonstrate resilience and mitigate its impact on the country.

“Thanks to very strategic and supportive federal government policies, millions of people now have access to ARVs and the global goals of prevention, testing and treatment are being met. The current government of President Muhammadu Buhari has continued to make resources available through NACA to maintain this momentum. This includes a commitment to have an additional 50,000 Nigerians placed on treatment each year, a feat no government in this country has achieved. Rest assured that the government will continue to do more, because it has confidence in the diligent commitment, accountability and transparency of the Agency’s management.

The first two AIDS cases in Nigeria were diagnosed in 1985 and reported in 1986 in Lagos, one of which was a 13-year-old sex worker from one of the West African countries.

The first sentinel survey on HIV in 1991 showed a prevalence of 1.8%. Subsequent sentinel surveys gave a prevalence of 3.8% (1993), 4.5% (1996), 5.4% (1999), 5.8% (2001), 5.0% (2003), 4 , 4% (2005), 4.6% (2008), 4.1% (2010) and 1.3% (2019).

NACA, in an editorial, said the National Response Management Day provides a platform for reflection and future projection to end HIV and AIDS as a public health emergency in Nigeria by 2030. He noted: “Under the leadership of eminent figures such as Prof. Ibironke Akinsete, Prof. Babatunde Osotimehin, Prof. John Idoko and Dr Sani Aliyu as chairmen and general managers respectively, the Agency has ensured that that the national response to HIV has reached its last mile, witnessing stability in leadership and cultivating a strong work ethic.

“… Despite these successes, the HIV response in Nigeria still requires the support of all its stakeholders to win the fight against the virus through shared responsibility, stronger partnerships, responsible implementation and shared responsibility for the virus. retaliate. These will facilitate the institutionalization of sustainable structures capable of responding to the end of AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, as well as other development and public health emergencies. This will allow the Federal Government of Nigeria to take more ownership of its response, catalyze other countries to do the same, thus facilitating the achievement of some of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). “

Meanwhile, UNAIDS has alerted to gaps in antiretroviral treatment coverage among prisoners living with HIV. UNAIDS in a statement said that every day around 11 million people around the world are in lockdown. Injection drug use and sex take place in prisons all over the world. The risk of sexual violence among inmates – and their lack of access to condoms, lubricants, pre-exposure prophylaxis and harm reduction services – increases their chances of contracting HIV, hepatitis C and sexually transmitted infections. .

Among people who inject drugs, recent incarceration is associated with an 81% and 62% increased likelihood of HIV infection and hepatitis C infection, respectively.

Closed settings should, in theory, promote the provision of effective testing and treatment services, although treatment interruptions and concerns about confidentiality and discrimination are problematic.

In 2019, 78 countries reported to UNAIDS that HIV testing was available at all times during detention or imprisonment, and 104 countries reported that antiretroviral therapy was available to all prisoners living with HIV.

The coverage of antiretroviral therapy is good, although gaps remain.