Day: October 17, 2022

October 12, 2022 (BISHOFTU, Ethiopia): The Intergovernmental Authority on Development, in partnership with the European Union and within the framework of the Ecosfish Programme, organize a 3-day Validation workshop on the Socioeconomic Situation and Capacity Need Assessment of fisheries in Baro-Akobo-Sobat River Basin, a transboundary river basin between Ethiopia and South Sudan, in Bishoftu (Ethiopia).

The workshop was attended by representatives of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia and South Sudan, the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Water and Energy of Ethiopia, Bureau of Livestock and Fisheries of Gambella Region, Gambella University Research and Community Service Vice President, Addis Ababa University, Sebeta National Fisheries Research Center of Ethiopia, National Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries of South Sudan, Juba University, Fishery Experts from Jonglei, Upper Nile and National Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation and National Ministry of Environment and Forestry of South Sudan.

In his opening speech and on Behalf of the IGAD Executive Secretary, Dr Eshete Dejen Programme Manager of IGAD AED-Sustainable Environment Unit and Ecofish Project Coordinator said “The fisheries sector in IGAD member countries has been recognized as one of the important growth sectors in the region. Fishery sector can contribute to accelerated economic growth and development, income generation, nutrition, employment and export earnings and overall food security. The focus should be on increased production and value addition since fish has high domestic market demand, can contribute to improved domestic nutrition, offer good trade opportunities at the global, regional and intra-regional levels; and have potential to foster backward and forward linkages to support efficient value addition.”

The Head Fisheries and Aquaculture Development Desk of the Ministry of Agriculture of Ethiopia Dr Fasil Dawit pursued “The Gambella region is one of those places where the Baro River and its basin are vital to the lives of the people who live there. The importance of the sector in this basin is critical not only for the Gambella Region, but also for the entire country. The basin’s importance is not limited to the direct and indirect economic contributions from fishery resources; it also includes non-fishery economic activities such as aquatic transportation, natural ecosystem conservation with less soil erosion, irrigation, and hydropower”.

Therefore, the purpose of these workshops is to validate these draft documents by involving the Bilateral Fisheries Coordination Platform (BFCP) members from the three project implementation countries (Ethiopia, Kenya, and South Sudan). BFCP was established in each basin by the IGAD Ecofish Project.

The key outcomes of the workshop include production of reviewed and revised study reports and validation of data/information from study documents by national experts.

Source: Inter Governmental Authority on Development

DAKAR – Above-average rainfall and devastating flooding across West and Central Africa has affected five million people in 19 countries across the region, claiming hundreds of lives, upending livelihoods, displacing tens of thousands from their homes and decimating over a million hectares of cropland – in a region already in the grips of an unprecedented hunger crisis. This climate-related disaster is one of the deadliest the region has seen in years and is likely to deepen the already worrisome hunger situation for millions.

The floods hit West Africa as world leaders prepare to meet on the climate crisis at COP27 in Egypt and highlight the urgent need to help communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis adapt, expand solutions that address loss and damage incurred during climate-related disasters, and invest in climate action in fragile contexts.

“Families in West Africa have already been pushed to the limit in the wake of conflict, the socio-economic fallout from the pandemic, and skyrocketing food prices. These floods act as a misery multiplier and are the final straw for communities already struggling to keep their heads above water,” said Chris Nikoi, the UN World Food Programme (WFP)’s Regional Director for Western Africa.

“WFP is on the ground helping flood-hit families get back on their feet by providing an immediate response package, while also helping to build community resilience to future shocks and pave a pathway out of this catastrophic situation,” Nikoi added.

The short-term meteorological forecasts indicate above average seasonal rainfall across the Western Africa region (except southern coastal areas), with a risk of flooding affecting people and further driving up humanitarian needs. A confluence of calamities already left 43 million people facing crisis and emergency (IPC/CH phases 3+4) levels of food insecurity during the June-August lean season.

In response, WFP is on the ground providing a three-month emergency assistance package targeting 427,000 flood-hit women, men and children in critically affected countries including the Central African Republic, Chad, the Gambia, Nigeria, Sao Tome & Principe, and Sierra Leone. WFP also provides post-flood response mainly targeting smallholder farmers whose crops have been destroyed.

WFP’s emergency food assistance is provided in the form of food and cash disbursements helping affected families meet their basic food and nutrition needs at a time when food prices are skyrocketing, already pushing basic meals out of reach for vulnerable families.

In many countries across the region, food prices are still on the rise compared to the 5-year average. Maize prices, for example, rose by 106%, 78%, 42% respectively in Ghana, Niger and Nigeria. In Burkina Faso, sorghum prices increased by 85%. In Mauritania, wheat is up by 49%, while in Sierra Leone, imported rice is up by a staggering 87%. The spiralling food, fuel and fertilizer prices not only aggravate the hunger crisis but also foment socio-economic tensions – as governments struggle to respond to the crisis due to heavy debt burdens and limited fiscal space.

In addition to responding to the immediate needs of flood-hit communities, WFP is implementing an Anticipatory Action programme that helps build the capacity of governments and partners. This includes setting up early warning systems to better prepare for climate extremes when they take place and providing funding opportunities to avert or mitigate the impacts of imminent extreme weather events. In August, WFP activated its Anticipatory Action in Niger targeting 200,000 at-risk people with early warning messages and advisory information.

“Strengthening resilience and promoting climate adaptation is an essential part of anticipating climate hazards, restoring degraded ecosystems, and protecting vulnerable communities against the impact of climate extremes,” Nikoi noted.

In arid lands across the Sahel, WFP’s focus is on building local resilience to the cascading effects of the climate crisis, by promoting farming techniques that help restore degraded lands and ecosystems. WFP supports communities in building rainwater catchment systems and other sustainable water storage options that allow farmers to plant fruits and vegetables even after the riverbeds dry up.

WFP also implements a climate risk insurance scheme that improves African governments’ management of climate risks. In 2022, WFP disbursed US$ 9.4 million from the African Risk Capacity (ARC) Replica for the implementation of an early response plan in Mauritania, Mali, and Burkina Faso following the 2021 drought.

To ensure that WFP’s flood-response programme can effectively assist affected communities, WFP requires US$ 15 million through March 2023.

Source: World Food Programme

GENEVA, 17 October (Office for Disarmament Affairs) — Nearly a hundred experts from Comoros, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, United Republic of Tanzania and Uganda gather in Mombasa, Kenya, from 18 to 19 October for a two-day regional workshop to identify concrete ways to strengthen the Biological Weapons Convention in Eastern African countries.

Officials from the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa, Regional Coordination Office for United Nations Security Council resolution 1540 (2004), the European Union Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Risk Mitigation Centres of Excellence, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development in Eastern Africa (IGAD) will also attend the event.

The workshop is organized by the Office for Disarmament Affairs through the Implementation Support Unit for the Biological Weapons Convention, in collaboration with the Government of Kenya through the National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation.

The Biological Weapons Convention, which opened for signature on 10 April 1972 and entered into force on 26 March 1975, was the first multilateral disarmament treaty banning an entire category of weapons of mass destruction.  With 184 States Parties, the Biological Weapons Convention has established a strong norm against biological weapons, while also facilitating assistance, international cooperation and capacity-building on matters such as biological science and technology, as well as preparedness and response to deliberate biological threats.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the vulnerability of modern societies to large-scale disease outbreaks and the need to proactively address biothreats and enhance national frameworks on biosafety, biosecurity and non-proliferation of biological weapons.  The universalization and effective implementation of the Biological Weapons Convention in Africa is a key aspect for comprehensively addressing biological risks and threats on the continent at the national and regional levels.

The workshop is part of a four-year project on “Supporting Universalization and Effective Implementation of the Biological Weapons Convention in Africa” and funded through generous financial support by the Global Partnership against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction.

Source: United Nations

Fighting in the Tigray region of Ethiopia is “spiralling out of control”, and there is no military solution to end nearly two years of brutal conflict which has left tens of thousands reportedly dead, while the “social fabric, is being ripped apart”.

That’s according to the UN Secretary-General António Guterres who briefed correspondents on Monday morning outside the Security Council, stating that the violence and destruction “have reached alarming levels.”

It was the second intervention from the UN chief in as many days, as reports emerged of heavy bombing of Shire and other Tigrayan cities, and food supplies running out in the regional capital Mekelle, amid rising concerns over a possible famine.

Hundreds of thousands have been displaced since Government troops began battling separatist Tigray forces in November 2020, following rising tensions between national and regional authorities.

Eritrean troops have reportedly joined forces with the Ethiopian army and crossed the border into Tigray. Aid distribution has been severely hampered since an uptick in fighting since August, along with a lack of fuel and communications blackout.

Eritrean pull-back

The UN chief said there must be an “immediate withdrawal and disengagement of Eritrean armed forces from Ethiopia”, adding that civilians were “paying a horrific price” across the region.

“Indiscriminate attacks – including in residential areas – are killing more innocent people every day, damaging critical infrastructure and limiting access to vital services.”

He said disturbing accounts had been received of “sexual violence and other acts of brutality against women, children and men. All parties must adhere to their obligations under international humanitarian law.”

The level of need, he said, was now staggering and even before the resumption of fighting in August following a five-month lull, 13 million had been in need across the war zone comprising Tigray, Amhara and Afar in the north.

7-week aid suspension

Deliveries of aid into Tigray have been suspended for over seven weeks, Mr. Guterres said, and assistance to Amhara and Afar has also been disrupted.

“All parties must allow and facilitate the rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for all civilians in need. The United Nations is ready to support the African Union in every possible way to end this nightmare for the Ethiopian people.”

He added his voice to the AU’s call for a resumption of talks, which had been due to take place in South Africa last month.

“We need the urgent resumption of talks towards an effective, lasting political settlement”, said the Secretary-General. “The international community must rally together now for peace in Ethiopia.”

Haiti: Humanitarian corridor must be established by force

The blockade of vital humanitarian and civilian supplies in Haiti’s capital of Port-au-Prince by heavily-armed gangs, and the growing risk posed by cholera, necessitates “armed action” to create a life-saving humanitarian corridor, the UN chief said, in response to journalists’ questions on Monday.

The absence of fuel had triggered a water crisis, which is now fuelling the cholera outbreak which has already killed dozens: “You know that the treatment for cholera, the most important treatment is hydration, and there is no water available in the city.”

‘Nightmarish situation’

“So, it’s an absolutely nightmarish situation for the population of Haiti, especially Port-au-Prince.”

Mr. Guterres said this was why he had been urging the Security Council to act, to strengthen the national police force with training and equipment. But the current crisis meant that more needed to be done.

“In the present circumstances, we need an armed action to release the port and to allow for a humanitarian corridor to be established…I am talking of something to be done based on strict humanitarian criteria, independent of the political dimensions of the problem that need to be solved by the Haitians themselves.”

Source: United Nations

Water and Sanitation Minister, Hon. Senzo Mchunu, has committed to increase the bulk water allocation to the Rand Water system as an emergency measure to address water shortages in the Gauteng metros, district and local municipalities. “We note the increase in water usage and restrictions imposed by Rand Water in response to deteriorating water levels in their reservoirs, therefore we will increase temporarily the allocation for abstraction of bulk water to Rand Water’s system in order to meet the demand. “This should bring relief to some metros, namely Johannesburg, Tshwane and Mogale City District Municipality, however the measure is for a period of nine (9) months while we seek more permanent solutions to water usage and management,” said Minister Mchunu. Currently, Rand Water abstracts 4400 mega litres of water and has already exceeded this allocation by over 1600 megalitres since the beginning of the spring season. Minister Mchunu held an emergency meeting this morning, Monday,17 October 2022, to engage with Rand Water, representatives of all three metros, district and local municipalities of Gauteng Province affected by Rand Water’s water restrictions. The Minister said while the increased allocation will bring in some relief to those municipalities experiencing restrictions due to high usage and demand, municipalities need to come up with measures to deal with those wasting water including imposing penalties and addressing the challenge of water leaks on municipal reticulation system. “As a country we are experiencing the scarcity of water, yet we allow for up to 40 percent of our water to be lost to leakage. This undermines our efforts to address water challenges.” A Water Room committee, comprising of DWS, Rand Water and all Gauteng municipalities as well as business sector will be set up to provide a holistic coordination, provision and management of water system in the province. Water use has risen in recent weeks due to the continued heatwave which has been happening in this period over the last two to three years, compounded by delayed summer rains in the inland provinces leading to people using potable water for uses that would have ordinarily been taken care of by rains, such as watering gardens and car wash enterprises, as well as water losses due to leaks in the reticulation part of the system. There continues to be overuse in the province which puts a strain on the system that led to Rand Water having to inform their customers of the need to restrict.

Source: Department of Water and Sanitation South Africa