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As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to spread rapidly across the world, Sub-Sahara Africa is still recording a relatively low number of coronavirus cases. However, the situation in the coming days remained uncertain and many countries in the region are considering urgent action to contain the spread of the virus. At this writing, World Health Organization (WHO) statistics updates indicates that there are 512,701 confirmed cases worldwide while WHO Africa recorded 2,652 cases with 81 recovered and 50 deaths.

Racing Against the Coronavirus Clock

African countries like South Africa, Rwanda and Uganda are now racing against the speedy spread of the virus by bringing in new measures, among them recently-imposed lockdown in South Africa and a 7 pm to dawn curfew in Kenya that was announced by President Uhuru Kenyatta a few days ago as a preventive measure.

The existing situation is already extremely difficult. Millions of low income earners accounting 82% of people in rural areas in Africa are in extreme poverty earning little or no income according to World Bank. These low income earners will be heavily affected by Covid-19 countermeasures as countries begin to place restrictions on travel, impose lockdowns, set curfews and encourage social distancing that will weaken the ability of many businesses to operate.

Kenyan Construction Worker: ‘I Don’t Know How I Will Survive’

Joseph Mwangi 38, a father of three working in a construction sites in the outskirts of Nairobi Kenya’s capital fears that Covid-19 restrictions will hurt his operations and fears that he might soon lose his job and will not be able to provide for his family.

“Government directives are good but for people like me I don’t know how I will survive,” Mwangi said, adding that: “Construction work, you can’t do it in the house.”

However, it’s a relief for many like Mwangi when the government announces 7pm to dawn curfew instead of a full lockdown which still offers an opportunity for them to work.

“Yes that’s better, I can work for those hours as I adhere to the guidelines given by the ministry of health, which is good,” Mwangi said to InsideOver as he prepared to leave his work place much earlier in order to start working again in the early hours.

According to Alexander G. Owino, Consultant and Financial Sector Specialist based in Nairobi, Covid-19 will have a serious impact on the lives and livelihoods of Kenya’s low income earners. Owino added that the livelihoods, jobs or daily hustles of low income earners will experience a supply-side shock. “Covid-19 will severely disrupt transportation, supply chains and supplies of nearly all inputs, good or services, impairing the ability of informal sector producers to work or serve their customers,” Owino explained.

Sub-Saharan African GDP Set For Major Decrease

The Brookings Institute projected that the Covid-19 related economic disruptions emanating from emergency response will lower sub-Saharan Africa’s GDP growth in 2020 to between 1.5 per cent and 2.5 per cent, down from the projected 3.6 per cent before the outbreak of the virus.

The repercussion from disease outbreak and the rapid measures employed by the African governments has rippling effects on low income wage people like faith Anyango, a mother of two children working in one of Nairobi’s many restaurants. She is already bearing the brunt of the economic downturn as her work place has been temporarily closed and now she is jobless. “I left my two children at home with my mother, they rely on me to buy them food and other essentials,” Anyango said regretfully, speaking to InsideOver. “Now I don’t have a job, the business is low and we were told to go home. What can I do now?”

The Coming Hospital and Healthcare Overload

Owino also noted that the pandemic will likely place a heavy demands on hospitals and health facilities, further raising healthcare costs for those least able to bear them. In addition to raising the costs of living and at the same time reducing the incomes of the poor due to near-collapse of purchases from customers restricted by curfews and social distancing measures or ordered to quarantine and stay at home.

“The low income earners will face rising costs of essential household needs, particularly food and health,” Owino said.

UNESCO estimates that more than 120 countries have already introduced nation-wide school and university closures affecting 1.2 billion learners nearly three-quarters of the world’s student population and the number is expected to rise as the coronavirus looks set to spread further. Save the Children projected that risk goes beyond disruption to education – they also carry other risks to marginalized children and children from low-income households, because many may rely on school meals to support their daily nutrition.

As a result, it overstretches the already fragile household’s budgets. Gabriella Waajiman, Save the Children’s Global Humanitarian Director, says that current situation is unprecedented and the number of children suddenly out of school or university is equivalent to the entire population of India.

“As pressures mount on low income families, children may need to work to bolster family incomes, and girls especially may also face a disproportionate burden of caring for family members who contract the virus or taking care of younger children. If plans are not put in place urgently, some children run the risk of never returning to school at all,” Waajiman explained.

Africa’s Fight Against Covid-19

Meanwhile, the fight against the COVID-19 is gaining momentum in Africa, the continent receives major boost with Alibaba’s donation of 1.5 million test kits and 100 tons of supplies for infection prevention and control which arrived in Addis Ababa on March 22.

“This is a great honor and initiative and a great sign of the solidarity that the world needs at this critical time. The test kits and other materials will support African countries in their fight against this outbreak,” said Dr. Kohn Nkengasong, Director of Africa’s CDC. “We are facing a humanitarian situation, an economic situation and a security situation in the continent and Africa CDC clearly applauds the initiative of the Prime Minister and the Jack Ma and Alabama Foundation,” he added.

L'articolo African Low Income Earners Bear the Brunt of Strict Covid-19 Measures proviene da InsideOver.

As the world endeavors to tackle climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions it’s very critical for world economies to shift their consumption of energy from fossils fuels in order to meet the globally agreed climate goals laid down in the 2015 Paris Agreement.

Africa’s Response to Climate Change

Therefore, more than 25 organizations, networks and community resistance groups from Africa and around the world, in a communiqué signed by the group called on African governments to prevent the proliferation of coal, oil and gas in Africa and to ensure efforts to address fossil fuels match those which have helped reduce the danger from nuclear weapons.

In a recently concluded Africa Energy Leaders’ Summit on Climate Change, Energy, and Energy Finance in Addis Ababa-Ethiopia attended by representatives from different NGOs which includes MELCA-Ethiopia, Oil Change Africa, Health of Mother Earth Foundation, Oxfam, Friends of the Earth, the deCOA Lonize Campaign and Power Shift Africa demands the urgent need of African governments to upscale their efforts and strengthen their response to climate change.

“The group criticized the deliberate proliferation of coal, oil, and gas in Africa, contrary to scientific evidence and highlighted the contradiction between planned fossil fuel expansion and globally agreed climate targets,” read the press statement.

IPCC: Sub-Saharan Africa is Particularly Vulnerable to Negative Effects of Climate Change

Although Sub Sahara Africa emits 2 to  3 percent of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions from energy and industrial sources, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned that the continent is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Indeed, the frequency and intensity of droughts and floods have already worsened in many parts of Africa and its bad effects will increase in future.

The activists noted that the rapidly rising threats of fossils fuels as the major driver of climate change crisis in Africa also deserved the same efforts that match the magnitude and the speed at which weapons of mass destruction are confronted.

The group specifically called on African leaders to: “put an end to fossil fuel development; to manage the decline of existing production of oil, gas, and coal; and to rapidly initiate a transition to clean and safe renewable sources of energy that fully supports access to energy for those who currently lack it.”

They also asked them to “publicly condemn and reject the double standards advanced by fossil fuel companies and their allied interests, who result in the discriminatory treatment of Africa and her peoples.”

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Need to Go Down By At Least 25 Percent by 2030

According to 2019 emission gap report indicated that by 2030, emissions would need to be 25 per cent and 55 per cent lower than in 2018 to put the world on the least-cost pathway to limiting global warming to below 2˚C and 1.5°C respectively. Alvin Munyasia, from Oxfam International says that all coal must end immediately, and all other fossil fuels phased out by 2050 – with rich countries ditching them fastest to limit global heating to 1.5 degrees.

“No new coal power plants should be built anywhere, and the last existing plant needs to be closed in wealthy countries at the very latest by 2030 and in all countries by 2040,” he insisted.

Additionally, the advocacy group further called on their African leaders to fast-track and rapidly initiate a transition to clean and safe renewable sources of energy that fully supports access to energy for those who currently lack it.” They also ask them to “publicly condemn and reject the double standards advanced by fossil fuel companies and their allied interests, who result in the discriminatory treatment of Africa and her peoples.”

Access to alternative sources of clean energy is vital for African countries towards the realization of Paris Agreement and Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development .Mohamed Adow, Director of climate and energy think tank Power Shift Africa highlighted the fossil fuel industry as an existential threat to Africa and the world – and to have chance of meeting the Paris Agreement goal of limiting warming to below 1.5C degrees, international cooperation is required to prevent the proliferation of coal, oil and gas, at the scale and speed required to stabilize the Earth’s climate.

“African countries investing in fossil fuels risk creating stranded assets, and an un-managed and disorderly transition from fossil fuels. We can either intentionally develop new ways to meet our energy needs without increasing our emissions or altogether lose the window of opportunity to ensure a safe climate and a sustainable future.”

Consistent Climate Change Policies are Sorely Needed

The 2019 UN environment emission gap report further indicates that to attain a significant global energy sector transition requires consistent climate change policies that concord well with the Paris agreement goal. This will require huge investments to between US$1.6 trillion and US$3.8 trillion per year globally on average over the 2020–2050 to improve global energy systems.

In this regards, Omar Elmawi, Coordinator for the deCOALonize Campaign, mentioned that Sub- Sahara Africa present huge opportunities for renewable energy. “The abundance of renewable energy like wind, solar and geothermal makes it possible for Africa to leapfrog dirty fossil fuels like coal that countries in the west had to rely on for their development.” Omar said.

But some African countries have already made substantial progress in tapping into vast renewable energy to power their economies. South Africa has developed the largest wind energy while Morocco, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Kenya are following suit with both wind and solar energy generation thus increasing competition to fossil fuels.

As the world embraces the energy transition away from fossil fuels to low-carbon solutions, there is potential to disrupt existing power dynamics .Nthabiseng Matsoha, Earthlife Africa’s Researcher and Energy Policy Officer says that it’s high time the continent’s renewable energy potential benefited ordinary people. This is especially important as we move towards a ‘just transition’ to a decarbonized world. Community ownership models should be explored, to not only benefit but to empower.

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Zimbabwe’s worsening food crisis is forcing children to eat only once a day and walk for hours across dry rocky terrain to collect water, according to Save the Children, a UK based charity organization that helps save, protect and ensure survival of the most vulnerable children in the world.

What Caused Zimbabwe’s Current Crisis?

The current food emergency situation can be traced back to a severe drought that began in 2018. Without an urgent increase in humanitarian response, Save the Children is warning that lives will be lost as children and their families adopt more extreme coping mechanisms to survive.

Across the country, at least 7.7 million people in urban and rural areas are severely food insecure, including over 3.8 million children who are hungry and require urgent food assistance. Many parents have been forced to stop their children from going to school and engaged them with casual jobs to supplement their income while others drop out of school due to lack of school fees.

Michelle is 17-years-old and lives in the southern part of Zimbabwe with her nine-month-old baby. Her extended family is among the millions Zimbabweans facing a complex macro-economic crisis, the worst since 2008, with the highest inflation rate in the world according to the IMF. As a result, her family have reduced the number of meals they have each day.

“Junior is now nine months. I was pained when I found out he was underweight. I couldn’t sleep. I wasn’t expecting my child to be underweight because I was breastfeeding him. When I go to the clinic to ask for the porridge they said it’s not available,” Michelle recounted.

Millions of Eastern and Southern African Children Still Suffering from Serious Under Nutrition and Starvation

UNICEF’s State of the World’s Children report for 2019 revealed that under nutrition continues to affect tens of millions of children in Eastern and Southern Africa. In 2018 alone, 29 million children under 5 were stunted and almost 5.4 million died. The unbearable burden of malnutrition and hunger is attributed to difficult macro-economic environment, climate change and multiple humanitarian crises that included flooding, drought, and diarrhea disease outbreaks that have affected many Zimbabwean families.

William Lynch, Zimbabwe’s country director for Save the Children decried the rapid deterioration of livelihood with poor rains preceded by rampant water scarcity forcing many families and children to travel for long distance in search of water exposing them to the risk of violence and abuse.

“This is an extremely complex situation evolving in Zimbabwe, where families that had four or five ways of making a living, can no longer rely on any of them,” Lynch said, adding that his organization’s preliminary assessments have been grim. “We’ve seen spikes in unattended births and a decline in vaccinations as the health system falters.”

Africa is Being Hit Especially Hard by Climate Change

As the adverse impact of climate change continues to be felt in many parts of the world, the African continent is the most affected according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC) and its agriculture sector is at high risk as 70 percent of the continent’s population directly rely on farming for their food security.

The latest data from FAO, the state of food security and nutrition (SOFI 2019) indicates the rapidly rising hunger in many parts of Africa. The report cited conflict and climate change as a driving factor that is pushing 133 million people to the brink of food insecurity in Eastern Africa and Africa with highest prevalence of undernourishment, at almost 20 per cent. The Global Hunger Index (GHI) rated Zimbabwe in the ‘Serious’ food insecurity category .Owing to endemic poverty, progressive low investment in the agricultural sector, and inactivity of the food production sector coupled with negative effects of droughts and other related events of climate change.

For instance, some parts of the country received erratic and uneven rainfall between November, 2019 and January, 2020, much of the rain fell on parched land, resulting in flooding and topsoil erosion, further impeding the ability of families to farm. The lean season is due to peak during January to March but is expected to last much longer as many farmers have lost their crops and will have nothing to harvest come March.

At the Africa Food Security Leadership Dialogue late last year in Rwanda, a meeting took place that aims at facilitate engagement between governments and key development partners to enhance resilience actions for Africa’s agriculture and food systems in response to climate change.

FAO’s Deputy Director-General Maria Helena Semedo pointed out the urgent need for African nations to build resilience in order to achieve a target of feeding over 2 billion people in Africans by 2050.

“Farmers have always been innovators,” Semedo said. “What they need are policies that protect them and increase their resilience to climate change.”

L'articolo Children On the Frontline proviene da InsideOver.

The current change in the climatic conditions including heavy rain in many parts of eastern Africa and the Horn of Africa have favored the breeding of desert locusts and the UN is predicting that the continuation of these kind of ecological conditions will further exacerbate their rapid spread to other regions in Africa.

The Region’s Worst Crisis In A Quarter Century

The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says that the current outbreak is the most awful situation in 25 years and could multiply 500 times by midway throgh this year. The infestation remains the most serious threats to food producing areas as their destructive nature is not yet controlled in the regions encompassing Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Uganda.

According to the FAO, the desert locust is the most dangerous of the nearly one dozen species of locusts. It is normally present in the desert areas across 20 countries between West Africa and India, covering nearly 16 million square kilometres. Locust swarms are massive and can contain up to 150 million locusts per square kilometer. Swarms migrate with the wind and can cover 100 to 150 kilometers in a day at a speed of 16km/hr. An average swarm can destroy as many food crops in one day as is sufficient to feed 2,500 people and provide equivalent biomass for fertilizing pastures.

Locust Swarms Have Invaded Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti and Somalia

According  to the Desert Locust watch updates by FAO, the insects have  already invaded more than 13 counties in Kenya while in Ethiopia they are at the eastern part including Ogaden. Somalia’s northeastern border with Kenya is experiencing locust swarms as well. Hundreds of thousands of hectares of crucial agricultural land have been destroyed.

The Locust Watch updates further reported that South Sudan and Uganda are in danger from locusts. The nearest swarms are about 200 km away in Kenya and a few of these swarms could appear at any time in the coming days in the extreme southeast of South Sudan and, to a lesser extent, in northeast Uganda. In addition to the Horn of Africa, there are several other hot spots where important desert locust infestations are developing. In Djibouti a few swarms were reported near Ali Sabieh and the Ethiopian border. Meanwhile in Eritrea at least one swarm arrived on the southern coast near Assab on Jan. 20 either from Yemen or Ethiopia. But in the affected countries ground control are underway as well as aerial sprays to combat the insects’ spread.

Kenya: Half A Million Hectares Are Destroyed

Kenya’s ministry of agriculture estimated that about 500,000 hectares of pasture and crop land have been destroyed in Northern and some parts of Eastern Kenya. Through a press statement via Mandera Media Agency on Jan. 8, the Governor of Mandera County in Kenya H. E. Ali Rob said most of the counties were caught unprepared.

“Unfortunately counties are ill prepared technically, financially and we lack the capacity and expertise to handle such disastrous invasion by locusts,” he said, adding that there is urgent need for a simultaneous multi-agency approach in all its sub-counties to salvage the situation.

The  Horn of Africa is one of the most food insecure regions in Africa due to climate change, conflict and economic instability exposing 27 million people living in  that vast pastoral areas to famine. The Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) warned late last year that another 20 million people risk falling into famine.

However, the desert locust outbreak could make the situation for agriculture even worse in terms of damage to croplands and pastures. When locusts ruin these lands it results in direct economic loss to both farmers and pastoral communities affecting agricultural growth and rural livelihoods and posing a high risk to food security.

Dr David Phiri, FAO Sub regional Coordinator for the Eastern and Representative of the African Union and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa acknowledged the serious pressures exerted on agriculture if the situation remained unchecked immediately.

“The locust is making the bad food security situation worse in the sub-region, exacerbating the existing dire food insecurity and malnutrition in the sub-region,” Phiri warned.

Working Together To Eradicate The Locusts

The FAO is assisting with forecasts, early warning and alerts on the timing, scale and location of invasions and breeding. While IGAD’s Executive Secretary Dr. Workneh Gebeyehu urged on its member states the East African Community and partners to pull resources together to prevent, control and possibly eradicate the desert locust threat to the food security of the region.

“Prevention and control measures must be scaled up to contain further spread of the Desert Locust. Countries must act urgently to avoid a food security crisis in the region,” Workneh said.

The affected countries are also scaling up their control mechanisms whereby ground control measures are underway as well as aerial sprays to combat the insect infestation. Additionally, the UN is seeking $70 million to urgently support both pest control and livelihood protection operations in the three most affected countries. As part of the recovery strategy from recent droughts, UN officials also say there is a strong need to assist farmers in the area and once again strengthen their capacity to produce food and earn a living.

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Climate change preceded by cyclic droughts and flash floods is already affecting agriculture, a key economic sector in Sub-Saharan Africa. In rural Kenya, Paul Koech, a 37-year-old father of six from the Kapkatet village in Narok County relies on farming for income, food security and nutrition. But due to the depressing impact of climate change, he is unable to sustainably produce and buy enough food for his family.

As the frequency and the severity of extreme droughts continue, agricultural productivity diminishes. The food supply and demand system is greatly disrupted making food availability a challenge to millions of people in Africa. Koech says that getting food and water, especially during the dry season, has become more difficult with food prices rapidly skyrocketing.

“Unlike before, at the moment I buy all the food very expensively, particularly milk for my kids”. He paused pointing at ploughed land. “I am struggling to feed my family yet I invested a lot of money in farming every season but end up getting little.” Koech regretted.

In many parts of Africa, climate change is the biggest impediment to people’s ability to grow enough food. The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) 2019 report indicates that 821.6 million (or 1 in 9 people) with 513.9 million in Asia and 256.1 million people in Africa, respectively do not have enough food to eat. Furthermore, over two billion people, mostly in low and middle-income countries lack regular access to safe, nutritious and sufficient food.

Like many other households in rural Kenya which have been ravaged by precarious impact of droughts, a stressor on the already volatile food prices and also overstretching the household’s budget on food, Koech couldn’t afford “three-meals a day”. “The situation becomes worse during dry season as we also buy fodder and water for our livestock. Though everything is uncertain, so getting three meals a day is not guaranteed. We only strive to get food for our supper, ” he said.

A global commitment to Sustainable Development Goal 2 aims to end world hunger and ensure access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food for all people all year round. A goal that is supported by over 500 million rain-fed farms worldwide, which provide up to 80% of food in the developing countries according to a UN report. Achieving this goal by 2030 can be impossible due to overreaching challenges of climate change.

Anna Cheborgei another resident and small scale farmer, says that a decade ago weather conditions were favourable and the farming business was doing well. She has never lack food, but the recent persistent drought, destructive pests and diseases followed by consecutive years of reduced yields – particularly maize which is a staple food – has led to a scarcity of food and loss of income.

“I have lost a lot of farm-produced to recurrent droughts, I sold some of our cows to buy food and invest back into the farm. I spend Ksh.500 (5 USD) per day to buy food, it is very difficult to get the money when you don’t have a source of income” She explained.

The impact of adverse weather continues to affect millions of households in Africa. Their financial investments are negatively affected hence the inability to adequately adapt to a changing climate and increased vulnerability.

“We no longer predict the planting seasons because the weather changes more rapidly with prolonged droughts or heavy rainfall leading to a lot of loss in our farms”. Paul added.

Worsening climate change is likely to push prices of staple food much higher. Researchers at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University released a new study on dietary affordability in the world, showing that nearly 1.58 billion people in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia who earn an estimated $2.84 per day, cannot afford the recommended diet.

“We found that the global median of the proposed diet would cost $2.84 per day,” said Kalle Hirvonen, the lead author and development economist in Ethiopia at the International Food Policy Research Institute. “In low-income countries, that amounts to 89.1 per cent of a household’s daily per capita income, which is more than people can actually spend on food,” Kalle explained.

As the foods get scarce, the quality becomes poorer and its prices also rise. UN reports highlighted the poor-quality diets as the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the world. The EAT-Lancet Commission study published at The Lancet Global Health indicated that the high cost of food prevents billions of people, particularly in developing countries from accessing a well-balanced diet.

“The cost of food preparation and non-food necessities ensure that an even larger number of people cannot afford that kind of healthy diet,” said senior author William Masters, an economist at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University.

Against the backdrop of declining food production, African governments are making concerted efforts to address agricultural food production to increase food security. Recently, African leaders held the first Africa Food Security Leadership Dialogue (AFSLD) in Kigali-Rwanda to find concrete ways of strengthening and accelerating their support to food security programs in Africa and help African agriculture adapt to climate change through increased partnerships and coordination.

In a press release from the meeting, Gilbert Houngbo, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development, IFAD says that there is need to increase coordination at many levels, from addressing gaps in major infrastructure to transferring knowledge, finance and innovative technologies at the community, farm and even family level.

“IFAD is committed to continuing to work with its partners to empower the rural poor and the most vulnerable and to ensure that smallholder farmers and agripreneurs have the capital, the knowledge and the support they need to succeed – and drive greater food security and economic development at the same time,” said Gilbert Houngbo.

L'articolo Climate Change Increases Food Prices in Sub-Saharan Africa proviene da InsideOver.

The world leaders, civil society organizations and private sector representatives gathered in Nairobi for a three-day global summit on International Conference on Population and Development, (ICPD25) to deliberate on immediate action to ending maternal deaths, accelerate access to modern contraception, reproductive health services, stop violence against women and girls by 2030.

“In 1994 at the ICPD, we imagined a world where one day, no woman would die giving birth, where no woman would be at risk of unintended pregnancy, and no girl would be denied her right to make a safe and healthy transition through adolescence and adulthood,” Said Denmark’s Special Envoy for ICPD25 Ambassador Ib Petersen.

The ICPD goals are anchored on women’s empowerment and gender equality, a catalyst towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Therefore, the Summit brought together diverse group of people including top government officials, thought-leaders, technical experts, religious leaders, activists and community organizers, young people, business leaders, indigenous peoples, international financial institutions, people with disabilities, academics and many others committed to sexual and reproductive health and rights.

The meeting focused on universal health coverage to improve access to sexual and reproductive health, measures to end gender-based violence and harmful practices, and the right to sexual and reproductive health care and finally the power in demographic diversity to drive economic growth and sustainable development.

“We have come a long way since the ICPD in living up to our global commitment to make sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights a reality for all,” Says Arthur Erken, Director of Communications and Strategic Partnerships at UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency.

Financing ICPD programmes of action was among the issues discussed. The new research done by researchers from UNFPA and the Johns Hopkins University, in collaboration with Victoria University, the University of Washington and Avenir Health. And it’s findings was released during the conference shows that only $42 billion in development assistance is expected to be spent on advancing these goals. That means some $222 billion in investments is required over the next decade.

“The Nairobi Summit represents a renewed, re-energized vision and community working together to act and deliver. Together, we will make the next ten years a decade of action and results for women and girls, keeping their rights and choices at the centre of everything we do,” said UNFPA Executive Director Dr Natalia Kanem.

The findings further shows the detailed costing per each programme objectives with over 95 per cent of maternal mortality in 120 countries will cost $115.5 billion for paying medical staff, drugs and obstetric supplies in key maternal health interventions.

While $68.5 billion will finance the unmet family needs like ensuring reliable contraceptives and efforts to strengthen national health systems. Ending child marriage will take $35 billion, gender-based violence in 132 priority countries will have a share of $42 billion and finally ending female genital mutilation will require $2.4 billion

“Closing the substantial gap with investment of urgently needed resources will ultimately improve health among women and their families and that vision is what should motivate us looking forward after the Nairobi Summit,” said Victoria Chou, a researcher with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

The Summit, co-convened by the governments of Kenya and Denmark with UNFPA, where 9,500 delegates from more than 170 countries took part. The United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency unveiled critical new data about the cost of achieving these goals. It mobilized more than 1,200 commitments from around the world, including billions of dollars in pledges from public and private sector partners

“The Nairobi Summit on ICPD25 was a massive success,” said Director-General of the Kenya National Council for Population and Development Dr Josephine Kibaru-Mbae. “But it was only a start. We leave Nairobi with a clear roadmap of actions we must all take to advance the ICPD agenda and transform the world for women and girls.”

L'articolo Transforming the World for Women’s Reproductive Rights proviene da InsideOver.

The climate change crisis is currently ravaging millions of peoples’ livelihoods in the Horn of Africa leading to a rapid increase in demand for humanitarian needs and assistance. As a result, the intensity of cyclic droughts are becoming more severe, diminishing water resources and multiple climate-related shocks exacerbate displacement of a larger population into desolations with little or no access to water and food.

According to theUnited Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Djibouti, the most affected country in the region by the climate change, contains more than 280,000 people who do not have food in the country. In a recent visit to Djibouti by Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, Ursula Mueller, called on the international community to take immediate action towards tackling the climate change issues, particularly in Djibouti and the entire Horn of Africa.

“Climate change is real, and I could see it here. I saw the widespread drought and I met communities that can barely access safe water. They explained to me how this situation is impacting their lives. Djibouti has had virtually no contribution to the global climate emergency, but its population is suffering the consequences daily,” said Ms. Mueller.

In two days visit to the country to assess the effects of climate change and the consequences for the humanitarian situation in the region, Ms. Mueller noted a devastating impacts of climate change that has contributed to a limited livelihoods opportunities leading to a higher level of poverty and unemployment, lack of water, poor hygiene conditions and increasing risk of disease outbreaks.

“Severe acute malnutrition rates are alarming and considered an emergency according to global standards. In Bondara village, women told me how they were doing whatever it takes to put food on the table for the family, but the frequent droughts are preventing them from doing so,” Ms. Mueller added.

According to the climate change profile for the Greater Horn of Africa published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands on April 2018, Djibouti is ranked 141 out of 181 countries globally which are vulnerable to climate change as well as 51st most vulnerable and 33rd least ready to cope with impact of climate change.

With the current increase in temperature and arid conditions experience in the region, UN reports indicate that only 0.01 per cent of the land arable with minimal annual rainfall, exposing more than 58% of the rural population to food insecurity while 23% live in abject poverty.

Due to its proximity to Gulf countries. Djibouti forms a transiting point of refugees and asylums seekers to the Gulf countries with 400 to 600 migrants crossing daily, fleeing the impact of conflict, instability and harsh climate in neighbouring countries such as Somalia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and recently Yemen. Djibouti is also home to some 30,000 refugees and asylum-seekers and an estimated 100,000 migrants.

“It was heart-breaking to hear a 20-year-old young woman mentioning that her dream is to find a job as a maid in Saudi Arabia, and she is risking her life in search of a better opportunity,” She added.

An estimated 27 million people – or 24% of the total food insecure people in the world– lived in seven of the eight countries in the IGAD region, according to a new report released by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the Food Security Information Network (FSIN).

Ambassador (Eng.) Mahboub Maalim, Intergovernmental Authority on Development Executive Secretary, acknowledged that climate change shocks are the main drivers of food insecurity in the Horn of Africa and call on the IGAD members to invest more on climate resilience and adaptation to climate change measures.

“The main drivers of acute food insecurity and malnutrition in our region are climate, conflict and economic instability. I call on IGAD specialized offices, Member States and partners to invest further in resilience, adaptation to climate change, conflict prevention and sustaining peace to overcome vulnerability and address the root causes of hunger and malnutrition” said Ambassador (Eng.) Mahboub Maalim, IGAD Executive Secretary.

The Deputy Humanitarian Chief affirmed the need for urgent action to address the underlying causes of vulnerabilities and get on a path to sustainable development in Djibouti and the region.

“But the Government needs further support to help communities build up resilience, to be self-sufficient so that the recurring shocks do not lead to further suffering and more costly crises.” She emphasized.

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(Nairobi) Conflict is the main long-term driver of migration in many parts of Sub-Sahara Africa, particularly in the East and the Horn of Africa. These areas are the most vulnerable to instability, protracted political turmoil, and inter-communal conflicts coupled with regional vulnerability to the negative impacts of climate change that further exacerbate conflict in the African continent. This has led to over 85 million “internal climate migrants”, representing up to four percent of the continent’s total population, the World Bank estimates.

However, cross-border migration in the Horn of Africa, induced by terrorism, weak government protection, and endless humanitarian crises, has resulted in the displacement of people in South Sudan and Somalia, the main refugee-producing countries. According to the UNHCR End Year Report for 2018, in Somalia, for instance, the number of Internally Displaced People (IDP) rose to over 2.6 million IDPs, and over 800,000 Somalis sought refuge in neighbouring countries.

Due to Kenya’s political stability, it has become one of the more favourable destinations for refugees within the continent, making it the second biggest refugee-hosting country in Africa, after Ethiopia. As a result of rampant irregular migration, many families disintegrated, seeking out dangerous routes to destinations such as Europe.

The IOM Family Assistance Programme in Nairobi is a German-funded programme that facilitates the family reunification of vulnerable migrants who are compelled to leave their country. They are paired with a person with protection status in Germany.

In his opening remarks at the programme’s official launch, Patrick Corcoran, a Senior Specialist in the Immigration and Border Management Division at IOM Headquarters, says that the new station is among ten centres that operate globally. “The centre has been operating for the last six months, and has assisted 1600 beneficiaries, but today we are opening it officially,” he said.

Kasim-Mohammed and Sabrina, whose names have been changed to protect their identities, are 9 and 10 years old, respectively. They are a part of the 13.5 million displaced children in Africa – including those living as refugees, migrants or internally displaced people. Their guardian, Halima, accompanied them to the IOM offices in Nairobi to initiate the process of family reunification.

“During the 2007-2009 unrest in Somalia, their mother was killed,” she explained, adding that she was left to take care of the two children when they were young. “Their father fled to Germany, and we are here seeking help so that they can unite with him.”

In recent years, millions of migrants, particularly from Africa, have tried to reach Europe using illegal means, and others are being smuggled by human traffickers. In December 2018, The European Commission noted a significant decrease of migrants and refugees travelling through the Mediterranean Sea. The number dropped from 179,536 in the year 2017 to 134,004 as of December 2018, with Italy experiencing the biggest drop in arrivals, and Spain and Greece ganing the largest increase in arrivals.

With Germany being part of the European Union, the German Ambassador to Kenya, Annet Gunther, says that since 2015, her country has been experiencing a growing number of immigrants escaping turmoil and situations of conflict in their original homeland coming to Germany through unsafe and illegal means, seeking refuge and protection.

“Many of them are separated from their families. To ease the plight of those families, we want to help fathers and mothers to unite with their families in Germany,” Gunther said.

However, she added that through the IOM office, the Family Assistance Programme (FAP) helps to empower families with information and visa-related services, as well as protecting beneficiaries from misinformation and exploitation from visa brokers. The centre also manages regular migration pathways to Germany.

“Because the numbers are high, we ask the IOM Nairobi office to support and help in collecting information and data regarding the visa application process. These services are free of charge,” she explained.

Since its inception in 2016, the non-discriminatory, transparent and safe migration family reunification programme has assisted over 280,000 beneficiaries seeking to unite with their families in Germany. According to the Acting Chief of Mission of IOM Kenya, Mr. Ferdinand Paredes, the programme helps to protect and uphold the basic right of family unity, and empower migrants and refugees with visa information.

L'articolo The Programme that Reunifies Refugee Families proviene da InsideOver.

(Tuala, Kenya) In a strategically placed location, Caroline Anyango, a 32-year-old mother of three, runs a small business of cooking and selling chapati. She sets up her table and a rechargeable solar lamp, hanging it on the wall outside her house in a busy roadside in Tuala, 30 kilometres west of Nairobi, Kenya’s capital city.

Every day, Caroline wakes up at 5.00am, when it still dark, and lights her solar power lamp. It is peak hours for her business during this period.

This is usually the time people have breakfast. “Many people are already up and going to work, so it is timely for my business,” she says. Solar power enables Caroline to get everything ready for her customers: “I don’t have to wait until it’s dawn, I light up the lamp and start opening my business as early as possible.”

More than 2.2 billion people and millions of businesses worldwide don’t have access to reliable power. Frequent power outages undermine productivity and development. The World Bank says that African countries face regular power black outs, with outages lasting from 50 hours to 4,600 hours each, equalling up to 8,760 hours in a year.

But Caroline is already reaping the benefits from verified renewable energy technology, as well as meeting her domestic energy needs in a cost-effective, secure and environmentally sustainable manner.

“This isn’t like the kerosene lamp, which filled the house with smoke and meant that you spent a lot of money buying kerosene every day,” she notes.

Africa has an estimated population of more than 1.3 billion, and a population growth rate of two percent. Meeting the needs of the growing population means meeting the huge demand for jobs and food production. Therefore, there is also an exponential need for energy to drive these emerging economies, of which many are locally based Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) that account for 90 % of all business in Africa.

Allen Dennis, a Senior Economist with the Development Economics Prospects Group at the World Bank, says that small and growing business contributes up to 80% of the continent’s employment.

“Access to affordable energy in rural areas accelerates the adoption of new technologies, linking markets and new value chains that allow growth of small-scalebusiness,” Dennis added.

The availability of affordable energy is a golden pillar that drives all Sustainable Development Goals, notably enabling many households in rural Africa to increase their productivity whilst also earning a sustainable livelihood. Caroline explains that with the help of solar, she can save 800 Kenyan Shillings (roughly 8 USD) a week that was previously used to buy kerosene. “I wake up very early to make an extra 200 shillings (2 USD) every morning. I also save money because now I don’t buy kerosene,” she says.

Fossil fuels are unsustainable and expensive, as well as a source of pollution to the environment. Investing in renewable energy improves energy security, on top of enhancing access and mitigating climate change.

The United Nations Development Programme’s State of Electricity Access Report of 2017 shows that the global investment in renewable energy has more than doubled the investments in conventional energy sources since 2015.

In December 2018, at the Katowice Climate Change Conference in Poland, the UK announced its support of £100 million for up to 40 renewable energy projects across Africa over the next five years. This helps improve access to clean energy, cut carbon emissions and support energy and job creation.

Juan Casla Urteaga is a policy officer at the European Commission. He notes that 35 % of the grant is being used to guarantee those keen in expanding the production of renewable energy in Africa. This reduces the continent’s carbon emissions, increasing energy efficiency. “The renewable energy sector will enable many people to access energy, develop new skills, and unlock entrepreneurship. This brings a potential of creating 12,000 new jobs,” he says.

The sudden interest in renewable energy production is largely due to its cost-effectiveness, which makes it all-the-more beneficial for those in rural Africa. Localised plans to meet energy needs at a village or community level has also created a number of job opportunities in the community.

Leonard Kiprotich is among those with a job in the renewable energy sector, and has been working in rural Kenya distributing and installing solar panels. “I didn’t have anything else to do when I finished school. I got an opportunity to work with a solar company as their distributor and technician,” he said.

In Chad, 25,000 micro entrepreneurs are being trained thanks to renewable energy. Solar-based energy systems are being set up in 40 villages in Mauritania and 309 villages in Mali, according to the UNDP.

The Kenyan government is also expanding their investment in renewable energy. The World Bank is funding a $150 million solar power project, as well as providing clean cooking stoves to roughly 1.3 million people.

Ashden is a UK based charity that champions sustainable energy solutions both in the UK and around the world. They hold the annual Ashden Awards, wherein several sustainable energy investment projects are proposed, and the winning two are invested in. Zambia and Kenya were the winners this year.

Ashden CEO, Harriet Lamb, said: “The outstanding organisations that make up our 2019 roster can give us all hope: we have the solutions to the climate emergency, solutions that are working already and just need scaling even further. In particular, financial innovation and commitment must be an integral part of ensuring these solutions are sustainable – and that is just what our 2019 winner is showcasing. Others should come and steal their model and their ideas with pride!”

L'articolo Access to Renewable Energy Transforms Lives in Africa proviene da InsideOver.