Over 300 organisations across the globe are demanding that governments apply five core principles to tackle the COVID-19 crisis. The principles are designed to ensure that people and the environment are protected by government actions and pave the way for a just recovery. May Boeve, Executive Director of 350.org. Photo credit: shifttheclimate.org The demands are co-signed by Indigenous Peoples organisations, ...

Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, on Thursday, March 26, 2020 addressed Heads of State at the G20 Leaders’ Summit focused on COVID-19 and made a remarkable call. Leaders pose for a family photo at the G20 Summit in Osaka on Friday, June 28, 2019 He told them: “You have come together to confront the ...

Close to a third of Seychelles’ ocean, an area larger than Germany, will be guarded from climate change and unregulated economic exploitation with new Marine Protection Areas to be announced on Thursday, March 26, 2020. Danny Faure, President of the Republic of Seychelles Danny Faure, President of the Republic of Seychelles, will confirm final details of the 13 new Marine ...

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) Board has approved six funding proposals amounting to $169.7 million in funding that will support projects and programmes with a total value of $618.7 million. GCF executive director, Yannick Glemarec Most of the funding, or 74%, is allocated for adaptation projects, and 26% for mitigation projects. The expected impact potential is to abate a total of 22.9 ...

President, the Nigerian Academy of Science, Professor Mosto Onuoha, says in this piece that it is overdue for government to lock down the country as the deadly coronavirus pandemic ravages the land Dr. Osagie Ehanire, Health Minister Regrettably, Nigeria has, during the last one week, seen a dramatic increase in the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases (44 as at the ...

A month before World Malaria Day, the RBM Partnership to End Malaria underscores the need to maintain malaria elimination efforts throughout COVID-19 pandemic Dr Abdourahmane Diallo, CEO, RBM Partnership to End Malaria The World Malaria Day 2020 will highlight the importance of robust health and surveillance systems and sustaining malaria prevention and control interventions as the world grapples with COVID-19, ...

The international community is developing policy measures and actions to help the people most vulnerable to drought to take early action to avoid loss of life, and the heavy and growing losses of livelihoods and damage to property and ecosystems following droughts. Ibrahim Thiaw, Executive Secretary of the UNCCD The Intergovernmental Working Group on Drought (IWG) that is leading this initiative is convening for the first time on Thursday March 26, 2020 through virtual meetings involving four task teams. The outcomes of the initiative could become effective as early as 2022. The importance of early warning followed by early action for the ...

The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) says it has dislodged scavengers from landfills as a precautionary measure against further spread of coronaviru‌s and other dangerous diseases. Scavengers at work. Photo credit: environment-today.org LAWMA Spokesman, Kayode Akinleye, said in a statement that the agency swooped on the dump sites and chased away the scavengers who prowl the sites for valuable items. ...

Malnutrition in many African nations is considered widespread but can be addressed by diversifying food systems with a wider range of nutritious crops, according to scientists. To support this, the African Orphan Crops Consortium is applying genome-enabled methods to improve the production of under-researched (or “orphan”) crops on the continent. Ramni Jamnadass A genome is an organism’s complete set of DNA, including all of ...

The Aurum Institute and its partners, as part of the IMPAACT4TB project, announced on Tuesday, March 24, 2020 that five high-burden TB countries would roll out a new, shorter drug regimen (known as 3HP) to prevent TB. Robert Matiru, director of programmes at Unitaid The announcement comes as countries around the world mark World TB Day, which takes place every ...