The Minister of State for Environment, Ibrahim Usman Jibril, has spoken with one voice with the Benue State Government to appeal to residents of Makurdi and other towns to stop building structures along waterways and on drainage channels so as to allow for free flow of storm water.
The minister (in brown) in the company state and federal officials during the flood assessment tour
The minister made the appeal on Monday, September 4, 2017 when he led a delegation from the Federal Ministry of Environment to the state as part of Federal Government’s commitment to the ongoing intervention and support to Benue State on the flood disaster that has affected over 100,000 residents across the state.
According to the minister, blocked water channels contributed largely to the scale of the present disaster.
Speaking with the Governor Samuel Ortom on arrival, Jibril commiserated with the people and government of the state, and reiterated the need to collectively address climate change. He called for a deeper care of the environment which, according to him, has a very lasting impact towards the mitigation of disasters like floods.
“Climate change has resulted in heavy rainfall and rising sea levels globally and leaving in its wake global and local consequences of flooding,” he said.
During the assessment tour of the flooded areas and some camps for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the state in the company of the Deputy Governor, Benson Abounu, the minister expressed concerns over the level of devastation where the most vulnerable continue to bear the brunt in terms of loss of livelihood and shelter. He appealed to the donor and international community to assist the state government tackle the disaster.
XacBank, a Green Climate Fund (GCF) Accredited Entity, is helping Mongolia forge a new sustainable phase in its economic growth by holding the bank’s first green finance forum on Wednesday, September 6, 2017.
The eco-bus service, one of Mongolia’s numerous initiatives aimed at achieving a low carbon economy
The one-day event run by XacBank, and supported by GCF, is designed to tap the entrepreneurial energies of the country’s private sector to drive low-emission innovation. It will bring together a range of experts to explore how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance energy efficiency, while also making Mongolian businesses more competitive.
The forum marks a crucial phase in ongoing endeavours by XacBank, one of Mongolia’s major lenders, to carve out a low-carbon energy sector in this landlocked country.
In July, GCF completed a $20 million transfer of climate finance to XacBank as part of a $60 million project to support micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) finance low-carbon initiatives in Mongolia.
The bulk of GCF’s support is in the form of loans, with at least half directed at women-led enterprises.
Speaking before the first of what XacBank plans to be yearly green finance forums, the bank’s president stressed the important role of Mongolian women in driving low-emission business opportunities.
“The increased involvement of women should mean a higher probability of effective climate finance,” said Amar Hanibal. “Statistics show women have a lower probability of default of loans, while our anecdotal observations indicate women-led businesses tend to be more accurate, risk averse and better planners.”
Isabella Lövin (Sweden’s Deputy Prime Minister and also it’s Minister for International Development Cooperation and Climate) and Howard Bamsey (Executive Director of the Green Climate Fund) posit in this treatise that the trend whereby women have fewer opportunities to make decisions on how to deal with global warming must change
Executive Director of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), Howard Bamsey, and Swedish Minister for International Development Cooperation and Climate, Isabella Lövin, launch the Fund’s first gender guide to climate finance
Gender often remains the untold story behind climate change. After the television snapshots of devastation wrought by climate-induced disasters, our thoughts often remain with the local people forced to deal with the wreckage.
The destructive forces of nature, warped by rising global temperatures, manifest in cyclones, floods and other extreme weather conditions, which can act as negative force multipliers in societies already riven by inequality. The onset of droughts, accompanied by heightened food and water insecurity, also have a disproportionate effect on those least able to deal with the resulting increased social strains.
While climate change is a global phenomenon, its impact is not spread across a level playing field. Its effects are felt locally, and poor people suffer the most. Among the world’s 1.3 billion poor people, the majority are women.
During the past few decades, considerable achievements have been made in narrowing the gender gap in many countries. Nevertheless, across the global spectrum, women tend to be marginalised from economic and political power, and have limited access to financial and material resources. This increases their vulnerability to climate change and limits their potential to adapt.
Studies show that after climate disasters, it is generally harder for poor women to recover their economic positions than poor men. Women’s mortality from climate-related disasters is also higher than that of men.
Women are also often less represented in the corridors of power; have fewer legal rights, including access to land; and occupy fewer leadership roles in the workplace. This means while they are more vulnerable to the effects of climate change, they also have fewer opportunities to make decisions on how to deal with it. We must change this. Women have the right to – and need to be – at the forefront of efforts to deal with climate change.
The shift to low-carbon development and climate change adaptation is a major transformative endeavour requiring the participation of all countries, communities and genders. While gender equality is often solely associated with female empowerment, it is also important to note that transformative change requires the participation of all members of society. Women, girls, men and boys all need to be part of the solution.
In a more positive sense, the climate agenda can also help advance gender equality. There are numerous examples where renewable energy investments also contribute to increased employment opportunities for women that foster female entrepreneurship.
An innovative climate action project supported by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) in East Africa provides a good example of how women can be at the forefront of moves to leapfrog fossil fuels to use solar energy. The $110 million KawiSafi project has dedicated funds to train women to become solar technicians, while also supporting women-led micro-finance groups to generate demand for solar energy in Rwanda and Kenya. From its inception, gender equity has been central to this project, implemented by US-based Acumen Fund Inc.
The majority of these countries’ populations, 70 percent in Rwanda and 80 percent in Kenya, are not connected to main power grids. Subsequently, many use oil or kerosene for domestic power generation. These fossil fuels are often expensive as they are imported, while noxious fumes pose a serious health risk – especially to women and girls, who generally spend more time performing household work. The move to solar can then reduce emissions and domestic budgets, while also improving women’s and girls’ health. This is a clear gender co-benefit of climate action.
In another GCF-funded project in Mongolia, over half of the loans provided in this $60 million private sector initiative, implemented by Mongolia’s XacBank, are going to women-led enterprises starting up renewable energy and energy efficiency businesses.
Gender equality is a core principle of all GCF operations, and is mainstreamed in all decision-making and projects supported by the Fund. To aid this process, GCF has produced a manual titled: “Mainstreaming Gender in Green Climate Fund Projects”.
Devising ways to consider gender in climate action will not always be easy or obvious. Societies are made up of complex relationships, sometimes based on differing structures of kin, power and financial resources. But continuing efforts to place gender consideration at the center of climate finance are necessary.
Climate change is a challenge that affects us all, so all members of society must rally together to deal with it effectively and inclusively.
Professor Dr Her Royal Highness Princess Chulabhorn Mahidol of Thailand is championing efforts to make her country rabies-free by 2020, in line with the wider initiative to end human rabies deaths by 2030, worldwide.
The majority of human rabies cases are the result of a bite from a dog infected with the virus
During a recent visit to the headquarters of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland, she shed some light on the campaign.
Rabies is a fatal but preventable zoonotic disease that predominantly affects poor and rural populations in Africa and Asia. The disease is transmitted via bites and scratches from infected animals, and dogs are responsible for around 99% of human cases.
Preventing human rabies deaths requires a “One Health” approach, coordinated across different sectors: dog vaccination is key, as are accessible and affordable measures, such as prophylaxis (PEP), for people who are exposed.
“To eliminate rabies, you have to give people the knowledge they need and also teach them about their responsibilities,” said Professor Dr Her Royal Highness Princess Chulabhorn Mahidol. According to the WHO, Her Royal Highness’ commitment is helping to engage and motivate the public to prevent rabies throughout Thailand, from central government to village levels.
Through mass dog vaccination, and improved access to life-saving rabies PEP, Thailand has reduced the number of human rabies cases by more than 90% since the 1980s.
Dr T. Hemachudha, Head of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training on Viral Zoonoses at the Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand recognises the progress: “Thailand’s mission to eliminate human rabies can be accomplished by 2020.”
The country is developing and implementing novel rabies-control strategies, such as cost and doses saving intradermal vaccine administration for humans. Intradermal vaccination is safe, effective and 60-80% cheaper than traditional intramuscular PEP, and WHO encourages its uptake in other endemic settings.
While Thailand has made significant progress, “The most important next step, is to get PEP out to the village level, where we could save many thousands of lives… and figure out how to vaccinate 70% of all dogs in a sustainable way,” according to Dr H. Wilde, also from the Chulalongkorn University.
“Villages are far away from operation rooms of cities and Bangkok,” said Professor Dr Her Royal Highness Princess Chulabhorn Mahidol. “We need mobile units so that we can go anywhere to provide care to people and service the dogs as appropriately as possible.”
Her Royal Highness’s project aims to both increase dog vaccination coverage and manage the country’s dog and cat population in order to reduce rabies.
The Court of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will on Thursday, October 12, 2017 give judgment in an appeal filed by the ECOWAS Commission.
ECOWAS headquarters
The appeal is as a result of the contract crisis arising in respect of a N180 million judgment debt, which the Commission is enmeshed in.
The said debt was incurred in two contracts awarded by the Commission on November 11, 2014 for the supply, installation and maintenance of two 15 KVA inverters for power and associated equipment at its Rivers Plaza and Niger House Server Rooms, both in Abuja, Nigeria.
The contract was awarded in two tranches of N35.7 million and N20.6 million at a total N56.4 million-contract sum with at a completion period of four weeks.
The contractor, Vision Kam-Jay Investment Ltd, was said to have executed the jobs within the period and to specifications as contained in the contract paper signed by the Commissioner General, Administration and Conference, Mr. Stephen Nartey.
Thereafter, a job completion certificate dated December 18, 2014 jointly signed by the Director, Community Computer Centre, Mr. Osei Tutu, and an ICT Programme Officer, Folake Olagunju Oyinda, was issued to the contractor to clear him for payment in line with the contractual agreement endorsed by the commission and the contractor.
The Commission, however, allegedly breached terms of agreement when it made the first tranche payment of N35.7 million and ignored the second tranche of N20.6 million despite several demands.
The peak of the matter was reached when the contractor, through its counsel, Mr. Ocholi James (SAN), dragged the Commission before the ECOWAS Court on December 8, 2015 and prayed for an order of the court compelling the commission to pay the contractor the outstanding N20.6 million and 10 percent interest per day on the amount from April 16, 2015 till the debt is liquidated.
The plaintiff, in the court action, also demanded a sum of N500 million as general damages.
The contractor claimed to have lost to its partnership with its American counterpart and operational certificate due to refusal of the commission to honor the debt.
However, in the judgment of October 6, 2016, the ECOWAS Court found the commission liable for breach of contract and ordered it to pay the plaintiff the N20.6 million principal contract sum and one percent interest per day from April 16, 2015 till the judgment debt is fully liquidated.
The commission, as at April 16, 2015, had delayed payment for 120 days in breach of the contract agreement provisions.
The Community Court’s three-man panel of Justices Friday Chijioke Nwoke, Micah Wilkins Wright and Yaya Boro, further in its verdict, counseled the Commission to always exhibit responsibility and commitment in executing contracts in future.
The Justices in their unanimous judgment noted that the unfortunate laxity on the part of officers of the Commission occasioned the losses to the defendants.
The ECOWAS Commission, rather than complying with the court verdict, filed a notice of appeal to the same court praying for a review of its judgment of October 6, 2016.
Although judgment in the appeal was fixed for October 12, 2017, the Commission ahead of the fixed judgment date opted for an out-of-court settlement with the plaintiff and convened a high-powered meeting on May 8, 2017 attended by its management and lawyers to the contractor.
In the resolution of the meeting signed by the Commissioner-in-charge of General Administration and finance, Mr. Stephen Nartey, and the Director, Legal Affairs, Mr. Daniel Lago, for the Commission and Mr. John Uttuh Junior for the contractor, both parties agreed that, as at May 15, 2017, the sum of N178.2 million had accrued from the judgment debt to be paid to the contractor.
However, after persuasion and negotiation, the contractor made concession and agreed to accept N20.6 million as the principal sum and N150 million as the accrued interest totaling N170.6 million, which the Commission agreed to pay.
The Commission agreed to pay up the N20.6 million principal sum first and then the N150 million balance in two installments of N75 million by July and September 2017.
The Commission, however, in another breach of agreement, settled only the N20.6 million principal sum and failed to honour the N150 million balance.
The Commission, in an internal memo to the President of the Commission, took a swipe at the Financial Controller of the Commission for being responsible for the plight of the Commission by his refusal to pay the contract debt on time to the contractor.
The memo, authored by Mr. Stephen Nartey, the commissioner for General Administration and Conferences, titled: “Re: Court judgment against the ECOWAS commission”, informed the ECOWAS President how the Financial Controller vetted and the sanctioned contracts before they were signed.
The memo noted that “after the supplies were made by the contractor and the time of payment arrived, the Financial Controller (FC) then decided to impose amount that must be paid to the supplier contrary to what is in the contract”
It further read: “The Director of Legal Affairs advised against the FC’s conduct but he refused to back down. Since all payments must be sanctioned by the Financial Controller, his refusal to sanction payment blocks action on that transaction which led the supplier to resort to court for redress.
“This court case is a self-inflicted case and any penalties resulting from the court case are also self-inflected.”
The memo further asked the ECOWAS President to hold those who refused to sanction the payment and insisting on going to court against legal advice personally responsible and liable for the payment of any penalties in the form of interest and damages.
However, one of the lawyers in the matter, Mr. Edward Emmanuel, said that holding anybody responsible is a purely internal affair of the Commission and that the ECOWAS Court judgment is binding on the Commission and not on individual. He pleaded with the Commission to honour the payment instead of buck-passing.
The legal counsel opined that the Commission’s President, having endorsed the debt for payment, should ensure that the court judgment is implemented in the interest of the rule of law and natural justice.
Meanwhile the ECOWAS court will give judgment in the appeal filed by the commission in respect of the judgment debt on October 12, 2017.
Protecting the ocean from growing threats so that it can continue to feed communities around the world is the focus of the Fourth International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC4), hosted by Chile’s Ministry of the Environment and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It opened on Monday, September 4, 2017 in La Serena, Chile.
Carl Gustaf Lundin, Director of IUCN’s Global Marine Programme
The Congress aims to improve the way man protects and manages the most diverse and productive areas of the ocean, as an imperative for marine life and for future generations. It will focus on the relationship between Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and global change, the relevance of ocean conservation to communities, and successful marine management strategies.
“Faced with critical threats to its health from climate change and over-exploitation, the ocean urgently needs protection. This Congress is a key opportunity to continue improving and expanding marine protection, notably close to coastal communities, where they can deliver food security and other benefits,” says Carl Gustaf Lundin, Director of IUCN’s Global Marine Programme.
During the event, IUCN will announce progress made towards meeting global marine protection targets. The Union will also launch a number of MPA publications and a new film on the scientific importance of seamounts, or underwater mountains.
The Congress will bring together decision-makers, including Ministers of the Environment from several countries, who will analyse ways to combine the management of MPAs with progress towards UN Sustainable Development Goal 14 – “to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development”.
“With this event, and the legacy of both marine and terrestrial protected areas that Chile has cemented under the administration of President Michelle Bachelet, our country is taking the lead in protecting our oceans worldwide,” says Chilean Minister of Environment and Co-Chairman of IMPAC 4, Marcelo Mena. “People are at the center of management measures and the protection of ecosystems and the environment. Having successful MPAs ensures that biodiversity conservation effectively projects benefits towards people.”
IMPAC 4 will highlight the intricate nature of the relationship between the ocean and communities worldwide, and the benefits that marine protected areas provide to millions of people.
“IMPAC congresses help the marine conservation community to develop tools and strategies to face future challenges,” says Dan Laffoley, Principal Advisor on Marine Science and Conservation for IUCN’s Global Marine and Polar Programme and Marine Vice-Chair for the World Commission on Protected Areas. “But this event is also about empowering youth and future leaders in the conservation community – and expanding that community as far as possible.”
The Congress is bringing together 1,000 scientists, decision-makers, marine protected area experts and public figures from around the world, including HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, Yolanda Kakabadse, President of WWF International, and Sylvia Earle, renowned oceanographer of Mission Blue / the Sylvia Earle Alliance.
The meeting, which is organised by the Ministry of the Environment of Chile and IUCN’s World Commission on Protected Areas, will conclude on Saturday, September 9 with the signature of a “call for action for the oceans” in the city of Viña del Mar, Chile.
Namibia has begun work on two projects supported by the Green Climate Finance (GCF) aimed at bolstering rural people’s resilience.
Namibian Environment and Tourism Minister, Pohamba Shifeta
The start of the adaptation initiatives is said to mark an important phase of GCF’s efforts to ensure recipient countries control the flow of climate finance they receive. Implementing the projects is the Environmental Investment Fund, a GCF direct access Accredited Entity based in Namibia.
One of the projects, which builds on Namibia’s acknowledged leadership in tapping community expertise to manage natural resources, is the first of a pilot series introduced by GCF last year. The pilot of climate finance support is intended to encourage organisations based in developing countries to “directly access” GCF resources as Accredited Entities.
The other project will help poor farmers in the north Namibian regions of Zambezi, and Kavango East and West to weather the vagaries of a changing climate. Many people living in these areas rely on the crops they grow for sustenance.
The Namibian Government has been a strong backer of GCF-supported action as part of its national efforts to deal with climate change.
“I consider these projects to be an integral part of national efforts to mitigate the impacts of climate change and help eradicate poverty in this country,” said Namibian Environment and Tourism Minister, Pohamba Shifeta, at the official launch of the two climate initiatives last week in the Namibian capital of Windhoek.
“We have included climate change adaptation and mitigation as a critical strategic priority in our most recent planning frameworks,” added the Minister, noting Namibia is one of few countries which has drawn up a national Constitution that stipulates sustainable environmental management.
Namibian Deputy Prime Minister, Netumbo Nandi Ndaitwah, said the targeted northern regions are the country’s bread baskets.
“Climate change should not deter these three regions from fulfilling their role in the Namibian economy,” she said. “We should simply learn to adapt!”
While drought has posed a threat to Namibia, well known for its vast deserts, unseasonal high rainfalls earlier this year in this southern African nation also accentuates the devastation posed by flooding.
Namibia is one of the first African nations to receive GCF funds.
Precipitation extremes – in terms of both excess and deficient rainfall – have caused serious disruption with widespread socio-economic impacts in many countries in recent weeks.
The World Metereological Organisation (WMO) sheds light on some of the high-impact events.
Harvey: Vehicles are stranded as road network is flooded
Asia
As a result of torrential monsoon rains, almost 41 million people have been affected by flooding and landslides in Bangladesh, India and Nepal. More than 1,200 people are reported to have died. Tens of thousands of houses, as well as schools and hospitals, have been destroyed leaving people displaced, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
In India, as of August 24, 32.1 million people have been affected by flooding across Assam, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. More than 600 people are known to have died. The India Meteorological Department issued an advisory on August 29 warning of very heavy rain over the next three days in parts of 12 states which were already hit by floods. India’s most populous city Mumbai was paralysed by flooding on August 29 to 31.
The cumulative seasonal rainfall from June 1 to August 30 shows that rainfall was normal in 24, in excess in six and deficient in six meteorological sub-divisions. The all-India cumulative value is for 683.6 mm, or 3% below the long-term average of 707.4 mm, according to the India Meteorological Department.
In Bangladesh, monsoon floods affected 32 districts in the northern, north eastern and central parts of the country, affecting more than eight million people. Almost 700,000 houses are damaged or destroyed. As a result of torrential monsoon rains, 35 of Nepal’s 75 districts have experienced severe flooding, affecting 1.7 million people. Almost 65,000 houses are destroyed and 460,000 people displaced, according to OCHA.
In Pakistan, the coastal metropolitan city of Karachi received 88 mm of rainfall on 31 August, compared to the monthly average of 60 mm, causing widespread flooding.
Tropical cyclone Hato brought high winds and rain to Hong Kong and Macau on 23 August, China, causing devastation in Macau in particular. The China Meteorological Administration on 1 September issued a warning of the season’s 16th typhoon expected to make landfall on Guandong coast.
Submerged part of BIPC Quarters, Makurdi
Africa
The total seasonal rainfall is above-average over most of the Sahelian region and West Africa. Torrential rains at the end of August caused already swollen rivers to burst their banks in a number of countries, including Nigeria and Niger. Dozens of casualties were reported in the worst floods since 2012.
Sierra Leone witnessed disastrous landslides near the capital Freetown. This followed a cumulative rainfall from August 1 through August 14, 2017 (1459.2mm) was over 300 percent of normal (normal rainfall for month of August is 791mm). During the period, significant rain ranging from 30 – 175mm fell continuously on a daily basis, with exceptionally heavy downpours from August 10 to 14 (daily minimum of 160mm). The cause of such continuous heavy downpour was attributed to uninterrupted influx of moisture into the coastal area coupled with strong convection in a super-saturated atmosphere.
At least 150 people are believed to have died in a landslide in a fishing village in Ituri province of the Democratic Republic of Congo from August 15 to 16.
Rainfall performance was generally normal in most of the Greater Horn of Africa region, according to the IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre. “The rainfall condition in the Greater Horn of Africa region during the month of July 2017 continue to bring with it a relief in some of the areas especially in the northern sector and north-western sector of the GHA,” it said.
Rainfall less than 75% of the long term average was experienced in central and western Sudan; in much of Eritrea, Djibouti, north-eastern Ethiopia, Rwanda and Burundi; and in parts of north-western Somalia, south-western Uganda, central and eastern Kenya, and in eastern Tanzania.
North America
This year so far has been one of the warmest on record for the contiguous United States, with the January-July temperature ranking as the 2nd highest since records began in 1895. It has also been a wetter than average year (even before Hurricane Harvey), with the precipitation total for the first seven months of the year ranking as the seventh wettest in the 123-year record, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Temperatures and precipitation have been above average. The Climate Extremes Index ranked as the third highest on record. There have been nine billion dollar weather disasters prior to Hurricane Harvey, which broke the record-long streak of a major hurricane not hitting the United States.
Hurricane Harvey
Unprecedented rainfall totals from tropical cyclone Harvey caused catastrophic flooding in southeastern Texas and southeastern Louisiana, leaving dozens of casualties, displacing thousands and causing huge economic disruption.
Large parts of southeast Texas saw more than 30-35 inches (762-889 mm) with isolated amounts up to 42 inches (1067 mm) of rain since August 24. Cedar Bayou in Texas received 51.88 inches of rain (1300 mm), according to the U.S. National Weather Prediction Center.
In South America, the extreme rains experienced in the past months were supplanted by drought episodes in several countries during August. Moreover, winter rains have helped to alleviate drought conditions in the northern areas of South America. However, according to forecasters, there are concerns that a drier pattern will return to these areas during the spring, raising concerns about the drought conditions later in the season. This includes portions of Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana and northern Brazil.
In Bolivia, the department of Tarija in the south of the country was affected by the drought in August. The Sama forest suffered severe fires causing death and property damage, while the Bolivian departments of Chuquisaca and Santa Cruz suffered cattle losses due to drought.
Forecasters report that dryness will not only lead to the risk of severe drought in other areas of South America, but also a greater threat of forest fires. Drier than normal conditions in eastern and central Brazil during the month of August are likely to lead to worsening drought conditions in the spring. The greatest threat will be for the Brazilian states of Paraná to the north. This dry climate during the spring could have an impact on several crops throughout the region, including coffee, soybeans and corn.
The southernmost areas in Brazil and Paraguay, Uruguay and northern Argentina have had adequate rains during the month of August and are expected to be slightly above normal for spring. This includes the Brazilian states of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina, as well as the capitals of Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina.
According to CIIFEN, measurements and predictions of sea surface temperature for the period August-October 2017 indicate that the Central and Eastern Equatorial Pacific will be in neutral conditions, ie without anomalies. The evolution of the oceanic and atmospheric variables currently favors the establishment of neutral conditions in the Tropical Pacific, that is to say that at present the probabilities for El Niño and La Niña are low.
Europe
Parts of Italy and Southern France suffered severe drought, with the situation in Corsica reaching near record precipitation deficits. The rainfall deficit contributed to serious wildfires in southern France at the end of July. There were also devastating wildfires, with dozens of casualties in Portugal in June.
Failure to up investment in protecting and restoring drylands – soils in particular – could put future food supplies at risk and hamper efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change, says the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) ahead of the 13th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP13), which opens on Wednesday, September 6, 2017 in Ordos, China.
Ordos, China is hosting the 13th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP13)
Drylands, which include habitats such as savannahs, mist forests and oases, cover 41% of all land on Earth. They are home to one third of the world’s population and store 36% of global terrestrial carbon. They also sustain 44% of the world’s cultivated systems and 50% of the world’s livestock. Most of dryland biodiversity is found in the soil, which determines the overall fertility and productivity of the land.
“Species and ecosystems below and above ground are the engines of life in drylands, whose importance in sustaining billions of lives around the world is often underestimated,” says Inger Andersen, the IUCN Director General. “Drylands secure food and water supplies for local people, mitigate climate change and reduce the impacts of disasters. Their soils, however, form slowly and are easily damaged. IUCN urges countries to invest in conserving these ecosystems for the vital services they provide, and for the crucial role they play in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.”
Land degradation in drylands – known as desertification – could result in a 12% fall in global food production in the next 25 years. It could also contribute to global carbon dioxide emissions, with about 60% of carbon in soils lost through land degradation. It is estimated that between 25 and 35% of drylands are being degraded, which undermines their productivity. Over 250 million people are directly affected, and a further one billion in over one hundred countries are at risk.
IUCN calls for urgent investment in restoring and sustainably managing drylands as a high priority for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, including to combat climate change, reduce poverty, increase food and water security, and boost health and economic growth.
“Sustainable land management practices can prevent the degradation, and improve the productivity and resilience of drylands,” says Jonathan Davies, Coordinator of IUCN’s Global Drylands Initiative. “These practices involve protecting biodiversity, including the bacteria, fungi and insects that live in the soil and which maintain nutrient and hydrological cycles. Biodiversity is also vital for pollination which is a major factor in overall agricultural production. Sustainable land management is a viable policy option for countries to address development and environmental challenges.”
Some traditional crop farming and livestock production practices developed by dryland communities involve minimising tillage and planting trees alongside crops to maintain soil organic matter and moisture. It is estimated that by sustainably managing soils, food production could increase by up to 58%. Improved livestock production and rangeland management could sequester up to 2,000 million metric tons of carbon dioxide by 2030, which is more than the 2015 CO2 emissions of Russia.
IUCN urges countries to sustainably manage land by strengthening the rights of local communities and by facilitating finance opportunities for small and medium agribusinesses that engage in sustainable land management. Countries are also encouraged to restore large-scale degraded dryland landscapes.
The UNCCD COP13 takes place from September 6 to 16 in Ordos, Inner Mongolia, China.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) European Region has marked what seems like an important step on the road from malaria control to malaria elimination, and then on to maintaining malaria-free status, with the launch of “The Ashgabat Statement: Preventing the re-establishment of malaria transmission in the WHO European Region”. The Statement was formally presented on Monday, September 4, 2017 in Moscow, Russian Federation.
Dr Nedret Emiroglu, Director of the Division of Health Emergencies and Communicable Diseases at WHO/Europe
“I applaud the pledge made by these countries and their leaders,” said Dr Nedret Emiroglu, Director of the Division of Health Emergencies and Communicable Diseases at WHO/Europe. “Protecting European people from the return of malaria requires strong political support from governments, substantial financial investments and a collective will to work together in partnership.”
The meeting also serves as the occasion for the launch of a new book, “Malaria in Europe: On the way to elimination in the WHO European Region 2000-2015”, which tells the story of how Europe became the first WHO region to be declared malaria-free after reporting zero malaria cases for the first time in 2015.
According to the WHO, the achievement was made possible through a combination of strong political commitment, heightened detection and surveillance of malaria cases, integrated strategies for mosquito control with community involvement, cross-border collaboration and effective communication to people at risk.
Building on this milestone, the 10 Central Asia and Caucasus countries that had been the last stronghold for malaria in the Region − Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan − confirmed their commitment to preventing malaria reintroduction by signing the Ashgabat Statement. The Statement moves them forward from the 2005 Tashkent Declaration: “The move from malaria control to elimination” in the WHO European Region, which was signed by the same group of countries.
The Tashkent Declaration represented a turning point in efforts to achieve a malaria-free Europe, as it paved the way for the Regional strategy: From malaria control to elimination in the WHO European Region 2006-2015, which provided guidance that helped affected European countries to reduce the number of indigenous malaria cases from 90,712 in 1995 to zero in 2015.
The Ashgabat Statement outlines the commitment to control malaria importation, prevent the re-establishment of local transmission, and rapidly contain any resurgence of the disease. As long as malaria continues to circulate globally, people travelling to and from malaria-endemic countries can import the disease to Europe.
The Regional framework for prevention of malaria reintroduction and certification of malaria elimination 2014-2020 provides guidance to support European countries as they work to maintain the Region’s malaria-free status. It describes how to avoid a resurgence of malaria, prevent its reintroduction and adhere to the malaria-free certification process.
10 countries convene at Moscow meeting
Representatives from the 10 countries are meeting in Moscow from September 4 to 5, 2017. Over the course of two days of discussion, delegates will chart a course for how they can work together to keep the Region malaria-free.
“It is significant that this meeting is taking place in the Russian Federation, a country that has played a substantial role in supporting the fight against malaria both in Europe and globally,” said Dr Melita Vujnovic, WHO Representative in the Russian Federation.
By eliminating malaria, the Region has made a substantial contribution to furthering the vision outlined by the Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016-2030 – namely, a world free of malaria.
“The Russian Federation has been an important partner to WHO in progressing toward this vision,” said Dr Pedro Alonso, Director of WHO’s Global Malaria Programme. “It has provided its technical expertise, its leadership and its financial support to strengthen the skills of those fighting malaria in endemic countries of Central Asia and Africa.”
As a result of the Russian Federation’s technical and financial contributions, close to 800 national malaria control managers and senior health professionals from 79 countries were trained in state-of-the-art malaria control and elimination.
