In a bid to improve the capacity of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Benue State on gender programming for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and budget monitoring, the Women Environmental Programme (WEP) is holding a two-day forum on Gender Programming for SDGs and Budget Monitoring for CSOs in Makurdi, Benue State.
Participants at the workshop on “Gender Programming for SDGs and Budget Monitoring for CSOs” in Makurdi, Benue State. Photo credit: Damian Daga
In her welcome address on Wednesday, September 6 2017, Executive Director of WEP, Dr Priscilla Achakpa, who outlined that very few people know about SDGs, stated that, as a result, they (the WEP) decided to come and sensitise CSOs in the state on the Goals.
According to her, development without the inclusion of the SDGs cannot be wholly achieved, adding that if the CSOs must implore people and government through advocacy on SDGs, they need to know what it entails.
“We feel that the civil society organisations on ground here have to be well grounded in SDGs in order to properly do their job,” she said.
Dr Achakpa stressed that, for the CSOs to hold government accountable when it comes to the issue of budgeting, they need to have a hands-up knowledge of budgeting process which makes the workshop very important in building their capacity in tracking budgets.
She sued for partnership between CSOs and the government, as the latter cannot carry out development alone to have a vibrant society, stating that there is need to change how things are done as change begins with everyone.
A facilitator and Deputy Executive Director, WEP, Kyauta Giwa, in her presentations titled: “Understanding the Key Concepts of Gender” and “Introduction to Household/Public Budget Process,” called for a proper understanding and application of gender in all spheres of life.
She added that knowing how to track public budget would greatly enhance CSOs ability to enhance government’s performance in budgetary process.
In another presentation titled: “Human Rights, Women’s Rights and Legal and Institutional Framework for Gender Responsiveness”, Programme Officer of WEP, Benson Attah, called for an understanding of human rights, even as he advocated for such rights.
Zhang Jianlong, Minister of State Forestry Administration, China, on Wednesday, September 6, 2017 opened the first ever United Nations conference on sustainable development hosted in China. The 13th session of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), is taking place from September 6 to 16 in Ordos, Inner Mongolia.
COP13 President, Mr Zhang Jianlong, opens the conference in Ordos, Inner Mongolia, China
The 196 country Parties attending the session are expected to agree on a 12-year Strategy to contain runaway land degradation that is threatening global food and water supply.
Ministers are expected to announce their targets for land restoration and agree on measures to address the related emerging threats of forced migration, sand and dust storms, and on actions to strengthen resilience to droughts.
Close to 80 ministers are attending the Conference during the high-level segment, when most of the emerging issues will be addressed and country commitments of the targets will be announced.
The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is the only legally binding international agreement on land issues. The Convention promotes good land stewardship. Its 196 Parties aim, through partnerships, to implement the Convention and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
The end goal is to protect land from over-use and drought, so it can continue to provide mankind with food, water and energy. By sustainably managing land and striving to achieve land degradation neutrality, now and in the future, man will reduce the impact of climate change, avoid conflict over natural resources and help communities to thrive.
Leaders and ministers from more than 25 governments will meet in Florence, Italy on Monday, September 11, 2017, to accelerate the global adoption of geothermal energy. The Global Geothermal Alliance (GGA) meeting represents the largest such ministerial gathering dedicated to geothermal energy development.
Adnan Z. Amin, IRENA Director-General. Photo credit: utilities-me.com
Geothermal energy today accounts for just 0.3 percent of globally installed renewable energy capacity. However – once start-up costs are met – it is one of the lowest-cost and most reliable renewable energy sources available. The global potential for geothermal is estimated to be in the region of 200 gigawatts.
Entitled: “Working Together to Promote Geothermal Energy Towards a Sustainable Energy Future”, the conference will bring together private and public sector representatives to address and overcome barriers that have hindered the deployment of geothermal despite its vast potential. The meeting is organised by the Italian government, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Ministry of Economic Development, and the Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea together with the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
“In line with our commitment to the COP21 Agreement, the Italian Government is determined to promote renewable energy and invest in innovative, zero-emission technologies with low environmental impact, including in the geothermal sector,” said Italian Minister for Environment, Mr. Gian Luca Galletti.
“My country is engaged, and will continue to pursue objectives within the framework of our National Energy Policy and Strategies based on our broad and remarkable renewable energy knowledge,” continued Minister Galletti. “This is especially true of our geothermal energy experience, having developed the first-ever geothermal energy production plant in Lardarello, Tuscany,” he concluded.
“Globally, geothermal energy remains largely untapped despite its huge potential for low-carbon power generation and direct use in heating and cooling,” said Mr. Adnan Z. Amin, IRENA Director-General. “Right now we may only be harvesting six per cent of proven geothermal energy potential, meaning the sector represents a significant opportunity to decarbonise the energy system and drive economic growth in the 90 countries with proven resources.
“This Global Geothermal Alliance ministerial is a milestone that, in the strongest possible terms, demonstrates renewed will to unlock the potential of geothermal and reinforce the importance of its deployment to the global energy transition,” concluded Mr. Amin.
The conference will attract more than 200 attendees who will hear global government and business leaders discuss the challenges and opportunities associated with scaling-up geothermal energy. In particular, the meeting will focus on identifying the mechanisms required to de-risk geothermal investments, creating regulatory consistency and pathways to strengthen institutional and human capacity within the sector.
Launched in 2015 at COP21 in Paris, the GGA is an inclusive multi-stakeholder platform of public, private, intergovernmental and non-governmental actors committed to scaling up geothermal energy deployment worldwide. Its membership is composed of 42 countries, and 29 partner institutions, including multilateral organisations, development partners, international and regional organisations, global financial institutions and private sector.
The Alliance aims to enhance multilateral efforts towards a more favourable environment to achieve a 500 per cent increase in global installed capacity for geothermal power generation and a 200 per cent increase in geothermal heating by 2030.
Geothermal energy is energy in the form of heat within the sub-surface of the Earth that is carried up to the surface as water and/or steam. Depending on its characteristics, geothermal energy can be used to generate clean electricity, or in direct use applications such as heating, cooling, the agribusiness and in industrial applications, to name a few.
The environmental footprint of geothermal energy is negligible and its predictability and reliability make it a significant contributor to decarbonisation of the global energy system, while increasing security of supply, and boosting local economic development.
Hurricane Irma roared into the Caribbean with record force on Wednesday, September 6 2017, its 185-mph winds shaking homes and flooding buildings on a chain of small islands along a path toward Puerto Rico, Cuba and Hispaniola and a possible direct hit on densely populated South Florida.
A satellite image released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows Hurricane Irma as it moves westward across the Caribbean islands
The strongest Atlantic Ocean hurricane ever recorded passed almost directly over the island of Barbuda, causing widespread flooding and downing trees. France sent emergency food and water rations to the French islands of Saint Martin and Saint Barthelemy, where Irma ripped off roofs and knocked out all electricity.
The regional authority for Guadeloupe and neighboring islands said the fire station in Saint Barthelemy was flooded by more than 3 feet (1 metre) of water and no rescue vehicles could move. The government headquarters on Saint Martin was partially destroyed.
There were no immediate reports of casualties but the minister for French overseas territories, Annick Girardin, said: “We have a lot to fear for a certain number of our compatriots who unfortunately didn’t want to listen to the protection measures and go to more secure sites … We’re preparing for the worst.”
Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister, Gaston Browne, said the twin-island nation appears to have weathered its brush with Hurricane Irma with no deaths, though he noted that the government had only done a preliminary assessment of Barbuda. There were widespread reports of property damage but he says the public and government had prepared well for the storm.
“We in Antigua have weathered the most powerful hurricane ever to storm its way through the Caribbean,” the prime minister said. “And we have done so with stunning results.”
Hurricane Irma had maximum winds of 185 mph (295 km/h) as of 11 a.m. on Wednesday and was producing dangerous storm surge and heavy rain. The centre of the storm was about 65 miles (110 kilometres) east-southeast of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands and about 140 miles (225 kilometres) east of San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was heading west-northwest at 16 mph (26 kph).
As the eye of Hurricane Irma passed over Barbuda around 2 a.m., phone lines went down under heavy rain and howling winds that sent debris flying as people huddled in their homes or government shelters.
The storm ripped the roof off the island’s police station, forcing officers to seek refuge in the fire station and at the community center that served as an official shelter. The Category 5 storm also knocked out communication between islands.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Irma’s winds would fluctuate but the storm would likely remain at Category 4 or 5 strength for the next day or two. The most dangerous winds, usually nearest to the eye, were forecast to pass near the northern Virgin Islands and near or just north of Puerto Rico on Wednesday.
President Donald Trump declared emergencies in Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and authorities in the Bahamas said they would evacuate six southern islands.
Warm water is fuel for hurricanes and Irma was moving over water that was 1.8 degrees (1 degree Celsius) warmer than normal. The 79 degree (26 Celsius) water that hurricanes need went about 250 feet (80 meters) deep, said Jeff Masters, meteorology director of the private forecasting service Weather Underground.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott on Monday declared a state of emergency for every county to ensure that local governments have enough “time, resources and flexibility to get prepared for this dangerous storm,” according to a statement from his office.
Mandatory evacuation orders have been ordered for Monroe County, which includes the Florida Keys, beginning on Wednesday, but cars were already streaming out of the region on Tuesday evening. Officials also anticipate evacuation orders for low-lying portions of Miami-Dade County, including Miami Beach, by late Wednesday or early Thursday.
The aversion of the public against plans by the Lagos State Government to embark on Public Private Partnership (PPP) in the water sector is gathering momentum as 185 national and global organisations this week wrote to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, asking him to stop the plans and instead commit to democratically-controlled water systems that the people can have a say in.
Akinwunmi Ambode, Governor of Lagos State
Several key government functionaries in the Lagos government were copied in the letter. They include the Commissioner for Environment, Dr. Samuel Babatunde Adejare; Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa; and Chairman, House Committee on Environment, Lagos State House of Assembly, Dayo Saka Fafunmi.
The groups, led by the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN), expressed aversion to the Lagos State Water Corporation (LSWC) pursuing multiple concessions and other corporate contracts, including a 25-year concession for the Adiyan II project, and a PPP for the Odomola project.
According to them, experiences in cities around the world show that PPPs and other privatisation contracts often bring unexpected costs for cities, raise rates for consumers, and produce labor violations and infrastructure neglect.
They therefore urged the Lagos government to withdraw current efforts to secure corporate concessions and contracts in the water sector, and commit to public funding of water and ensure robust and accountable democratic process for implementing any legislation relating to water and sanitation.
The groups said they are eager to see the Ambode administration commit to ensuring the human right to water through a democratic, public system which will not only ensure all Lagosians can access clean, safe water but will also set an example for governments around the world.
As part of efforts to improve capacity of its staff to regulate the application of modern biotechnology in the country, the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), on Wednesday, September 6, 2017 began a three-day risk assessment and risk management training for scientific officers of the Agency.
Dr Paul Keese and the trainees during the NBMA forum
NBMA Director General/CEO, Dr Rufus Ebegba, while opening the training in Abuja, said that the Agency views training and retraining, especially in the revolving field of biosciences, as a crucial step in the regulation of the modern biotechnology in the country.
He noted that modern biotechnology is a new area of science in Nigeria and that regulating it requires that officers of the NBMA should be very competent and up to date in the execution of the Agency’s mandate.
Dr Ebegba said although Nigeria has some of the most competent and knowledgeable officers on issues of biosafety on the continent, the need for training and retraining of these staff cannot be over emphasised.
He said the training would enlighten the officers on the major techniques applied in the Agency. “They will be trained on risk assessment, risk management, hazards management and a whole new methodology in modern biotechnology application,” he submitted.
The training facilitator, Dr Paul Keese, said that the evolution of science requires regulators of critical sectors such as modern biotechnology, to constantly refresh their memories and to ensure that their activities are in tune with current trends in the sector.
Dr Paul, who is a former Australian gene regulator and now works with the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), said the training would build the capacity of scientific officers of the Agency on how to handle issues of risk context, risk identification, and risk evaluation.
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.
