Secretary General of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo, has congratulated Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), on the entering into force of the Paris Agreement, as well as the effective support provided by the UNFCCC secretariat in the process.
Secretary General of OPEC, Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo
Mr Barkindo, a Nigerian, made the submission last Friday in Bonn, Germany during a visit to the UNFCCC secretariat. He described the successful implementation of the Agreement as a priority for OPEC, adding that OPEC Member Countries have been involved in climate change negotiations and the implementation of the Convention since its inception process.
During the visit, which was aimed at enhancing cooperation between the UNFCCC and OPEC and exchange views on recent developments, Mr Barkindo and Ms Espinosa, along with senior delegations from both organisations, discussed the importance of enhancing cooperation between the UNFCCC and OPEC, especially on matters related to climate change, sustainable development and economic diversification.
The meeting, which took place just a few days after the Paris Agreement reached the threshold for entry into force on 5 October 2016, builds on the ongoing involvement of OPEC in climate change negotiations and the active participation of its Member Countries.
The UNFCCC secretariat shared information regarding a high level event on sustainable economic transition and economic diversification to be organised by the Moroccan Presidency during COP22. The event is expected to be attended by Ministers and heads of delegations and targets raising awareness of the importance of economic diversification and transformation in relation to the impact of the implementation of mitigation measures and how that is linked to sustainable development for many developing countries.
The leaders agreed that enhancement of cooperation between the two organisations is beneficial, particularly since the OPEC Secretariat is an intergovernmental organisation representing 14 developing countries, all of which are also Parties to the UNFCCC. Such teamwork enhances input from developing countries in the implementation of both the Convention and the Paris Agreement, it was gathered.
The importance of inclusiveness and participation by all Parties in implementing the Paris Agreement was emphasised during the meeting, taking into account that sustainable development and poverty alleviation are high priorities for all.
The key role of oil in economic development and the right of developing countries to develop was stressed. In this regard, the OPEC efforts towards sustainable market stability were recognised as a contribution to a healthy global economy and helping implementation of the Convention and the Paris Agreement and the transition to a low emission economy.
Both secretariats acknowledged that economic diversification is an important objective for building economic resilience and agreed to explore all available capacities which can assist OPEC Member Countries in diversifying their economies and achieving just transition of work force.
The Paris Agreement will enter into force on 4 November 2016. As a result of this, the first session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA1) will take place in Marrakech in conjunction with COP22/CMP12. Other important consequences of the above include the transformation of Parties’ INDCs into Nationally Determined Contributions, or NDCs, which oblige governments to take action to contribute to achieving the temperature goals enshrined in the Agreement. Additionally, negotiations to develop the Paris Agreement’s implementation rule book are to be completed as soon as possible.
“Ignoring land degradation neutrality (LDN) could be political suicide,” said Monique Barbut, the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), emphasising the real benefits populations will feel in terms of climate change, rural employment and food security. LDN is one of the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Monique Barbut, Executive Secretary of the UNCCD. She cautions against ignoring the LDN. Photo credit: www.iisd.ca
At the opening of the 15th session of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC15) being held in Nairobi, Barbut explained why LDN is so important.
CRIC, the Committee for the Review of Implementation of the Convention, was established by decision 1/COP 5, as a subsidiary body to the COP. CRIC15 will consider LDN within the Strategic Framework that will guide action under the Convention from 2018-2030 and is set to be adopted by the Conference of the Parties to the UNCCD next year.
“Ten billion people on earth by 2050 require food production to increase by 70%. That means expansion and exploitation of at least four million hectares of new land each year. But we have two billion hectares of degraded land out there, of which 500 million hectares can be restored. If we restored just 300 million hectares of that, we would be able to recover lost ecosystems and feed the entire population. We would be able to sequester a significant amount of CO2 as well. It is the fastest and most cost-effective way to do so.” Barbut said.
Over 100 countries have begun setting their own practical and ambitious LDN targets. Kenya who hosts CRIC15 is among them.
Opening the session, Charles Sunkuli, the Principal Secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources announced, “In September, 2016 the country launched an ambitious land restoration programme targeting 5.1 million hectares of degraded and deforested landscapes for restoration by 2030.”
He underlined the fact that the pressure on households to meet their immediate and urgent needs makes pushes them to prioritise the short term over long term interests and sustainable development. He said Kenya is working with the local and county governments in order to meet its targets to control land degradation, and other initiatives such as the Bonn Challenge.
Barbut also confirmed China is set to host the 13th session of the Conference of the Parties in Ordos, Inner Mongolia in 2017.
CRIC15 will be held in Nairobi until Thursday, 20 October 2016.
A central component of the Paris Agreement is to strengthen transparency requirements to better hold countries accountable for their commitments. National transparency mechanisms provide information to track Parties’ progress in implementing their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and will help strengthen Parties’ capacities to measure and optimise their efforts to address climate change.
Environment Minister of Peru, Manuel Pulgar-Vidal
Peru has now taken an important initiative to meet the forthcoming transparency requirements by publicly reporting on its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The platform, INFOCARBONO, was launched as part of the Climate Commitment Week 2016 by the Minister of Environment, Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, and provides detailed information on sectoral GHG emissions from different reference years, including a comprehensive description of the methodology applied to calculate the emissions data. By making the data public, the Ministry of Environment also expects the database to become a “living” platform where users can provide feedback and “monitor” the data with the end goal to present the most accurate data possible. Earlier National Communications, Biennial Update Reports (BURs) and GHG inventory reports are also available at INFOCARBONO, thereby contributing to the transparency of the Peruvian GHG emissions data management system. As a next step, the Ministry of Environment is planning to launch a National Registry for climate change mitigation actions (NAMAs and REDD+), including upcoming climate change mitigation projects, GHG emission baselines and national emission reduction targets. Together with the data from INFOCARBONO, the National Registry will provide information that enables a comparison of the emission reduction scenario, drawing on existing and planned emission reduction initiatives and the NDC emissions reduction targets. Peru can therefore continuously assess whether the country is on the right low carbon pathway to achieve its NDC targets. The development of INFOCARBONO was supported by the Inter-American Development Bank and the UNDP Low Emission Capacity Programme through the generous support of the European Union, Germany’s Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety and the Government of Australia.
A new online knowledge hub launched on Tuesday provides an unparalleled view of multilateral, national and sub-national efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Screen shot of the IISD knowledge hub
The International Institute for Sustainable Development’s (IISD) SDG Knowledge Hub consolidates the organisation’s Policy & Practice knowledgebases – and the tens of thousands of published articles contained within them. Focused on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the platform draws on IISD’s network of experts to provide real-time information on SDG implementation.
“The development of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was one of the largest participatory processes ever,” said Scott Vaughan, President of the International Institute for Sustainable Development. “Information sharing, measurement and assessment will need to continue if the global community is to achieve the aims set out in the new agenda.”
“The SDG Knowledge Hub provides a much-needed space for that exchange to take place,” said Vaughan, adding:
“IISD experts are at the meetings we report on, talking to those involved, and gathering information from official, primary sources. We also develop partnerships with the institutions and organisations we cover, and publish original content from invited experts who are working on the frontlines of SDG implementation. The SDG Knowledge Hub does not aggregate news from other sources.”
The SDG Knowledge Hub will be presented at an event in Geneva, Switzerland, on October 26th, and on a webinar on November 3rd.
According to IISD sources, the value of the hub lays in the depth of information it will contain on each SDG, as well as the breadth of knowledge across all elements of the integrated 2030 Agenda. Content is organised and searchable according to the 17 SDGs. Information is also categorised according to actors, focusing on intergovernmental bodies, agencies and funds within the UN system, as well as national governments, major partnerships, stakeholders and non-state actors.
In addition, content is searchable by seven regional groups as well as three regional groupings of small island developing States. A comprehensive calendar provides details on events that address SDG policy and practice.
Users can also filter posts by issue area, action type and specific elements in SDG 17, on the global partnership. This filter permits users to focus in on news based on whether it addresses means of implementation (MOI), such as capacity building and education, or the following systemic issues: data, monitoring and accountability; multi-stakeholder partnerships; and policy and institutional coherence.
It is crystal clear that the growing population, rapid urbanisation and rising standard of living have accelerated the domestic solid waste generation rate in Nigeria. The 2015 edition of the United Nations’ World Population Prospect report stated that, “by 2050, the world’s population growth rate will be 9.7 billion with the bulk of it coming from Africa”. Nigeria being one of the 12 countries expected to account for half of the world’s population increase by then must urgently start preparing for the rainy days because tomorrow can be too late to swing into action.
Waste disposal and management has posed a major challenge to authorities in Lagos and other major cities in Nigeria
In the light of the above, one would realise that there is a direct relationship between population growth rate and waste generation – an increase in the former will proportionately lead to an increase in the latter phenomenon. Suffice it to mean that if proper measures are not taken to sustainably manage our wastes, we may wake up to the reality of seeing heaps of garbage and sewage materials everywhere. This we all know is an eyesore and detrimental to human health. It is quite unfortunate that, at this moment, there is no effective national waste management plan in Nigeria, which depicts the country’s deficiency in proper waste handling.
Judging through the lackluster attitude of the government in sustainably managing solid waste in recent past, I would love to suggest six stages by which the government can improve on its effort through stakeholder involvement to enhance an enabling environment.
At first stage the government must develop a strong political will and commitment towards solid waste management, by creating the enabling laws and putting in place the necessary measures that will aid proper solid waste management. Formulating, implementing and evaluating necessary waste policies will no doubt be of benefit for the country and its people.
The movement of waste materials from generation point, towards treatment and final disposal must be of great concern. Citizens must be made to participate in the decision-making process so that they can have a sense of belonging and be part of the solution.
The second stage should look into proper waste handling awareness and sensitisation programmes, which should aim at changing the behavior of the masses on waste disposal. The government can sponsor jingles and enlightenment programmes so that the citizens will get to know that, as they are generating waste, they must also learn to separate them for easy collection. Research has also shown that family size, education and income level will determine household waste generation. Proving to us that the larger the size of your family, income rate and level of your education, the larger will be the amount of solid waste generated and vice versa.
The third stage is monitoring and catering for the collection, transfer and transportation of solid waste materials to various treatment stations. The role of the government is to position hundreds of vehicles, waste baskets and cans at strategic points with tags or imprints on them in order to separate different solid waste materials such as paper, plastic, glass, food, metals, polythene, batteries and electronics, amongst others, from mixing up and to ease disposal. However, collection of waste materials should not be limited to urban centres alone, but must also be extended to rural areas and urban slums. Public Private Participation (PPP) should be encouraged to carry out door-to-door services. Skilled workers with technical training on how to collect, manage and transport waste materials from strategic points to transfer station should have a good pay so as to encourage them and others that are interested in the job.
The fourth stage should be the construction of transfer stations, dump sites and availability of treatment materials. With the active involvement of Lagos State Government in solid waste management, it prides itself as the only state in Nigeria that has two transfer stations and the largest dumpsite in Africa known as the Olusosun dumpsite in Ojota. The Federal Government should learn from this state and make available proper sewage treatment through biological, physical and chemical processes to remove contaminants that may be detrimental to human and environmental health.
The fifth stage is turning waste to wealth through recycling and re-use of recyclables. Recycling clubs should be created in schools across the nation in order to put the spirit in young generations and, before we know it, recycling will become a way of life. Through appropriate separation of recyclables, the government and private corporations can easily turn waste to different new products that will be useful to all and help generate some money.
The sixth stage is creating market for recycled products. The government should encourage those that are into recycling business by buying and promoting their goods. By these collective efforts we can successfully achieve sustainable integrated solid waste management and have an enabling environment.
By Alabede Surajdeen (environmentalist and SDGs Advocate, alabedekayode@gmail.com, @BabsSuraj)
“As we have no immediate experience of what other men feel, we can form no idea of the manner in which they are affected, but by conceiving what we ourselves should feel in the like situation.” – Adam Smith.
Hamzat Lawal
It was one of those rainy days in the London metropolis. A young African man, dressed in traditional regalia that distinctly looked Nigerian, was seen entering a chauffeur-driven car outside Park Avenue Belgravia in London.
He must be from a royal family, for he was too young to be a politician, I told myself. Perhaps, he was one of those children of the rich, powerful, corrupt Nigerian politicians. But, wait a second. This cannot be; the sleek car was marked Al-Jazeera. I became curious. This boy must be very important.
So, as if ferried by unseen wheels, I found myself gliding closer to the boy in the luxury car. I wanted to know more about him. Maybe, we could become friends. With some kind of magic, I vaporised and found myself right inside the car.
Then, I got the shock of my life. The young man in the car was me. Hamzat Lawal. Could this be happening? Unbelievable! That was exactly how I felt the first time I was given VIP treatment during one of my international assignments. On that day, I had an interview session at Al-Jazeera, London office, and a chauffeur came to pick me. I still feel that way sometimes: A rather out-of-body experience at the pedestal that activism has placed me upon. Yes, I also feel blessed. But it is always as if I am watching my life play out before me.
Somebody might say it is because things are happening so fast for me. A young man in Nigeria, born without privileges and family connections, yet has found a voice and a spotlight to be a role model for other youths. Below 30, he is the Chief Executive of one of the most impactful non-profits in Nigeria, with a global recognition and acceptance. Surely, he must be giddy with glee.
But, to me, it is all about fulfillment. I truly feel fulfilled, not because one is rich or powerful or influential, but just because with my passion and energy I have been able to influence change and impact people’s lives. I have been able to contribute my little quota in entrenching more informed policies and decision making; where people will have a voice and the government is able to look beyond its comfort zone to actually address developmental issues.
Activism is my life. In fact, I enjoy it when I am called an activist. But I am acutely conscious of the fact that being passionate and straightforward alone did not get me to where I am today. This article – and others that will follow – shall tell the whole story.
With the advantage of hindsight, I can say that my personality and natural proclivities were the foundation upon which my present career is built. But the trigger that set my life off into the future that is now unfolding before me, is my contact with a particular individual (and his organisation) and a particular people (and their trauma).
Mr. Ewah Eleri, the Executive Director of International Centre for Energy, Environment & Development (ICEED), is a perfect gentleman. I met him at a time in my life when I was on transition from adolescence to adulthood, therefore the impression he had on me was as profound as it was paternal. Ewah, as he likes to be called, is a man of no contrived airs. He is highly cerebral and very simple at the same time. Being one of the pioneers of climate action in Nigeria, he played a central role in streamlining my exuberant energies towards development work.
I worked for ICEED as a rep serviceman from an IT firm, when I was just a back-packing “IT nerd”, full of youthful techie zeal. Looking back today, I could describe myself then as a novice, who was trying to build a career in the evolving information and communications technologies sector – computer hardware, software and related stuff.
Three years down the lane, when I was already developing itchy feet to broaden my professional horizon once again, Ewah discovered me.
He called me one fateful day and said, “Young man, do you like the work you are doing? If I give you an opportunity would you like to work with me?” I noted that he said “work with me” instead of “work for me”.
He gave me a very attractive offer as the IT specialist for ICEED. My job was to ensure that their systems were secured from external incursions, viruses and malware. I took the job.
Six months later, Ewah noticed that I was bored. Apparently, he perceived that there was a vacuum somewhere; as my personality never allowed me stay on one routine for too long. So, on this particular day, he came to my desk and wrote in front of me “www.unfccc.int” and said, “Hamzy! (he was the first person to call me that), go to this website and read about climate change. This site will help you get all the information you need about climate change. It will enable you understand the kind of work we do here and why we do what we do.”
I took my boss seriously. At that time my work just required technical tasks; I did not have capacity on organisational agendas and processes. I visited the UNFCCC website. I did a lot of research. I read and downloaded so many PDF documents. I read about all the meetings surrounding the Kyoto Protocol, and Rio Conference of I992. I went through the COPs and their resolutions; and the countries that signed on to them.
Then I got really interested. Something deep inside me came alive as I read those documents. I could not explain the feeling, but it was as if I was in my zone!
I joined Google groups because there were several of them, including youth-based ones involved in different activities. As I started getting e-mails about different activities and campaigns; I then joined a lot of campaigners and activists online. These were people who were carrying out action on national, regional and international levels calling on world leaders to take action.
This situation effectively took me back to my Boys Scout days in primary and secondary schools where I was actively involved in frontline environmental awareness and grassroots campaigns. I suddenly amassed a deep community consciousness, building on my last tasks as a Boy Scout troop leader in my Senior Secondary School days.
Hamzat Lawal with assistants during the SaveBagega campaign
In 2012, something struck me concerning the lead poisoning that took place in Zamfara State two years earlier. I suddenly realised that nobody was talking about the disaster and the people affected after the fatal incident happened, killing more than 400 Nigerian children. There was no information and no details about present development. I then stumbled on the group Doctors Without Borders (Medicines Sans Frontiers) from whom I inquired briefing on the matter.
The MSF made me understand that a community called Bagega existed in Zamfara with about I500 children still affected. They let me know that the government was not doing much about alleviating the suffering of the communities who were suffering from the impacts of artisanal mining. They told me that the money that was allocated for the required intervention in the villages was looted by corrupt politicians and public officers.
I then felt an imperative to get first-hand information; so I informed MSF that I wanted to visit Bagega.
This was how I made my first trip to Zamfara, guided by MSF. After a journey of over fourteen hours I arrived Bagega and some other impacted communities, where I witnessed the suffering of children firsthand. I saw toddlers convulsing in care centers. I saw the misery in the eyes of mothers. I felt the helplessness of health workers as they struggled with scarce resources.
I recorded voices and took pictures of the visit, and the more I went through my notes the more something deep inside me came alive. A new energy was birthed in me. As the African would say, sleep left my eyes for good. I could not think of any other thing but how to help these Zamfara children.
When I came back to my desk at ICEED, I could not fully concentrate on my work anymore. The visions and sounds of Bagega kept playing in my mind like a broken record from a horror movie sound track.
Coming next – 2nd Article: “The Dilemma of Trading Places”.
Hamzy! is an Activist and currently the Co-Founder / Chief Executive of Connected Development [CODE]. He is working to build a growing grassroots movement of citizen-led actions through Follow The Money for better service delivery in rural communities. He Tweets via @HamzyCODE
United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, is in Quito, Ecuador for the UN Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development, otherwise known as Habitat III.
On Sunday, on the eve of the opening of the conference, he was special guest at the Second World Assembly of Local and Regional Governments, also known as the World Mayors Assembly.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (left) arrives in Quito, Ecuador, and is greeted by Joan Clos, Secretary-General of the Habitat III Conference. Photo credit: UN Photo/Eskinder DebebeSecretary-General Ban Ki-moon (2nd left) arrives at the opening of the Second World Assembly of Local and Regional Governments in Quito, Ecuador. The event includes over 400 Mayors, Elected officials, Governors and Councillors representing local authorities and urban partner organisations. Photo credit: UN Photo/Eskinder DebebePeter Thomson (on big screens), President of the General Assembly 71st Session, delivers remarks at the opening of the Second World Assembly of Local and Regional Governments in Quito, Ecuador. Photo credit: UN Photo/Eskinder DebebeSecretary-General Ban Ki-moon (right) greets participants after delivering his remarks at the opening of the Second World Assembly of Local and Regional Governments in Quito, Ecuador. Photo credit: UN Photo/Eskinder DebebeSecretary-General Ban Ki-moon (left) meets with Guillaume Long (right), Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ecuador. Photo credit: UN Photo/Eskinder DebebeSecretary-General Ban Ki-moon (far left, near large screen) speaks during an official dinner hosted by Mauricio Rodas, Mayor of Quito, Ecuador. Photo credit: UN Photo/Eskinder DebebeSecretary-General Ban Ki-moon (centre left) meets with United Nations Country Team in Ecuador. Photo credit: UN Photo/Eskinder DebebeSecretary-General Ban Ki-moon talks with vendor while visiting the historic centre of Quito Ecuador during his trip to attend the Second World Assembly of Local and Regional Governments. Photo credit: UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
Mayors of the world’s major cities have called for national governments and international financial institutions to help finance low-carbon and sustainable projects. These reforms are crucial for implementing the New Urban Agenda and meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
Mayor of Mexico City and C40 Vice Chair, Miguel Ángel Mancera. World’s major cities mayors are seeking assistance to finance low-carbon and sustainable projects
Development banks must be reformed to respond to city needs.
Cities must be granted direct access to international climate funds.
The power to control finance must be devolved to cities.
National governments must create a stable policy and regulatory environment.
Innovation, standardisation, pooling and pipelines must become the new normal.
Cities must be supported to develop their capacity to prepare and execute projects
The Call for Action was launched on Monday (17 October, 2016) at the Habitat III Conference in Quito, by Mayor of Mexico City and C40 Vice Chair, Miguel Ángel Mancera; Mayor of Madrid, Manuela Carmena; and Mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, alongside Mayor of Quito, Mauricio Rodas; Mayor of Bogotá, Enrique Peñalosa; Mayor of Caracas, Helen Fernández; and Mayor of Santiago, Claudio Orrego Larraín.
The Call is endorsed by 27 leading international organisations, including the UN Environment Programme (UNEP, WWF, World Resources Institute, Natural Resources Defense Council and Overseas Development Institute.
Financing climate action in cities is a major priority for C40 and will be a key theme of the C40 Mayors Summit 2016, being hosted in Mexico City from November 30th- December 2nd. The Summit will bring together the world’s most influential mayors, representing 650 million citizens to present their common goals for a sustainable future, one year after COP21 in Paris.
The full Call for Action on Municipal Infrastructure Finance can be viewed here.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday urged Mayors across the world to “take strong ownership” of a new global agenda for sustainable development in the towns and cities they represent.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addresses the opening of the Second World Assembly of Local and Regional Governments, ahead of the UN Conference on Housing Sustainable Urban Development in Quito, Ecuador. Photo credit: UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
Speaking to a gathering of some 400 mayors, representatives of local authorities and urban partner organisations, Mr. Ban made this call in the Ecuadorian capital, Quito, on the eve of the official opening of the UN Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development, known by the shorthand Habitat III, which aims to re-think the planning and management of towns and cities across the world, through the adoption a the New Urban Agenda.
The Agenda, an action-oriented framework which will set global standards for achievement in sustainable urban development, should be prioritised alongside implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and its 17 Global Goals, or SDGs, agreed by 193 UN Member States just over a year ago in New York, added the Secretary-General.
He pointed Goal 11, which “pledges to make human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.” And in that regard, “elected officials, Mayors, Governors and Councillors, are the forefront of the battle for sustainable development,” he said, to a loud applause from delegates to the Second World Assembly of Local and Regional Governments, also known as the World Mayors Assembly.
“In short, your role is growing by the year (…) You are faced with the immediate daily demands of your people: for housing, transport, infrastructure, and basic services.”
The Habitat III conference has been 20 years in the making; the third global summit of its kind, dedicated to housing and sustainable urban development.
By hosting the conference, Quito becomes the first city in the “Global South” to take on the role, and thousands have gathered to the picturesque capital, which straddles the equator. The city, with its historic and picturesque centre, was declared a World Heritage Site by the UN Educational and Scientific Organisation (UNESCO) in 1978.
Mayors and the New Urban Agenda
Urban development is seen as an increasingly important priority for the United Nations, as the world urban population is set to nearly double by 2050.
Mr. Ban praised the invaluable role played by mayors and other local government leaders, in devising the New Urban Agenda.
Although national governments must play a strong role in devising legislation and policies to make cities grow sustainably in the future, it was local and regional leaders who would have to “implement these visions on the ground.”
Indeed, he said: “(You) must make the tough decisions on which issues to prioritise – because you have to manage budgets and balance sheets. You are accountable to national governments, and in many cases, to your local voters too (…). Your inputs into the New Urban Agenda were invaluable.”
The development Goals and also the commitment to curb carbon emissions made through the Paris Agreement on climate change last December, would be “under your direct leadership,” he told delegates in the main hall of Quito’s Casa de la Cultura Ecuatoriana.
“Take strong ownership of this vital agenda. Stand up for the people you represent,” he added.
The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Nigeria was among numerous organisations and individuals recognised on Monday in Kuwait City, Kuwait for ground-breaking research on tackling childhood malaria and addressing undernourishment through Africa, which both impact the lives of millions of children across the continent.
Aerial view of IITA structures in Ibadan, Oyo State
The Ibadan, Oyo State-based research body bagged the 2016 Al-Sumait Prize for Food Security for its work in improving the yields and nutritional quality of major staple food crops, such as cassava, banana and maize.
The Board of Trustees meeting of the Al-Sumait Prize for African Development also gave the 2016 Al-Sumait Prize for Food Security to The Sweet Potato for Nutrition Team International Potato Centre, Peru, in advancing the contribution of sweet potato to African farmers and households to address Vitamin A deficiency, one of the most pernicious forms of undernourishment.
Similarly, the Board awarded the 2015 Al-Sumait Prize for Health to Professor Kevin Marsh, from the University of Oxford and African Academy of Sciences, Kenya, for his sustained efforts to control and eradicate malaria, which impacts the health of tens of millions of African children.
Al-Sumait’s Board is chaired by H.E. Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Kuwait’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs. Other board members include Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Dr. Donald Kaberuka, former President of the African Development Bank; Dr. Kwaku Aning, former Deputy Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency; Mr. Abdulatif Alhamad, Director General and Chairman of the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development; and Mr Tareq Al-Mutawa, Executive Member of the Board of Public Gathering Charity Committee.
Dr. Adnan Shihab-Eldin, Director General of the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS), which administers the awards, said the Board of Trustees was proud to award the prizes to all three recipients who have made major contributions to improving the lives of millions of people throughout Africa.
“We are deeply humbled by the efforts demonstrated by Al-Sumait prize laureates in the pursuit of scientific discoveries to meet the challenges of disease, nutrition, food production and climate change,” he said. He added all the laureates were in the frontline of Africa’s challenges, yet have succeeded despite limited resources.
Al-Sumait Prizes honour individuals or institutions who help advance economic and social development, human resources development and infrastructure in Africa through their sustained research and or innovative projects that result in major impact on the lives and welfare of the people of Africa especially the poor and underprivileged. The awards were instigated on the initiative of His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al- Sabah, the Amir of the State of Kuwait.
With each award worth one million dollars and a gold medal, Al-Sumait awards are administered by the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS) and a Board of Trustees who oversee the selection of the recipients. The awards acknowledge the work of the late Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Sumait, a Kuwaiti doctor who dedicated his life to addressing the development challenges confronting Africa and established the Direct Aid humanitarian organisation.
The winning laureates will receive their awards from the Amir of the State of Kuwait and the President of Equatorial Guinea during a ceremony at the Fourth Arab African Summit in Equatorial Guinea on November 22, 2016.
“Each of the winners represent innovative, exciting initiatives being done to address the challenges facing Africa,” said Dr. Adnan Shihab-Eldin.
