The Nigerian Tobacco Control Alliance (NTCA) has urged the Federal Government to immediately initiate the regulation that will enforce plain packaging of tobacco products in the country.
Gbenga Adejuwon
In a statement issued on Tuesday in Lagos by its Alliance Manager, Gbenga Adejuwon, to mark this year’s World No Tobacco Day (WNTD), NTCA said the Federal Ministry of Health should also begin immediate and full implementation of the National Tobacco Control Act 2015.
According to the coalition, several countries including Australia, United Kingdom, France and Ireland have passed laws to implement plain packaging of tobacco products “and Nigeria cannot be an exemption.”
“Plain packaging is one measure aimed at prohibiting the use of logos, colours, brand images or promotional information on packaging other than brand names and product names displayed in a standard colour and font style (plain packaging).
“This measure is proven to reduce tobacco product attractiveness, use of tobacco packs for advertisement, using tobacco packs for misleading information while increasing the effectiveness of health warnings
“We strongly believe it is the time for the Nigerian government to commence effective implementation of the National Tobacco control Act and that should include plain packaging of tobacco products,” Adejuwon said.
The theme of this year’s WNTD is “Get Ready for Plain Packaging” and the World Health Organisation (WHO) is using the day to urge governments around the world to enact regulations to enforce the measure.
The global public health body recommends that plain packaging be implemented alongside large health warnings designed to warn consumers of the risks associated with tobacco use.
Debt Management Office (DMO) Director-General Dr. Abraham Nwankwo has painted a rosy economic future anchored on diversification and enhanced revenue from taxation. According to him, in three to five years, Nigerians will feel the impact of the present administration’s policies on manufacturing, agriculture, entertainment and mining, among others, because they will strengthen the naira and improve foreign reserves
Dr. Abraham Nwankwo, head of the DMO. Photo credit: newsexpressngr.com
The naira and foreign reserves are the worst hit in the wake of Nigeria’s dwindling revenue because of the crash in crude oil prices. The naira has shot up from 215 to 350 against the dollar in the last 16 months in the parallel market; the reserves have continued on their downward slide from over $36 billion to $26.5 billion within the same period.
As worrisome as these indicators may be, Debt Management Office (DMO) Director-General Dr. Abraham Nwankwo described them as temporary setbacks that will be overcome when the government’s policy on diversification of the economy begins to crystalise.
At an interactive session with reporters in Lagos last weekend, Nwankwo said the government’s efforts at revitalising other sectors of the economy, such as agriculture, solid minerals and manufacturing, among others, will impact on the economy in the next three to five years.
He said when the economy is diversified, Nigeria’s growth will not be determined by the prices of crude oil.
The DMO boss said much revenue would be derived from taxation, adding that the country’s low comparative tax revenue to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ratio, currently at about seven per cent against the 18 per cent average in most developing countries, will improve following efficient production.
He said through taxes, government can secure the fund to finance major developmental projects that will impact on the people’s lives.
Nwankwo is optimistic that, despite the challenges, Nigeria’s dream of becoming one of the best 20 economies in the world by year 2020 is still realistic.
“The target of getting the country to rank among the 20 leading economies in the world by 2020 is still being pursued. The crash in crude oil prices should not in any way derail that target. When you are running a race and something trips you and you fall, you have to wake up, and continue the journey. Also, even if oil is the base for economic growth and development, it was an inappropriate base for growth. But luckily for the country, there are alternatives in agriculture,” he said.
The DMO chief said the country has been unable to exploit up to 25 per cent of opportunities in agriculture.
He said: “We need to achieve internal food security and have the opportunity to export agro-based products in processed form. Imagine the variety of food stuff from savannah to the deserts, all the various legumes, roots and others that can be grown from these environments. If we effectively exploit agriculture, if and as we are making progress in agriculture, firstly, the major consumer of our forex like agro-based raw materials, rice, fish, poultry, wheat, will be taken care of and government will save billions of dollars from these imports.
“We have the capacity to produce these products and even export to other countries. Based on the pronouncements of the agriculture minister based on the vision of President Buhari, in three to four years, we will be self-sufficient in poultry, rice production. We are on the right path to be self-sufficient in food, and enormous forex will be saved from agriculture production alone. Reserves will rise, and the local currency will be stronger. That is the essence of the growing economy.
“You can see that in the manufacturing sector, some factories are operating below capacity. But with the ongoing implementation of President Muhammadu Buhari’s policy on diversification of the economy and revatilising the power infrastructure, the sector will pick up and create more jobs for the people.”
Road to diversification
President Buhari had in his democracy day broadcast on May 29, said the economic misfortune facing the country due to low crude oil prices has equally provided it with an opportunity to restructure the economy and diversify.
“We are in the process of promoting agriculture, livestock, exploiting our solid mineral resources and expanding our industrial and manufacturing base. That way, we will import less and make the social investments necessary to allow us to produce a large and skilled workforce. Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) will offer more fiscal incentives for business that prove capable of manufacturing products that are internationally competitive. We remain committed to reforming the regulatory framework, for investors by improving the ease of doing business in Nigeria,” he told Nigerians.
Already, the first steps along the path of self-sufficiency in rice, wheat and sugar – big users of Nigeria’s scarce foreign exchange – have been taken.
For instance, the Labour Intensive Farming Enterprise will boost the economy and ensure inclusive growth in long neglected communities. Special intervention funds through the Bank of Agriculture will provide targeted support.
Also, the Solid Minerals Minister the minister has produced a roadmap where we will work closely with the World Bank and major international investors to ensure through best practices and due diligence that we choose the right partners. Illegal mining remains a problem and we have set up a special security team to protect our assets. Special measures will be in place to protect miners in their work environment.
The National Economic Team under the Presidency chaired and managed by the Vice President Prof Yemi Osinbajo which also has the Finance Minster, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun as member. The DMO’s Director-General, Dr. Abraham Nwankwo, is also a member of the team. Other members are Ministers of Budget; Trade and Investment; and Information. The team is expected to guide the government to achieve the desired result.
Eurobond sale coming
Beyond the need to diversify the economy, Dr. Nwankwo also said Nigeria may still access the Eurobond or sovereign sukuk market for more cash. He said Nigeria is working out details for issuing a debut sovereign sukuk this year and may also sell a Eurobond.
He hinted that Nigeria had yet to determine the size of a potential sukuk deal and was working with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Central Bank of Nigeria and the stock exchange to build capacity.
Besides, Nigeria’s low debt to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ratio means the country can borrow more to fund budget, infrastructure and other essential projects that will stimulate the economy and create jobs for the citizenry.
Nigeria, reeling from the plunge in vital oil revenues, has set up a government committee to advice on the amount to be raised from the Islamic bond sale, the timing and jurisdiction of issue, either domestic or foreign.
“We are definitely going to issue a sukuk this year. We may also likely issue a Eurobond this year. We are working hard to put together the entire necessary framework,” Nwankwo told Reuters on the sideline of a media briefing.
Budget and infrastructure funding
The DMO boss said the N1.84 trillion deficits in the N6.06 trillion budget for 2016, will be used sorely for capital projects funding. He said this is the only time that such huge amount is allocated and specified for capital projects. “This is the first time that the budget specified that all borrowed funds will be for capital expenditure. The sharing of internal and international borrowing is almost 50/50. We have been borrowing locally, but we have to take advantage of the relatively low cost of funds externally. We do not want to borrow too much from the domestic economy, so that we do not crowd-out the domestic environment,” he said.
He said that given the challenges the economy is going through, much depends on what the media reports. “The media is critical, because what the media tells the international community will determine investment flows into the country. It is our responsibility to continue working hard to ensure the resilience our economy is exhibiting is sustained, until we achieve the turnaround that will come with diversification,” Nwankwo said.
He said achieving self-sufficiency in power will enable government generate more income; companies will be able to pay more taxes, thereby helping government diversify its revenue bases.
“It is possible that in the next five to seven years, the whole picture of Nigeria will be a complete turnaround because of government’s economy diversification plan. The difference between Nigerian and other countries facing similar economic challenges is that those countries do not have the same opportunities we have in Nigeria. Nigeria is near 100 per cent idle capacity, meaning the flexibility to grow the economy is high,” he said.
He urged Nigerians not to be depressed because of drop in crude oil prices. “We have no reason to be depressed just because crude oil price is down. We have to see the varieties of opportunities available for the country to grow the economy based on a well-diversified and sustainable manner. We as responsible stakeholders in the economy, should emphasise these opportunities,” he said.
“Indeed in other countries, the major source of revenue is taxation. Taxation should also be explored. Government should be able to sustain itself with taxation revenues. Now with the better tax compliance, and effective sanctions for defaulters, we have a room to boost public revenue from taxation,” Dr. Nwankwo stated.
Finance Correspondents Association Chairman, Babajide Komolafe, praised the efforts being made by the DMO to support government’s diversification effort. He said the role of DMO in economic development cannot be over emphasised. He said that FICAN will continue to support the DMO to achieve its goals within the economy.
First African lion Range States meeting led by CITES and CMS brings about constructive outcomes in the lead up to CITES CoP17 and CMS COP12
The African lion. Photo: images.nationalgeographic.com
In a historic move, representatives of 28 African lion Range States on Tuesday in Entebbe, Uganda reached broad agreement to secure the survival of this iconic species in the wild across the continent.
The continent-wide consensus on the conservation, management and restoration of the lion (Panthera leo) and its habitat in Africa was reached at a meeting hosted by the Ugandan Government and jointly convened by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) from 30 to 31 May in Entebbe.
According to the 2015 IUCN Red List, African lion populations have experienced an overall decline of 43 per cent between 1993 and 2014. While populations increased in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe by 12 per cent over the same period thanks to good wildlife management, other sub-populations in the rest of Africa have plummeted by 60 per cent.
The final communiqué agreed at the two-day inter-governmental meeting, shows consensus among African lion Range States on the importance of conserving lions across the continent and identifies a number of practical actions.
These include: involving local communities in conservation activities and benefit-sharing, mitigating human-lion conflicts, and retaliation killing or poisoning by cattle herders and pastoralists, improving protected area management to benefit lions and restoring connectivity between fragmented lion populations. Countries also agreed on the need to investigate further the illegal trade in lion bones and other parts, the introduction of wildlife and ecosystem-based land-use practices and the need to step up transboundary collaboration to address the plight of African lions.
A carefully crafted consensus on the topic of trophy hunting was also agreed in Entebbe, with all lion Range States present accepting that trophy hunting of lions, if well managed, is a good conservation tool that should not be jeopardized by CITES or CMS. In the communiqué, the 28 Range States “Highlight the benefits that trophy hunting, where it is based on scientifically established quotas, taking into account the social position, age and sex of an animal, have, in some countries, contributed to the conservation of lion populations”.
Habitat loss and degradation is the predominant threat to lions in Africa, triggered by human settlements encroaching into lion habitat. Prey depletion as a result of poaching for bushmeat, and indiscriminate killing and livestock are other major causes of decline. Furthermore, there are concerns about the illegal trade in lion parts for medicinal purposes, and improvements in the management of trophy hunting have been recommended.
Both CMS and CITES are guided by their respective mandates to address threats to the African lion.
At the next CITES Conference of the Parties (COP17) to be held later this year in South Africa, a proposal will be discussed for higher protection by transferring the African lion from Appendix II to Appendix I. Furthermore, various aspects of the trade in and management of lions will be discussed at COP17, including guidance for sustained trophy hunting and enforcement.
CMS for its part is implementing a decision taken at COP11 to promote lion conservation across Africa and pave the way for a listing on Appendix II of CMS at COP12, which will take place 22-28 October 2017 in Manila.
The meeting in Entebbe was made possible thanks to financial support from the Governments of Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It was also the first time that CITES and CMS have jointly convened such a meeting.
On the occasion of this year’s World No Tobacco Day (WNTD), the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) wants the Federal Ministry of Health to expedite action on regulations for implementation of the National Tobacco Control (NTC) Act, which recommends graphic health warnings to cover at least 50 per cent of cigarette packs sold in Nigeria.
Health officials say tobacco smoking is dangerous to health
On May 31 every year, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and partners mark the WNTD, highlighting the health risks associated with tobacco use and advocate for effective policies to reduce tobacco consumption.
This year, the WHO and the Secretariat of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO-FCTC) are calling countries to get ready for plain (standardised) packaging of tobacco products which is described as an important demand reduction measure. Plain packaging restricts use of tobacco packaging as a form of tobacco advertising and promotion, limits misleading packaging and labelling, and increases the effectiveness of health warnings.
Specifically, it refers to measures that restrict or prohibit the use of logos, colours, brand images or promotional information on packaging other than brand names and product names displayed in a standard colour and font style.
Guidelines to Articles 11 and 13 of the WHO FCTC recommend that Parties consider adoption of plain packaging.
ERA/FoEN Deputy Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi, said: “The 2016 WNTD theme reinforces our advocacy that the Ministry of Health quickly unveil regulations for effective implementation of the Tobacco Act. While we seek a review of the Act to accommodate plain packaging, the provision on graphic health warnings on cigarette packs will make the aesthetics of the lethal products less-glamorous for youths that tobacco companies target in their unhealthy marketing tactics.
“In as much as we are not satisfied that the Tobacco Act stopped at just bold graphic health warnings, the delay in the regulations is being exploited by tobacco companies that continue to shamelessly unveil new, beautiful-looking packs with deadlier products intended for the lungs of our people.”
He explained that plain packaging is part of a comprehensive, multi-sectoral approach to tobacco control which was first adopted by Australia in 2012 and has been adopted in Ireland, the United Kingdom and France which also starts plain packaging from May 2016.
“Here in Nigeria, the NTC Act provision on graphic health warnings covering 50 percent of the packs is a good beginning. We will however not rest on our oars. We will continue advocating until tobacco packs sold in Nigeria are totally rid of any attractive logos or colours as recommended by the WHO-FCTC,” he insisted.
Energy Efficiency Shell on Monday in Lagos announced that it would launch a major public service campaign in Nigeria on Tuesday, 31st May 2016, as part of a global effort to encourage debate on how a rapidly expanding world population can meet its energy needs.
Osagie Okunbor, Managing Director of Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd (SPDC) and Country Chair, Shell Companies in Nigeria
Using traditional and social media advertising and other targeted activities, the 2016 campaign, christened #makethefuture, follows from the “Let’s Go” outreach and seeks to promote advocacy and partnership for Bright Energy Ideas as part of Shell’s thought leadership on the Future of Energy. The primary target of the campaign is the Energy Engaged Millennials (aged roughly between 18 and 34) who are expected to lead the debate on energy efficiency.
“The campaign is an important contribution to the debate on the future of energy, especially in Nigeria,” said Osagie Okunbor, Managing Director of Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd (SPDC) and Country Chair, Shell Companies in Nigeria. “Like everyone else, we are keen to see how a growing population will provide for its energy needs. Studies show that energy use has increased globally at the same time that we face the challenges of climate change and reduction of CO2 emissions. The campaign therefore seeks to challenge assumptions and spark imaginative thinking on how to make today’s energy go further and to find cleaner energy for the future.”
The campaign starts with advertising on print, electronic and online media in the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria. A key feature is the build-up from the kinetic football pitch built by Shell at the Federal College of Education, Akoka, Lagos. The pitch is powered by a combination of player activity and solar energy and is the first of its type in Africa, and second only to Brazil globally. It was launched in Lagos in November 2015 as a signpost for Bright Energy Ideas thinking among Nigerian youth, along with their counterparts worldwide. Akon, an international music star partnered with Shell for the launch in line with his vision of powering Africa.
As part of the campaign, there will be simultaneous football matches in Lagos, London and Brazil which will be played on the pitches on June 30, 2016, in a bid to further arouse public awareness on the bright energy ideas. The campaign, which also holds in several other countries including the United States, United Kingdom, China and Brazil, ends in August 2016, but Shell hopes that the resultant discussions and debates will lead to ideas that contribute to sustainable solutions to the global energy challenge.
In 2014, Shell commissioned a “Future of Energy Survey” which revealed that more than four out of five Nigerian respondents were interested in the topic of energy, with reliable electricity ranking alongside employment and job security as their most important issue of concern. Shell has conducted Future of Energy surveys in numerous countries since 2013 in an attempt to obtain a better understanding of the aspirations and hopes of people with regard to energy and related development themes.
Leaders of the Shipibo indigenous village of Santa Clara de Uchunya, accompanied by their representative organisation FECONAU, filed a constitutional law suit challenging Peru’s regional government authorities for failing to secure legal protection of their traditional lands and enabling its acquisition and clearance by an international agribusiness company.
Canoeing in the Amazon river
Plantaciones de Pucallpa SAC, an agribusiness company affiliated to the Melka commercial group, appears to have begun acquiring the lands since 2012. Since that point, satellite images show that more than 5,000 ha of forest have been cleared to pave the way for an oil palm plantation.
The lawsuit argues that these actions violate indigenous peoples’ collective property rights over their traditional and customary lands. These rights, which exist and are legitimate irrespective of whether or not their lands are titled, are protected by Peru’s constitution and under international human rights law, which is obligatory for the Peruvian government.
The lawsuit describes a process over many years through which the Peruvian government failed to legally secure the lands of Santa Clara de Uchunya, but then also enabled acquisition by individuals claiming occupation rights who it appears then subsequently sold their plots to Plantaciones de Pucallpa. Unfortunately, this sort of irregular accumulation of land is widespread practice throughout the Peruvian Amazon. A 2014 report by national indigenous organisation AIDESEP has identified more than 1,200 communities vulnerable to land grabs whose legal land titles remain outstanding. This lack of legally-secure land rights is facilitating widespread conflict over lands, forests and resources.
The community has been denouncing and campaigning actively against the operations of Plantaciones de Pucallpa and has engaged energetically with local and national authorities with mixed success. In September 2015, the Ministry of Agriculture ordered the suspension of the operations on the grounds that Plantaciones de Pucallpa had none of the authorisations and environmental certificates and assessments required by the Peruvian government before clearing forest. Since then, however, the operations appear to have continued as verified by a recent field visit to the plantation site by Ministry of Agriculture officials, which was captured on video.
Meanwhile, community members have been promised by local officials that the titling of their traditional lands is being processed. However, at the same time, communities point out that the illegal practice in which their lands are issued by local authorities to third parties without their Free, Prior and Informed Consent continues. In December 2015 the community found out that a further 17 plots of land in their traditional lands extending to more than 200ha had been allocated to individual farmers by regional authorities. In this case they managed to file an immediate appeal and an administrative process remains pending. Prosecutors visiting the area on 5th and 6th May confirmed that there was no evidence that would support the farmers’ claims.
Leaders of the community and representatives of the organisation FECONAU, describe a growing sense of fear as their denunciations and campaigning are triggering a growing backlash, apparently stemming from Plantaciones de Pucallpa and their supporters. This has manifested itself in a campaign of defamation in local media relying on unsubstantiated accusations that community members have burnt down houses of local farmers as well as anonymous death threats for individual leaders.
Joel Nunta Valera, President of the community, said: “There are outsiders coming here who are threatening and intimidating members of the community and sowing fear and disquiet. This is in revenge for the various denouncements and other actions taken by the community in defence of its territory.”
Community leaders and representatives report that there have been strangers arriving in the village at night who are armed and masked and asking for the whereabouts of their leaders. Meanwhile, these threats have escalated since an official delegation of Peruvian environmental prosecutors conducted a field visit in the area on the 5 and 6 May 2016 and confiscated chainsaws and detained individuals found to be felling trees without permission.
Robert Guimaraes, president of FECONAU, reports that he is in fear of his own life and for the lives of the leaders of Uchunya: “The threat of death is very strong and smouldering. Residents of the community have literally been told by people in the nearby town of Requena ‘Take care because we are going to kill your leaders and if we do not manage to do your leaders in, then we will kill anyone from Uchunya itself, we have a list’.
“We must have protection from the authorities; we plead for the intervention of international human rights agencies.”
Plantaciones de Pucallpa is one of many companies registered in Peru with links to a complex corporate network apparently controlled by US-Czech businessman Dennis Melka and known collectively in Peru as the ‘Melka group’. Mr Melka founded the Malaysian agribusiness company Asian Plantations.
Melka group companies in Peru, including Cacao del Peru Norte SAC and Plantaciones de Ucayali SAC and their parent companies United Cacao Ltd and United Oils Ltd, have attracted similar accusations of illegal deforestation and land conflict. On 4 May 2016 a formal complaint was submitted to the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) on the London Stock Exchange highlighting the multiple violations of Peruvian law by United Cacao Ltd and requesting their delisting from the AIM. On 24 May, Peru’s National Forest Authority (SERFOR) issued a statement clarifying unequivocally that Cacao del Peru Norte SAC have engaged in unauthorised deforestation and have urged the AIM to hold them to account. The statement is important because it establishes clearly that the arguments used by United Cacao del Norte and its sister companies, including Plantaciones de Pucallpa, that they have operated within the law are unfounded.
Bread of Life Development Foundation (BLF), a Lagos-based non-governmental organisation (NGO), has called on national, state, and local governments to work towards increasing access to safe drinking water, and promotion of safe sanitation and hygiene practices in order to reduce high child mortality in Nigeria.
According to UNICEF, Nigeria losses over 150,000 children annually from Diarrhea deaths
The call comes as Nigeria joins the rest of the world to celebrate this year’s Children’s Day, which was observed on Friday, May 27.
Quoting UNICEF figures that says Nigeria losses over 150,000 children annually from Diarrhea deaths, and Federal Ministry of Health estimates that indicates another 177,000 children die annually from pneumonia, the BLF in a statement endorsed by its Executive Director, Babatope Babalobi, said these deaths are preventable because they are largely caused by access to poor water supply, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services.
“As we celebrate Children’s Day, we must remember that the nation has failed its children as we are pushing thousands of them to an early grave through bad WASH governance. One out of every 11 Nigeria child that is celebrating Children’s Day today may die in the next five years, unless we accelerate efforts to provide them with essential water supply and sanitation services,” Babalobi was quoted as saying in the statement.
For those that are alive to celebrate Children’s Day, duty bearers should provide critical water supply and sanitation services to ensure they are alive to celebrate next children’s day in May 2017, he stated, adding:
“We must act now to break to the chain of needless deaths from water-related diseases such as diarrhea, dysentery, pneumonia, Arsenicosis, Cholera, Guinea worm diseases, Intestinal worm, and Malaria.
The group also called on State Ministries of Education and Education Boards to support the provision of safe water supply and sanitation facilities in schools, both public and private; and urges parents to adopt Household Water Treatment mechanism to break the cycle of water related sicknesses at family levels
Girls’ needs around menstruation have been neglected by health and education systems around the world, leading to inequity in education and missed opportunities for girls, says WaterAid Nigeria on the world’s third commemoration of Menstrual Hygiene Day.
Dr. Michael Ojo, WaterAid Nigeria’s Country Representative
Menstruation is an important issue yet it is shrouded in silence because of deeply rooted taboos and negative social norms. On any given day, some 800 million women and girls are on their periods across the world, and hundreds of millions of them are subject to ostracisation, shame and risk of infection because of the stigma that still surrounds menstruation.
Menstruation is a woman’s monthly bleeding. During menstruation, the body sheds the lining of the uterus (womb). Menstrual blood flows from the uterus through the small opening in the cervix and passes out of the body through the vagina.
On Saturday, 28 May, the world observed the 2016 Menstrual Hygiene Day – a day that affirms the urgent need to talk about periods and break the silence, taboos and negative social perceptions around menstruation. According to the organisation, it is a day to remember and commit to doing something about the women and girls in the world without access to safe water and a safe toilet to manage their menstrual cycle.
More than a billion women and girls around the world must manage their periods without a safe, private place to go to the toilet. And nearly half of schools in low- and middle-income countries like Nigeria do not have basic toilets – meaning girls who are menstruating risk embarrassment and shame during this time, and may decide not to attend school.
Cultural beliefs and myths about menstruation are perpetuated by society and often portray women and girls as inferior to men and boys. This reinforces gender inequalities, often constitutes discrimination and has a negative impact on the fulfilment of the universal human rights to dignity, health and education of women and girls.
In many countries, women and girls are not allowed to cook, go to the farm or are even banished from the family home to an outdoor shed during each menstrual cycle. WaterAid Nigeria recently carried out a study on menstrual hygiene management (MHM) in Benue, Bauchi, and Plateau States in Nigeria to explore and understand existing MHM practices and the context that might impact positively or negatively on the implementation of a MHM programme in Nigeria.
The study revealed deeply rooted attitudes and myths surrounding menstruation including the belief that a menstruating woman or girl is cursed and possessed by evil spirits and brings bad luck. Such beliefs result in restrictions being placed on girls and women during their menstruation – including exclusion from attending religious services and even holding their infants in some of the communities. To make matters works, these women and girls lack access to safe water or private toilets at home, in schools and in public places. The effects are devastating.
On the Menstrual Hygiene Day, WaterAid sought to contribute to breaking the silence and building awareness about the fundamental role that good menstrual hygiene management (MHM) plays in enabling women and girls to reach their full potential. The group calls for cooperation with the education and health sectors as well as those working in reproductive and sexual health to ensure girls are prepared for the onset of menstruation, to ensure they can care for themselves in a dignified and hygienic way, and to dispel the myths and taboos that often accompany menstruation.
Dr. Michael Ojo, WaterAid Nigeria’s Country Representative, said: “In some communities in West Africa, women and girls are not allowed to use water sources and latrines during menstruation – the very facilities they need the most during this time! We must move away from the dichotomy of placing value on menstruation as a sign of fertility, celebrating the birth of new life and at the same time excluding women and girls and making them social pariahs during their time of menstruation. There is simply no logic to it whatsoever.
“Over half of the girls interviewed in our study said that they only learned about menstruation after their first experience so when we talk about menstrual hygiene management, it’s not about providing sanitary pads. It’s more than that. It’s really about helping young girls and the people around them, the men in their lives – fathers, brothers, husbands etc., to have the information awareness and the knowledge around this issue. It’s about helping girls to have the confidence to manage their hygiene safely and with dignity and also to ensure that wherever they are- whether it’s at home, school or even in other public places; that provision is made for them to be able to manage their menstrual periods safely and hygienically and for the products to be collected and disposed effectively. So it’s really making sure we have services that respond to the needs of our young girls and women.
“Proper menstrual hygiene management for women and girls requires inclusive water, sanitation and hygiene facilities in schools and public places; provision of protection materials at affordable rates; behavioural change and communication and a review of existing policies to address this important issue. Everyone has a role to play. At WaterAid Nigeria the integration of menstrual hygiene management in all of our sanitation and hygiene interventions – with a focus on Equity and Inclusion, WASH in Schools and WASH & Health is critical.”
UNESCO estimates that one in 10 adolescent girls in Africa miss school during their menstruation and eventually drop out. A new article in the medical journal PLOS Medicine, co-authored by WaterAid, has highlighted a lack of guidance, facilities and materials for girls to manage their periods at school, affecting their health, their education and their self-esteem. Girls facing shame, fear and confusion around periods have this exacerbated when there is no clean source of water, soap, or safe, private girls’ toilet with space to wash in.
A study by USAID has shown that safe, private toilets for girls in schools, combined with private places to wash, can boost their enrolment by 11%. There is no denying the critical role access to water and sanitation plays in helping women and girls, manage menstruation hygienically and with dignity as well as realise their full potentials.
Every year and for three years now, the world has marked Menstrual Hygiene Day on May 28. WaterAid says it’s a part of the global network of partners that thinks it’s important to break the silence and taboos around menstruation; raise awareness of the challenges women and girls worldwide face due to their menstruation and promote the importance of menstrual hygiene management.
“Menstruation can no longer remain a taboo subject. By giving this issue the attention it deserves, we will help ensure every women and girl has access to water, safe toilets and somewhere to wash by 2030. By talking about periods, we can help normalise this natural process and help girls and women live healthier and more dignified lives,” added WaterAid.
Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, Secretary General, Convention on Biological Diversity
Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, the Executive Secretary to the Convention on Biological Diversity, has welcomed a new UNEP report on environment and health which links a healthy environment and healthy ecosystems as the basis for the implementation of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development.
On 23 May, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) launched a new report entitled Healthy Environment, Healthy People, prepared in collaboration with the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Montreal Protocol and the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm conventions. The launch of the new report marked the start of the second United Nations Environmental Assembly (UNEA-2).
Drawing on 2012 estimates from the WHO, the report indicates that almost one quarter of the global burden of mortality – or 12.6 million deaths – is attributable to modifiable environmental factors. This builds on other leading reports of global significance that seek to relay the importance of socio-ecological resilience to human health outcomes. These efforts include the State of Knowledge Review, Connecting Global Priorities: Biodiversity and Human health jointly led by the WHO and the CBD Secretariat in collaboration with over one hundred interdisciplinary experts, and The Rockefeller Foundation-Lancet Commission Report on Planetary Health.
Together with Healthy Environment, Healthy People, these reports form a common voice calling urgently for concerted, coherent, collaborative action to conserve or increase the resilience of ecosystems and human communities worldwide.
Dias noted: “In 2015, we witnessed the release of several landmark agreements for sustainable development including the Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, and The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. These are ambitious objectives, but there has never been greater urgency and opportunity to meet these commitments.”
He added that if the international community is to meet these ambitious commitments we cannot turn a blind eye to the common drivers of biodiversity loss, ecosystem degradation and ill health, the limitations of predominant economic models of consumption and production, or compounding pressures – such as land use change, climate change and pollution on ecosystems nearing environmental thresholds.
The Executive Secretary also noted that many of the 20 Aichi Biodiversity Targets adopted by over 190 countries in 2010 directly or indirectly influence human health outcomes. Parties will have the opportunity to consider these linkages, and the implications of the findings of these reports, at the upcoming 13th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 13) to the CBD, in Cancun, Mexico from 4 to 17 December 2016.
The world’s environment ministers, gathered at the second session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-2) in Nairobi, Kenya on Friday, passed far reaching decisions on issues such as marine litter, the illegal trade in wildlife, air pollution, chemicals and waste, and sustainable consumption and production – which are an integral part of the global action needed to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Climate Agreement.
The UN Environment Assembly convening in Nairobi, Kenya
UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said, “The environment has always been, and will always be, at the heart of humanity’s prosperity. World nations recognised this in 2015 with global accords, such as the 2030 Agenda, the Paris Agreement, the Sendai Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda.
“What we have seen in the last five days is the same political will and passion for change that brought about the groundbreaking international agreements of 2015. With global consensus affirmed, we are taking steps to bring about a real transformation of our development models. The United Nations Environment Assembly is providing leadership and guidance the world needs to take these unprecedented steps.
“In the decisions made here at this assembly for the environment, we see a significant directional shift that will inform Ministers’ decisions in their home countries. We will now need to see the bold and decisive commitment observed at UNEA transmitted at the national level to drive forward the 2030 Agenda and ensure a brighter future for people and planet.”
Thousands of delegates from 174 countries, 120 at the ministerial level, took part in UNEA-2 and associated side events on issues of global importance, including the Sustainable Innovation Expo and the Science-Policy Forum.
UNEA-2 sessions were attended by UN Deputy Secretary General Jan Eliasson; the President of the Republic of Kenya, H.E. Uhuru Kenyatta; UN Habitat Executive Director Joan Clos; and Vice-President of Iran and Minister of Environment Masoumeh Ebtekar. The sessions were presided over by Costa Rica’s Minister of Environment Edgar Gutiérrez, who took over from Oyun Sanjaasuren, former Minister of Environment and Green Development for Mongolia.
Among the 25 resolutions and actions decided at UNEA-2, the theme of which was “Delivering on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, the following themes dominated:
2030 Agenda and Paris Agreement Implementation
The main theme of UNEA-2, Delivering on the 2030 Agenda, was a particular focus. The implementation of the work to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will be a primary undertaking of the UN system, and the Assembly showed their full understanding of this.
UNEA asked UNEP to initiate new partnerships and strengthen existing ones, including with the private sector and civil society.
Building on its work in sustainable finance with the UNEP Inquiry into the Design of a Sustainable Financial System and the UNEP Finance Initiative, member states also asked UNEP to continue to build on its work at the intersection of finance and the environment.
With the Paris Agreement one the most significant environmental agreements in recent decades, UNEA also agreed that UNEP should accelerate support to countries, especially developing countries, to build national readiness capacity to implement the Agreement, build implementation capacity and capacity to access finance and technology.
Illegal Trade in Wildlife
A key issue at UNEA-2 was the illegal trade in wildlife, which is pushing species to the brink of extinction, robbing countries of their natural heritage and profiting international criminal networks.
UNEA-2 passed a resolution building upon previous commitments made at the first UNEA and General Assembly resolution 69/134, urging Member States to take further steps at the national level and through regional and international cooperation to prevent, combat and eradicate the supply, transit and demand related to the illegal trade in wildlife and wildlife products.
This includes implementing strategies and action plans, strengthening governance systems on issues such as anti-corruption and anti-money-laundering, supporting the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime and the African Elephant Fund, and developing sustainable and alternative livelihoods for communities affected by the illegal trade in wildlife and its adverse impacts.
UNEP and partners – with the backing of celebrities such as Gisele Bündchen, Neymar Jr. and many others – also launched a new campaign, Wild For Life, to engage millions of members of the public to end the illegal trade in wildlife. Angola, which is hosting World Environment Day on 5 June, will make new commitments to combat the trade, particularly in ivory.
Marine Litter and Debris
It is estimated that there are 5.2 trillion pieces of plastic floating in our oceans, harming both the marine environment and biodiversity. To address this problem, member states resolved to encourage product manufacturers and others to consider the lifecycle environmental impacts of products containing microbeads and compostable polymers, including possible downstream impacts.
Delegates also sought the assistance of UNEP to assess the effectiveness of governance strategies and approaches to combat marine plastic litter and microplastics, and identify how to address gaps. They asked UNEP to help develop and implement national and regional action plans to target marine litter, with emphasis on those regions that are the largest sources.
Healthy Environment, Healthy People
World Health Organisation estimates show that an estimated 12.6 million deaths are attributable to environmental factors each year, highlighting the importance of a healthy environment to healthy people. Several resolutions related to human health and the environment were passed. The resolution on sound management of chemicals and waste targeted actions on chemicals such as lead – exposure to which claimed an estimated 654,000 lives in 2010 and causes developmental damage to young children.
Delegates called on UNEP to develop research on actions that could be adopted to implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) relevant to the issue; asked the private sector to play a bigger role in an integrated approach to the sound management of chemicals and waste; and requested nations to ensure better recycling of lead-acid batteries at national or regional facilities.
Another resolution called on UNEP to establish a global research network on the threat posed by sand and dust storms and integrate the issue into its work. Sand and dust storms contribute to lowered air quality – a worldwide problem that claims seven million lives each year.
Other resolutions
Armed conflict and its relation to the environment was also a significant source of discussion at UNEA-2. A symposium focused on environment and displacement: root causes and implications.
One decision called on Member States to take appropriate measures to ensure compliance with international obligations under international humanitarian law in relation to the protection of the environment in times of armed conflict.
Resolutions on food waste and sustainable consumption and production, which both impacts on the 2030 Agenda and Paris Agreement in terms of increasing emissions and resource use and holding back efforts to reduce hunger, were passed. The resolution called for increased efforts and cooperation to decrease the one third of all food produced each year that is lost or wasted and committed Member States to achieving SDG 12, which focuses on Sustainable Consumption and Production.
UNEA is the world’s most authoritative decision-making body on the environment, tasked with tackling some of the most critical issues of our time. The Assembly means that the environment is now considered amongst the world’s key concerns alongside other major global issues such as peace, security, finance and health.
