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New guidelines for companies to respect human rights to WASH launched

Michael Simire
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New guidelines for companies to respect human rights to WASH launched

The United Nations Global Compact’s CEO Water Mandate has launched the first comprehensive guidance for companies about how to meet their responsibility to respect the human rights to water, sanitation and health (WASH).

Gavin Power, Deputy Director of the UN Global Compact and Head of the CEO Water Mandate speaking during the conference. Photo credit: Water Journalists-Africa
Gavin Power, Deputy Director of the UN Global Compact and Head of the CEO Water Mandate speaking during the conference. Photo credit: Water Journalists-Africa

The Guidance For Companies on Respecting the Human Rights to Water and Sanitation: Bringing a Human Rights Lens to Corporate Water Stewardship will help companies translate their responsibility to respect the human rights to water and sanitation into their existing water management policies, practices, and company cultures.

Gavin Power, Deputy Director of the UN Global Compact and Head of the CEO Water Mandate officially launched this all-inclusive guidance during the UN-Water’s 2015 Annual International Zaragoza Conference in Zaragoza, Spain a week ago.

Speaking during the conference, Gavin insisted that ensuring that people have access to water and sanitation services is vital to ensure healthy communities and vibrant economies

“This guidance helps businesses effectively meet their responsibility to respect by understanding, responding to, and communicating to stakeholders their water-related impacts. Doing so is at the cornerstone of good corporate water management practice and is the basis for any company action to support the rights.”

The guidance, developed by the CEO Water Mandate and Shift, a leading centre of practice on implementation of the UN Guiding Principles, aims to provide companies with practical measures on how to bring a human rights lens to their existing corporate water stewardship practices. Its development was informed not only by project partners with expertise in water resources and human rights, but also by business representatives, civil society organisations, and UN agencies.

With the formal recognition of the human right to water and sanitation in 2010 by the UN General Assembly and the Human Rights Council, and the adoption of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in 2011, there are increasing expectations that companies align their water management practices with their responsibility to respect human rights.

The Guidance for Companies on Respecting the Human Rights to Water and Sanitation is designed to be applicable to a broad range of corporate water users, and underscores the important nature of effective stakeholder engagement throughout the process.

Jason Morrison, Technical Director of the CEO Water Mandate and Program Director of the Corporate Sustainability Program of the Pacific Institute, added, “The guidance helps translate what respecting the human rights to water and sanitation means for both water and human rights practitioners in companies. Companies will now be able to properly implement the changes necessary to ensure those rights are respected. The collaborative, iterative process in which it was developed means the guidance is accessible and feasible for companies, while remaining meaningful for their stakeholders.”

“This guidance provides real-world examples and feasible steps for companies to help them understand and take action on the impact their operations have on peoples’ access to water and sanitation. Water and sanitation are crucial issues to both the environment and human rights and this guidance provides companies with a way to take their existing water and sanitation programs and broaden or adapt them in order to meet their responsibility to respect the rights,” said Rachel Davis, Managing Director of Shift.

Companies have increasingly recognized their water practices have environmental impacts; they are now beginning to focus on understanding how their practices impact human rights. In response, businesses can look to the guidance to provide step-by-step direction for their responsibility to respect human rights via the key procedural elements of the UN Guiding Principles.

Launched in 2007 by the UN Secretary-General, the CEO Water Mandate is overseen by the UN Global Compact, and implemented in partnership with the Pacific Institute.

Africa needs to move forward on renewable energy

Michael Simire
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Africa needs to move forward on renewable energy

Diversification of Africa’s electricity sources by embarking on renewable energy solutions – such as solar, wind, geothermal and hydro power – is being heralded as a solution to the continent’s energy poverty.

There is concern that many African countries are yet to invest in renewables. Photo credit: greenchipstocks.com
There is concern that many African countries are yet to invest in renewables. Photo credit: greenchipstocks.com

But although a number of countries are already reaping benefits from investment in renewables, there is concern that many of the countries are yet to exploit those resources.

African ministers and delegates at the Abu Dhabi International Renewable Energy Conference in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) recently noted that a mere handful of countries in the continent are tapping into renewable energy resource.

Some of the bottlenecks identified included lack of finance, lack of interest from investors and the desire by some to take on mega projects that could easily fail to attract private investors.

Davis Chirchir, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Energy, told IPS that for many sub-Saharan Africa countries, accessing financing for fossil fuel projects was much easier compared with renewable energy options. “It is a big problem even when the prices for renewable energy solutions like solar and wind are going down,” said Chirchir, whose country is now seeing costs reducing as a result of investing in geothermal energy.

Kenya plans to generate up to three gigawatts (3GW) of power from geothermal energy alone from its Rift Valley area.

Chirchir said that despite the long-term benefits, many of the countries in the region lacked their own initial resources for investment in projects.

“While renewable projects are often cheaper, they tend to require up-front capital costs. So for many, we shall require more targeted financing if we are to kick off many from the ground,” said Chirchir.

“In Kenya, our investment in geothermal energy displaced some 65 percent of fossil fuels, and brought down the cost to the customer by about 30 percent,” he added.

Kandeh Yumkella, Special Representative of the U.N. Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy and CEO of the Sustainable Energy for All initiative, decried the fact that despite the declining costs of generating energy from renewable energy sources, Africa was consuming only one-quarter of global average energy per capita.

“How do we help the majority of people in Africa that rely on charcoal and cow dung for their primary needs? How do we do that? This is where the context of off-grid really comes in,” he suggested.

According to Yumkella, Africa should focus on small and more decentralised renewable energy options that could quickly reach rural energy-poor citizens instead of waiting until funding is obtained for big renewable energy projects.

“Sometimes the project preparation costs before the investments come are about three to ten percent of project costs. For many African countries that is a lot of money. It takes a big time to get the big projects under way,” he noted.

For Yumkella, African governments urgently need to put in place policies that would support renewable energy power generation using private investments to construct off-grid power stations, especially in areas where it is hard to reconnect to the main grids.

“We can have millions of energy entrepreneurs spreading the off-grid solutions while we wait for the big projects to take off,” he explained. “People don’t have to wait in darkness before the big projects come. We can have those solutions out today because the technologies are there. It is about markets and the spreading out of off-grid.”

Furthermore, said Yumkella, off-grid solutions would support Africa’s social development agenda at the community level and “that can be done now because off-grids can be in the hands of the poor communities to increase their productivity and help their social development. But we will need millions of entrepreneurs in Africa in order to make energy poverty history.”

According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), even with available renewable energy potential, Africa still has the lowest rate of rural electrification compared with other continents.

Globally, over the last two decades, rural electrification has increased from 61 to 70 percent but there are large disparities in rural access rates – in sub-Saharan Africa, for example, that rate is just 18 percent compared with over 70 percent in developing Asia.

IRENA says that Africa needs to double its rate of expansion of rural electrification and change the way it approaches rural electrification for it to achieve the universal electricity access for all target by 2030.

“And in this expansion, it is estimated that about 60 percent of additional generation will come from stand-alone and mini-grid solutions, with most of it being renewables because they can tap into locally available energy resources,” said Rabia Ferroukhi, IRENA Deputy Director in charge of Knowledge, Technology and Financing.

Meanwhile, African energy ministers and delegates at the Abu Dhabi renewable energy conference called on IRENA and countries with greater knowledge in renewable energy to help them in supporting the Africa Clean Energy Corridor initiative.

This initiative encourages the deployment of hydro, geothermal, biomass, wind and solar options from Cairo to Cape Town to increase capacity, stabilise the grid, and reduce fossil fuel dependency.

Ethiopia, one of the countries already investing in renewable energy, especially in wind, geothermal and hydroelectric power, is one of the proponents of financing for the Clean Energy Corridor.

The country plans to generate 800 megawatts of wind power, 1 gigawatt of geothermal power and is constructing a 6,000 MW hydroelectric plant, which will be the largest such facility in Africa costing about $4.8 billion.

Ethiopia’s Water, Irrigation and Energy Minister, Alemayehu Tegenu, told IPS that, if implemented, the Africa Clean Energy Corridor would help to advance renewable energy solutions to the corridor.

Adnan Amin, the Director-General of IRENA, told IPS that the Africa Clean Energy Corridor has gathered strong political support and engagement from within Africa and at the level of the United Nations.

“We have to make sure that we have regional programmes that can support countries to move in the clean direction and this is the concept behind our African Clean Energy Corridor,” said Amin.

“We want to interconnect African markets, create a larger regulated market, because when you have big markets, you can have big projects that pass the technology forward.”

With smart planning and prudent investment, Amin believes that all African countries can reduce their dependence on fossil fuels and leapfrog into a sustainable future.

By Wambi Michael (IPS)

Paris 2015: Portal for countries to document climate action plans opens

Michael Simire
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Paris 2015: Portal for countries to document climate action plans opens

In line with resolutions at the COP 20 UN climate conference last December in Lima, the Peruvian capital, countries can now formally submit to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) their intended contributions on climate action. This is considered as an important next step towards reaching a new universal agreement on climate change in Paris, at the end of 2015.

Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC
Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC

In the course of this year, governments will submit their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (or INDCs) to the Secretariat of the UNFCCC.

The Secretariat on Thursday, January 22, 2015 launched a new portal for the purpose and the documents will be publicly available in their original form on the UNFCCC web site as they are submitted.

The new portal can be found here: http://unfccc.int/focus/indc_portal/items/8766.php

In December 2015, representatives from UNFCCC member nations will meet in Paris to ink a universal agreement to keep global temperatures from rising beyond two degrees Celsius.

 

Underlines Common Ambition to Keep Temperature Rise under Two Degrees

“The UNFCCC is ready to accept the INDCs as part of the next steps towards a new universal agreement on climate change in Paris in 2015,” said Christiana Figueres, the UNFCCC’s Executive Secretary.

“Paris provides the opportunity for nations to put in place the policies and structures needed to support and to catalyse the pathways towards a deep, de-carbonisation of the global economy, achieving climate neutrality in the second half of the century and meeting the target of keeping a world-wide temperature rise under 2 degrees C,” she added.

 

Effective Agreement Requires Ambitious Action

An effective agreement calls for ambitious actions by all countries, as well as a plan to measure their combined effects in advance of that meeting.

Every nation is unique in how it contributes to climate action and is affected by climate change, yet there is an urgent call for collective global action to confront the effects of rising greenhouse gases. A
country’s INDC will provide information on its strategic efforts to combat climate change through actions tailored to its own national circumstances.

Specifically, the INDC will contain, among other things, the methods used for calculations, the scope and time frames for climate actions and how the INDC is fair and ambitious in light of the country’s individual circumstances.

Both developed and developing countries will compile their country-specific information into clear and transparent documents that the Secretariat will collect on the online submission platform.

 

Secretariat to Compile Synthesis Report

After October 1, the Secretariat will prepare a report which synthesises the aggregate effect of these contributions.

Additional information, including documentation on designing and preparing INDCs as well as on sources of support for INDC preparation, are provided on this submissions web page.

These INDCs will provide critical information necessary to tally the collective efforts and measure whether the world is on track for an effective agreement in Paris.

With 196 Parties, the UNFCCC has near universal membership and is the parent treaty of the 1997
Kyoto Protocol, which has been ratified by 192 of the UNFCCC Parties.

For the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol, 37 States, consisting of highly industrialised countries and countries undergoing the process of transition to a market economy, have legally binding emission limitation and reduction commitments.

In Doha in 2012, the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol adopted an amendment to the Kyoto Protocol, which establishes the second commitment period under the Protocol. The ultimate objective of both treaties is to stabilise greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that will prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system.

Solar Impulse 2 announces round world flight path

Michael Simire
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Solar Impulse 2 announces round world flight path

The Swiss pilots of Solar Impulse 2 unveiled the flight path they plan to take on their 35,000 kilometre around the world journey ahead of take-off from Abu Dhabi. Solar Impulse 2 will take-off from Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, in late February or early March and return by late July or early August 2015.

Solar Impulse 2 unveiling. Photo credit: www.gl2mag.com
Solar Impulse 2 unveiling. Photo credit: www.gl2mag.com

The route includes stops in Muscat, Oman; Ahmedabad and Varanasi, India; Mandalay, Myanmar; and Chongqing and Nanjing, China. After crossing the Pacific Ocean via Hawaii, Si2 will fly across the Continental U.S.A. stopping in three locations – Phoenix, and New York City at JFK. A location in the Midwest will be decided dependent on weather conditions. After crossing the Atlantic, the final legs include a stop-over in Southern Europe or North Africa before arriving back in Abu Dhabi.

The first round-the-world solar adventure will span approximately 25 flight days, spread over five months and covering approximately 35,000 kilometres at speeds of between 50 and 100 km/h. “With our attempt to complete the first solar powered round-the-world flight, we want to demonstrate that clean technology and renewable energy can achieve the impossible. We want young people, leaders, organisations and policymakers to see what Solar Impulse can achieve and inspire everyday lives. Renewable energy can become an integral part of our lives, and together, we can help save our planet’s natural resources,” declared Bertrand Piccard, initiator and chairman of Solar Impulse.

During stopovers, the Solar Impulse team will organise meetings, airplane visits and Google Hangouts On Air in order to promote the mission’s message and highlight innovative technical solutions to climate change. In doing so, Solar Impulse hopes to foster an interest in clean energy amongst youth, industry professionals and government representatives seeking to implement ambitious energy policies.

‘2014 is worst on record for rhino poaching’

Michael Simire
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‘2014 is worst on record for rhino poaching’

Official figures released on Thursday, January 22, 2015 by South Africa have confirmed that 2014 was the worst on record for rhino poaching.

Rhino poaching. Photo credit: africa-wildlife-detective.com
Rhino poaching. Photo credit: africa-wildlife-detective.com

A total of 1,215 rhinos were poached in South Africa in 2014, an average of more than three animals per day or 100 per month.

The latest figures illustrate the severity of the rhino poaching crisis with losses substantially increasing for seven consecutive years. The number of animals killed now raises concerns that rhino populations in South Africa may be in decline for the first time in nearly 100 years.

Increased support—both in terms of more rangers on the ground and more up-to-date equipment have been made available during the year—yet despite these measures the situation continues to deteriorate.

Around the world, a number of bold statements have been made during the past year by senior government figures, pledging resources and action to address the global poaching crisis.

However, South Africa—the epicentre of today’s rhino wars—was conspicuous by its absence from joining the “London Declaration”, an international pledge made in February 2014 by the majority of countries directly impacted by the global poaching crisis to take action to address the situation.

“The lack of strong political will and active leadership from all arms of the government, neighbouring Mozambique and key Asian countries remains a serious impediment to turning this crisis situation around,” said David Newton, Director of TRAFFIC in East and Southern Africa.

In March this year, a follow-up meeting takes place in Kasane, Botswana, to review progress made against the London Declaration’s pledges and would provide South Africa with an opportunity to demonstrate similar commitment towards the initiative.

The reasons why rhino poaching continues to rise in South Africa are complex but seemingly include a combination of corruption, internal institutional strife and judicial delays in key prosecutions.

The South African Police Service, and specifically the “Hawks”, a key agency addressing wildlife crime in the country, has experienced increasing internal turmoil recently following the suspension of a number of senior officers. This distraction from the unit’s duty to fight organised crime inevitably means the poaching crisis is not receiving the agency’s full attention.

Kruger National Park, home to the country’s largest rhino population has been particularly severely hit: a staggering 827 rhinos were poached there in 2014. The huge 20,000 km2  park has open borders with neighbouring Mozambique, from where poaching syndicates operate with apparent impunity and little fear of arrest or prosecution from Mozambican authorities. However, that appears not to be the only factor at work: several Kruger park rangers were arrested last year in connection with poaching incidents inside the park.

Meanwhile, events elsewhere point to other problems within the system. Highly publicised arrests of rhino poaching gangs and their rings leaders have yet to come to full trial: one notorious case has been dragging on for more than four years. The alleged ringleader in the case was last month linked to a gang of 16 people arrested in the Czech Republic over their suspected involvement in international trafficking of rhino horns in the guise of sport hunted trophies from South Africa to Viet Nam.

In October 2014, US authorities announced the indictment of the same individual and his brother on multiple charges, including conspiracy, money laundering and wildlife crime and are now seeking their extradition to the US to face the charges.

2015 is a critical year for rhino populations in South Africa; overall the rhino poaching situation remains bleak, with many commendable enforcement efforts being seriously undermined by internal political conflict and international trade dynamics beyond the reach of South Africa.

“Another year of poaching like 2014 and it becomes increasingly difficult to see a positive conservation future for South African rhinos,” said Tom Milliken, TRAFFIC’s Elephant and Rhino Programme Leader.  “We’re facing a ‘do or die’ situation right now.”

Rotary releases $8.1 million to end polio in Nigeria

Michael Simire
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Rotary releases $8.1 million to end polio in Nigeria

Nigeria marks progress, having gone six months without a case of polio

Polio immunisation. Photo credit: Ruth McDowall for Rotary International
Polio immunisation. Photo credit: Ruth McDowall for Rotary International

As Nigeria marks six months without a new case of polio, Rotary has announced $8.1 in grants to help the country in its final push to eradicate the disease within its borders. The funds will be used by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF to support polio immunisation campaigns, research and surveillance in the country.

Nigeria, the last polio-endemic country in Africa, reported the highest number of polio cases in the world as recently as 2012. However, the country showed remarkable progress in 2014, when it reduced its polio case count by nearly 90% over the previous year. The funding commitment from Rotary comes at a critical time, as the country has a prime opportunity to take advantage of these gains and end the disease for good.

“Nigeria has made incredible progress against polio this past year and I’m proud to see our country reduced cases by nearly 90% in 2014,” said Funke Akindele, Nollywood actress and Rotary polio ambassador. “With funds from Rotary, the continued support of Rotarians in Nigeria and around the world, I believe there will be a day when no child in Nigeria will be at risk of this disease.”

Polio victims
Polio victims

“Nigeria has managed an incredible feat,” said Dr. Tunji Funsho, Rotary’s National PolioPlus Chair for Nigeria. “Our country has gone six months without a new case of the disease. However, now we must be more vigilant than ever, as our progress is fragile.”

Commitment from all levels of the Nigerian government to ending the paralysing disease has proved crucial to the country’s recent progress. Experts urge political leaders to maintain this focus, even amidst Nigeria’s upcoming national elections next month.

Recent polio outbreaks the Horn of Africa and Central Africa stemmed from poliovirus that originated in Nigeria. These outbreaks appear to have been effectively stopped in 2014; however, the continued presence of the virus in Nigeria puts countries in Africa at-risk for renewed outbreaks. In addition to the $8.1 million in funds for Nigeria, Rotary has committed $18.5 million to be divided amongst an additional seven countries in Africa. The grants include $1.6 million, Cameroon: $2.5 million, Chad; $3.3 million, Democratic Republic of Congo; $1.1 million, Ethiopia; $250,000, Kenya; $2.8 million, Niger; and $7 million, Somalia.

Outside of Africa, Rotary also announced grants of $1.1 million for Pakistan and $6.7 million for Afghanistan. Together with Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan are the two other countries in the world where polio has never been stopped.

Rotary provides grant funding to polio eradication initiative partners UNICEF and the World Health Organisation, which work with governments and others in polio-affected countries to plan and carry out immunization activities. Mass polio immunizations must continue until global eradication is achieved.

To date, Rotary has contributed more than $1.3 billion to fight polio. Through 2018, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will match two-to-one every dollar Rotary commits to polio eradication (up to $35 million a year). In 2014, there were only 350 confirmed polio cases in the world, down from about 350,000 a year when the initiative launched in 1988.

Rotary brings together a global network of volunteer leaders dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges. Rotary connects 1.2 million members of more than 34,000 Rotary clubs in over 200 countries and geographical areas. Their work improves lives at both the local and international levels, from helping families in need in their own communities to working toward a polio-free world. In 1988, Rotary was joined by the WHO, UNICEF and the CDC to launch the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.

Paper consumption on decline but footprint still high

Michael Simire
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Paper consumption on decline but footprint still high

In wealthy countries, paper is ubiquitous and is often fated to be discarded soon after purchase, with only a portion recovered for recycling. Although slow improvements have been made in production methods and in the recovery of paper products, additional progress is needed to reduce the industry’s environmental impacts, writes Michael Renner, senior researcher at the Worldwatch Institute, in the Institute’s latest Vital Signs Online article.

PaperAccording to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), 397.6 million tons of paper and paperboard were produced worldwide in 2013. Most of the paper produced today (54 percent in 2013) is used for wrapping and packaging purposes, followed by printing and writing (26 percent), newsprint (7 percent), and household and sanitary tissues (8 percent).

Just four countries – China, the United States, Japan, and Germany – together account for more than half of the world’s paper production. The United States historically was the largest producer by far, but has since been eclipsed by China.

Paper consumption in North America, Europe, and Japan has declined in recent years, shifting to other parts of the world. But on a per capita basis, wealthy countries continue to use far greater amounts than developing countries do-on average, 221 kilograms (kg) in North America and 125 kg in Europe, compared with 45 kg in Asia, 43 kg in Latin America and the Caribbean, and just 7 kg in Africa, in 2012.

Paper recycling helps to reduce energy use and pollution. On average, fibres can be recycled five to seven times before they become unusable. Recycled paper requires 60 percent less energy and 80 percent less water to produce than virgin paper, and it generates 95 percent less air pollution. Recycling one ton of paper on average saves 26,500 litres of water, about 318 litres of oil, and 4,100 kilowatt-hours of electricity.

According to the FAO, recovered paper production totalled 215 million tons in 2013, equal to 54 percent of the world paper supply. This is up from about 20 percent in the early 1960s.

The pulp and paper industry is a large consumer of energy and water, as well as a user of toxic chemicals. In the United States, the paper industry is the third largest energy user among manufacturing industries, accounting for 11 percent of domestic energy consumption in 2010. Chlorine bleaching of paper can result in the formation of toxic compounds such as dioxins and furans. Since the 1990s, most paper mills in Europe and North America, as well as modern ones in China, have moved either toward elemental chlorine – a safer, although still harmful process – or toward totally chlorine-free paper.

Chinese paper producers have lagged in efficiency. In 2010, a typical U.S. or European paper mill used 0.9-1.2 tons of coal and about 35-50 tons of water per ton of pulp, while Chinese mills averaged 1.4 tons of coal and 103 tons of water. To reduce emissions and effluents, the Chinese government has mandated closure of the most polluting mills, while more modern mills have begun operations.

Decreasing paper’s footprint requires continued progress in minimising unnecessary paper consumption and avoiding waste, in raising paper recovery and recycled content, in ensuring that virgin fibre is derived from sustainable sources, and in using less polluting and less energy-intensive paper production methods

BRAIN TUMOUR PATIENT

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Action/2015 campaign launch in photos

Michael Simire
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Action/2015 campaign launch in photos

The action/2015 was recently launched nationwide. Nigeria was not an exception as civil society groups, institutions and governments joined in the global campaign.

Many of these were spearheaded by 15-year-olds – a constituency who will be among the most affected by vital agreements expected to be reached this year.

Action/2015 is calling on the public to join them in their calls to ensure world leaders commit to a better world. Throughout 2015, the campaign will provide ways for everyone everywhere to get involved in influencing the outcomes of these global debates that could achieve: an end to poverty in all its forms; the meeting of fundamental rights, tackling inequality and discrimination; an accelerated transition to 100% renewable energy; and, a world where everyone can participate and hold their leaders accountable.

The campaign launch in Abeokuta, Ogun State
The campaign launch in Abeokuta, Ogun State

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On air with Nigeria Info FM, Abuja
On air with Nigeria Info FM, Abuja

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sensitisation visit to Methodist Grammar Scool, Bodija, Ibadan, Oyo State
Sensitisation visit to Methodist Grammar Scool, Bodija, Ibadan, Oyo State

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rally to the Nigeria Youth Service Corps (NYSC) office in Ibadan, Oyo State and presentation of the MDGs Volunteer Corps members of the NYSC in the state. The NYSc adopted the action/2015 plans and promised to remain a partaker in the sustainable development drive
Rally to the Nigeria Youth Service Corps (NYSC) office in Ibadan, Oyo State and presentation of the MDGs Volunteer Corps members of the NYSC in the state. The NYSc adopted the action/2015 plans and promised to remain a partaker in the sustainable development drive

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

During a visit to a media establishment in Bauchi, Bauchi State
During a visit to a media establishment in Bauchi, Bauchi State

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An engagement in Bauchi
An engagement in Bauchi

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lokoja, Kogi State
Lokoja, Kogi State

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Engagement by James Odey of The African Research Assosiation managing Development in Nigeria (ARADIN) in Calabar, Cross River State
Engagement by James Odey of The African Research Assosiation managing Development in Nigeria (ARADIN) in Calabar, Cross River State

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tree planting in the North
Tree planting in the North

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lagos
Lagos

 

 

NCF: Integrate wetlands resource value in Great Green Wall

Michael Simire
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0
NCF: Integrate wetlands resource value in Great Green Wall

The Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) has underlined the need to build natural resource value of wetlands within the general Great Green Wall (GGW).

A wetland
A wetland

The Lagos-based environment watchdog is also seeking the integration of the GGW programme to biodiversity value enhancement in the West African region.

These action points form part of the NCF contributions to the CSO (civil society organisation) e-forum on the Great Green Wall of the Sahara and the Sahel Initiative (GGWSSI), organised by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

While calling for capacity building for biodiversity monitoring in the GGW Area essentially for members of the Nguru Integrated Farmers Association (NIFA), the group is clamouring for capacity building support of communities in appropriate tree species identification and nursery management.

Concerning activities and mechanisms to engage CSOs, Alade Adeleke of the NCF wrote: “Enhancing the role of wetlands in the scheme of Great Green Wall Planning and Management is noteworthy. A good example is the Hadejia Nguru Wetlands in Jigawa and Yobe States of Nigeria.

“Emphasis should also be on design, integration and development of grazing routes within the scheme of GGW development and management as part of the general land use planning of the GGWSSI.”

The NCF director also underscored the need on common bird monitoring and use of GGW by migratory waterfowl and land birds. He also suggested stakeholder participation in GGW development and management for sustainability purpose.

Besides allowing participants to identify groups of actors and their needs to take into account in the GGWSSI, the two-week forum that comes to a close on Tuesday (January 20, 2015) also aims at providing documentation best practices in connection with the GGWSSI and the needs of identified groups.

The results of the forum will be presented at a dissemination workshop that will integrate the proposals in the final document of the project.

The GGWSSI is a planned project to plant a wall of tree across Africa at the southern edge of the Sahara desert as a means to prevent desertification.

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