- ECOWAS pledges to address child rights challenges in West Africa
- High-level meeting of experts on improving regional aviation sector opens in Accra
- Report Underlines Pressing Reintegration Needs of Migrants Returning from Libya
- MSF seeks swift release of two abducted staff without use of force, Continues medical activities to assist Somali population
- Bill and Melinda Gates Applaud Progress Against Malaria While Urging Renewed Effort
- Plus more.......
- ECOWAS pledges to address child rights challenges in West Africa
ECOWAS
is willing to strengthen its legal and other relevant instruments to address
child rights issues in the region, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, His
Excellency James Victor Gbeho, said on Thursday, 20th October 2011
in Abuja.
“We
are one of the most troubled regions in Africa due mainly to our history and
the prevalence of poverty and so we are ready to work out a framework that will
deepen our relationship with partners”, he told Mr. David Gressly, UNICEF West
and Central Africa Regional Director, who was at the Commission to discuss
areas of further cooperation between ECOWAS and UNICEF.
President
Gbeho praised the existing level of cooperation between the two organizations
and noted that the prospects for improving child rights in the region have
improved with the increased school enrolment among children. He also expressed
the willingness of ECOWAS to deepen relations with UNICEF.
The
President applauded the interest of UNCEF in improving birth registration in
the region, noting that this revived campaign, which was frustrated in the past
by illiteracy, poor access and misinformation that linked the exercise to
taxes, now stands a better chance of success with improvements in information
technology and the environment.
“A
new dawn has broken in West Africa with the
development of other means to generate data on births complemented by the work
we are doing with the civil society in this area”, the President said.
He
added that it should be feasible for both organizations to undertake a joint
campaign for the registration of every child in the region within five years.
The
UNICEF official told his host that his visit was motivated by the need for both
organizations to collaborate effectively, especially on registration of births
in order to generate data for planning to address children and child rights
challenges.
“We
think it should be possible for ECOWAS to take the lead in these areas
supported by UNICEF”, said Gressly, who was accompanied by other UNICEF
officials.
- High-level meeting of experts on improving regional aviation sector opens in Accra
Ghana plans to
establish a separate air navigation service provider as part of initiatives to
modernize its aviation sector, improve the environment for efficient airline
operations and in response to global trends, the Minister of Transport, Alhaji
Collins Dauda said on Friday, 21st October in Accra.
In
a keynote address to an experts’ meeting on the development of a viable airline
industry for West Africa, the minister said
the separation which is “planned for the near future” was part of “several
initiatives to modernize the sector” which were launched in 1997 under the
Gateway Project.
Following
the project launch, the minister who was represented by the Deputy Minster,
Mrs. Dzifa Attivor, said the regulatory functions were decoupled from airports
management in 2007 resulting in the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority operating as
an industry regulator while the airports were managed by the Ghana Airports
Company.
The
minister said the changes were in response to the changing need of users and
the environment under which airlines operate as well as the dramatic changes
experienced globally by the aviation industry and to enable the industry to
meet new economic, social and environmental challenges.
As
further evidence of these changes, he said extensive physical works were
ongoing at the country’s international and domestic airports to bring them to
international standards.
The
minister used the opportunity to allay the “fears and phobias that seem to
prevail in some circles” about the consequences of the full implementation of
the Yamoussoukro Decision of 1988 on the air transport sector in Africa. He canvassed full implementation of the Decision
so the region could benefit from its provisions.
In
his speech, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Infrastructure, Mr. Celestin Talaki
challenged West African airlines to build synergies to avail themselves of the
benefits of liberalization and globalization and overcome the challenges
militating against their operations.
The
Commissioner said this was consistent with the global trend, citing the demise
of some national airlines and the multinational Air Afrique as well as the
consolidation of airlines in Europe, Asia and America as justification for such a
change.
In
encouraging synergies, the Commissioner said the ECOWAS Commission was
motivated by the 2009 Decision of Heads of State and Government that called for
the institutionalization of the annual meeting of chief executives of civil
aviation authorities and airline companies as a platform to develop durable
solutions to the problems confronting the sector.
In
this regard, he said the ECOWAS Commission had organized two meetings, the
first in Accra in 2009 followed by the second in
2011 in Lome
both of which agreed a plan of action and mechanism for cooperation among
regional airlines.
The
high-level Accra meeting, which is reviewing
presentations and relevant reports, is a follow up to the June 2011 meeting in Abuja.
“Representatives
of airlines from Member States, civil aviation authorities, airport managers
and experts from within and outside the region are participating in the two-day
gathering which will make recommendations to the 24th October 2011
meeting of Ministers of Transport also to be held in Accra,” the Economic Community Of West
African States (ECOWAS)
said.
- Report Underlines Pressing Reintegration Needs of Migrants Returning from Libya
An
International Office of Migration (IOM) survey into the reintegration needs of
many tens of thousands of migrants who have returned to Niger from Libya highlights the urgency of
providing comprehensive reintegration assistance to returnees and their
families, who prior to the Libyan crisis relied on remittances for their
economic survival.
The
survey, made public on October 25, 2011, establishes that the return to Niger
of some 90,000 mostly young uneducated male migrants has had an overall
negative impact on the lives of hundreds of thousands of individuals who are
living in regions affected by chronic food insecurity and underemployment.
The
survey notes that 86% of the returnees say they had remitted enough money to
support five family members in Niger.
Their return effectively means that remittances have now dried up, with often
dire consequences for vulnerable families living in drought and food insecurity
prone areas.
In
the central region of Tahoua, which has seen the majority of returns, the
report indicates that household food insecurity has been exacerbated not only
by the sharp drop in remittances but also because an overwhelming majority of
returnees have neither jobs to go to nor the financial means to engage in self-employment
activities.
In
several regions such as Zinder, Maradi and Diffa, the return of substantial
numbers of often destitute migrants has exacerbated chronic poverty, which
prior to the Libyan conflict was said to affect 53% of the population.
In
the north-western region of Tillabéri, which survives on small scale
subsistence farming, herding and commerce, those returns have aggravated
extreme poverty and hunger which is affecting more than half of the 2.5 million
inhabitants throughout the country threatened with food insecurity this year.
“Most
of the returnees say they urgently need financial or in-kind assistance to help
them resume a productive life,” says Abibatou Wane, IOM’s Chief of Mission in Niger.
“But we need to go beyond providing direct reintegration assistance to the
returnees. We also need to support communities that have been made even more
vulnerable by the Libyan conflict and simply cannot cope anymore.”
According
to the report, 33% of migrants from Niger returned from the capital Tripoli,
20% from the southern Libyan city of Sebha, 18% from the coastal town of
Misrata and the remainder from the cities of Zaouia, Zliten, Al Khums,
Benghazi, Brak, Jufra and Sirte.
Almost
41% of the returnees said they were employed in the construction sector, 23% in
agriculture and the remainder as drivers, mechanics, petty traders or dockers
in the informal sector of the Libyan economy.
When
asked what activity they would like to undertake in Niger, 57% of the returnees said
they wanted to work in agriculture, 23% in trading, 8% in animal husbandry and
the remainder in construction and trade.
“This
survey underlines the need to put in place a variety of reintegration options.
In the short term, these could range from in-kind assistance to small credit to
help the returnees and their families and in the long term, to put in place
initiatives that help stabilize communities,” says IOM’s Wane. “This is
particularly important at a time when the authorities are warning of increased
crop failure due to erratic rains and insect attacks.”
In
response to those pressing needs, IOM has launched two pilot reintegration
projects to assist a limited number of returnees from Niger and neighbouring countries.
The programmes, funded by the European Commission and the Italian government
aim to provide the returnees with the necessary support to help them set up
income generating activities and establish cooperatives. Partnership have also
been established with partner NGOs to provide counselling and mentoring of
beneficiaries
- MSF seeks swift release of two abducted staff without use of force
Continues medical activities to assist Somali
population
Following
the abduction of two of its staff in Dadaab,
Kenya, on 13
October, the international medical organization, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF)
has no verifiable information on the identity or motives of the abductors.
“MSF
firmly and clearly disassociates itself from any armed activities and related
declarations launched following the abduction. MSF is actively and fully engaging
with all relevant actors in order to seek a safe resolution of the abduction.
Abductions are extremely complex and need to be handled with care; therefore
MSF is very concerned that security and the resolution of the incident could be
compromised by any use of force being related to the case.
“MSF
is currently engaging with all relevant actors to seek the safe and swift
release of our colleagues and any use of force could endanger this,” says Jose
Antonio Bastos, President of MSF in Spain. “We want to strongly
distance ourselves from any military or other armed activities, declarations or
presumptions of responsibility related to this case.”
MSF
continues to provide assistance to people affected by the current crisis in Somalia, Kenya,
Ethiopia and Djibouti,
despite the already highly complex security environment. As a result of the
attack, MSF has temporarily suspended activities in Ifo 2 camp, Dadaab, where
the abduction took place. These activities include two health posts and mobile
clinics that were providing primary healthcare, reproductive health and
antenatal care, routine vaccination programs and referral services for
secondary healthcare.
In
Dagahaley camp, MSF has ensured the continuation of life-saving medical
activities in the 243-bed hospital, with nearly 200 patients being treated in
the in-patient therapeutic feeding centre. However, five health posts had to be
momentarily suspended and medical teams are currently on stand-by, ready to
resume all activities as soon as security conditions allow it. Part of the
nutritional program, which was treating 15,000 people, was also put on hold.
MSF
has been working in Somalia
continuously since 1991 and currently operates 13 projects in the country,
including medical activities related to the current emergency, vaccination and
nutritional interventions. In running such programs, MSF maintains an ongoing
dialogue with key actors on the ground. In Dadaab,
Kenya, MSF resumed
operations in 2009, while it also assists Somali refugees in the camps of Dolo Ado, Ethiopia.
“We
are deeply concerned about the fate of our two colleagues. MSF is committed to
continue providing healthcare to the Somali population in and outside Somalia,”
says Bastos, “but the level of assistance to populations is being deeply impacted
by such attacks. It is extremely alarming.”
- Bill and Melinda Gates Applaud Progress Against Malaria While Urging Renewed Effort
Optimism,
urgency and innovation needed to bring an end to malaria, a press statement
from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation said on Thursday.
Three
hundred leading malaria scientists, global health leaders, policymakers,
government officials and advocates gathered October 18 at the Malaria Forum to
discuss great strides in malaria control and address challenges that are
impacting the long-term goal of eradication.
“We
have seen tremendous success in the control of malaria, thanks to an infusion
of resources, innovation, and political will,” said Melinda Gates, co-chair of
the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “Worldwide, malaria deaths are down 20
percent since 2000.”
More
than one million African children have been saved from malaria since 2000. New
tools such as long-lasting insecticide treated bed nets and artemisinin-based
combination treatments (ACTs)-along with prevention during pregnancy and indoor
residual spraying-have made this recent progress possible.
A
surge of financial and political commitments from endemic countries, donor
governments, non-governmental organizations, private companies, and individuals
sparked a decade of scientific advancement and the development of lifesaving
tools that fight malaria.
The
Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the U.S. President’s
Malaria Initiative and the World Bank’s Malaria Booster Program transformed the
funding landscape and contributed significantly to successes in malaria
control.
Mrs.
Gates congratulated the forum participants and urged them to maintain momentum
or recent gains could be lost. “What matters is our staying power,” Mrs. Gates
added. “We need to keep on seizing the opportunity to make new progress against
malaria every single day.”
Innovation will
Pave Way to Eradication
Bill
Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, challenged the
malaria community to be smarter, faster, and more ambitious. “If we think big,
bring more partners into the fold, and take smart risks, we will invent
entirely new tools-powerful ways of fighting malaria that don’t exist now,”
explained Mr. Gates. “This is the kind of innovation that will enable us to
plan for the eventual eradication of malaria.”
When
Mr. and Mrs. Gates first called on the global community to chart a course for
the long-term eradication of malaria at the Malaria Forum four years ago, the
world took notice. Today, Mr. Gates reaffirmed the foundation’s commitment to
eradication, urging public and private partners to increase their investments.
“Eradication
is an ambitious goal-and a long-term goal. It is also a goal to which we remain
100 percent committed,” added Mr. Gates. “It will take leadership, innovation,
and money to plan for malaria’s eventual eradication.”
Notable
Scientific Advancement Reported
The
first interim results from phase III trials of the RTS,S vaccine were announced
today at the forum. Among five- to 17-month-old children, the vaccine prevented
clinical malaria in 56 percent of trial participants over a period of one year.
It prevented severe malaria in 47 percent.
Mr.
Gates deemed this discovery a “huge milestone” in the fight against malaria, as
RTS,S is the first vaccine against a parasitic disease.
“First,
this is proof that it is possible to create a vaccine that is effective against
malaria,” explained Mr. Gates. “Second, if further results show that the
effectiveness of RTS,S does not wane over time it has the potential to protect
millions of children and save thousands of lives.”
Work
is already underway to develop the next generation of vaccines that will
provide greater and longer lasting protection and will be even more effective
in stopping malaria transmission.
Urgent
Call to Intensify Efforts
While
the second Malaria Forum illuminated the recent progress the world has made in
halting malaria, there was an underlying sense of urgency to be smarter and
faster, and to save more lives.
The
reality in much of Africa remains grim. A
child dies of malaria every 45 seconds in sub-Saharan Africa.
According to the latest reports from 2009, children under five accounted for 85
percent of the nearly 800,000 malaria deaths. Malaria also bears a heavy burden
on Africa’s global economies, costing the
continent an estimated $12 billion annually in lost productivity.
“The
parasite has been killing children and sapping the strength of whole
populations for tens of thousands of years,” added Mr. Gates. “Now, we can
chart a course to end it.”
Guided
by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In
developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them
the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States,
it seeks to ensure that all people-especially those with the fewest
resources-have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and
life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO
Jeff Raikes and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and
Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.
- Distributed by Africa Press Organisation, APO
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