Africa

In the 16th Century, ruthless Queen Amina commanded an army of 20,000 men in what is now Nigeria.

Leave.EU co-founder Arron Banks says the money was to fund a political campaign and denies corruption.

Credit: Jader Flores/IPS

By Edwin Huizing
Jul 24 2018 (IPS)

Just 40 years after Daniel Ortega led the Sandinistas to overthrow the Somoza dictatorship, a severe crisis grips Nicaragua. Most Nicaraguans want nothing more than to see Ortega, who has been in office for eleven years, disappear from the political scene. Hivos, headquartered in The Hague, believes the Netherlands should use its membership in the UN Security Council to prevent a civil war and bring about a peaceful transition.

Since the protests against President Ortega started in April this year, at least 273 people have died and 2,000 have been injured, according to the human rights arm of the Organization of American States (OAS). And the number of victims grows every day.

Edwin Huizing, Executive Director at Hivos

The opposition to Ortega comes from many corners: students, workers, pensioners, the Catholic Church and not least, women’s groups fighting for a more just society. The government’s heavy-handed repression of the protesters also affects journalists and human rights defenders supported by the Netherlands and Hivos. For example, employees of the human rights organization CENIDH were arrested. Journalists from the online magazine Confidencial have been mistreated, threatened and robbed of their cameras and telephones.

In the weekend of July 13, Ortega’s supporters – a mix of government officials and militias – besieged a Catholic church where some 200 students had sought refuge after the protests at their university turned violent. Thanks to fifteen hours of mediation by high-ranking clergy, the students were given safe conduct to leave. But by then, there were already two dead and ten wounded.

According to the Inter-American Human Rights Commission (CIDH), abuse, torture, kidnapping and murder are the order of the day. In its unusually harsh report, the Commission clearly points to the state as partly responsible. If the protests against Ortega continue to spiral out of control, a civil war could break out.

 

A global trend of government oppression

Nicaragua exemplifies the current trend of governments that are increasingly suppressing activist citizens, critical journalists, human rights defenders and NGOs.

Dutch foreign policy, with its emphasis on “the ring of instability around Europe,” migration and economic commitment is far too limited in this light. Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok’s recent letter about strengthening the Netherlands’ diplomatic network does not even mention the words “human rights”. Its emphasis on economic diplomacy and cuts in spending on diplomatic posts comes at the expense of promoting human rights.

But foreign policy must be about more than migration from Africa and growth opportunities for the Netherlands. The Dutch government’s Coalition Agreement has allocated 40 million euros for strengthening our diplomatic network. Part of this should be directly destined for Nicaragua, and for Central America, which is threatening to become a forgotten region.

 

Credit: Jorge Mejía Peralta

 

There must be an end to the violence and impunity

Together with Sweden, currently chairman of the UN Security Council, the Netherlands can bring these human rights violations in Central America to the attention of the UN Security Council, starting with the crisis in Nicaragua. There must be an end to the violence and impunity, for which disarmament of paramilitary forces is crucial. There needs to be an independent international investigation into the killings and other crimes that will bring those responsible to justice. International delegations (e.g. EU parliamentarians) should visit Nicaragua to act as the eyes and ears of the international community and thus increase the pressure on the government to cease its repression and start a transition to free elections, under international supervision.

Riding a wave of hope back in the 1980s, many Dutch people – including NGOs – supported the Sandinista movement. Let them now declare in no uncertain terms that Ortega has not proven to be any better than his illustrious right-wing predecessors.

International political action is urgently needed as the crisis in Nicaragua rapidly escalates, possibly into civil war.

This opinion was originally published here

The post We Cannot Look Away From the Crisis in Nicaragua appeared first on Inter Press Service.

Excerpt:

The conflict in Nicaragua is spiraling out of control. International political action is urgently needed to prevent further escalation, argues Hivos Director Edwin Huizing. And the Netherlands must take the lead.

The post We Cannot Look Away From the Crisis in Nicaragua appeared first on Inter Press Service.

IOM constructs safe sanitation facilities for displaced communities in Gedeo zone.
Photo: Olivia Headon/IOM 2018

By International Organization for Migration
DILLA, Ethiopia, Jul 24 2018 (IOM)

Today (24/07), IOM the UN Migration Agency launched an appeal for USD 22,200,000 to respond to the internal displacement crisis in Ethiopia’s Gedeo (SNNPR region) and West Guji (Oromia region) zones. Since April 2018, some 970,000 people have fled their homes due to fighting between communities along the border of the two regions; the vast majority were displaced in June alone.

“Leaving with what little they could carry and typically losing these possessions on their journey to safety, the displaced communities in Gedeo and West Guji are in great need of humanitarian support to help them get through Ethiopia’s cold and rainy season,” said William Lacy Swing, IOM Director General.

“The international community must rally for the people and Government of Ethiopia. Some partners have already begun to do so, and we thank them, but the current funding levels for a sudden onset crisis of this scale – nearly one million people displaced such a short period of time – are nowhere near acceptable,” added Director General Swing.

Since June, IOM has been scaling up its response in Gedeo and West Guji. However, urgent funding is required to continue to provide life-saving assistance. The IOM appeal outlines funding requirements for the next six months in line with the Government’s West Guji-Gedeo response plan.

Many of the displaced population are staying with local communities, while others are sheltering at collective sites like schools, Government properties and disused or unfinished buildings. Those staying in the local community still come to the collective sites during the day to access humanitarian assistance. The collective sites are overcrowded with thousands of people sheltering in buildings not fit for habitation and thousands more are sleeping outside on the muddy ground with only a sheet of tarpaulin to protect them from the cold and wet weather. Both situations raise major concerns from protection and health perspectives.

IOM operations focus on providing humanitarian assistance to displaced populations in collective sites and within host communities through an integrated approach, including core relief distributions, primary health care, shelter and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). Through site management support, IOM is facilitating the improvement of humanitarian service delivery, as well as the local authorities’ capacity to address protection concerns in displacement sites. In addition, IOM is supporting the overall humanitarian community’s response by monitoring population movements and needs through its Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM).

In the past two weeks, IOM has distributed over 2,000 blankets and is currently transporting more items to the collective sites like blankets and emergency shelter kits, which include tarpaulin and rope, through a UK Department for International Development (DFID) in-kind donation. For those who are sheltering outside buildings, IOM has begun the construction of 40 communal shelters, of which four have been completed. IOM is also building communal kitchens for the displaced communities at collective sites: five of these have so far been completed.

With so many people sheltering in sites not prepared to host them, access to safe sanitation is another major worry. In just over two weeks, IOM has constructed more than 200 latrines of a planned total of 450. IOM is also promoting safe hygiene practices among the displaced population through the formation of committees, household visits, group sessions and information campaigns.

Health needs are also high but the capacity of local hospitals and clinics to address these needs is outweighed by the sheer number of people displaced in such a small area and short span of time. IOM plans to support local health infrastructure through staff and mobile health clinics.

Access the detailed appeal here.

For more information, please contact Olivia Headon in Ethiopia, Tel: +251902484062, Email: oheadon@iom.int

The post IOM Launches USD 22.2M Appeal for Gedeo, West Guji Displacement Crisis in Ethiopia appeared first on Inter Press Service.

Newly-promoted French club Reims sign veteran Togo international midfielder Alaixys Romao on a two-year deal.

Rohingya refugees walk past new emergency shelters built by IOM shelter teams in the Camp 20 Extension, Cox’s Bazar. Photo: IOM July 2018.

By International Organization for Migration
COX'S BAZAR, Bangladesh, Jul 24 2018 (IOM)

Shelter teams from IOM, the UN Migration Agency, working with over 19,000 Rohingya refugee and local labourers, this week completed the construction of over 1,000 new shelters as part of a rapid response project to help move refugee families most at risk from landslides during the monsoon.

In just over a month, 1,150 of the “Robust Emergency Shelters” have been built with the support of refugee and host communities, who have helped with the construction and transported materials to the new site known as Camp 20 Extension.

Almost a million Rohingya refugees who fled violence in Myanmar are currently living in tarpaulin and bamboo shelters on hilly land in the Cox’s Bazar region of southern Bangladesh – an area prone to some of the world’s worst monsoon conditions.

IOM and partner organisations are working to move thousands of families whose shelters are most at risk from soil erosion and landslides during the monsoon. Hillsides stripped of vegetation during the initial influx of refugees in late August 2017 have become increasingly unstable.

The new shelters, which have been directly constructed by the IOM shelter programme, use techniques designed to make them more durable during the heavy rains. They are built on land prepared and made safe under the Site Maintenance Engineering Project – a joint initiative between IOM, WFP and UNHCR.

“This is an important achievement and a testament to the incredibly hard work of IOM’s shelter teams, the joint efforts of the SMEP initiative, and of course the refugees and host community themselves,” said Manuel Pereira, IOM’s Emergency Coordinator in Cox’s Bazar.

“Everyone involved has put an immense effort into making this land safer and creating robust shelters where families facing the very real danger of landslides can now live more securely. But we desperately need more funding for this work to continue,” he said.

Ambi Khatu, a 60-year-old woman originally from Buthidaung in Myanmar’s North Rakhine State, is among those who have moved into the new shelters.

“My (previous) shelter was damaged in a landslide. The mud overflowed into my house. I feel here is a good place. I feel better,” she said, showing off the small plot of pumpkin seedlings she recently planted outside her new shelter.

IOM has played a lead role in meeting the shelter needs of those affected by the Rohingya refugee crisis. Since February this year, almost 43,200 households have received shelter upgrade kits, while 41,500 households have been given shelter upgrades and disaster risk reduction orientation. Since May, over 37,300 households have also received tie-down kits to further secure their shelters.

For more information please contact Fiona MacGregor at IOM Cox’s Bazar, Email: fmacgregor@iom.int, Tel: +88 0 1733 335221

The post Over 1,000 New Shelters Built for Rohingya Refugees Threatened by Landslides appeared first on Inter Press Service.

England's Harry Kane features on a 10-man shortlist for the Best Fifa Men's Player award for 2018

Credit: Bigstock

By Martin Khor
PENANG, Malaysia, Jul 24 2018 (IPS)

The escalating trade war initiated by United States President Donald Trump is a major threat to world trade and the global economy.  The developing countries will be among those most affected. It is time for them to respond and speak out.

The trade war is a very dangerous game that will engulf the whole world if it is prolonged.  The country most directly affected by the US trade attack is China. But it is not just a tit-for-tat fight between two giants, the US and China.

Many developing countries are among the most vulnerable to a trade war. Taiwan, Korea, Singapore, Hungary, Malaysia Thailand, Vietnam, Chile, and the Philippines are among the most dependent on global supply chains and would thus be susceptible to a breakdown in trade
The US has also increased tariffs against European countries, Mexico, Canada and others with regards to steel and aluminium.  Additional US tariffs on automobiles and their components are now imminent, and if implemented this will take the conflict to a much higher level, with US versus Europe as the centre.

But many countries that are integrated in the regional and global supply chains will also be affected.  Some could even suffer more damage than the direct protagonists.

For example, many Asian countries like South Korea, Vietnam and Malaysia export components to China, such as electronics.  The components are used to make products such as mobile phones and computers, some of which are exported to the US. If the extra US tariffs reduce Chinese production, there will be less demand for components exported by these countries to China.

Moreover, a decline in economic growth in China and the US will depress their demand for commodities and other products, thus affecting many developing countries including in Africa and Latin America.

A study done by Pictet Asset Management of 45 countries shows that many developing countries are among the most vulnerable to a trade war.  Taiwan, Korea, Singapore, Hungary, Malaysia Thailand, Vietnam, Chile, and the Philippines are among the most dependent on global supply chains and would thus be susceptible to a breakdown in trade.  For example, Malaysian exports are about 60% dependent on global supply chains, while the rates are about 48% for China and 40% for the US.

A Reuters report using OECD data to calculate value-added embodied in Chinese exports by its source countries shows that the most exposed Asian countries to a reduction of Chinese exports would be Taiwan (8% of its GDP value is embodied in Chinese exports), Malaysia (6%), South Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore (4-5%).

Another study by the Development Bank of Singapore found that in Asia,  South Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan and Singapore are most at risk from a trade war, based on trade openness and exposure to supply chains.  A trade war would reduce economic growth in 2018 by 0.4 percentage point for Korea, 0.6% for Malaysia and Taiwan, and 0.8% for Singapore, and double these rates in 2019.

These are significant losses indeed.  Thus, developing countries cannot afford to be mere spectators of a US-China trade war.  They should assess how their countries will be affected, and prepare for the effects. More importantly, they should examine who is at fault, speak out and act.

It is clear that the US is the initiator and provocateur of the trade conflict.  Its tariff hikes are unilateral actions, against the rules of the World Trade Organisation and the global trading system.  Complaints have been filed against the US at the WTO, including by China, the EU, Russia and India. Other countries should join in as complainants.

The US actions threaten the very survival of the trade system.  If moves and counter-moves keep taking place, there will no longer be any predictability for any country’s exports.  The EU remarked at the WTO recently that the trading system is facing now acute “stress and uncertainty.” The uncertainty and the reduction of trade will hit the whole world, but most affected will be export-dependent countries.

This is also the worst time for a trade war.  It comes on top of the increasing shakiness of the world financial system, now on the verge of a new crisis.  Already foreign funds are moving out of developing economies, and their currencies are weakening, thus increasing inflationary pressures and making it more expensive to service external loans.

Trump and his advisors have been planning a trade war for some time and now they are putting it into action.  It started in January with an extra 30% tariff on solar panels and components, and 20% tariff on washing machines.

Then came US tariffs of 25% on steel and 10% on aluminium on all countries, except some that are exempted.  The US used Section 232 of its Trade Expansion Act 1962, which allows the President to impose extra tariffs to counter threats to national security threat.  This section has been rarely used and until now never invoked since the World Trade Organisation was established in 1995.

Using “national security” as a reason is clearly a disguise for what is a commercially-motivated move, as the imported metals are hardly a security threat, and most countries affected are close US allies.

There are well-founded concerns that the use of the “national security” factor by the US will undermine the world trading order, since it will also open the door for other countries to cite the same reason to take similar unilateral actions.   Although there is a clause in the WTO rules allowing trade measures to ensure national security, it has been hardly used as there is a fear it can be abused.

China in April and the EU in June initiated complaints at the WTO against the US action.  Retaliatory actions in the form of tariffs on imported goods from the US with equivalent value have been taken by China on 128 US products worth $3 billion;  by Canada on 299 products valued at $13 billion; by the EU on 180 products valued at over $3 billion; and by Mexico on $3 billion of US goods.

On 6 July the US imposed an extra 25% tariff on US$34 bil worth of Chinese goods, with similar action coming soon on another UD$16 bil of imports.  This time the US invoked Section 301 of its Trade Act 1974, accusing China of violating intellectual property rights of US companies, and of pressuring American firms in China to transfer their technology.  Section 301 is deemed by almost all countries and experts to violate WTO rules.

China immediately retaliated with tariffs on US$34 bil of imports from the US. It accused the US of launching the “largest trade war in economic history.”

US tariffs will hit China’s exports of electrical, telecom and transport equipment, engines and motors, farm machines.  Chinese actions will affect US agriculture goods, especially soybeans, autos and aquatic products.

Responding to China’s retaliation, the US on 10 July announced it would slap a 10% tariff on another US$200 billion of Chinese imports, again invoking Section 301.  China said it is shocked by the US’ behaviour and vowed to retaliate.

Trump has calculated the US will win a trade war because in 2017 the US imported US$506 bil from China, while China imported US$130 billion of US goods.  He thinks China would soon run out of retaliation capacity as it does not have much more US imports to slap tariffs on.

The Chinese however could still retaliate by taking other measures, such as setting more conditions for US firms based in China, not giving access for US companies in various sectors, or not implementing WTO obligations on intellectual property.

Trump will probably go into a rage and raise more tariffs against China, thus escalating the war further.   This will provoke even more actions from China, which has vowed to stick to its rights and not to retreat.

The US is also examining imposing tariffs on automobiles and parts. Trump has threatened to place a 20% tariff on all European cars.  This would have dire consequences, warned German leader Angela Merkel.

In short, the world is on the brink of a Trump-induced global trade crisis.  It will have spill-over effects on exports and GNP growth in developing countries, and secondary effects on policies of banks (which may increase the price and volume of credit) and on the financial markets (with effects on stock prices and the outward flow of funds).

The developing countries should now strongly speak up against the unilateral measures of the US at many venues, and to take or join other initiatives to stop the trade war from escalating into a very big crisis that the world cannot afford to have.

The post Trade War – Developing Countries Should Respond appeared first on Inter Press Service.

Excerpt:

Martin Khor is Advisor to the Third World Network, and a former Executive Director of the South Centre

The post Trade War – Developing Countries Should Respond appeared first on Inter Press Service.

Michelle, a transgender peer educator, walks through her village in Joyce Bay, Port Moresby. Credit: Tom Maguire

By Tom Maguire
LONDON, Jul 24 2018 (IPS)

A group of teenage boys huddle around Michelle in the mangroves behind Joyce Bay, a spot frequented by men who have sex with men (MSM) in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea (PNG).

She asks them how regularly they have sex and whether they have been tested for HIV or tuberculosis (TB). Her questions are met with giggles, intrigue and confusion. It turned out that none of the eight present have been tested for either disease. Michelle is a peer educator working to test key populations in her community for HIV, and more recently TB as well.

Five key populations— sex workers, MSMs, transgender people, people who inject drugs, and people in prison and confined settings are disproportionally affected by HIV, but are also the least likely to have access to preventative care, diagnostics, and treatment. One in two new HIV infections worldwide are in these populations.

They face a number of barriers that limit their access to essential health services or exclude them all together. Many are subjected to significant levels of stigma, discrimination, abuse and violence. In many settings, laws that criminalise behaviours such as drug use, sex work, and same-sex relationships further marginalise young people and perpetuate their exclusion.

Fearing discrimination and possible legal consequences, they are hesitant to accessing testing and treatment services. They are also often reluctant to disclose their HIV status to their family and community in fear of revealing their identity or sexual orientation. The outcome is that they remain hidden from the services and support networks they need.

Same-sex relationships are illegal and punishable by up to 14 years in prison in Papua New Guinea. While some coastal communities in the National Capital District are increasingly accepting of same-sex relationships, tolerance across this predominately Catholic country remains low and impacts the number of MSM who get tested.

Balou Chabart Rasoananaivo speaks with local MSM in a safe space in Tamatave, Madagascar. Credit: Tom Maguire

A new report on key populations, commissioned by PNG’s National Department of Health, says more than half of gay men, other men who have sex with men, and transgender people have never been tested for HIV.

To overcome the myriad and interconnected barriers, civil society organizations are introducing programs to increase awareness about HIV among those groups who are often missed by national programs.

In Papua New Guinea’s capital Port Moresby, a cadre of volunteer peer educators, like Michelle, have been trained to go out to clubs, pick-up spots for sex workers, and safe spaces where LGBTQ+ people meet and socialize, to distribute condoms and encourage people to get tested.

In Madagascar, Solidarité des MSM Madagascar, set up by transgender activist Balou Chabart Rasoananaivo, targets men who have sex with men with HIV sensitisation programmes at local social events. This approach aims to support young MSM to think of themselves as part of a community, and to strengthen community norms for sexual health. Dispelling myths around using condoms is another important part of the organisations work.

For example, many Malagasy’s believe that the gel on the tip of a condom is tap water. Madagascar’s water supply is so polluted that this seemingly unimportant detail can make the difference between people choosing to use condoms or not.

While good progress has been made, many so-called ‘key populations’ are still unable to access treatment. In some countries drug-stocks outs are regular occurrences. Drug stock-outs can have a devastating and life-threatening impact for everyone completing treatment for HIV, but key populations are often worse affected as they typically access treatment outside of the national healthcare system.

Just recently, the amount of antiretroviral medicine available in Papua New Guinea has fallen to such low levels that the country has started to eat into its buffer stock. Health Secretary Pascoe Kase admitted in a statement to local media that stocks were low, but that the Department of Health was working with donors to figure out a solution. Madagascar found itself in a similar predicament in 2015.

Interruption of treatment can weaken the immune system of people living with HIV and increase their susceptibility to other infectious diseases such as TB, which is the biggest killer of people living with HIV, causing approximately one in four deaths.

According to the 2017 Global TB Report, more than one million people infected with HIV contract TB annually, and 374,000 people die from it.

Globally, progress is being made to integrate TB-HIV services. Papua New Guinea’s capital, Port Moresby, has the highest rate of TB in the world; all patients are now being tested for both HIV and TB whenever they visit a health facility and display symptoms of either disease.

The recent integration of the two programs is already helping to identify more cases of both disease and ensure those that are living with TB/HIV co-infection are put on an appropriate course of treatment.

According to David Bridger, the UNAIDS Country Director for Papua New Guinea: “Only when we ensure that Papua New Guinea’s HIV programming reaches the right people in the right way and place, and at the right time, will the increasing HIV infection rates amongst key populations be slowed”.

Civil society organisations (CSOs) and peer educators like Michelle and Balou play a leading role in the fight to end the world’s two deadliest infectious disease and ensuring no group or individual gets left behind. But their efforts are futile unless governments and donors ensure those that need treatment can access it.

This is the message that CSOs conveyed to the AIDS 2018 Conference in Amsterdam, July 23 -27.

On the road to the first-ever United Nations High Level Meeting on TB, advocates are using the AIDS conference to highlight the deadly link between HIV and TB that is so obvious in places like PNG, and to make it clear that attaining the Sustainable Development Goals rests heavily on how well societies understand and treat these diseases.

The post HIV-TB Connection: Key to Ending Infections appeared first on Inter Press Service.

Excerpt:

Tom Maguire is the Communications Manager at RESULTS UK

The post HIV-TB Connection: Key to Ending Infections appeared first on Inter Press Service.

The poll is expected to be a close contest between President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Nelson Chamisa.

The weakness of poor farmers and the growth of low-nutrition crops have been, until now, some of the deterrents of efficient agriculture. Esmilda Sánchez picks string beans on the Finca de Semillas farm. Credit: Jorge Luis Baños/IPS

By Carmen Arroyo
UNITED NATIONS, Jul 24 2018 (IPS)

Significantly more investment is needed to lift hundreds of millions rural poor out of poverty and make agriculture environmentally sustainable, according to Rob Vos, director of the markets, trade and institutions division at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).

With a growing world population, hunger and undernutrition are on the rise, and governments are looking for private alliances to alleviate these issues.“The world has over-invested in low-nutrition staple crops, driving up the relative price of nutrition rich-foods. Empty calories is the food system of the poor." -- John Coonrod, executive vice-president, the Hunger Project.

During the 2018 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, this July, IFPRI organised a side event called “Investing for Reshaping Food Systems”.

Speakers included Claudia Sadoff, director general for the International Water Management Institute; Nichola Dyer, from the Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme at the World Bank; Gerda Verburg, coordinator at the Scaling Up Nutrition Movement (SUN); and Chantal-Line Carpentier, chief at the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development.

They all emphasised the urgency of investing in sustainable agriculture, defined by the Barilla Centre for Food and Nutrition as “the efficient production of safe, healthy, and high-quality agricultural products, in a way that is environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable.”

While the world population will reach over eight billion people in 2025, the amount of cultivable land will remain the same. Decimated by pesticides, non-sustainable agricultural techniques, and water waste, healthy nutrients will become harder to access for the growing population. This issue, along with food waste (20 percent of every food purchase is wasted), is a major concern for Verburg, who highlighted the need to rethink food systems and stop blaming agriculture.

The relationship between the private sector and agriculture isn’t new. On the contrary, many farmers-especially the poorest ones-are members of the private sector.

“The majority of poor and hungry people are small-scale farmers. They are in fact members of the private sector, albeit the weakest. And some corporate investments in agriculture can hurt them,” John Coonrod, executive vice-president at the Hunger Project, told IPS.

The weakness of poor farmers and the growth of low-nutrition crops have been, until now, some of the deterrents of efficient agriculture.

“The world has over-invested in low-nutrition staple crops, driving up the relative price of nutrition rich-foods. Empty calories is the food system of the poor. To overcome malnutrition, we need to increase the dietary diversity of the poor to include many more fruits and vegetables, which means increasing their local production and reducing their price to local consumers,” Coonrod explained.

How can private investment develop sustainable agriculture? Vos from IFPRI said that a first priority should be to provide incentives for investments beyond farms “in infrastructure like roads, electricity and cold transportation and agri-food processing.”

“This will help provide better and more stable market conditions for farmers, create lots of new jobs, and limit the risks of investing in agriculture itself,” he said.

He also added that “the second priority is to provide incentives for investing in sustainable practices and crop diversification, including towards fruits and vegetables.”

Brian Bogart, senior regional programme advisor for South Africa to the U.N. World Food Programme, agreed with Vos.

“Key areas for investment to equity in food systems include rural infrastructure, access to markets, knowledge and technology, and improved storage and transport capacity to reduce post-harvest losses,” Bogart said.

What about governments?

During the event, Verburg, from SUN, pointed out the importance of political commitment and leadership within countries to reduce hunger and reshape food systems.

When asked about the role of national governments, Bogart said: “Member states have a responsibility to lead such efforts by developing effective partnerships with the private sector and fostering an enabling environment for investment.”

“With shrinking public investment in agriculture (according to the Secretary General’s progress report on the SDGs, government expenditure as a percentage of GDP declined from .38 to .23 between 2001 and 2016 and international aid allocations for agriculture declined by 20 percent between the mid-1980s and 2016), the question is how public-private partnerships can unlock opportunities for private investment to complement public resources and capacity to generate improved food security, particularly for the most vulnerable populations,” he added.

Some countries are already doing this. The Barilla Centre for Food and Nutrition’s Food Index on sustainable agriculture, which ranks 25 countries according to 58 indicators, reveals that Germany and Canada are among the states that rank highest with regards to sustainable agriculture.

However, responsibility does not lie solely with the state, but with civil society also. Coonrod, from the Hunger Project, explained what his organisation does in this regard: “We promote good nutrition through education, promoting better local farming methods, increasing local food processing and, in indigenous communities of Latin America, we’ve opposed junk food and helped communities reclaim their nutritious traditional foods.”

Finally, Vos highlighted the importance of research in reducing hunger.

“We undertake research to better understand the causes underlying the deficiencies in the present food systems and test out the effectiveness of interventions that aim to overcome these shortcomings. We know far too little on what is driving food system change, not just in agriculture, but in all stages of the food chain, from farm to fork.”

Related Articles

• Brazil’s Agricultural Heavyweight Status Undermines Food Supply
• Experts Urge Lawmakers to Focus on Food-Migration Nexus

The post Sustainable Agriculture To End World Hunger appeared first on Inter Press Service.

By WAM
JAKARTA, Jul 24 2018 (WAM)

Arcandra Tahar, Deputy Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources of Indonesia, and Mohamed Abdullah bin Mutlaq Al Ghafli, UAE Ambassador to Indonesia, have reviewed the progress in implementing the floating solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant by Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) on the Cirata Reservoir in the West Java province of Indonesia.

The 200MW project will be the largest project of its kind in Indonesia.

The two parties also explored prospects for joint cooperation in areas of conventional and renewable energy.

The Indonesian minister said Jakarta is keen to expand its cooperation ties with the UAE for the best interests of the two friendly countries.

WAM/Tariq alfaham/Hatem Mohamed

The post UAE, Indonesia review work progress at solar power plant appeared first on Inter Press Service.

The post Building Peace in Societies Affected by Small Arms appeared first on Inter Press Service.

Excerpt:

Izumi Nakamitsu is UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs & Jean-Pierre Lacroix is UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations

The post Building Peace in Societies Affected by Small Arms appeared first on Inter Press Service.

Credit: Institute for Palestine Studies

By Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS, Jul 24 2018 (IPS)

The Group of 77 (G77) — the largest single coalition of developing countries at the United Nations– is to be chaired by Palestine, come January.

“It’s a historical first, both for Palestine and the G77,” an Asian diplomat told IPS, pointing out that Palestine will be politically empowered to collectively represent 134 UN member states, including China.

Created in June 1964, the 54-year-old Group comprises over 80 per cent of the world’s population and approximately two-thirds of the United Nations membership

Traditionally, the G77 speaks with a single voice before the 193-member General Assembly, the highest policy making body at the UN, and also at all UN committee meetings and at international conferences.

Under a system of geographical rotation, it was Asia’s turn to name a chairman for 2019. The Asian Group has unanimously endorsed Palestine, which will be formally elected chair at the annual G77 ministerial meeting, scheduled to take place in mid-September.

Palestine will take over from the current chair, Egypt, which is representing the African Group of countries.

The chairmanship is a tremendous political boost for Palestine at a time when it is being increasingly blacklisted by the Trump administration which is kowtowing to the Israelis.

Although it is not a full-fledged UN member state, Palestine is recognized by 136 UN members, and since 2012, has the status of a “non-member observer state” –as is the Holy See (the Vatican).

Nadia Hijab, President, Al-Shabaka Board of Directors, told IPS: “At a time when Israel is moving on all fronts to wipe Palestine definitively off the map through relentless colonization – and to muscle in on UN committees despite its flagrant violations of international law — it is a source of solace to see Palestine slated for a very visible role at the UN.”

However, comforting as this may be, she pointed out, it will take a lot more than this to make “Palestine” a reality on the ground.

Sadly, the Ramallah-based Palestinian leadership has been unwilling or unable to end security coordination with Israel and to heal internal divisions. Instead, she said, it is cracking down on peaceful Palestinian protests.

”It is also reshaping the Palestine Liberation Organization, which has always been recognized as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, in a way that excludes alternative and opposing views,” Hijab declared.

Martin Khor, Advisor to the Malaysia-based Third World Network, told IPS: “I think it will be a historic and a significant development-first for the G77 countries to elect Palestine as its chair, and thereby affirm their confidence in its leadership.”

The election will also prove that the State of Palestine itself has decided it can mobilise its human and material resources to take on the complex task of coordinating the largest grouping in the UN system– even though it has to fight its own very challenging battles of survival and independence, said Khor, the former executive director of the Geneva-based South Centre.

“Both Palestine and the G77 deserve the support of people around the world to wish them success in voicing and defending the interests of developing countries in these very difficult times when international cooperation and multilateralism are coming under attack,” he said.

Last week, the Trump administration refused to grant visas to a six-member Palestinian delegation that was expected to participate at the UN’s High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development which took place July 16-18.

This was clearly in violation of the 1947 US-UN Headquarters Agreement which calls on the US, among other obligations, to facilitate delegates participating at UN meetings.

Asked about the visa refusal, UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters last week: “Well, certainly, we’re aware of this latest incident, but as far as I’m aware, there is a Host Country Committee that deals with disputes involving access to the United Nations and any problems dealing with the host country on that.”

”As of now, the Host Country Committee has not been approached or formally informed of this, so they haven’t acted on this. But it’s normally their role to deal with this situation. Of course, we would hope that all of those who are here to attend UN meetings would have the ability to do so,” he added.

Samir Sanbar, a former UN Assistant Secretary-General who headed the Department of Public Information (DPI), told IPS chairing the G-77 will be an unprecedented role for Palestine. He said leading that large, varied yet collaborative group will require tactful handling by all sides at a time when the rightful Palestinian cause needs every support as the region—and a fragmented conflicted, almost leaderless world— is facing serious challenges.

“It is hoped that Ambassador Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine and an experienced diplomat with proven U.N. record, will be given the opportunity and required leeway to operate in an inclusive, patient and fruitful manner to enhance the role of the G 77 while advancing the status of the Palestine, said Sanbar, who served under five different UN secretaries-general.

At the UN, the Trump administration has been increasingly undermining the Palestinian cause – a cause long supported by an overwhelming majority of member states in the world body.

In May, the US relocated its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem even though the UN has deemed it “occupied” declaring that the status of East Jerusalem should be subject to negotiations and that East Jerusalem will be the future capital of the State of Palestine.

Last month, the Trump administration also reduced its funding—from an estimated $360 million in 2017 to $60 million this year — to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), created in 1949 to provide assistance to over 5.5 million refugees resulting from the creation of Israel in 1948.

Last year when Secretary-General Antonio Guterres proposed the appointment of former Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad as UN’s Special Representative in Libya, the proposal was shot down by US Ambassador Nikki Haley, purely because he was a Palestinian.

And speaking before the US House Appropriations State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee, Haley went even further down the road when she indicated she would block any appointment of a Palestinian official to a senior role at the UN because Washington “does not recognize Palestine” as an independent state.

Suddenly, the Palestinians, for the first time, seem blacklisted– and declared political outcasts– in a world body where some of them held key posts in a bygone era.

Guterres, who apparently relented to US pressure by stepping back on Fayyad’s appointment plucked up courage to tell reporters: “I think it was a serious mistake. I think that Mr. Fayyad was the right person in the right place at the right time, and I think that those who will lose will be the Libyan people and the Libyan peace process.”

And, he rightly added: “”I believe that it is essential for everybody to understand that people serving the UN are serving in their personal capacities. They don’t represent a country or a government – they are citizens of the world representing the UN Charter and abiding by the UN Charter,” he said, pointedly directing his answer at Haley

A former chair of the G77 chapter in Vienna told IPS although the Palestinian issue is fundamentally a political one, centred as well on the legitimacy and legality of Israeli occupation, it no longer remains in the political-legal realms exclusively.

He said there are a large number of issues of economic, social and cultural and environmental nature, including health, education, food, water, etc, which arises both directly from conditions of occupation, as well as laterally from other conditions such as denial of humanitarian access, and, very recently, the declaration of “Israel as a Jewish state”.

It is logical that advancing a struggle on these issues call for a broad forum of solidarity, and the G 77 fits the bill, he noted.

In an oped piece marking the 50th anniversary of the G77, Mourad Ahmia, the G77 Executive Secretary said: “When it was established on Jun. 15, 1964, the signing nations of the well-known “Joint Declaration of Seventy-Seven Countries” formed the largest intergovernmental organisation of developing countries in the United Nations to articulate and promote their collective interests and common development agenda.

Since the First Ministerial meeting of the G-77 held in Algeria in October 1967, and the adoption of the “Charter of Algiers”, the Group of 77 laid down the institutional mechanisms and structures that have contributed to shaping the international development agenda and changing the landscape of the global South for the past five decades, he pointed out.

“Over the years, the Group has gained an increasing role in the determination and conduct of international relations through global negotiations on major North-South and development issues.”

The Group has a presence worldwide at U.N. centres in New York, Geneva, Nairobi, Paris, Rome, Vienna, and Washington D.C., and is actively involved in ongoing negotiations on a wide range of global issues including climate change, poverty eradication, migration, trade, and the law of the sea.

“Today, the G-77 remains the only viable and operational mechanism in multilateral economic diplomacy within the U.N system. The growing membership is proof of its enduring strength,” he declared.

The post Palestine to Lead UN’s Largest Group of Developing Nations appeared first on Inter Press Service.

Previously unseen footage shows Salisu Yusuf, chief coach of the Super Eagles, accepting money.

The Western Mediterranean route to Spain is now the most popular with migrants trying to reach Europe.

How an accidental fashion accessory is helping Zimbabwe's new president rebrand the country.

The innovators' school Twende in Tanzania is helping people invent solutions to local problems

Bernard Kiwia is the brains behind innovator school Twende, one that's helping his community to invent solutions to local problems.

Residents got two weeks notice before the bulldozers moved in to flatten their homes for a new road.