23 August: UNEP: Youth/Climate Change: Rallies in 100 cities will be organized by young people across the world as part of a major push to persuade governments to Seal a meaningful Deal at the crucial UN climate convention meeting in Copenhagen in just under 110 days time. Youth delegates pledged to keep global warming high on the international agenda as the Tunza International Youth Conference on Climate Change ended today in Daejeon, Republic of Korea. "Climate change is the greatest threat we are facing in the 21st century, and many countries are vulnerable. If we the children and youth don't act now, we cannot be sure there will be a future for us, for future generations. We want to make sure that future generations will inherit a better place to live in," outgoing Tunza Youth Advisory Board member, 22-year old Jessie James Marcellones from the Philippines, said.
[Press release] [Youth statement]
24 August: UNEP/ICRAF: Agroforestry: Although agriculture, particularly in the developing world, is often associated with massive deforestation, scientists from the World Agroforestry Centre demonstrated on Monday, in a study using detailed satellite imagery, that almost half of all farmed landscapes worldwide include significant tree cover. The findings were announced at the opening of the 2nd World Congress of Agroforestry, which is being held in Nairobi, Kenya. This is the first study to quantify the extent to which trees are a vital part of agricultural production in all regions of the world. It reveals that on more than 1 billion hectares - which make up 46 percent of the world's farmlands and are home to more than half a billion people - tree cover exceeds 10 percent.
[Press release]
24 August: Nigeria: Representatives of 39 African Countries, gathered in ‘ rock’ city of Abuja in Nigeria to make final maneuvers and set sails towards finishing line of 1st January 2010, when consumption of CFCs and Halons will be assigned to history books. The 13th ODS Officers Network (ODSONET) joint meeting held in Abuja, Nigeria, was organized by UNEP Compliance assistance Programme in Africa, in collaboration with the government of Nigeria. The ODSONET meeting, which was also attended by African environmental journalists, is the last regional meeting before the critical conference in Copenhagen where the world is expected to make a deal on a new climate regime and the 2010 deadline for the total phase out of Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).
[More information]
24 August: Nigeria: Africa’s First Ozone Village: The Nigerian Government is building an Ozone village to serve as a technology development. The announcement was made by the Nigerian Federal Minster of Environment, John Ode at the opening of the 4 days ODS Officers Network (ODSONET) Joint meeting, which is being held in Abuja, Nigeria. The village is located in Ogun State. As part of this project, some locally fabricated prototype Ozone friendly machines have been developed. The machines include a box of foaming machines, CFC recovery and recycling machine and hydrocarbon refrigerant production machine. The box is said to be globally competitive and the initiative will be presented to the Multilateral Fund of the Montreal Protocol to consider the Hydro carbon production machine as a pilot demonstration project to be considered under the HCFC programme.
[More information]
25 August: AfDB/Seychelles: The African Development Bank (AfDB) Group and Seychelles signed a €15-million loan agreement to finance the country’s Economic Governance Reforms Program (EGRP). The agreement was signed by the AfDB’s Sector Operations Vice President, Kamal Elkheshen, and Seychelles’ Ministry of Finance Principal Secretary, Ahmed Abdoulla Didi, in the presence of the Bank Group’s Executive Director for Seychelles, Peter Andrew Sinon. Speaking at the signing ceremony, Vice President Elkheshen underscored the historic dimension of the event, noting that the program was Bank Group’s first budget support operation in the country designed to assist the government’s 2009-2010 macroeconomic and financial reform program.
[More information]
25 August: EU/EAC: Avian Influenza: The European Union (EU) has donated seven 4-wheel drive vehicles worth €207,725 to the East African Community to boost the Regional Avian Influenza surveillance activities. The donation is part of the EAC Regional Avian Influenza Preparedness and Response project that aims at contributing to the socio-economic welfare and public health in the East African Community by minimizing the impact of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza. The project is funded by the EU and co-implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Nairobi office. The three year project is funded to the tune of three million euro. The EAC is to receive 1million euros while €1.68 million is to be channeled through FAO. FAO will work closely with EAC Secretariat to implement the project in the five Partner States.
[Press release]
26 August: ECA/ISI: The 57th Session of the International Statistical Institute (ISI) 2009 concluded in Durban South Africa on the 22nd August to widespread acclaim from the statistical fraternity. The session lasted from 16th August and was held in sub-Saharan Africa for the first time in the institutes 124 year history. Addressing the Institute, the President of the Republic of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, said he was delighted to see that one-quarter of the 2500 delegates from 135 countries at the meeting were Africans. “The discussions around the African development agenda will provide new directions in statistical capacity building and development in Africa”, he said. Zuma said it was clear that multilateral financial institutions currently have a limited capacity to respond to world economic crises. He urged statisticians to contribute to the search for durable solutions that will benefit all nations.
[More information]
26 August: International Finance Corporation (IFC)/West Africa: IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, today signaled further commitment to increasing private sector investment and advisory services in Senegal and West and Central Africa at the release of its annual operational results. Director for West and Central Africa, Yolande Duhem, highlighted recent trade finance transactions, IFC’s growing regional relationships, and commitment to expand its work in the power sector. During the fiscal year that ended in June 2009, IFC increased its investment in Sub-Saharan Africa to $1.8 billion reaching 30 countries, up from $1.4 billion in 25 countries the previous year. Of the $1.8 billion, IFC provided $1.0 billion in new financing to businesses in West and Central Africa, a 58 percent increase. IFC Advisory Services in Africa also increased its volume in Sub-Saharan Africa by 35 percent to $38 million and doubled its work in conflict-affected countries. [More information]
26 August: EAC: Transport and Infrastructure Development: The Secretary General of the East African Community, Juma V. Mwapachu has lauded the USA-EAC cooperation in transport and infrastructure development. Mwapachu, who officially opened a two-day USA-EAC workshop on Developing Sustainable Transport Systems at the Naura Springs Hotel in Arusha, Tanzania, said: “I am pleased to say that we are now in the process of establishing a US-EAC Council at Ministerial level that will develop and agree on projects and programmes which will drive this relationship”. The Secretary General noted that the workshop comes in the wake of the conclusion of a Memorandum of Understanding between the US government and EAC. He said early last year in Kampala, Uganda, the EAC, USA-DoT and US Trade and Development Agency signed a Memorandum of Understanding, an agreement “that encapsulated the shared resolve by the contracting parties to empower the EAC to achieve deeper economic integration”.
[Press release] [Speech]
28 August: UNEP: Climate Change: The UN is calling for millions of online signatures for a climate petition and is launching the first-ever Global Climate Week as part of its Seal the Deal! campaign, 100 days ahead of a crucial UN climate change summit in Copenhagen (COP 15) in December. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is leading the call for communities around the world to take advantage of Global Climate Week from September 21-25 to encourage leaders to seal a fair, balanced and effective agreement on climate change. "Time is running out. Scientists warn that climate impacts are accelerating. Now more than ever, we need political leadership at the highest level to ensure we protect people and the planet, and to catalyze the green growth that can power the 21st century economy," the UN Secretary-General stressed.
[Press release]
