Après avoir enregistré une légère baisse en début de semaine, les prix du pétrole repartent à la hausse ce mardi 26 mai, pour se stabiliser en dessus de la barre des 35 dollars. Le prix du Brent, à Londres, est affiché ce mardi aux environs de 09h00 du matin 36,19 dollars le baril, avec une […]
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Avec une industrie fortement touchée par les conséquences du Covid-19, la styliste Anifa Mvuemba a décidé de réinventer la mode. Pour sa nouvelle collection Pink Label Congo, elle a décidé de miser sur un tout nouveau concept : un défilé de mode en 3D organisé depuis sa page Instagram qui n’a pas manqué de faire parler […]
L’article Pink Label Congo : le nouveau label signé Anifa Mvuemba est apparu en premier sur Afrik.com.
Rafiullah Wardak looks upon his newborn daughter Amina, recovering after being wounded by gunmen who stormed a maternity award in Kabul on May 19, 2020. Mr. Wardak's wife, Nazeya, was among at least 24 people killed in the attack, including women, nurses, and newborns. Credit: Courtesy of the Rafiullah Wardak family published @csmonitor
By Sheikha Hend Al Qassimi and Siddharth Chatterjee
NAIROBI, Kenya, May 26 2020 (IPS)
Consider this. 24 women, children and babies were murdered at a hospital in Kabul, the Afghan capital. Even by standards of a country as accustomed to bloodshed as Afghanistan, the May 12 attack on a Kabul maternity clinic was an event of unmitigated horror.
That anyone could target women at their most vulnerable and infants in their first hours of life defies belief and makes one despair of the world that welcomed little Amina. Born just two hours before the attack that killed her mother, Amina’s leg was shattered by a bullet.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said: “Any attack on innocents is unforgivable, but to attack infants and women in labour… is an act of sheer evil”.
The incident throws into relief the need to protect vulnerable populations even as the world struggles with the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Health workers operating in difficult circumstances, such as the heroic Dr Najibullah Bina who led the team that conducted the first surgery on little Amina’s leg, continue to expose themselves and their families to the virus as well as to terror attacks.
Sheikha Hend Al-Qassemi
The pandemic has an alarming potential to reverse hard-won socioeconomic gains inspired the March 2020 appeal by UN Secretary-General António Guterres for an immediate global ceasefire, which asked all warring parties to silence their guns to facilitate the delivery of aid and open up space for diplomacyWomen generally are at specific risk and disadvantage in Afghanistan, largely for reasons of culture. Their lives, quite separately from their deaths, are constrained in many ways that affect their health, education, nutrition and well-being. One of the most dangerous places in the world for a woman to give birth, Afghanistan is a microcosm of vulnerability for women and children, with a maternal mortality rate of around 638 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births and around two physicians for every 10,000 people.
Afghanistan must figure out how to best support women and children when health efforts are under threat by both terrorists and a dangerous virus.
Around the globe, COVID-19 is worsening the situation for women already at risk, such as those in abusive relationships. Many millions are now required by emergency regulations to remain at home with their abusers, removed from the gaze of those who might otherwise see them and offer help.
And with one in every three women globally experiencing physical or sexual violence from an intimate partner in their lifetime, the issue is startlingly grave.
Siddharth Chatterjee
UNFPA, the UN’s Population Fund, says the COVID-19 lockdown is disproportionately affecting women and children. It is resulting in millions more cases of violence, child marriage, female genital mutilation and unintended pregnancy. “The new data shows the catastrophic impact that COVID-19 could soon have on women and girls globally,” said Dr. Natalia Kanem, UNFPA’s Executive Director.Their well-being and economic resilience are threatened not only by the lockdown itself, but also by scaling down of health services and support such as hotlines, crisis centres, shelters, legal aid, protection, and counselling services.
The horror in Afghanistan further illustrates the urgency of the UN Secretary General’s clarion call for the peace-humanitarian action-development nexus to deal with conflicts, violent extremism, and other forms of instability. Now more than ever, there is a need for approaches that address social, economic, and political drivers of radicalisation.
There will be no one-size-fits-all model, and each country must continually assess which members of society are at the highest risk. If vulnerable groups are not properly identified and suitable responses developed, the consequences of this pandemic may be more devastating than we have dared to imagine.
Humanity has often been guilty of detachment regarding the plight of vulnerable populations. The COVID-19 threat is an opportunity to change course. While the virus does not discriminate, we must be careful lest our responses to it end up further entrenching current inequalities.
Images of two-hour-old Amina, swaddled in a blood-drenched blanket and with a bullet in her tiny bones must exponentially rouse our collective humanity and question the normalisation of indifference to the most vulnerable.
Sheikha Hend Al Qassimi, a multifaceted Emarati Princess, is an accomplished editor and writer, successful entrepreneur and architect and a committed philanthropist. She has a Masters in Marketing, Management & Communications from the Paris Sorbonne University. A Bachelor of Arts and Design with a double major (Architecture and Design Management) from the American University of Sharjah. Follow her on twitter- @LadyVelvet_HFQ
Siddharth Chatterjee is the United Nations Resident Coordinator to Kenya. He has served in various parts of the world with UNFPA, UNICEF, UNDP, UNOPS, UN Peacekeeping and the Red Cross Movement. A decorated Special Forces veteran, he is an alumnus of Princeton University. Follow him on twitter-@sidchat1
This OPED was originally published in Forbes Africa.
The post No Woman Should Ever Die Giving Life appeared first on Inter Press Service.
COPENHAGEN, 25 May 2020 – Launching a series of informal meetings for the OSCE PA leadership to discuss regional issues with OSCE PA delegations, parliamentarians from southeastern European countries met online Monday with Assembly President George Tsereteli (Georgia) and Secretary General Roberto Montella.
With a focus on how countries of the Western Balkans are coping with the COVID-19 pandemic, the OSCE parliamentarians were joined by the heads of several OSCE field operations, as well as regional experts from the OSCE Conflict Prevention Center, the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, the High Commissioner on National Minorities, the OSCE Secretariat, and the OSCE PA International Secretariat.
The purpose of the event was to hear from parliamentarians in the region about what is happening on the ground and to share ideas for focused engagement from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. Topics of discussion included the public health situations in individual countries, how executive authorities are responding to the crisis, upcoming elections in the region, and the possibilities for deploying future election observation missions.
President Tsereteli noted that during pandemic, focus must continue to be placed on conflict mediation, the economic situation, and on human rights. “We have held dialogues on these topics through our webinars,” Tsereteli said, “but this is the first of the regional dialogues that we hope to hold.” The President stressed that there are different types of recovery that must receive adequate attention, including health recovery, economic recovery, and democratic recovery. He pointed out that restrictions on fundamental freedoms must be proportionate and legitimate.
Ivan Brajovic, President of the Parliament of Montenegro, reported that his country is virtually coronavirus-free, expressing satisfaction that the health system responded efficiently and that the government introduced timely and effective measures.
Stefana Miladinovic, Head of the Serbian Delegation, provided an update on the coronavirus situation in Serbia, noting that the number of cases is dropping and that thankfully no COVID-19 deaths have been reported in recent days. She underlined that life is largely returning to normal and discussed the decision to postpone the parliamentary elections, initially organized for 26 April. She said that as soon as the crisis seemed to be coming to an end, a new date of 21 June was announced.
Vladimir Gjorchev, Head of North Macedonia’s Delegation, discussed the usefulness of OSCE PA forums to provide ideas and good practices, including within the context of COVID-19. He worried that North Macedonia is seeing a spike in coronavirus cases, with between 20-40 new cases every day, emphasizing that this is the highest rate in the Western Balkans. He underlined the importance of ensuring that humanitarian aid is not politicized, and appealed to the OSCE Mission to Skopje to pay close attention to this issue. He also urged an observation mission for upcoming elections in North Macedonia, to the extent possible.
Head of Albanian Delegation Ditmir Bushati said that although it has been a tragic public health emergency, the pandemic has also served to ease tensions in the Balkans, noting that there has been a spirit of solidarity in the region. The OSCE, he said, must pay close attention to democracy and rule of law, pointing out that there has been a broad derogation of standards, including on the right to work and freedom of assembly. He urged focus on social and economic development, noting that during the lockdown, a disparity has been observed in the right to education depending on citizens’ online access. He also urged a timetable to be set for EU accession negotiations.
Dejan Vanjek, Secretary of Delegation from Bosnia and Herzegovina, noted that the situation related to coronavirus in his country is improving. He said that there were problems with the hospitals in the beginning, but they coped well and when they received proper supplies, they managed to deal with the situation. He also noted that a coronavirus law is being debated and that elections are scheduled for October.
British parliamentarian Mark Pritchard, the OSCE PA’s Special Representative on South East Europe, reported on the situation in the United Kingdom and discussed developments in the Western Balkans. He regretted that the UK has suffered 37,000 deaths, with the peak at one time at 1,000 deaths every day. With deaths now at 150 a day, he said that while the UK seems to be getting it under control, but there is concern about a possible second wave.
Regarding regional developments, Pritchard discussed the effects of COVID on EU accession negotiations and the importance of continuing dialogue in southeastern Europe. He said that all those who have postponed elections should proceed with scheduling new ones as soon as practicable in order to provide enough time for campaigning and for the international community to prepare possible election observation missions.
Secretary General Montella discussed the challenges associated with deploying normal election observation missions, pointing out that, in addition to the usual considerations that go into deciding to deploy missions, the PA would only do so if ODIHR has the necessary conditions to deploy long-term observers. Due to the travel restrictions associated with COVID-19, it is difficult to predict when this might be possible, Montella said.
Peter Mossop of ODIHR added that in deciding on establishing election observation missions, they are considering all factors, including whether they receive invitations from host governments and the possibilities for travelling.
Elona Gjebrea Hoxha, Rapporteur of the OSCE PA’s economic and environmental committee and member of the Albanian delegation, discussed the recent webinar the PA held on environmental aspects of COVID-19. The international community and OSCE countries must use the opportunity provided by the crisis to promote a shift in environmental policies, she said.
For more on the OSCE PA’s response to the COVID-19 crisis, please click here.
Zoltán Kálmán is Permanent Representative of Hungary to the Rome-based UN agencies (FAO, IFAD, WFP). He was President of the WFP Executive Board in 2018.
By Zoltán Kálmán
ROME, May 26 2020 (IPS)
Hunger and food insecurity continue to rise. The official 2019 statistics refer to 821 million people suffering from hunger all over the world. According the recently launched Global Report on Food Crises, there are further 135 million people facing crisis levels of hunger or worse. WFP estimates that due to the impacts of COVID19, additional 130 million people could be pushed to the brink of starvation by the end of 2020. This means a total increase of 265 million people. If there will be no appropriate and urgent actions, “we could be facing multiple famines of biblical proportions within a short few months”, said David Beasley, WFP Executive Director, addressing the UN Security Council on 21st April.
The most important drivers are conflicts, weather extremes and economic shocks, and all linked directly to extreme poverty and inequalities. This alarming situation is aggravated by and strongly interlinked with unsustainable practices in agriculture. Land use/cover change, environmental pollution, climate change are important drivers of biodiversity loss and soil degradation. Food losses and waste, diet-related health impacts are further undesired consequences of unsustainable food systems.
Transition to more sustainable food systems could be an adequate response to these challenges. Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals including the zero hunger target is still possible but it would require urgent and coordinated efforts. There is a growing consensus that transition to more sustainable food systems is indispensable and requires innovations.
Transition should start with the sustainability assessment of current food systems, including the economic dimension of sustainability. In this regard, we should bear in mind that economic viability is largely determined by policy incentives. Governments worldwide spend around USD 700 billion (OECD Economic Outlook 2019) every year on farm support, contributing to the profitability of the food systems and the farming methods applied. As a result, in many countries of the world, unsustainable, input intensive industrial, monoculture farming has become profitable. However, science can demonstrate that with a levelled playing field, sustainable approaches and practices would be economically viable and competitive alternatives. This becomes even more obvious if we apply the “true cost accounting” principle and internalise all positive and negative environmental and social externalities. To reverse the negative trends and to make food production more sustainable, appropriate and evidence-based policy incentives are required to promote and favour sustainable and innovative solutions.
In agriculture “innovation is an imperative” but it should not be considered as an objective itself. Innovation should rather serve as means to reach our shared goals: to eliminate poverty and hunger and respond to the challenges listed above. Therefore, we should ensure that innovations are available, accessible and affordable also in the most remote areas, and for the poorest of the poor. In the least developed countries priority should be given to those innovations that are focusing on the basic needs. In any way, innovations should be inclusive and follow the participatory approach. National priorities should be respected and development proposals should be elaborated together with local communities, to improve their livelihood, including through alternative farm- and non-farm employment opportunities (in food processing, services, etc.). Sustainable innovative approaches, such as agroecology, are inclusive, rely on traditional knowledge and apply the most advanced, objective science and most up-to-date innovations and technologies. The Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS) is an evidence of the feasibility and usefulness of combining traditional knowledge and innovation. Artificial intelligence (AI), digitalisation, precision agriculture, drones, satellites, smart phones and many other innovations could be supportive of agroecology and have a role in optimizing food chains, managing water resources, fighting pests and diseases, tackling desert locust upsurge, monitoring forests, increasing preparedness of farmers when disasters strike, etc. Regarding artificial intelligence, it is appreciated that FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu has recently taken an important step by signing the Rome Call for AI Ethics, emphasizing the need to “minimize the new technology’s risks while exploiting its potential benefits”.
Innovations, according to past and present prevailing practice, have been focusing on how to produce more, how to get higher yields, how to increase productivity, etc. These are all important, but we need to bear in mind that we already produce enough food for the whole world. More than one third of the food produced is lost or wasted, provoking unnecessary (and avoidable) environmental impacts of food production.
Departing from the past, innovations should focus on the real problems and offer solutions to current challenges of preserving biodiversity, restoring soil fertility, reduce pollution, modernise rural infrastructure and reduce the digital divide, preserve and create rural jobs, improve education, reduce food losses and waste, etc. All having essential role in achieving the basic objectives: eliminate poverty and hunger.
Innovations, including biotechnological methods, should be sustainable. Great majority of broadly accepted and applied biotechnological methods (fermentation, cheese making, etc.) are considered appropriate from sustainability point of view, while others (such as genetic modification – GM) are contentious. In addition to the human health concerns related to the GM crops, the undesired impacts of monoculture cropping on soils and on biodiversity and the seed- and other input supply dependency for farmers, particularly smallholder family farmers, justify following the precautionary principle. In this regard, independent and neutral scientific research should help all countries and all farmers to understand the potential risks and benefits of GM crops. There is no “one size fits all” solution, therefore, farmers should be in a position to take a free and informed decision and choose to produce them or not. While providing policy advice to countries, FAO, as a knowledge-based UN technical agency should continue to follow this approach and neither promote nor speak against producing GM crops. To maintain its credibility and independence, FAO should continue to generate and disseminate neutral scientific evidence on this complex and contentious issue.
Sustainable innovations, such as agroecology, could contribute to economic viability, provide appropriate solutions to many of the environmental challenges and are socially inclusive, addressing rural employment and livelihood. This is particularly relevant in Africa, where in some countries 60-80% of the population live in rural areas and their livelihood is based on agriculture.
It is important to note, however, that developed countries would also need to transform their food systems, making them more sustainable, applying sustainable innovations. In this regard, it is remarkable that the European Commission has proposed the innovative Farm to Fork Strategy for a fair, healthy and environmentally friendly food system and the EU Biodiversity Strategy to bring nature back into our lives, preserving and restoring ecosystems and biodiversity. The two strategies are at the heart of the European Green Deal and are “mutually reinforcing, bringing together nature, farmers, business and consumers for jointly working towards a competitively sustainable future“.
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The post Innovation Is an Imperative – for Sustainable Food Systems appeared first on Inter Press Service.
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Zoltán Kálmán is Permanent Representative of Hungary to the Rome-based UN agencies (FAO, IFAD, WFP). He was President of the WFP Executive Board in 2018.
The post Innovation Is an Imperative – for Sustainable Food Systems appeared first on Inter Press Service.
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