Day: November 18, 2021

Mogadishu, 18 November 2021 – The Federal Government of Somalia and the humanitarian community are alarmed at the rapidly worsening drought in the country. Climate projections show that Somalia is on the verge of a fourth consecutive failed rainfall season and is at the risk of a potentially extreme situation by April 2022.

About 2.3 million people in 57 out of 74 districts (nearly 20 per cent of the population in the affected districts) are ravaged by serious water, food and pasture shortages as water pans and boreholes have dried up. The lack of access to safe, portable water and hygiene and sanitation facilities has heightened the prospect of water-borne diseases. Nearly 100,000 people have abandoned their homes, especially in central and southern areas, in search of food, water and pasture for their livestock, exposing their families to the danger of resource-based conflict over the diminishing resources.

“The situation is grave,” said Ms. Khadija Diriye, Federal Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management. “Families are losing their livestock, a key source of livelihood in Somalia, and may starve to death in the coming months. I am particularly worried about children, women, the elderly and disabled people who continue to bear the brunt of Somalia’s humanitarian crisis.”

The deteriorating situation has compounded vulnerabilities at a time when the number of people who need assistance and protection in Somalia is forecast to rise by 30 per cent from 5.9 million to about 7.7 million in 2022.

Moreover, 71 per cent of all Somalis currently live below the poverty line, especially in areas where humanitarian access is a challenge.

“A perfect storm is brewing in Somalia,” said Mr. Adam Abdelmoula, UN’s Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia. “We must act now to prevent a slide into the crippling kind of drought and even famine conditions experienced in previous years. Those affected have already endured decades of conflict, climatic shocks and disease outbreaks.”

Somalia is on the frontline of climate change and has experienced more than 30 climate-related hazards since 1990, including 12 droughts and 19 floods. The frequency and severity of climate-related hazards is increasing.

Despite the emergency, funding for humanitarian operations in Somalia remains low. With one month remaining in the year, the 2021 Somalia Humanitarian Response Plan is 66 per cent funded. Critical sectors like water, sanitation and hygiene are only 20 per cent funded at a time when access to water is a major challenge across the Horn of Africa region.

Authorities, local communities and humanitarian partners are ramping up responses and reprogramming their activities to address critical emerging needs. The UN Central Emergency Response Fund is allocating US$8 million for the drought response and the Somalia Humanitarian Fund is making a reserve allocation of $6 million.

We thank our donors for their generous contributions to date, but a critical scale-up in humanitarian operations is urgently required to support early action in order to mitigate the impact of the worsening drought.

Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

COVID-19 vaccines didn’t become widely available in Senegal until the end of March 2021, months later than many other countries. Since then, Senegal has depended on outside donations to maintain its stock, which on several occasions has been depleted.

On Saturday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is to end his five-day visit to the continent in Senegal, highlighting America’s efforts to help the country manufacture its own vaccines.

Blinken is scheduled to visit Dakar’s Pasteur Institute, which has recently received tens of millions of dollars from foreign partners to help with vaccine production. The funds include a $3.3 million U.S. contribution.

Currently, Africa imports 99% of all its vaccines.

“And critically, we want to support these companies so they can make vaccines, not only COVID vaccines, but other vaccines, in Africa for Africa, not only help to end the pandemic, but also to help build capacity to deal with future health challenges,” says David Marchick, chief operating officer of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation.

In addition to financial support, the U.S. plans to provide technical expertise, Marchick expressed. The hope is that Senegal will eventually produce vaccines for export to other countries, he said.

Since the start of the pandemic, the U.S. has donated nearly 1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to Senegal and allocated nearly $10 million to help the country fight coronavirus misinformation and aid in vaccine distribution, among other efforts.

As of Wednesday, about 8% of Senegal’s population had been vaccinated against COVID-19, or more than 1,300,00 people, according to the Ministry of Health. In the U.S., about 60% of the population have been vaccinated, or more than 195 million according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.

Dr. Ousseynou Badiane, coordinator of the expanded immunization program with Senegal’s Ministry of Health says that if Senegal can manage to decentralize vaccine production and produce the vaccine locally, it would not only improve the availability of the vaccines but facilitate procurement and eliminate transportation costs.

Secretary Blinken’s visit comes on the heels of the U.N. climate summit, known as COP26, where the U.S. pledged to move away from fossil fuels.

While in Senegal, a State Department statement said Blinken was to participate in business-related events, but it did not mention that he would be involved in climate-related discussions. The environment was on the agenda during his visit to Nairobi, the statement said.

Source: Voice of America

JOHANNESBURG— South Africa is likely to experience a fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic but the numbers of hospital admissions and deaths will probably not be as high as those in previous waves, a senior epidemiologist said.

“The numbers of infections and detected cases may be comparable to earlier waves,” said Harry Moultrie, senior medical epidemiologist at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, citing the new scenario model conducted by the South African COVID-19 Modelling Consortium.

However, Moultrie said, the ratios of admissions and deaths to infections are expected to be “substantially lower” than in previous waves, “as a result of the vaccination coverage, particularly among the elderly, and protection from prior exposure.”

He also urged the public to continue keeping social distancing and avoiding crowded indoor spaces.

The COVID-19 modelling consortium was established to project the spread of the disease to support policy and planning in South Africa over the coming months.

The daily new infections in the African country continued to decline in the past two months, with the latest seven-day rolling average below 300. The peak of the third wave saw around 20,000 new cases per day in July.

So far, the country has registered nearly 2.93 million confirmed cases and 89,515 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s opening remarks at the official launch of the African Women Leaders Network Mentoring Programme, in New York today:

It is my great pleasure to join today’s third intergenerational retreat of the African Women Leaders Network. I wish to thank President Uhuru Kenyatta for his continued commitment to youth and women’s participation and leadership. Also, the amazing women in his cabinet and office who have accompanied [the African Women’s Leaders Network].

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, thank you also for your passion, undying belief in the potential of all African women and your commitment to the African Women’s Leaders Network. Your presence and pioneering contributions to Africa’s efforts to advance peace, democracy, governance and gender equality continue to inspire us all.

I also want to deeply appreciate [African Union] Chairperson Faki Mahamat for his leadership. Your support to the African Women’s Leaders Network has established the platform as a key component of the African Union’s partnership with the United Nations.

I would also like to recognize the leadership of Bineta Diop, without whom the African Women’s Leaders Network would not have inspired so many of us to come along.

To the Network’s Young Women Leaders Caucus members and to all the women leaders, young, and not so young, who are online today, it is my pleasure to be with you here today.

I travelled to Somalia recently in solidarity with our sisters there, and to support their advocacy for equal participation in political life. Among the many women I met with were older women, who had lived through decades of conflict and whose consistent advocacy had led to a 30 per cent quota for women in the Upper and Lower Houses. I also met young women, who today see hope in a country that is rebirthing, and a commitment for equal representation and political participation. I was joined by one of these young women as we briefed the Security Council upon my return and she was amazing.

Young women’s vision for the future and leadership is ambitious, inspiring and transformative. And this should be reflected in the national chapters of the Network.

This is not to tick the box or instrumentalize young women as a means to an end, but rather to recognize that our population is young in Africa. And without joining forces, working together, holding leaders accountable and learning from each other, it will take us 140 years to realize gender equality in Africa.

I am pleased to see that the African Women’s Leaders Network is contributing to this intergenerational partnership. We have an active Young Women’s Caucus, and it exists at the national level in some countries. And now we have an upcoming mentoring platform.

But we can and must do more. The COVID 19 pandemic has exposed a significant digital gender divide and has confirmed why Internet access is a fundamental human right. Globally, 3.7 billion people do not have access to the Internet. Half of them are women. The digital gender divide has been shrinking in some parts of the world, but data shows it is growing in Africa.

I would like to challenge you and encourage the leaders of the Young Women’s Caucus to reach out to and include young women who may not have access to spaces like these, including those in rural areas, for example, or who have limited access to the Internet. I want to challenge you to be creative and see how we can have more of them represented here. But in the meantime, we are not starting from zero. I applaud a young Senegalese sister, Lady Marieme Jamme of “IamtheCode” – which aims to reach 10 million girls with coding [training] by 2030 — who are blazing a trail. We must scale up leaving no one behind.

I also encourage you to use this network to build partnerships across countries and regions.

Finally, on the mentoring platform, let me say — sign me up. My schedule is quite full as it is with all leaders, and my engagement might be limited, but mentoring young women is something that we all take seriously. So please count me in. And I commit to also bringing with me senior women in my team and in the broader United Nations leadership, which includes the amazing women ambassadors in the Africa group here in New York.

You have an exciting agenda ahead of you. And I hope that over the next two days, the retreat will be a space to reflect on the challenges the continent and world must deal with and to reaffirm our resolve and commitment to building a better, more peaceful, inclusive and sustainable Africa.

I look forward to the outcome of your deliberations that will spur even more action at the country level, where the United Nations stands ready to accompany you on that journey.

Source: United Nations

WCG shines #Lightsonafterschool Programmes at the Provincial Legislature Building

In celebration of the recent #LightsOnAfterSchool (LOAS) celebrations in South Africa, together with Head of Department: Mr. Guy Redman and Chief Director: Youth and After School Programme: Ms. Jacqui Boulle, Minister Anroux Marais lit up the Western Cape Government’s Provincial Legislature Building (with a laser projection powered by a generator) last night, 17 November 2021. Reflecting on the devastating impacts of Covid-19 on children and youth this year the global ‘Lights On’ theme is #HelpingKidsRecover.

Minister Marais said, “Lighting up the Legislature Building reflects our commitment as the Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport and as the Western Cape Government to After School Programmes and their role in helping children and youth find and pursue their passions. These programmes are also an integral part of the development of our youth and their mental wellbeing and resilience. We salute the humans of the After School sector for their tireless commitment to ensuring that no child is left behind.”

After School Programmes have and continue to play an important role in providing learners with safe spaces, access to @home learning materials and providing much needed wellbeing support in a challenging and stressful time. In a recent survey of educators in over 50 primary schools, DCAS found that After School Programmes had:

• Provided much needed extra hands and capacity within schools – helping with covid screening, food distribution and general learner logistics.

• Increased self-esteem and wellbeing was attributed to these programmes by 97% of educators surveyed.

• Improved attitude to school work as a result of this support was reported by 89% of educators.

Head of Department, Mr. Guy Redman added that with the Western Cape Library Service located within his department, there is a particular focus on books and reading. “These programmes have provided much needed escape and enrichment to learners, 86% of whom are not at school every day. In a recent survey of youth champions working with schools, three quarters reported assisting with platooning classes and holding classes. 88% of educators felt this support had improved foundational literacy skills. Reading not only opens new worlds to children, but also encourages lateral thinking and improves imagination. We will continue to support reading programmes to increase the level of literacy in our province.” he said.

Chief Director: Youth and After School Programmes, Jacqui Boulle, “One of the exciting programmes we have piloted this year is the YearBeyond 1000 Stories Libraries Project. Youth in various towns in the Theewaterskloof Municipality are offering exciting literacy activities and reading activations at Libraries throughout the respective communities. We are hoping to expand this programme in in the coming year.

Going forward the Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport, will use LOAS and the month of November to put the spotlight on the critical role of After School Programmes in helping learners find and pursue their passions and the amazing humans behind these programmes who step up to be caring adults for learners who often are missing such role models.

Kindly find attached profiles of NGO Leaders, Practitioners and School Leaders: the humans of the After School Movement.

Caption to picture attached: (From left) Jacqui Boulle: Chief Director: Youth and After School Programme; HOD Guy Redman, Minister Anroux Marais, Wayde Groep: Manager: Youth and After School Programme.

Source: Government of South Africa