Victoria — In a further move towards pooled procurement of essential medicines and medical products, Ministers of Health from small African islands states established a secretariat and elected Mauritius as the host, taking critical steps to launch joint operations for increased access to affordable, quality-assured and safe medicines and medical supplies. The pooled procurement programme, […]
Tag: International Organizations and Africa
Geneva — The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is ringing new alarm bells due to ongoing violence in eastern areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) reaching a “devastating level.” UNHCR spokesperson Matthew Saltmarsh said at a UN press conference on March 26 that two years of “cyclical conflict” in the North Kivu territories […]
A measles crisis is mounting in South Sudan’s Western Equatoria state, just as health authorities struggle to overcome a yellow fever outbreak. Since February, seven deaths among children under five and 460 cases have been recorded as of 24 March in three health facilities in Yambio and Nzara counties; 90 per cent of these children […]
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has today welcomed new funding support from the Government and the People of Japan to meet the needs of forcibly displaced populations, including refugees and internally displaced people (IDPs) as well as their local communities in Somalia. The resources – totaling US$ 6.6 million – will be critical in enabling […]
South Africa has expressed its support for the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. This comes after the adoption of Resolution 2728 (2024) by the UNSC on Monday, which demands an “immediate ceasefire” in the Gaza Strip for the duration of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which […]
Nairobi — Over 3000 women from various backgrounds locally and internationally, participated in the recently concluded second edition of the ‘What Women Want’ (WWW) Summit in Nairobi. Held from March 22 to March 24, the three-day annual event aims to unite women for learning, sharing, and networking. Delivering the keynote address, Juanita Mramba, EABL Head […]
Mogadishu, Somalia — The Minister of Finance of SomaCatriona Lainglia, Bihi Iman Cige met with top United Nations officials in Mogadishu, the country’s capital on Sunday. The United Nations Special Envoy for Somalia Catriona Laing and the United Nations Deputy Envoy, the Coordinator of Humanitarian Aid, George Conway discussed the minister Somalia’s recent financial achievements. […]
The 130 ECOWAS observers are monitoring the Presidential elections which is taking place at 15,633 polling units across the country. The Head of the ECOWAS election observation mission to the Presidential election in Senegal, lbrahim Gambari, has expressed satisfaction with the process so far. Mr Gambari, a professor, led a delegation made up of the […]
In the face of escalating conflicts and humanitarian crises, UN Secretary-General António Guterres is set to embark on his annual Ramadan solidarity trip, commencing this weekend in Cairo, Egypt. The trip, which coincides with the holy month of Ramadan, takes place amid turbulent times, particularly with the ongoing conflict in Gaza. In a tradition that […]
On World Poetry Day, marked on 21 March, and #ThrowbackThursday, we looked at some poetry in motion in the General Assembly’s Third Committee on social, humanitarian and cultural affairs. UN rumour has it that the unofficial tradition began almost 40 years ago, when a delegate from the United Kingdom requested the floor to make a […]
New York — At the half-way point of the 2030 Agenda, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) “are in deep trouble.” The need to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals has never been more urgent as only approximately 12% of targets are currently on track. “Planet” is equally at risk as “people”. As civil society […]
Mogadishu — The prime minister of Somalia Hamza Abdi Barre on Wednesday received Mr. Charles Mballa, the UNHCR Representative, at his office in the presidential palace in Mogadishu. They discussed the current situation of refugees and IDPs in the country with a specific focus on ways to transform aid efforts into sustainable development projects that […]
As the war in Sudan enters its second year next month, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) on Monday warned of a staggering toll of the crisis on children, with an estimated 24 million teetering on the brink of a “generational catastrophe”. Since the conflict erupted in April 2023, pitting the […]
The African Union (AU) is set to convene its Second Reflection Forum on Unconstitutional Changes of Government (UCGs) in Accra from March 18 to 19, 2024. Addressing a press conference in Accra on Sunday, H.E. Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace, and Security, emphasized the significance of this gathering, stating, “The Accra […]
The 68th annual Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68), the UN’s largest annual gathering on gender equality and women’s empowerment, is taking place this month under the priority theme ‘Accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender […]
The UN chief on Saturday condemned an attack which saw eight peacekeepers from the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or DRC, wounded during clashes between the powerful M23 rebel movement and Government troops. The incident occurred in the vicinity of Sake, just 20 kilometers from Goma, the provincial capital of North […]
The Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has expressed apprehension regarding the imminent ecological catastrophe arising from the sinking of the Rubymar off the coast of Yemen. Loaded with over 21,000 tonnes of ammonium phosphate fertiliser and fuel–an equivalent of 200 tonnes of oil–the Rubymar’s leakage poses an acute risk to marine life, coral reefs, and […]
Efforts are being made in the south of Madagascar to end a traditional but illegal practice in which girls are promised as a wife to older men, sometimes even before they are born. The arranged marriage typically involves the exchange of a highly prized and culturally important Zebu cow for teenage girls as young as […]