Africa: How Finance Can Be Part of the Solution to the World’s Biodiversity Crisis

[ad_1] More than half of the world's total GDP is at least moderately dependent on nature. Yet arguably, there is no economy (or life) without nature. A quarter of animal and planet species are now threatened, and 14 out of 18 key ecosystem services - including fertile soils to grow food, flood and disease control and regulation of air and water pollution - are in decline. These ecosystem services are essential and have no easy substitutes. Despite this, almost US$7 […]

October 24, 2024

Africa

Africa: Terrorist Expansion, Hegemonic Control in the Horn of Africa – Implications for Ethiopia

[ad_1] The IS which lost ground in most parts of the world seems to search for a safe haven in the Horn of Africa searching for a niche in Somalia. On yet another development, the Federal Government of Somalia has invited foreign forces into the country. In a country where Al- Shabab and Al-Qaida are controlling quite a larger territory of the nation, it is no surprise that global terrorist groups and hegemonic forces are now focusing on Somalia. The […]

October 24, 2024

Africa

Africa: Enhancing Polio Detection With Advanced Sequencing Technology

[ad_1] Brazzaville — The African region, declared free of indigenous wild poliovirus in August 2020, faces an urgent threat: the intense transmission of type 2 variant poliovirus (cVDPV2). This year alone, 290 poliovirus detections have been reported in 23 African countries. As countries ramp up vaccination efforts to protect children against the virus, one of the most critical components of the response is early and accurate detection. To enhance the effort, the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa (WHO […]

October 24, 2024

Africa

Commonwealth heads of government to defy UK on reparatory justice

[ad_1] Commonwealth heads of government are preparing to defy the United Kingdom and agree plans to examine reparatory justice for the transatlantic slave trade, the BBC has learned.Downing Street insists the issue is not on the agenda for the summit of 56 Commonwealth countries, which begins in the Pacific island nation of Samoa on Friday.But diplomatic sources said officials were negotiating an agreement to conduct further research and begin a […]

October 24, 2024

Africa

Africa: Humanitarian Aid Workers Face ‘Increasingly Difficult’ Conditions

[ad_1] The president of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has announced the establishment of the Red Family Fund to honor humanitarian aid workers who have died in the line of duty. Kate Forbes told the organization's general assembly in Geneva that aid workers find themselves working under "increasingly difficult" conditions that include not only an escalation in conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere but also a decrease in observance of international law. "Global […]

October 24, 2024

Africa

Africa: ‘Trauma That Echoes Across Generations’ – UN Highlights Weaponisation of Sexual Violence

[ad_1] The United Nations marked 15 years of its mandate on sexual violence and conflict with a commemoration ceremony held in New York on Wednesday. The mandate was established through Security Council resolution 1888 (2009) which called for appointing a Special Representative to lead UN efforts to address rape during conflict, among other actions. "It recognized that like bullets, bombs and blades, the widespread systematic use of sexual violence decimates communities, drives displacement and inflicts trauma that echoes across generations," […]

October 24, 2024

Africa

Africa: The Deepfake Is a Powerful Weapon in the War in Sudan

[ad_1] While still rudimentary - voice-cloning models can't yet relay convincing Sudanese dialects - the use of Deepfakes is now routinely used on Sudan's violent, if bloodless, alternative battlefield: social media. In April 2024, an image of a building engulfed in flames went viral on Facebook in Sudan. The image was widely shared with captions that claimed the building was part of Al-Jazeera University in Wad Madani city, and the Sudanese army had bombed it. Many political leaders and public […]

October 24, 2024

Africa

Africa: IMF Isn’t Doing Enough to Support Africa – Billions Could Be Made Available Through Special Drawing Rights

[ad_1] At the 2021 UN Climate Summit, Barbados prime minister Mia Mottley called for more and better use of special drawing rights (SDRs), the International Monetary Fund's reserve asset. The special drawing right is an international reserve asset created by the IMF. It is not a currency - its value is based on a basket of five currencies, the biggest chunk of which is the US dollar, followed by the euro. It is a potential claim on the freely usable […]

October 24, 2024

Africa

Africa: Number of Women Killed in War Doubled in 2023 – UN Report

[ad_1] The proportion of women killed in armed conflicts doubled last year compared to 2022, accounting for 40 per cent of all deaths in war, while UN-verified cases of conflict-related sexual violence increased by 50 per cent. The findings come in the Secretary-General's latest annual report on women, peace, and security. The rise in death and violence is "taking place against a backdrop of increasing blatant disregard of international law designed to protect women and children during war," according to […]

October 24, 2024

Africa