The UAEs Journey Towards Clean Energy

by Rajeev Batra (Abu Dhabi) Friday, January 29, 2016 Inter Press Service

ABU DHABI, Jan 29 (IPS) - (WAM) - The discovery of hydrocarbon reserves brought tremendous
prosperity for the UAE(United Arab Emirates) and made it a central player in the global energy market.
With one of the highest gross domestic product per capita levels in the world, the UAE has generally
used its wealth wisely to stimulate sustainable economic growth. However, volatility in oil markets,
growing unrest across the region and the growing threat of climate change has concentrated minds on
the need for immediate and decisive action.

Credit: Gulf News archiveThe UAE has long recognised that environmental
responsibility and economic diversification are essential for a better, more
sustainable future. As the first country in thelko.;,l region to set renewable
energy targets and as home to the International Renewable Energy Agency
(Irena), Masdar City and the Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park,
the shift towards cleaner energy sources and reduced carbon emissions is
evident.

Ahead of last month's COP21 summit in Paris, the UAE government pledged to
increase clean energy's share of the national energy mix to 24 per cent by 2021.
This is a pivotal step towards making the UAE a global centre of renewable
energy innovation. With more than 300 days of abundant sunshine every year,
increasing solar's share of the UAE energy mix should be attainable.
Hydrocarbons that are not burnt to generate electricity can be used for other,
higher value-adding purposes, or sold to increase the gross national income.
Clean energy could also reduce the long-term social costs the government will
face as adverse environmental and health effects could be minimised or even
eradicated.

The UAE should be proud of its clean energy leadership role. Abu Dhabi's
renewable energy agency Masdar was a key sponsor of Solar Impulse, the flying
laboratory full of clean technologies that represents 12 years of research and
development. Solar Impulse generated tremendous global excitement when it
attempted the first round-the-world solar flight to demonstrate how a
pioneering spirit and clean technologies can change the world.

WFPs Chief Calls for Support for Those Most

Vulnerable to Climate Change
by Friday Phiri (Pemba, Zambia) Wednesday, January 27, 2016 Inter
Press Service

PEMBA, Zambia, Jan 27 (IPS) - With El Nino affecting

countries in southern Africa, threatening agricultural
production due to a massive heat wave, the World Food
Programme has urged the international community to
support the upscaling of climate smart agricultural
technology for resilience.
During her recent visit to Zambia, one of the region's foremost
producers and exporters of maize and other crops, WFP Executive
Director, Ertharin Cousin said the situation was a crisis that should
not be allowed to degenerate into a disaster.
"We need to get organised and not let the situation, which is still at
crisis level degenerate into a disaster. I believe there are
opportunities that still exist through proven climate-smart techniques
such as conservation agriculture," said Cousin enthusiastically.
She said the time has come for the world to walk the talk' on climate
change adaptation, as agreed at the COP 21 Climate Conference in
Paris, last year.
"What I have seen here in Zambia has proved what I was saying at
the climate summit that the furthest behind are the most
vulnerable'therefore, making them resilient should be the ultimate
goal for us all. And I am talking adaptation through climate smart
technologies and crop diversity," she said.
While the challenge ahead is huge, the WFP chief thinks the future
should be defined by hope through what works to help smallholders
be more resilient.
Highlighting the case of Bishop Mweene, a conservation farmer in
Pemba district, whose maize crop survived a 22-day dry spell, Cousin
believes climate smart agriculture could be a difference between
success and failure in a climate changing world.
"If what we have seen at the lead farmer is anything to go by, then
we have the solutions in our hands. All we need is to upscale these
proven technologies to a wider community for them to reap the
benefits as he is doing," Cousin told IPS.

Farmer Mweene with wife at the far left back. Credit: Friday Phiri/IPSFarmer
Mweene, 51, boasts of a modern house with iron sheets which he says has been
made possible through increased productivity as a result of conservation
agriculture a climate smart agricultural technique that thrives on minimum
tillage guaranteeing enough moisture for crops to survive severe dry spells.
Through the Conservation Agriculture Scaling Up (CASU) Project by FAO and the
Ministry of Agriculture with financial support from the European Union, and now
part of index insurance based rural resilience by WFP, Mweene has seen a positive
change in his standard of living.

Press Freedom in Peril

by Moyiga Nduru (Juba, South Sudan) Wednesday, March 30,

2016 Inter Press Service

JUBA, South Sudan, Mar 30 (IPS) - A single phone call from an

irate security official is enough to shutdown a newspaper in
Sudan. Security agents sometimes employ unorthodox
methods: they storm the premises of a newspaper or a
printing press and confiscate print runs in full view of
employees. No reasons are provided. And there is no legal
recourse.
Sudan's widely criticised 2010 national security law enables the
country's dreaded security agents to operate with complete impunity.
The latest journalist to fall into the trap of the National Intelligence
and Security Services (NISS) is Faisal Mohamed Salih, who is no
stranger to state harassment. Salih said security agents prevented
him from travelling to Britain on March 25. "They told me that my
name was placed on a travel-ban list and my passport was seized,"
he posted on his Facebook page, after he was turned away from
Khartoum International Airport.
A fierce critic of the Islamic regime, Salih is the winner of the Peter
Mackler Award for courageous and ethnical journalism in 2013.
Salih's predicament is just the tip of an iceberg in a country where
journalists and media houses are constantly under attack. Al-Ayam,
Al-Mustaqilla and Al-Sudani are the latest newspapers to face the
wrath of the security organs.
In one of the most brazen raids, security agents, under the cover of
the early hours, tormed a printing house in the national capital,
Khartoum on March 15 and seized 20,000 copies of Al-Sudani
newspaper, without giving reasons.
Sources within Al-Sudani say the newspaper incurred a loss of 70,000
SSG (US$5,800) as a result of the raid. Such raids weaken
newspapers economically and prevent the public from reading what
the authorities want to be kept secret, journalists and media
watchdog say.
The raid on Al-Sudani happened as journalists at Al-Tayar, another
daily that has been closed since December 2015, were staging what
has now become a daily open hunger strike to force the authorities in
Khartoum to permit the newspaper to resume operations.

Few journalists believe that the hunger strike will work. "Hunger
strike may work in the West where the spectre of such an activity
always hangs heavily on the conscience of society. But in Sudan, if
you go on a hunger strike you may be considered abnormal and your
action will be regarded as un-Islamic. Perhaps only human rights
groups, friends and members of your family may sympathise with
you but not the government," Victor Keri Wani, author of 'Mass
Media in Sudan, Experience of the South 1940-2005'', told IPS in an
interview.
This is not the first time that Al-Tayar, a critic of the regime, has been
closed by the security agents since it began publication in 2009.
International media watchdog, Reporters Without Borders, said eight
issues of the newspaper have been seized since the start of 2015,
four of them in February 2015 alone.
The watchdog said security agents also briefly shutdown the
newspaper in 2012 after it blasted the NISS for illegally using
electronic gadgets to spy on opposition groups. In the same edition,
Al-Tayar also ruffled the feathers of some of the most powerful
Islamists by publishing a report on corruption in local governments.
Reporters Without Border recorded a total of 35 newspaper issues
seized by the security agents in 2014 alone. A week never passes
without seizure of print runs or closure of a newspaper by security
agents."The media in the Sudan is heavily censored and strictly
controlled by the security organs," professor William Hai Zaza, the
head of the Department of Mass Communications at the University of
Juba, told IPS in an interview.
The bad blood between the media and security agents began after
the junta, led by Omar al-Bashir, usurped power in a military coup,
effectively deposing an elected civilian government, in June 1989.The
junta set up pro-government publications to promote its vision of
Islam and Arabism.Journalists who refused to share the junta's views
were either jailed or fled the country.
It is an open secret in the Sudan that the Islamic government
continues to fund some publications to toe its strict policy line. "The
newspapers are allowed limited space for mild criticism of the
government. These criticisms are used by the government to
howcase its commitment to uphold the freedom of expression in the
country," Zaza said.
Reporters Without Borders has condemned the closing of Al-Tayar.
"We call for Al-Tayar to be reopened at once so that it can continue
providing the public with news coverage," said Clea Kahn-Sriber, the
head of the body's Africa desk, in a statement posted on the group's
website.
In the 2000s, Sudanese journalists had feared that state agents were
bent on a policy to eliminate them. This perception was influenced by
the 2006 incident in which unknown gunmen kidnapped and

beheaded the editor-in-chief of Al-Wifag newspaper, Mohamed Taha,

sending a chill in the media fraternity in Khartoum. The case has
remained unsolved to this day in a city known for its watertight
security network. Then journalist Lubna Mohamed al Hussein, whose
case attracted international media attention in 2009, was detained
and fined for wearing a pair of trousers, under Sudan's decency
law.Sometimes local problems tend to override the loyalty of progovernment journalists, landing them in trouble. "For example,
people around Katjabas Dam in the north of the country are always
protesting against the construction of the dam. And if you happened
to be a journalist from that area, surely, you'll get sympathetic and
publish the story, and your paper will be closed," Wani
explained.That is why Khartoum's several private FM radio stations
have chosen to play it safe by broadcasting entertainment or sports
24 hours a day. Security agents, who don't pay much attention to
them, deem entertainment and sports as less sensitive."Journalism is
a dangerous profession in the Sudan. Media practitioners must
protect their lives," Zaza said.Sudan is ranked 174th out of 180
countries in the 2015 Reporters Without Borders press freedom
index.Media experts say they do not see the light at the end of the
tunnel soon. "Media space will not open as long as the Islamists are
in power in the Sudan," Wani said.
Zaza agreed: "The repression of journalists will not go away soon. It
will take time".
Too often, government employs dangerous blackmail tactics to scare
journalists. The Islamists accuse critical journalists of being Israeli
spy, Mossad, or CIA agent, a euphemism for traitor, which is
punishable by death in the Sudan, Zaza said.

Saving Childrens Lives Through

Drones

by Charity Chimungu Phiri (Lilongwe, Malawi) Monday, March 28,

2016 Inter Press Service

LILONGWE, Malawi, Mar 28 (IPS) - The first successful testflight of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or drone was an
unhindered 10 km journey from a community health centre to
the Kamuzu central hospital laboratory in the capital
Lilongwe. Local community members watched with
excitement as the drone rose into the sky, after being
launched by the United Nations Children's Emergency Fund

(UNICEF) and government of Malawi at the area 25 health

centre.
The first of its kind in southern Africa, the US manufactured machine
was on trial till March 18 to determine if it could replace other modes
of transporting dried blood samples from rural clinics to the main
laboratories for early HIV screening in children.
UNICEF together with the manufacturer -- Matternet -- hope this
innovation will help solve logistical problems in Malawi's rural areas
due to the bad state of roads and high costs of diesel fuel, among
others.
Currently, motorcycles and ambulances are used to transport blood
samples between clinics and take up to 11 days to reach the
respective testing centers and two months for the results to come
back. The longer the delay between the test and results, the higher
the default rate of the patient.
According to government figures, 10, 000 children died of Aidsrelated illnesses in Malawi in 2014. Screening of HIV in children with
HIV positive mothers is a little more complicated than that of adults
as it requires more sophisticated machinery, which is hard to access
for most rural people due to distance.
UNICEF and the Malawi government expect this machine, which is
operated through a mobile phone app, will in the long run replace
motorbikes and reduce waiting times for results, thereby cutting
costs in accessing test results (and later treatment) if children are
found HIV positive.
Matternet's machine will be carrying about 1 kg of the blood samples
from rural clinics to main laboratories across the country. This is
another innovation from UNICEF after it launched the rapid SMS
programme in 2010 with the same aim of speeding up the process of
HIV testing and treatment among children.
The drones are said to be cheaper to run than motorbikes because
they only need electricity to recharge the battery, unlike motorbikes
which use a lot of fuel and need constant maintenance. Nevertheless,
their purchasing costs could be a hindrance as each drone costs MK5
million (equivalent to US$7,000).
However, health authorities believe the advantages of drones
outweigh the costs. The ninister of health, Peter Kumpalume, said "it
is specialist testing that we do for youngsters. If you delay giving
them treatment most of them won't live beyond two years age. So

the earlier the detection and the earlier the intervention, the longer
they live and become productive citizens of the country."
He added that this would not be the first time Malawi would be
making history in the HIV sector: "Malawi has pioneered a number of
innovations in the delivery of HIV services including the Option B+
policy which puts mothers on a simple, lifelong treatment regime. We
have also pioneered the delivery of results from the central
laboratory to the health facilities through text messages. We believe
our partnering with UNICEF to test UAVs is another innovation and
will help in our drive to achieve the country's goals in HIV prevention
and treatment."
Kumpalume furthermore noted that the new innovation was in line
with the Malawi government's 90-90-90 agenda: "Government
intends to achieve the 90-90-90 target where 90 per cent of
Malawians know their HIV status, to have 90 per cent of all those
diagnosed with HIV receive sustained anti-retroviral treatment, and
90 per cent of people on ART to have viral suppression", he said.
UNICEF's representative in Malawi, Mahimbo Mdoe, said HIV is still a
barrier to development in Malawi. "In 2014, nearly 40,000 children in
Malawi were born to HIV positive mothers. Quality care of these
children depends on early diagnosis. We hope that UAVs can be part
of the solution to reduce transportation time and ensure that children
who need it, start their treatment early," said Mdoe.
Malawi has a national HIV prevalence rate of 10 per cent -- still one of
the highest in the world. An estimated 1 million Malawians were
living with HIV in 2013 and 48,000 died from HIV-related illnesses in
the same year.
Whilst progress has been made, and today 90 per cent of pregnant
women know their HIV status, here is still a drop off with testing and
treating babies and children. The drone tests over the next week will
measure the equipment's performance with differing winds speeds,
humidity and distance and if the results prove positive, the
experiment will be expanded.
The test, which is using simulated samples, will have the potential to
cut waiting times dramatically, and if successful, will be integrated
into the health system alongside others mechanisms such as road
transport and SMS.
UAVs have been used in the past for surveillance and assessments of
disaster, but this is the first known use of UAVs on the continent for
improvement of HIV services Matternet co-founder Paola Santana
said it would be easier to use the machines in Malawi because of its

closely located health structures. Apart from Malawi, UAVs are also
being used in Haiti, Papua New Guinea and Switzerland.

Yemens Health Crisis is Critical,

Says WHO

by Tharanga Yakupitiyage (United Nations) Monday, March 28,

2016 Inter Press Servic

UNITED NATIONS, Mar 28 (IPS) - The health situation in

Yemen has severely deteriorated and is critical, the World
Health Organisation (WHO) has reported.
The conflict, which is now entering its second year, has devastated
the country's health system. Under-Secretary-General for
Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen
O'Brien has called the crisis a "human catastrophe." Since March
2015, more than 6,200 people have been killed and 30,000 injured.
WHO has expressed alarm over the rise in the number of causalities
amid hospital damages as well as shortages in trained staff and
medicine. Approximately 25 percent of all health facilities have
already shut down in the country.
However, health needs remain vast, said WHO Regional Director for
the Eastern Mediterranean Dr Ala Alwan.
"Operating in a conflict context is never an easy task," Alwan added.
According to WHO, more than 21 million people82 percent of the
total populationare in dire need of humanitarian aid.
Though the provision of health services was already weak prior to the
conflict, the escalation of violence has left millions of Yemenis
without access to essential health services.
As a result of air strikes and rockets, water infrastructure has been
and continues to be severely damaged. In February, a water reservoir
serving over 40,000 people was destroyed in the capital of Sana'a
following an airstrike.

Almost 19 million people currently lack access to clean water and

sanitation, increasing the risk of epidemics such as dengue fever,
malaria and cholera.
More than 14 million Yemenis also require urgent health services,
including over 2 million acutely malnourished children and pregnant
and lactating women. WHO found that 16 percent of children under
the age of 5 are acutely malnourished, with the rate in some areas
reaching more than 30 percent.
Alwan noted the numerous challenges in providing health services,
including lack of access to hard-to-reach areas.
Permission to move and distribute humanitarian foods and personnel
has been inconsistent by al-Houthi forces and allied groups such as
Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners.
In a statement to the Security Council, O'Brien found that
bureaucratic requirements have delayed and impeded the delivery of
humanitarian assistance and even restricted movement of aid
workers.
In one week alone in February, the Ministry of Interior in Sana'a
rejected travel permission to three separate UN missions.
More than one third of Yemenis in need of assistance live in
inaccessible areas.
Alwan highlighted the need for all parties to provide humanitarian
access to all areas of Yemen and to respect the safety of health
workers and health facilities which operate "under extremely
challenging conditions."
He also expressed concern over the limited funding for the health
sector, which has only received 6 percent of its 2016 requirements.
In February, the UN also appealed for $1.8 billion for the 2016 Yemen
Humanitarian Response Plan. So far, 12 percent has been funded.
"Despite our efforts so far, much more needs to be done to respond
to the health needs of people in Yemen," he urged.
Last week, UN Special Envoy to Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed
announced that the country's warring parties have agreed to cease
hostilities starting on April 10 and to continue peace talks in Kuwait
on April 18.

Under-Secretary-General O'Brien welcomed the move and urged for

continued action to support and provide assistance to civilians in the
country.

US Nuclear Security Summit

Shadowed by Rising Terrorism

by Thalif Deen (United Nations) Friday, March 25, 2016 Inter

Press Service

UNITED NATIONS, Mar 25 (IPS) - When some of the world's

major nuclear powers meet in Washington DC next Friday,
they will be shadowed by the rising terrorist attacks-- largely
in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
The 2016 Nuclear Security Summit, which will take place 31 MarchApril 1, will the fourth and final conference in a series initiated by US
President Barack Obama in 2009 to address one key issue: nuclear
terrorism as an extreme threat to global security.
According to the US State Department, the overarching theme of the
summit meeting, to be attended by the world's nuclear leaders, is
"the risk of nuclear or radiological terrorism and how nations can
mitigate this threat."
Dr Rebecca Johnson, a London-based expert on non-proliferation and
multilateral security agreements, told IPS the terrorist attacks that
ripped through Brussels "tragically remind us that President Obama's
key objective in setting up the Nuclear Security Summits was to
prevent nuclear materials getting into the hands of anyone wishing
to use them for nuclear or radiological weapons."

"As well as strengthening intelligence and transnational cooperation,

I hope they won't forget that the risks start with the nuclear weapons
in the arsenals of the nine nuclear-armed states".
These nine include the five permanent members of the UN Security
Council the US, Britain, France, China and Russia plus India,
Pakistan, Israel and North Korea.
Johnson said access to nuclear weapons and materials would be
greatly reduced if governments would take bold steps to prohibit
everyone from using and deploying nuclear weapons, along with
activities like transporting warheads and nuclear materials.
This is one of the initiatives being discussed in a UN Working Group in
Geneva this year.
"But the Obama administration appears determined to block any
progress towards this nuclear security objective, which would put
nuclear weapons on the same illegal, pariah footing as chemical and
biological weapons," said Dr Johnson, who founded the Acronym
Institute for Disarmament Diplomacy in 1996 after working as an
activist and then analyst on the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty
(CTBT) negotiations Dr M.V. Ramana, a physicist and lecturer at
Princeton University's Programme on Science and Global Security and
the Nuclear Futures Laboratory, told IPS: "As the last nuclear security
summit during the Obama administration's term, I hope that the
summit will not be an exercise in futility. Unfortunately, I don't think
we should have any expectations of any dramatic breakthroughs".
To start with, he said, all the Security summits have been very
narrowly focused on just civilian HEU (Highly Enriched Uranium).
Occasionally there is some talk about plutonium, but this is more the
exception than the rule.
The real big stockpiles of fissile material are the military stockpiles of
highly enriched uranium and weapon grade plutonium that are
possessed by countries with nuclear weapons, and the large
quantities of reactor grade plutonium accumulated by countries that
reprocess their spent fuel, he pointed out.
"These stockpiles should be the real focus of any process that is
interested in reducing nuclear dangersand unfortunately I think the
upcoming summit will fail that test", said Dr Ramana, the author
of The Power of Promise: Examining Nuclear Energy in India.
Dr Johnson told IPS though it's essential to share intelligence and
ensure the best possible safety and security practices around nuclear
facilities and materials, but more sustainable security requires ending

the production and use of plutonium and highly enriched uranium not only for weapons purposes, but also for military purposes like
naval nuclear reactors in submarines and for all commercial
purposes.
"There's no need for these highly dangerous fissile materials to be
produced or used any more".
She said banning the production, use and trade in plutonium and
HEU should be a no brainer for anyone who really cares about
preventing nuclear use and terrorism.
But unfortunately the US and many others who plan to be in
Washington next week are so stuck in their own outdated nuclear
dependencies that they will prefer to rearrange the deckchairs rather
than tackle the tough challenges that require them to change
direction, he added.
"The two most salient measures they could take to prevent nuclear
terror are the ones they will try to avoid - a nuclear ban treaty to take
these WMD (weapons of mass destruction) out of circulation, and
measures to end the production and use of plutonium and highly
enriched uranium for all purposes," declared Dr Johnson.

Three International Days in a Week,

But Is Anybody Listening?

by Monique Barbut (Bonn, Germany) Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Inter Press Service

BONN, Germany, Mar 22 (IPS) - For three consecutive days this week, we
gave thought to our future. On International Forests Day, Monday, 21
March, we were reminded that forests are vital for our future water needs.
On Tuesday, 22 March, World Water Day, we learned that half the world's
workers are involved in the water sector and some 2 billion people,
especially women and girls, still need access to improved sanitation. World
Meteorological Day, on Wednesday, 23 March, concluded with the warning

of a hotter, drier and wetter future. A reality that is already evident and
frightening, as productive land turns to sand or dust.
Is anybody listening?
The overall message of this week is: we have developed a reckless appetite
for resources and we are not doing enough to meet future demand. But
nature is neither kind nor forgiving. When the resources are exhausted or
destroyed humans will lose, and lose big.
Few of us can visualize a future without trees, fresh water or productive land
while the resources are still flowing and politicians muddle the science.
Denial and inaction have prevailed except in countries like Rwanda and
Ethiopia where land degradation has already led to economic ruin, poverty
and political conflict.
Ethiopia's history offers us a glimpse into what our own future might look
like if we fail to act now. Its story of recovery should inspire us to act
while we still can.
In just one century, Ethiopia reduced its forest cover from 40% to below
3%. It is easy to see why. In a country where agriculture is the main source
of livelihoods for 85 percent of the country's 90 million people, and also
makes up 90% of the exports, it seemed like there was little choice.
Following decades of deforesting and converting forests into farmland, the
land's vulnerability to recurrent and longer droughts grew. By the 1980s,
food and water shortages were severe. The political situation worsened in
tandem. But Ethiopia is rising, and her people are doing the unimaginable.
For the 2007 World Environment Day, Ethiopia signed up for a 60 million
tree-planting campaign. Success led to a bolder target. In late 2014, Ethiopia
announced to the world that it will recover 22 million hectares of degraded
lands and forests. That is an area more than one-sixth of the entire country.
Recently, Ethiopia took the bolder step of becoming land degradation
neutral by 2036. Under this scheme, it plans to recover and rehabilitate,
voluntarily, up to 33 million hectares of degraded land to ensure the
country's productive areas remain stable thereafter.
Ethiopia is re-covering the power to feed itself and replenishing its ground
water sources, but has gained much more than it anticipated. It is creating
new jobs every day, by paying its population to restore degraded lands. It is
re-building the means to shield itself or recover from the future drought
risks. And there is a global bonus. Ethiopia's highlands are nourishing River
Nile, a lifeline for the drier countries downstream. Ethiopia's experience is
rich, with lessons for everyone.

Restoring degraded land, is a revolutionary, yet counter-intuitive, way to

create formal jobs, eradicate poverty, replenish ground water sources, revive
dying lands, manage disaster and climate change risks, and channel
resources to the neediest.
The Bonn Challenge, which aims to restore 350 million hectares of
degraded forests, is also built on inspiring stories of land restoration. Costa
Rica doubled its forest cover in 25 years, and boosted its tourism industry.
In just 15 years, land users in the Shinyanga area of northern Tanzania
restored 2 million hectares of land, and household incomes doubled. The
Republic of Korea restored more than half its forest cover and now earns up
to US$50 billion in ecosystem services every year.
We are treading a dangerous path with a bleak future, but that path is not
fated. We can change the trajectory of our history by our choices as
individuals, organizations and countries.
At the UNCCD, we have chosen to follow the example of countries like
Ethiopia. We are working with countries, UN partners, civil society
organizations and women and youth groups to recover 500 million of the 2
billion hectares of land we have degraded in the course of our development.
Since the adoption of the global Goals for sustainable development last
September, 65 countries have expressed interest in our programme to set out
voluntary targets to become land degradation neutral by 2030. This is a seachange that few people could have visualized five years ago.
We may never know the true value of the International Days. But they offer
unique moments to share inspiring stories that are too often lost in the
clutter of political negotiations. If we listen to the stories and act on them,
we can influence hearts and minds, and inspire action.

Water Crisis in Zimbabwe

by Andrew Mambondiyani (Mutare, Zimbabwe)Tuesday, March

22, 2016

MUTARE, Zimbabwe, Mar 22 (IPS) - A narrow dirty trail snakes

through what used to be a small dam in Mpudzi Resettlement
Scheme south of the eastern border city of Mutare. And what
remains of this once perennial dam is just a small puddle of
mudded water; the dirty water is completely covered with
thick green algae.

The dam used to provide water for livestock and non-drinking uses
for the surrounding villages. And this dam could have overflowed had
it been a good rainy season as the area receives much of the rainfall
between February and April every year.
However, as the rainy season this year comes to an end, hopes of an
increase in water levels in the dam are fast fading. Some rivers,
Chitora, Mushaamhuru and Nyadziye which run through Mpudzi
resettlement area are also drying up.
These rivers, which were once perennial, would have been in spate
by March but the El Nino- induced drought which ravaged the country
has left them dry. Zimbabwe, smarting from another drought last
year, received low rains this season.
The El Nino phenomenon is caused by warming in the Pacific Ocean
and according to experts this results in a 70 per cent chance of a
drought in Zimbabwe. This year's El Nino condition has been severe,
resulting in crippling drought in many countries in the Southern
African region. "The situation doesn't look very good for us and our
livestock," a local villager, Elijah Ngwarati told IPS.
Electricity generation at Chipendeke Micro Hydro Power Station has
become erratic due to low water levels in Chitora. In Buhera district
west of the city of Mutare, villagers are travelling up to 12 kilometres
in search of water. This situation will worsen when rivers dry up.
"Women are travelling long distances to get water. As you can see
this area is very dry. The river is very far from here," said Shellington
Tavaringana, a 63 year-old villager from Buhera.
Save (Sabi) River provides water for irrigation, domestic use and is
also a source of fish for local communities in the low veld areas in
Chipinge district. "But the (water) situation now is really bad.
Musirizwi River is almost dry while water in Save is very low. I have
approached NGOs to help drilling boreholes in the area and I am
expecting a response this month," said Prosper Mutseyami who is the
legislator for Musikavanhu constituency in Chipinge district.
Major urban centres have also not been spared by the devastating
drought, particularly those in the southern parts of the country.
According to the country's water national authority, the Zimbabwe
National Water Authority (ZNWA), dams which supply water to cities
and towns like Masvingo, Plumtree, Gwanda, Beitbridge and
Bulawayo were below 50 per cent of their capacity early this year.
The country's biggest inland dam, Mutirikwi, which supplies water to
Masvingo city and the commercial sugar farms in the low veld, is left
with only 25 per cent of its capacity.

ZNWA warned that serious water shortages in some areas in the

country are likely. In a recent report the water authority said: "While
the responsibility to come up with cost effective and quickly
implementable measures lie with government, the ZNWA and other
relevant stakeholders in the water sector, the success of such
measures is dependent on the commitment of all water users to
practice water conservation".
ZNWA advised that rainwater harvesting -- even in a season of low
rainfall -- should be practised. Harvested rainwater can be used for
non-drinking household chores like washing clothes, watering
gardens or flushing toilets. A World Bank Group report revealed that
in addition to the central role of water in Zimbabwe's agricultural
sector, water availability also had direct socio-economic implications
for other sectors such as health and energy.
"Energy production which underpins most other production sectors
relies largely on the flow of the Zambezi River either of hydropower
generation or for the cooling of (Hwange) thermal power stations,"
the Bank report said.
The national hydro power station at Kariba Dam has been greatly
affected by the drop in water levels to 12 per cent by February with
electricity generation dropping to mere 285 megawatts from an
installed capacity of 750 megawatts. The report also noted that per
capita availability of water was projected to fall by as much as 38 per
cent by 2050 in Zimbabwe, even with low population growth.
And against this background, the World Bank Group is working with
the government to address the impact of climate change on the
availability of water by integrating sustainable water development
and management into the country's National Climate Change
Response Strategy (NCCRS) and into the proposed National Climate
Policy.
Under the NCCRS, the United Nation Development Programme
mobilised a US$4 million special fund to support climate change
initiatives to benefit up to 10 000 smallholder farmers in three
districts in the country.
The fund will help to construct and rehabilitate dams, irrigation
schemes, rainwater harvesting and boreholes drilling in Chimanimani
and Buhera districts in Manicaland province and Chiredzi district in
Masvingo province. The project, which was launched in Mutare last
year, will run for four years with US $1 million to be released each
year.

The Unknown Fate of Thousands of

Abducted Women and Girls in Nigeria
by IPS Africa Friday, April 15, 2016 Inter Press Service

, Apr 15 (IPS) - The plight of 219 Chibok schoolgirls abducted two years ago is all too common
in Nigeria's conflict-affected north-eastern communities, and up to 7,000 women and girls
might be living in abduction and sex slavery, senior United Nations officials on 14 April 2016
warned.
"Humanitarian agencies are concerned that two years have passed, and still the fate of the
Chibok girls and the many, many other abductees is unknown," said Fatma Samoura,
Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria.
At the hands of their captors, they have suffered forced recruitment, forced marriage, sexual
slavery and rape, and have been used to carry bombs. "Between 2,000 and 7,000 women and
girls are living in abduction and sex slavery," said Jean Gough, Country Representative of the
UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Women and girls who have escaped Boko Haram have reported undergoing a systematic
training programme to train them as bombers, according to UNICEF. And 85 per cent of the
suicide attacks by women globally in 2014 were in Nigeria.
In May 2015, it was reported that children had been used to perpetrate three-quarters of all
suicide attacks in Nigeria since 2014. Many of the bombers had been brainwashed or coerced.
As the Nigerian military recaptures territory from Boko Haram, abducted women and girls are
being recovered. Over and above the horrific trauma of sexual violence these girls experienced
during their captivity, many are now facing rejection by their families and communities,
because of their association with Boko Haram.
"You are a Boko Haram wife, don't come near us!" one girl reported being told. Effective
rehabilitation for these women and girls is vital, as they rebuild their lives.
Chibok Abduction Not Isolated Incident
Children have suffered disproportionately as a result of the conflict. The Chibok abduction
was not an isolated incident, the UN reports. In November 2014, 300 children were abducted
from a school in Damasak, Borno, and are still missing.
A UNICEF report, released earlier this week, states that 1.3 million children have been
displaced by the conflict across the Lake Chad Basin, almost a million of whom are in Nigeria.
Similarly, Human Rights Watch have reported that 1 million children have lost access to
education.

Thousands of people, mainly women and children, are scattered across the arid land of
Nguigimi, Niger, after fleeing Boko Haram violence in Nigeria. Photo credit: WFP Niger/Vigno
Hounkanli. "The abducted Chibok girls have become a symbol for every girl that has gone
missing at the hands of Boko Haram, and every girl who insists on practicing her right to
education," said Munir Safieldin, Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria.

More needs to be done by the Nigerian Government and the international community to keep
them safe from the horrors other women and girls have endured. Safe schools are a good
start, but safe roads and safe homes are also needed.

"We Cannot Forget the Girls from Chibok"

Marking two years since Boko Haram abducted 276 girls in Nigeria, a United Nations child
rights envoy on 13 April reiterated a call to bring them back, stressing that the international
community must "be their voice" and help give children of Nigeria and the region the peaceful,
stable lives they deserve. "It is up to us to be their voice and give them back the life they
deserve," said Leila Zerrougui, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children
and Armed Conflict, in a message on the anniversary. Two years ago, in the middle of the
night, 276 girls were abducted by Boko Haram from their school dormitory in Chibok, in
Nigeria's northeast. Fifty-seven escaped hours later but what happened to the remaining 219
girls has been unknown.In the past two years, the conflict has continued to grow and Boko
Haram's activities have spilled over into the neighbouring countries of Cameroon, Chad and
Niger. More children have been abducted. Hundreds of boys and girls have been killed,
maimed and recruited by Boko Haram.Children Used as Suicide BombersIn what has become
one of the armed group's most gruesome tactics, women and children, girls in particular, have
been forced to serve as suicide bombers in crowded markets and public places, killing many
civilians, according to Leila Zerrougui.

Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict Leila
Zerrougui (centre), meets displaced children and their families in northeastern Nigeria, in
January 2015. Credit: UN "It is no surprise that in the midst of such violence, families
decided to flee to safer areas in Nigeria, and to neighbouring countries. With over two million
people displaced, including more than one million children, often separated from their
families, the UN has described these massive displacements as one of the fastest growing
crises in Africa."

In the past year, as the Government of Nigeria has retaken control of some territory in the
country's northeast, Boko Haram captives were liberated or have been able to escape,
including many children.

"Girls and boys told distressing stories about their captivity, including how entire villages were
burned to the ground, and recounted stories of rape and sexual violence, recruitment and use
of children by the group, as well as other violations," said the Special Representative of the
Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict.

"These children yearn for the safety of their families, but going back to their communities can
mean persecution and mistrust," she said. "Girls who come back as young mothers face even

greater challenges. These traumatised children require assistance and our support to fight
stigma and rejection."

Missing Out on Education The conflict's impact on education has been no less profound.
Over 1,500 schools in North Eastern Nigeria have been destroyed and the teachers are gone.
Hundreds of thousands of children are missing out on their education. The international
community's efforts to support initiatives to bring children back to school are essential and
must be maintained.Much has been done to help children reintegrate back into their
communities and return to school, but the need far exceeds the resources available."It is our
collective responsibility to keep shining a spotlight on these children in need and ensure they
have a future in which they can overcome these challenges," she said.The abduction of the
Chibok girls catalysed international action, including in the Security Council. In June 2015,
Council members adopted resolution 2225 that made the act of abduction by an armed group
or force a trigger to list them in the annexes of the Secretary-General's annual report on
children and armed conflict, she noted.This means future acts of abduction, like in Chibok,
can translate into a listing for those perpetrators and increase pressure on them by the
international community."We cannot tolerate the abduction of children. We cannot forget the
girls from Chibok," she said.

Can an Animal Heist Fable Help Solve the Middle East Crisis?
by Baher Kamal (Rome) Friday, April 15, 2016 Inter Press Service

ROME, Apr 15 (IPS) - 13 April 2016 Make no mistake--the Middle East is the longest and
perhaps the most complex crisis in recent History, this explaining the innumerable,
successive and frustrating- attempts to solve it.
Now, while expecting the US president Barack Obama to follow the "tradition" of his
predecessors of calling for a big summit in Washington to talk about this crisis as one of his
last official acts, an animal heist fable has just appeared as a new try to serve as poignant
metaphor for Middle East relations. See what is this all about: A 4.5 meter giraffe is one of the
main characters in Giraffada, a film shown on April 13 at the United Nations headquarters in
New York, depicting the struggles of living in a Palestinian town as seen through the eyes of a
young boy who has a close connection with the animal.
The award-winning production's title is a cross between "giraffe" and "intifada" or Palestinian
"uprising," the director Rani Massalha told the UN News Centre in an interview ahead of the
screening.
"The film is set during the second Intifada," Massalha said, referring to a period of intensified
Israeli-Palestinian violence from September 2000 to February 2005.
The film focuses on a widowed Palestinian veterinarian, Yacine, and his 10-year-old son, Ziad,
who are trying to keep a giraffe named Rita from dying of loneliness after her partner is killed
in an Israeli air raid. The only viable solution is for Rita to be placed in a zoo in Tel Aviv,
Israel, or so it seems.
Created as a fable, the film shows "what it is to be a kid in West Bank today living in war,
living with a wall surrounding you, with checkpoints, colonies, it's a very different childhood
from people in the West," the director said.
In one of the most emotional scenes in the film, a giraffe meanders through Palestinian
streets, temporarily stopping day activities, such as shopping and praying, as people watch in
jaw-dropping disbelief.
"The giraffe is the tallest animal in nature so it sees man from above looking down," Massalha
said, a reference to the height giving the animal perspective to see the situation in the Middle
East as it is, not politicized.

The director also used giraffes as a metaphor for how the relationship between the Israelis
and Palestinians could be, with two giraffes coming together from both sides of the West Bank
barrier, known simply as the wall.
In this interview clip, Massalha discusses how he came up with the idea of having the world's
tallest land animal star in the film, and the connection with hope for peace in the Middle
East.
The screening was organised under the auspices of the UN Working Group of the Committee
on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People.
Deputy Permanent Representative of Malta to the United Nations and Chairperson of the
Working Group, Natasha Meli-Daudey, said the film was chosen because of its portrayal of
"the reality of the conflict and the impact of the Israeli occupation on the daily life of
Palestinian adults and children."
"We thought the film was well suited to inform a UN and broader New York audience about
such topics," she continued, adding that more than 500 people, including children, attended
the screening.
The film's human characters include different portrayals of Israeli and Palestinian
personalities, often with fluid stereotypes. The characters include an Israeli veterinarian, who
is actually played by an Arab actor of Moroccan descent, and whose help is integral to the
plot's success.
In contrast, there is an angry confrontation between the characters and a gun-wielding Israeli
settler.
Despite it being a film with animals, shown through a child's eyes, there are scenes that
touch on the brutality of living in a war zone. Rather than give away the film's ending, the UN
News Centre asked Massalha to explain one of the scenes from the film The 'Two-State
Solution Is in Danger'
All this is fine. The point is that only one day after the film screening, a new UN report
warned that the viability of a two-state solution --which envisages peaceful co-existence of
both Israel and Palestine-- is in danger due to the negative trends on the ground, including
recent violence, on-going settlement activity, demolitions, incitement, and the absence of
Palestinian unity.
The report, issued on April 14 by the Office of the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East
Peace Process (UNSCO), highlights an increase in settlement activities by Israel and a further
consolidation of Israeli control over the West Bank.
It underscores that the demolition of Palestinian homes and livelihood structures more than
doubled in the reporting period as compared
with the previous six months, noting that
the total demolitions by mid-April already
exceeded last year's total. The report also
expresses concern over Palestinian access to
land and natural resources in 'Area C' of the
West Bank, among other development
factors.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency
for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
(UNRWA) has condemned the April 6 large
scale home demolitions by Israeli authorities in the Bedouin refugee community of Um al
Khayr in the South Hebron Hills.
A boy in the Bedouin refugee community of Um al Khayr in the South Hebron Hills where
large scale home demolitions by Israeli authorities took place. Credit: UNRWA As a result,

according to UNRWA, 31 Palestine refugees, including 16 children, were made homeless in a

community that has endured several rounds of demolitions and often faced harassment from
the nearby illegal Israeli settlement of Karmel.
Already this year, over 700 Palestinians have been displaced by Israeli demolitions in the West
Bank. This figure is approaching the total number of displaced for all of 2015, said Lance
Bartholomeusz, Director of UNRWA Operations in the West Bank, who stated that he was
"appalled" by the "unjustifiable" demolitions, which are in violation of international law.
"As the UN has said repeatedly, these demolitions must stop," said UNRWA.
Regarding the Palestinian side, the new UNSCO report notes that despite continuing
reconciliation discussions held in February and March between Fatah, Hamas and other
Palestinian factions in Qatar, no consensus has been reached on achieving genuine
Palestinian unity.

"The formation of a national unity government and the holding of elections are vital to laying
the foundations of a future Palestinian state," the report adds.

Degenerated Human Rights Situation

Citing a protracted humanitarian crisis in the occupied Palestinian territory, the report says
that "some 1.1 million people in the West Bank and some 1.3 million in Gaza, over 900,000 of
them refugees, need some form of humanitarian assistance in 2016."
The report stresses that the human rights situation degenerated with the dramatic rise in
clashes between Palestinians and the Israeli Security Forces in the West Bank, including East
Jerusalem, increased instances of punitive measures against families of alleged perpetrators
of attacks, and administrative detentions.
The new UN report will be presented to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC) at its bi-annual
meeting in Brussels on 19 April. The Committee, chaired by Norway and co-sponsored by the
European Union and the United States, serves as the principal policy-level coordination
mechanism for development assistance to the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Merely three weeks ago, the UN envoy for the peace process in the Middle East warned the
Security Council that the prospects for an independent Palestinian state are disappearing,
and questioned the political will of the Israeli and Palestinian actors to address the main
challenges blocking peace efforts.
"The time has come to ring the alarm bells that the two-state solution is slipping from our
fingers," on 24 March said Nickolay Mladenov, Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace
Process, pointing to ongoing Israeli settlement activities and confiscation of Palestinian land,
as well as the continued lack of genuine Palestinian unity.

Genetic Resources to Fight Climate Change

by Justus Wanzala (Nairobi, Kenya Friday, April 15, 2016 Inter

Press Service

NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 15 (IPS) - With Kenya's meteorological records over the last 50 years
indicating increased irregularity and variability in precipitation, the effects of changing
climate are hitting hard. Rising temperatures as well other forms of extreme weather events in
form of droughts and floods are a common feature.
Keen to employ multipronged mitigation initiatives, Kenya is now focusing on exploiting
genetic resources for solutions to combat climate change.
As a result, the country has launched the first ever national strategy on genetic resources
within the context of climate change for the 2016-2020 period. The strategy, which was
launched earlier in Nairobi, outlines constraints and opportunities and suggests mitigation
and adaptation strategies against climate change impacts.
Willy Bett, cabinet secretary, ministry of agriculture, livestock and fisheries, said during the
launch of the strategy that Kenya has a rich diversity of genetic resources that can be
exploited for climate change adaptation and mitigation. Bett said plants, animals, insects,
aquatic and microbial organisms found in terrestrial, aquatic and below ground habitats and
ecosystems as some of the country's diverse genetic resources. "The resources constitute a
rich national heritage that needs to be conserved and harnessed to sustain human
livelihoods in terms of food, shelter and medicines," he pointed out.
Indeed, biodiversity is a valuable asset, which if appropriately leveraged will provide most
solutions to impacts of climate change and other social hardships. The potential of genetic
resources for adaptation and mitigation of climate change has not escaped the attention of
climate change experts. The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) in
studies it carried out on behalf of the United Nation's Commission on Genetic Resources for
Food and Agriculture on the potential of genetic resources in adaptation and mitigation of
climate change noted that genetics are key to tackling impacts of climate change.
The studies whose findings were published in 2011 in a publication titled coping with climate
change: the importance of genetic resources for food security pointed out that genetic
resources will remain an essential insurance policy that offers responses to future changes in
production conditions.
FAO is a key player in seeking solutions to climate change challenges through genetic
research. In Kenya, it is supporting initiatives that enhance conservation and use of plant
genetic resources through characterisation and regeneration or multiplication.
Desterio Ondieki Nyamongo, director, Kenya Genetic Resources Research Institute (GeRRI)
which is based at the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO) says
partnership with FAO has seen the institute develop the national strategy and action plan on
plant genetic resources within the context of climate change (2016 - 2020). "This document,
launched by the agriculture cabinet secretary in January this year, was one of the outputs
supported by the benefit sharing fund of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources
for Food and Agriculture. The project was undertaken in partnership with United Nations
Development Programme, Kenya," he says.
Nyamongo states that the national strategy and action plan on plant genetic resources within
the context of climate change also supported the generation of three policy briefs and several
extension materials: these include production of media materials advocacy, awareness
creation on conservation and use of genetic resources into climate change adaptation
planning, policies and strategies. The information, he added, is intended for the general
public and policy-makers.
FAO is not alone in focusing on genetics in search of interventions in combating negative
effects of climate change. Sara Quinn, regional communications specialist, communications
and public awareness department, International Potato Center, based at the International
Livestock Research Centre campus in Nairobi says climate change will exacerbate drought and
heat in agriculture and as a consequence increase pressure from pests and diseases.

Bett however enumerated various challenges that affect the conservation, utilisation and
sharing of benefits of plant genetic resources. First is the excessive degradation of plant
biodiversity and over exploitation, which has led to depletion of some species and narrowed
their genetic base. This has been further exacerbated by the effects of climate change. Second
is increasing over-exploitation, bio-piracy and destruction of habitats as well as loss of
indigenous knowledge.
Another obstacle is multiplicity of institutions with legal mandates to regulate various aspects
of genetic resources leading to inadequate coordination and conflicts in management of
genetic resources. Lack of a comprehensive biodiversity conservation facility for animal,
microbial and aquatic genetic resources which compromises germplasm security is another
challenge highlighted by the cabinet secretary.
The FAO studies having noted challenges that hinder better use of genetic resources in
tackling climate challenges called for common, internationally coordinated solutions. These
include a reliance on diversity, either of the species currently in production or of new species
entirely mostly from other countries. "The need to maintain genetic diversity will only grow
with the severe and rapid changes that are anticipated due to climate change" noted the
study.
These studies recommended that policy-makers being cognisant of the fact that climate
change will increase the interdependence of countries in the use of genetic resources for food
and agriculture.
According to Bett, his ministry is strengthening the sub-sector, through measures such as
enactment of the national seed policy which was done 2010. The policy outlined the direction
and specific interventions for realising sustainable seed industry development. Another
intervention is reviewing the act on seed and plant varieties to enable application of best
practices in seed certification procedures, plant variety release protocols, plant breeder's
rights and anchorage of regulations on management of plant genetic resources for food and
agriculture.
Besides that, the ministry endeavours to strengthen the institutional capacity of the Kenya
Plant Health Inspectorate Service and providing for structured engagement with industry
stakeholders. Bett says the establishment of GeRRI under KALRO is expected to hasten
coordination and legal operationalisation and alignment of genetic resources management to
international best practices. This will ease conservation, access and benefit sharing arising
from the use of plant genetic resources.
The strategy launched by the government and action plan identifies five strategic objectives.
These are: promoting conservation of plant animal, aquatic and microbial genetic resources,
promoting conservation of plant animal, aquatic and microbial genetic resources and
strengthening policy institutional capacity. Others include improving access and sustainable
use of our rich genetic diversity and enhancing knowledge management and information
dissemination.
Eliud Kiplimo Kireger, KALRO director general, said Kenya's economy is depended on the
natural resource base making it highly vulnerable to climate change effects. Extreme climate
and climate variability are already affecting the production of and access to food for different
social groups thus rendering domestic agriculture less effective in meeting nutrition and food
security needs.
Kireger said they aim to mobilise support and resources to combat the effects of climate
change. As a result, KALRO is focusing its efforts through GeRRI which houses the only long
term ex situ conservation facility in the country - a gene bank.
According to him, the gene bank currently holds a repository of 50 000 plant accessions
representing 165 families and 893 genera and close to 2000 species.

He says GeRRI's national strategy on genetic resources within the context of climate change
will effectively mobilise support in conserving and utilising genetic resources.

Female Engineers Defy the Odds

by Kizito Makoye (Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania) Wednesday, April 13,

2016 Inter Press Service

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania, Apr 13 (IPS) - Nearly every aspect of modern life is a result of the
work done by engineers; from running water to the internet, sky-scrapers to smartphone apps
that people use for dating. Sadly, in Tanzania this profession attracts only a few women due to
prevalent attitudes that it is a man's job.
Women have been kept at bay due to lack of interest in science and maths that is mandatory
for one to venture into the field. But the industry is slowly changing as more and more women
have followed their passion to become engineers.
In Tanzania, few girls complete secondary education due to widespread poverty and the
perception among parents that girls should carry out domestic chores rather than going to
school. If they are in school, girls receive little encouragement to study mathematics and
science subjects, which are widely considered as the arena for only male students.
You need to go where your heart leads you. Be flexible and opportunistic. If something comes
up, jump on it. If it doesn't work out you can always go back.' said Zuhura Said a trained
female engineer currently working with Temesaa government's agency for electrical and
mechanical works.
With funding from the Norwegian government, Tanzania's Engineering Registration Board
(ERB) is implementing a special initiative which aims to double the number of female
engineers. The Structured Engineers Apprenticeship Programme (SEAP) is designed to equip
female engineering graduates with practical knowledge and experience to become professional
engineers.
In Tanzania, a four-year engineering education and a minimum of three years practical work
experience is required before one is allowed to register as professional engineers.
The engineering profession is highly male-dominated in Tanzania. Many women who venture
into the field often drop out due to lack of funding and other reasons.
Although the first female engineers in Tanzania graduated in 1976, official statistics show
that by 2015 only five per cent of all registered engineers in the country were women.
But under the SEAP programme, technical women are empowered to confidently hold and
manage positions of power so that they can be competitive in a male- dominated profession.
"Focus on being an engineer, rather than worrying about being a woman in a male-dominated
environment," Said advised, adding that it is important to understand your motivation as
most women in engineering are asked'.
Under this programme, SEAP trainees are placed at relevant engineering institutions where
they gain practical working experience. They have to prepare a weekly and quarterly report to
submit to their mentors

After three years of practice, the trainee has to submit a final report compiling information
about the content of the work experience acquired. This report has to be reviewed by at least
three external senior registered engineers and approved by the ERB for the trainee to become
registered as a professional engineer.
According to ERB, the SEAP programme has contributed to increase the number of registered
female engineers and contribute to an improved gender balance in the profession.
The Norwegian government has since 2010 injected a total of NOK 13.9 million to support
and strengthen the capacity of female engineers mostly covering their monthly allowances.
Benedict Mukama, ERB's assistant registrar said since its inception, the programme has
enrolled a total of 291 female candidates out of which 143 have already been registered as
professional engineers.
According to Mukama, the foreign donors support is crucial to help female engineers manage
themselves financially and to limit the number of drop-outs during the training.
"The Norwegian funding has brought in a new spirit, even the number of female applicants
has increased and more people see the importance of registering," Mukama said. According to
ERB, the total number of female engineers has steadily increased from 96 in 2010 to 297 in
2015 as compared to 4,091 registered male engineers.
"There are more women now who are taking science subjects, most of them are doing better
than men. We have been receiving the best graduating female engineers from universities who
have done better that their male counterparts", Mukama told IPS.
According to ERB, many female engineers who got financial support have secured relevant
jobs even before they finished their stints and some of them have started their own
businesses.
According to her female engineers still face hurdles in climbing the career ladder due to lack
of role models, mentors and access to professional networks. "I think that there are still
unique challenges that female engineers in Tanzania face, because it is such an incredibly
male-dominated field," said Martha Daniel a trained engineer and SEAP beneficiary.
ERB statistics show that female engineering trainees who do not have access to extra funding
often have a higher drop-out rate than those with extra funding. A number of female
engineers interviewed by IPS expressed optimism that one day they will be able to defeat male
dominance. "Some people were telling me it is very hard to become an engineer as a woman,
since engineering is for men only' felt Daniel.
According to her, the presence of a higher number of registered female engineers would
motivate young girls to study science subjects and take up engineering courses. "I am working
on something which I can see, even my children will see, as something which was supervised
by mother" she said

More Children Displaced, Used for

Suicide Attacks by Boko Haram

by Tharanga Yakupitiyage (United Nations) Tuesday, April 12,

2016 Inter Press Service

UNITED NATIONS, Apr 12 (IPS) - A dire humanitarian and security crisis continues to worsen
in the Lake Chad Basin with severe consequences for youth, said Regional Humanitarian
Coordinator for the Sahel Toby Lanzer.
"Boko Haram's horror continues to wreck the lives of millions and millions of people," Lanzer
told press.
The Lake Chad Basin comprises of over 30 million residents from Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad
and Niger. While visiting Northeastern Nigeria, Lanzer saw rampant poverty and food
insecurity in the region with villages that were "completely deserted, completely destroyed."
Children especially bear the brunt of this insecurity.
According to the UN's children agency (UNICEF), of the almost 3 million people displaced by
Boko Haram-related insecurity, 1.3 million are children. This is one of the fastest growing
displacement crises in Africa, UNICEF noted.
In its new report, the UN children's agency found that the number of children with severe
acute malnutrition spiked in one year from 149,000 to almost 200,000.
Youth also continue to face threats of kidnapping and recruitment.
With the second anniversary for the Chibok kidnappings soon approaching, the majority of
the girls still remain missing. However, Lanzer noted that this is just one case.

"The plight of the girls who were takenthat is one awful example, in a litany of awful
examples," he said, adding that the those who have been taken by Boko Haram now number
in the thousands.
As they continue to disappear from the Lake Chad Basin, children as young as eight years old
are increasingly used in suicide attacks.
One out of every five suicide bombers deployed by the terrorist group has been a child and are
mostly girls, UNICEF reported.
"To me, that's the epitome of evil," Lanzer told reporters at a press briefing. "I cannot think of
anything more horrifying."
The report found that 44 children were used in suicide attacks in 2015, a ten-fold increase
from 2014. Cameroon had the highest number of attacks involving children, reflecting the
increased spillover of violence in the region.
Many kidnapped girls also experience sexual violence and forced marriage. In one account,
Cameroonian 17-year-old Khadija told UNICEF that she was kidnapped while visiting her
mother in Nigeria and forced to marry to one of the group's militants.
"'If you don't marry us, we will kill you,' they said. I will not marry you, even if you kill me,' I
responded. Then they came for me at night. They kept me locked in a house for over a month
and told me whether you like it or not, we have already married you,'" she recalled.
For those who do return home, communities often shun them out of fear that they will turn
against their families. Khadija revealed the discrimination she faced after escaping Boko
Haram and arriving at a displacement camp. "Some women would beat me, they would chase
me away. Everywhere I went, they would abuse me and call me a Boko Haram wife," she said.
Lanzer urged for a broader engagement in the Lake Chad Basin to address not only shortterm relief, but also long-term development and security challenges to help stabilise the
situation. "More can be done," he said. "I know that every donor capital at the moment is
stretchedbut when I see the scale of destruction and the level of suffering that stared me at
the faceI haven't seen anything worse anywhere recently," he concluded.
So far, UNICEF has only received 11 percent of its $97 million appeal to provide lifesaving
assistance to families affected by Boko Haram violence in the Lake Chad Basin.

What the Panama Papers Mean for

Global Development
by Tharanga Yakupitiyage (United Nations) Tuesday, April 12, 2016 Inter
Press Service

UNITED NATIONS, Apr 12 (IPS) - The financial secrecy and tax evasion revealed by the
Panama Papers has an extraordinary human cost in developing countries and threatens the
realisation of the UN's ambitious Sustainable Development Goals.
The ongoing leak -- made public by media outlets including German newspaper Sddeutsche
Zeitung, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) -- has already
prompted protests and investigations around the world. The papers connect thousands of
prominent figures to secretive offshore companies in 21 tax havens and reveal the inner
workings of the offshore finance industry.
The documents focus on Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca, with its 210,000 entities,
and has led to allegations that the firm aided public officials and multinational corporations
to avoid taxes. Mossack Fonseca say that media reports have misrepresented the nature of
their work and its role in global financial markets.

In one case, leaked emails contained in the Panama Papers suggest that the Heritage Oil and
Gas Ltd Company (HOGL), sought help from Mossack Fonseca to sidestep tax laws in Uganda.
According to ICIJ, upon the sale of an oil field, the company received a tax bill of $404
million. In an effort to avoid paying the taxes, the entity fought the Ugandan courts and
meanwhile tried to relocate to Mauritius, according to the leaked emails.
Mauritius has a double tax agreement with Uganda, allowing companies such as HOGL to
only pay taxes in one of the two countries. In 2000, the International Monetary Fund (IMF)
listed Mauritius as a preferred location for companies due to its minimal tax laws.
These havens deny developing countries such as Uganda of much needed tax revenue for
essential services, Oxfam's Senior Tax Policy Advisor Tatu Ilunga told IPS.
"Tax havens are at the heart of a global system that allows large corporations and wealthy
individuals to avoid paying their fair share, depriving governments rich and poor of the
resources they need to provide vital public services and tackle rising inequality," said Ilunga.
In Uganda, approximately 37 percent live on less than $1.25 per day. The East African nation
also has one of the highest rates of maternal and under-five mortality rates in the world.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Uganda is one of the top ten countries
that account for the majority of global maternal deaths.
In a country that lacks access to health services, HOGL's $404 million in taxes represents
more than the country's health budget.
Former governor of Nigeria's oil-rich Delta State James Ibori was also implicated in the
Panama Papers,allegedly using Mossack Fonseca as an agent for four offshore companies in
Panama and Seychelles. These entities provide anonymity, hiding true owners' names and
actions and thus allowing for finances and assets to be undeclared and untaxed.
Though he was detained in 2012 for diverting up to $75 million out of the country, Nigerian
authorities estimate that Ibori stole and stored over $290 million in tax havens.
Like Uganda, Nigeria ranks low in health indicators, contributing to some 10 percent of global
maternal, infant and child deaths. Poverty has increased in the country with 61 percent living
below the poverty line, according to the most recent Nigerian Bureau of Statistics report.
The Niger Delta region in particular, despite being a significant contributor to the country's
economy through oil production, remains the poorest and least developed region in Nigeria. In
Ibori's Delta state alone, 45 percent of people live in poverty. The UN Development Programme
(UNDP) report found that the majority of people in the region lack access to potable water,
electricity, health facilities and infrastructure including roads and telecommunications.
"Have you seen any taps here?...Water used to run in public taps, but that had stopped 20
years ago. We basically drink from the river and creekshygiene is secondary," a Niger Delta
Resident told UNDP.
Though Ibori's stashed money represents only a slice of Nigeria's budget, it is indicative of a
global and pervasive problem that goes beyond Mossack Fonseca.
Transparency International's Senior Policy Coordinator Craig Fagan told IPS: "If you think
about the millions of files that have been released and the number of high profile individuals ,
this is just one law firm in Panama." .
"We can be certain that there are many other law firms whether in London, Hong Kong, New
York, Miami that are operating similar structures," he said.
According to Oxfam estimates, at least $18.5 trillion is hidden in tax havens worldwide. The
organisation found that two thirds of this offshore wealth is hidden in European Union

related tax havens while a third is in UK-linked sites where it is left undeclared and untaxed.
Oxfam said that their estimate is a conservative one.
The Swiss Leaks, also released by ICIJ in 2015, revealed how over 106,000 clients from
Venezuela to Sri Lanka hid more than $100 billion in Swiss HSBC bank accounts.
Another analysis from Tax Justice Network (TJN) reveals that between $21 to $32 trillion is
being diverted into offshore companies.
This has enormous effects in developing countries, costing poor nations over $100 billion in
lost tax revenues every year, according to Oxfam. The charity also found that tax dodging by
multinational corporations alone costs the developing world between $100 billion and $160
billion per year. Added with profit shifting, approximately $250 billion and $300 billion is lost.
This "missing" money could lift every person above the $1.25 per day poverty threshold three
times over, according to Brookings Institution calculations.
Oxfam added that for every $1 billion lost through commercial tax evasion, 11 million people
at risk across the Sahel region could have enough to eat, 400,000 midwives could be paid in
Sub-Saharan Africa which has the highest maternal mortality rates, and 200 million
insecticide-treated mosquito nets could be purchased to reduce child mortality from malaria.
In addition to lost development finance, Ilunga also noted to IPS that such actions have
exacerbated inequality in the world, stating: "This is the same rigged system that has created
the situation wherethe wealth of the richest 1% surpasses the combined wealth of the rest
of the world."
Though the use offshore companies is not illegal, Ilunga asserted that the legality of such
actions is precisely the issue.
"Tax dodging exists in a legal gray area with some activities clearly violating the spirit of the
law even though those activities are not technically illegal. But the fact that these activities
are legal is precisely the scandal we are most concerned with," Ilunga said.
Fagan told IPS that it does not matter whether it is legally acceptable to have tax avoidance
schemes.
"Just because it's not illegal does not mean it is not a form of manipulation, form of
corruption," he said.
Ilunga and Fagan noted that the Panama Papers are a wake-up call and urged governments to
end harmful tax practices and close loopholes. They highlighted the need to institute a public
registry which lists companies' true owners, where money is being earned and how much is
being earned.
Ahead of the United Kingdom's anti-corruption summit to be held in May 2016, Oxfam and
TJN also called on the U.K. to lead the fight by halting their large network of tax havens
including in the British Virgin Islands and the Cayman Islands."The anti-corruption summit
provides an opportunity to dismantle the financial secrecy that threatens the progress against
poverty before it even begins," said Oxfam Policy Advisor Luke Gibson and TJN's Director of
Research Alex Cobham in a briefing paper.
Cobham told IPS that though global reforms are essential, domestic stakeholders must
ensure that tax revenues will be used to help meet the recently adopted Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs).
Included in the SDGs are commitments to reduce illicit financial flows and corruption by
2030 and to strengthen domestic resource mobilization including improving capacity for tax
and revenue collection.