APO News from Africa:
New Study Finds Worrying Climate Trend in Karamoja Over Last 35 Years:
A new study carried out by the Government of Uganda and its partners has found a new weather pattern that threatens to worsen food insecurity in the Karamoja region if no action is taken.
The study found that the average monthly rainfall in the region increased over the last 35 years and that the rainy season is now longer by two months. However, the rains – which now fall from around March to the end of the year – increasingly varied in volumes. This unpredictability was found to undermine agricultural production, thereby threatening to aggravate food insecurity in Karamoja.
Released in Kampala today, the ‘Impacts of Climate Change on Food Security and Livelihoods in Karamoja’ found that temperatures have been rising in Karamoja over the last 35 years.
The rising temperatures threaten to increase the frequency, intensity and duration of heat waves in the region, therefore reducing availability of water for crops and animals. This too undermines food security.
A large majority of people in Karamoja, particularly women, were not aware that changes to the climate had been taking place over decades, the study states. However, most of the people that had perceived changes to the climate had not taken any action to adapt, typically because they did not know how to do so. Where trees were planted as an adaptation measure, the sale of charcoal and firewood were also a common measure that people took in response to climate-related crop failure.
Sponsored by the Swedish Government, the study was carried out in 2016 by the Ministry of Water and Environment with support from the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the CGIAR Consortium’s Research Programme on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security.
The Uganda Minister for Water and Environment, Sam Cheptoris, said today, “These are significant findings that threaten any hope for Uganda achieving its Vision 2040 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), if no immediate action is taken.”
Cheptoris said that his Ministry was already calling for a national and regional response, advocating for climate change sensitive approaches across all Government sectors, educating the population about climate change, and undertaking emissions profiles.
“Karamoja’s population is heavily dependent on rain-fed agriculture, which is highly vulnerable to climate change,” said El Khidir Daloum, WFP Country Director for Uganda. “However, little has been known previously about the impacts of climate change on food security, and in particular, the ability of households in the region to adapt.”
WFP hopes that the findings and recommendations of the study will contribute to efforts toward appropriate adaptation measures while helping to identify policies that will safeguard the most vulnerable communities in Karamoja.
The study recommended that the Government and its partners increase investments in water harvesting and agroforestry schemes, education of the people, improved access to climate change information and the cultivation of drought-resistant crop varieties.
Within the Ministry of Water and Environment, the study was carried out by the Climate Change Department and the Uganda National Meteorological Authority.
Distributed by APO on behalf of World Food Programme (WFP).
Download logo
Source: APO – Africa-Newsroom: latest news releases related to Africa
Media Advisory: Dakar is poised to host the largest union gathering in West Africa:
More than five hundred union leaders from across Africa and beyond are gathering in Dakar, Senegal this week for the 4th UNI Africa Conference (http://ForwardForANewAfrica.org). The conference will address the important role of unions in this Brave New Digital World in creating material difference for workers. UNI’s sectors, including Post and Logistics and Finance who signed global agreements with GeoPost and Auchan respectively last week, are holding meetings in the run up to conference. The importance of Youth and Women to the future of Africa are also underlined by the separate meetings also being held by UNI in Dakar this week.
PRESS CONFERENCE
Members of the media are invited to attend the opening of the summit at 4pm on Thursday, March 23 which will be followed by a press conference at 6pm at the King Fahd Palace. Members of the media are also invited to attend the UNI Africa Women’s Conference on Wednesday, March 22 at King Fahd Palace.
PLEASE NOTE: Only accredited journalists will be able to attend the event. Journalists will be required to present their press pass or ID to access the event.
Please click on this link to request an accreditation: http://apo.af/UNIAfrica.
SUMMIT DETAILS
A number of top leaders will address the meeting, including Nobel Peace Prize winner, Houcine Abassi, one of the members of the Tunisian Quartet who received the award in 2015 for nurturing a peaceful transition after the Arab Spring. The heads of all UNI’s African affiliates are taking part as well as keynote speakers from further afield including Professor Mark Graham from the Oxford Internet Institute who will focus on Africa’s digital future and the changing work landscape in Africa. Africa’s population is expected to double in the next 20 years up to 2 billion people, with the number of young people rising from 452 million to 1.2 billion, and the creation of new middle class of around 300 million drawn to new mega-cities. The number of multinationals operating in Africa is also expected to grow many fold, some from within Africa, others from outside, including the continued influence of China.
Distributed by APO on behalf of 4th UNI Africa Regional Conference.
Contact for journalists: Chakera@APO-OPA.org
Download logo
Multimedia content
- Image: 4th UNI Africa Conference
Source: APO – Africa-Newsroom: latest news releases related to Africa
U.S. Army Africa participates in Justified Accord 2017:
The U.S. Military, in partnership with AMISOM troop and police contributing countries, Allies, the African Union, and other international organizations are scheduled to conduct table top exercise Justified Accord 2017 (JA17), formerly known as Eastern accord, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, March 20-24.
JA17 is an AFRICOM-directed and U.S. Army Africa (USARAF)-led combined and joint exercise with approximately 100 military and government personnel participating from 10 nations.
This year's iteration will bring together African partners and Allied nations in a classroom setting to discuss topics related to peacekeeping operations. This exercise will include structured vignettes and practical applications related to transitioning AMISOM to a Somali-led mission. The end goal of JA17 is to increase interoperability, to further relationships with partners in the region, and to build upon the plan for a more robust exercise for JA18.
Once the exercise is complete, all exercise participants will return to their home countries and stations.
For more information, please contact USARAF PAO at email: usarmy.vicenza.usaraf.mbx.usaraf-pao@mail.mil or call +39-0444-61-8343.
Distributed by APO on behalf of U.S. Embassy Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Download logo
Source: APO – Africa-Newsroom: latest news releases related to Africa
