APO News from Africa:
Somali drought heightens risk to mothers during pregnancy and childbirth:
Of the 6.2 million people affected by the drought ravaging Somalia, more than 1.5 million are women of childbearing age. UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, is particularly concerned about the fate of 607,000 pregnant women across the country who need maternal health services to ensure a safe pregnancy and delivery, including emergency obstetric services. To help address their needs, UNFPA is scaling up its emergency response to help more than 130,000 pregnant women who may require urgent care.
Somalia already has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, with over nearly 1 of every 22 mothers dying from pregnancy related causes. More than 350 000 Somalis are refugees and a further 400 000 are internally displaced.
“I was struck by the fact that the face of displacement is a woman with her child. The men have stayed behind to tend their farms and livestock while it is the women who have made the arduous and risky trek often for many days to get some relief,” says UNFPA’s Chief of Humanitarian and
Fragile Contexts Branch, Ugochi Daniels, following visits to drought-affected areas in Somalia this week. “The toll of displacement, drought, and the lack of services on women and girls is immense, and calls for an equally immense response to provide direct medical services and support,” exclaimed Daniels.
UNFPA provides life-saving reproductive health services across Somalia including referral of complicated cases during pregnancy and delivery, emergency reproductive health kits and medical and psychosocial support to survivors of gender-based violence. UNFPA is appealing to international donors for funding of $ 24 million for the Somalia humanitarian response for reproductive health and to protect women and girls from gender-based violence (GBV).
Distributed by APO on behalf of United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
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Source: APO – Africa-Newsroom: latest news releases related to Africa
World Book and Copyright Day is celebrated every year on 23 April, the date on which both William Shakespeare and Miguel de Cervantes died. On this occasion, publishing houses, bookstores, libraries, cultural institutions and associations of authors mobilize across the world to promote reading, publishing, and protection of intellectual property.
This year the focus will be on the blind and the visually impaired for whom there is difficulty accessing books and other printed materials, which constitutes an obstacle to their full and effective participation in society. According to the World Blind Union (WBU), among the millions of books published worldwide each year, less than 10% are published in formats that are accessible to the blind. A rate that drops to 1% in developing countries.
“World Book and Copyright Day is an opportunity to highlight the power of books to promote our vision of knowledge societies that are inclusive, pluralistic, equitable, open and participatory for all citizens,” UNESCO Director-General, Irina Bokova said in her message given on the occasion of the World Book and Copyright Day 2017.
In accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, UNESCO advocates for the rights and needs of persons with disabilities and encourages the effective use of accessible, adaptive and affordable ICTs.
In this context, UNESCO is organizing a conference on accessibility issues, Accessibility, what are the challenges in publishing? (Monday, 24 April, 9 am to 12pm, ROOM II) with its partner Asfored (a French association for professional training and development in the field of publishing).
The Day also marks the beginning of the term of Conakry, capital of the Republic of Guinea, as World Book Capital (2017-2018). Conakry has been singled out by UNESCO and its partners “on account of the quality and diversity of its programme,” in particular ” its focus on community involvement,” as well as “for its well-structured budget and clear development goals with a strong emphasis on youth and literacy.”
The city of Conakry, along with the rest of the African continent, will be featured during the celebrations of the Day that will promote African literature at UNESCO headquarters on Monday, 24 April from 1pm to 5:30pm. Workshops, activities, reading clubs, musical performances and roundtables will be organized in the presence of African authors.
Several publishing houses will join the celebration, including À dos d'âne, Éditions Dagan, L'Harmattan Guinée, Editions Nubia, Michel Lafon Éditions, Présences Africaines and Librairie-Galerie Congo.
Distributed by APO on behalf of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
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Source: APO – Africa-Newsroom: latest news releases related to Africa
UK Government calls for the release of all abducted by Boko Haram:
On the third anniversary of the abduction of the Chibok school girls, Foreign Office Minister Tobias Ellwood and International Development Minister James Wharton said:
- Our thoughts are with the Chibok girls who remain missing, their families and all those abducted by Boko Haram. We are working side by side with Nigeria in the fight against Boko Haram and call for the release of all those who have been taken.
- During our visits to Nigeria last year, we heard how people’s lives have been devastated by Boko Haram. We are committed to supporting Nigeria in the fight against these barbaric terrorists. More than 22,500 Nigeria military personnel have received UK training, with a significant number deployed on counter insurgency operations in north-east Nigeria.
- Lasting stability and security requires all parties to work together to address the long-term causes of the conflict, and the empowerment of women and girls must be at the heart of this process. The UK was one of the first to respond to the humanitarian crisis in north-east Nigeria, and continues to reach millions of people who have been forced from their homes with lifesaving support to improve education, nutrition and basic health services to stop people dying from starvation and hunger.
- We will not be deterred from supporting Nigeria to tackle violent extremism and build peace for the people of north-east Nigeria.
Background
- Since 2014 the UK has significantly increased its support to help Nigeria in the fight against Boko Haram through the provision of a substantial package of military, intelligence and development support.
- The UK has contributed £5 million to the Multi National Joint Task Force, a regional force against Boko Haram, comprised of troops from Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, Chad and Benin.
- Last year, we provided £74 million for emergency food, shelter and health care for hundreds of thousands of people displaced by Boko Haram’s violent insurgency. DFID significantly increased its humanitarian support: from £1m in 2014 to £74m last year.
- In health, DFID is supporting the International Committee of the Red Cross, who have helped restore basic health care services for over 500,000 people affected by conflict, provided 150,000 immunisations for children and enabled over 20,000 women to give birth safely. In 2016 alone we reached over a million people with food and provided 34,000 children suffering from malnutrition with lifesaving treatment.
- In education, DFID is supporting access to education for over 25,000 marginalised children in the north-east, including girls, through an innovative approach that engages government, community members and religious leaders to introduce the teaching of literacy in the local language, numeracy and basic science alongside Quranic education in 200 “Integrated Quranic schools” (IQS). DFID supported research suggesting strong demand from communities affected by the conflict with Boko Haram to expand this approach.
Distributed by APO on behalf of United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
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Source: APO – Africa-Newsroom: latest news releases related to Africa
