APO News from Africa:
United States provides crucial support for people living with HIV/Aids in Southern Africa:
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomes a US$ 13.4 million contribution from the United States government to support people living with HIV, AIDS and TB in Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland and Zimbabwe.
The contribution comes from the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), through the US Agency for International Development (USAID). The funds will be used to provide specialised nutritious foods for the prevention and treatment of malnutrition among nearly 190,000 children and people living with HIV or tuberculosis (TB). They will also benefit some 36,000 food-insecure households and families hosting orphaned and vulnerable children.
“The contribution from PEPFAR comes at a time when we’re already seeing an alarming deterioration in food security as well as in the nutritional status of people living with HIV and in HIV-affected households,” says Rose Craigue, WFP Senior Regional Advisor for Nutrition & HIV for Southern Africa. “This support will enable WFP to scale up its programmes, reaching more people in need of assistance.”
The 2015/2016 El Niño event with its devastating drought affected countries that carry the highest burden of HIV in Southern Africa. The five countries targeted for PEPFAR support have HIV prevalence rates of between 10 and 26 percent.
People living with HIV or TB are particularly vulnerable to food insecurity and malnutrition. The antiretroviral medication they take is less effective unless combined with good nutrition. And when they do not have enough to eat, they are less likely to adhere to their treatment. This can lead to increased viral load, opportunistic infections and progression of the disease. Moreover, food insecurity has been found to increase gender-based violence and force people to engage in behavior such as transactional sex, which in turn makes them more vulnerable to HIV infection.
Distributed by APO on behalf of World Food Programme (WFP).
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Source: APO – Africa-Newsroom: latest news releases related to Africa
Over US.4 Billion Needed for South Sudan Refugees in 2017:
The UN Refugee Agency and the World Food Programme today urged donors to step up support for desperate refugees fleeing South Sudan. Humanitarian agencies are seeking USD 1.4 Billion to provide life-saving aid to South Sudanese refugees in the six neighbouring countries until the end of 2017 – according to an updated response plan presented in Geneva on Monday.
The South Sudanese refugee response plan so far remains only 14 per cent funded.
“Bitter conflict and deteriorating humanitarian conditions in South Sudan are driving people from their homes in record numbers,” said UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi.
The situation in South Sudan continues to worsen – with a combination of conflict, drought and famine leading to further displacement and a rapid exodus of people fleeing one of the world’s most severe crises.
“The suffering of the South Sudanese people is just unimaginable” said WFP Executive Director David Beasley. “They are close to the abyss. Violence is at the root of this crisis. Aid workers often cannot reach the most vulnerable hungry people. Many are dying from hunger and disease, many more have fled their homeland for safety abroad.”
South Sudan has now become the world’s fastest growing refugee crisis with more than 1.8 million refugees – including one million children, having sought safety in Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, DRC and CAR.
The current rate of people fleeing South Sudan exceeds the humanitarian community’s already pessimistic estimates. For example, the number of people fleeing to Sudan in March surpassed the expected figure for the entire year. Uganda is also seeing higher than expected arrivals and at this rate is likely to soon host over one million South Sudanese refugees.
“Our funding situation forced us to cut food rations for many refugees in Uganda,” Beasley said. “I find that unacceptable, and I hope you do too. These are families like yours and mine, our brothers and sisters, and the world must help them now — not later. Please help us do the job these people need us to do.”
UNHCR welcomed the outstanding generosity refugees have received in South Sudan’s neighbouring countries, but is alarmed by a situation which is now critical.
“Countries like Uganda have done all one could expect, but won’t be able to sustain support for refugees unless the rest of the world steps up,” warned UNHCR’s Grandi while presenting the revised needs to donors in Geneva.
With acute underfunding, humanitarian agencies are struggling to provide food, water, nutrition support, shelter and health services to refugees.
Communities hosting refugees are among the world’s poorest and are under immense pressure.
“Helping refugees is not just about providing emergency aid,” said UNHCR’s Grandi. “It also means supporting governments and communities in neighbouring countries to shore up services and economies in the areas receiving them.”
UNHCR coordinates the overall response with Governments, humanitarian agencies as well as with refugees and host communities. Currently Uganda hosts some 898,000 refugees, with 375,000 in Sudan, 375,000 in Ethiopia, 97,000 in Kenya, 76,000 in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and 2,200 in Central African Republic (CAR).
WFP provides food and cash assistance to more than 1.8 million refugees in the neighbouring countries.
The updated response plan does not cover humanitarian needs of around two million people displaced internally in South Sudan.
Distributed by APO on behalf of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
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Source: APO – Africa-Newsroom: latest news releases related to Africa
FAO addresses Pan-African Parliament on unlocking Africa’s agriculture potential:
Africa accounts for 45 percent of the world’s surface area suitable for agricultural production. Even with some large arid and semi-arid areas, the continent’s vast water resources are, on average underutilized, with only about 2-3 percent of renewable water resource in use, compared to five percent worldwide. Africa is also home to an abundant supply of labour for agriculture-related products and services.
However, 153 million individuals in sub-Saharan Africa, about 26 percent of the population above 15 years of age, suffered from severe food insecurity in 2014/15 and one in three children under the age of five are presently stunted (State of Food Insecurity 2016: Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition 2016).
“Unlocking the enormous potential of Africa’s agriculture to significantly contribute to sustainable and inclusive growth as well as to peace, security and prosperity, is key to achieving the ‘Africa we Want’ as espoused in the Africa’s Agenda 2063”, said FAO Director-General, José Graziano da Silva, in his address to the Fourth Session of the Pan-African Parliament that met on 11 May 2017 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The address was delivered on his behalf by Lewis Hove, FAO Representative, a.i., for South Africa.
Youth employment
According to FAO, sound rural development policies and programmes for young people are needed, to strengthen their capacities and facilitate access to productive resources needed to drive broad-based growth in the agricultural sector and rural economy.
With almost 200 million people between 15 and 24 years of age, Africa has the youngest population in the world.
FAO informed the Pan-African Parliament of a new FAO Special Programme, entitled “Youth Employment: enabling decent agriculture and agribusiness jobs”. This programme will support the continent in harnessing its huge demographic dividend, while contributing to the rejuvenation of the aging farming population.
Women empowerment
Another important aspect in unlocking the potential is to accelerate the enhancement of gender equity and women empowerment. FAO called for policy changes to be directed towards tackling discrimination against girls and women in educational systems, encouraging greater participation of women in productive and remunerative economic activities and increasing their voice in making decisions at all levels of society.
Food and nutrition security
In order to achieve the developmental objectives of Africa, da Silva called for the positioning of food security and nutrition at the highest level of political and legislative agendas.
“Parliamentarians are encouraged to take a lead and work closely with other stakeholders to advance food security, nutrition, and agriculture initiatives”, echoed Lewis Hove, reminding them of the new Memorandum of Understanding between FAO and the Pan-African Alliance, which provides a framework for continuing collaboration on activities of common interest in order to jointly advance legislative and budgetary frameworks for sustainable food security and nutrition in Africa.
Africa for Africa
The Africa Solidarity Trust Fund (ASTF) – an innovative Africa-led fund to support Africa for African development initiatives. The Fund was officially launched during the 38th Session of the FAO Conference in June 2013, with funding totaling over US$ 40 million and has been made possible thanks to African partnership with Equatorial Guinea, Angola and Cameroon as well as a group of civil society organizations in the Republic of Congo.
The Africa Solidarity Trust Fund (ASTF) with its partnership approach has supported over 36 countries to tackle hunger and poverty, and in so doing is making an important contribution to the Malabo Declaration and the Sustainable Development Goals.
African countries are encouraged to scale up Africa-wide cooperation and South-South and Triangular Cooperation.
Distributed by APO on behalf of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
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Source: APO – Africa-Newsroom: latest news releases related to Africa
