Category: General

Children living in the three conflict-affected states in north-east Nigeria have continued to endure grave violations, though in decreasing numbers, mainly at the hands of Boko Haram-affiliated and splinter groups, and efforts must be increased to protect children from violence and conflict, highlights the third report of the UN Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict in Nigeria released today.

A total of 694 grave violations against 532 children have been verified during the reporting period from January 2020 to December 2021. Though this represents a sharp decrease compared with the previous report during which 5,741 grave violations were verified for a three-year period, the highly volatile and rapidly evolving security situation in north-eastern Nigeria continues to have a negative impact on the protection of conflict-affected children and is reverberating across the borders in the Lake Chad Basin region. Additionally, grave violations intensified within the reporting period, from 250 grave violations verified in 2020 to 444 verified in 2021.

“The children of Nigeria and of the Lake Chad Basin region have to live under the constant fear and threat of grave violations against them, especially gruesome violations at the hands of Boko Haram-affiliated and splinter groups. They further risk being caught up in military operations against the group by Government Forces. I urge Boko Haram-affiliated and splinter groups, notably Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS) and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), to release all children associated with them and abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law. I urge all parties to immediately end all violations against children,” said the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba.

Children were abducted, killed and maimed, recruited and used, and endured sexual violence with the main perpetrators remaining Boko Haram-affiliated and splinter groups. The abduction of children continued to be a key concern in 2021, with the highest number of children verified as abducted (211) since 2014.

Overall, 212 children were verified killed or maimed mainly by gunshots during crossfire, which represented 90 per cent of all child casualties. 70 children were verified as recruited and used, a violation often compounded by other grave violations such as abduction, sexual violence, or killing and maiming.

The detention of children for their actual or alleged association with parties to the conflict remained worrying, with 275 children (260 boys, 15 girls) detained. The Special Representative reminds that children allegedly or actually associated with parties to conflict should be considered primarily as victims and that alternatives to detention should be actively sought after. She further calls on the Nigerian authorities to grant the UN unimpeded access to detention facilities and calls upon the Government of Nigeria to urgently endorse and implement the handover protocol for children associated with armed groups to civilian child protection actors.

63 girls endured sexual violence, a violation always challenging to document and verify owing to the survivors’ fear of stigma and lack of access to some conflict-affected areas by the country task force. It is thus understood that the number does not capture the prevalence of cases of sexual violence against children in Nigeria.

Attacks on schools and hospitals continued with 30 incidents verified, as well as the denial of humanitarian access with 32 incidents verified. Furthermore, the targeting by armed groups of schools, health and humanitarian facilities led to a spike in out-of-school children and by the end of the reporting period, UNICEF estimated that at least 10.5 million children were out of school in Nigeria, one-third of Nigerian children.

Progress for the Protection of Children in Nigeria

The reporting period was marked by the successful implementation of the Action Plan to end and prevent the recruitment and use of children by the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), following the completion of which the group was delisted in 2021. The Special Representative commends the constructive work done by the Government of Nigeria and the CJTF in that regard and their continued engagement to end and prevent the recruitment and use of children and other grave violations.

The signing into law by the Borno state Government of the Child Rights Act was another positive step, and so was the reintegration of 6,503 children (3,752 boys, 2,751 girls) formerly associated with armed groups, which the Special Representative welcomes. All children were provided with reintegration support by UNICEF implementing partners and in collaboration with the relevant authorities. The Special Representative calls on the international community to continue to support politically and financially all reintegration efforts, including through the Global Coalition for Reintegration of Child Soldiers.

“While the security situation remains explosive with dramatic consequences for children, I want to commend the work of child protection and humanitarian partners on the ground. I urge all parties to respect the civilian character of schools and hospitals and to allow safe and unimpeded access for humanitarian actors to affected populations,” the Special Representative added. “The United Nations stands ready to continue to support the Government of Nigeria and international partners to ensure that all children in Nigeria are effectively protected from violence and hostilities.”

Source: UN Office of the SRSG for Children and Armed Conflict

Nouakchott, 25 August – Some 50 participants from seven countries in the Western Sahel and Lake Chad Basin took part in an interactive training on integrating disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation into development decision-making in Nouakchott, Mauritania, on 23–25 August, the first of its kind in West Africa, at the invitation of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Sweden in partnership with the ECOWAS Commission.

“In practice, disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation complement each other; they are two sides of the same coin with a common goal, which is to reduce the vulnerability of communities to current and future extreme weather events,” explained Anna Tjärvar, Counsellor at the Swedish Embassy in Addis Ababa and Programme Officer for Environment, Climate Change and Renewable Energy in a video address.

The high costs of the impacts of disasters and climate change related to droughts, fires, floods, and epidemics justify a different approach to development that considers the multiple underlying risks to which people are exposed.

“Development gains remain fragile and are being challenged by new threats, including the impacts of climate change. These threats are interconnected, crossing national borders, and occurring simultaneously,” said Cheikh Fall, United Nations Resident Coordinator a.i. in Mauritania.

For this training, the Sahel Resilience Project supported by Sweden partnered with the UNDP Regional Bureau for Africa, UN agencies such as FAO and Unicef, and regional institutions, namely the African Union and ECOWAS Commissions and the Niamey-based AGRYMET/CILSS climate centre to help build the capacity of government officials in seven partner countries from the Sahel.

“The training is timely as countries prepare for COP27 on climate change, where climate risk and development issues will be widely discussed,” Mr. Fall underlined.

The ECOWAS Vision 2025, and the Hydro-Met initiative, have led to significant advances in member states’ policies in environment, agriculture, food security, disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation.

“Climate variability and extreme events are now major risks to sustainable development, and there is compelling scientific evidence that these threats will accelerate in the coming decades,” said Mohammed Ibrahim, Head of the Disaster Risk Reduction and Humanitarian Affairs Division at the ECOWAS Commission in Abuja.

“The integration of climate risk management into development planning and decision-making processes is now making it possible to exploit the synergies between development, climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction,” added Mr. Ibrahim.

The approach introduced to participants at the Nouakchott training was developed by UNDP Crisis Bureau and Bureau for Policy and Programme Support in response to repeated requests for practical guidance on integrating disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation into development and the 2030 Agenda.[3]

As a long-term strategic process, risk-informed development aims to integrate disaster and climate risks into development planning and budgeting processes at national, sub-national and sectoral levels. It recognizes the complexity of risk contexts, which are also characterized by insecurity, epidemics, and economic volatility.

At the end of the three-day training, participants return to their respective countries in the Western Sahel and the Lake Chad Basin with a menu of concrete actions to advance risk-informed development in line with the African Union’s Agenda 2063.

Source: ECOWAS

The present report, which covers the period from January 2020 to December 2021, is submitted pursuant to Security Council resolution 1612 (2005) and subsequent resolutions on children and armed conflict. It is the third report of the Secretary-General on the situation in Nigeria and contains information on the impact of armed conflict on children during the period from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2021.

The report is focused on the three conflict-affected states in north-east Nigeria, namely, Adamawa, Borno and Yobe. Highlighted herein are grave violations against children committed by parties to the conflict, including Boko Haram-affiliated and splinter groups, notably Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati Wal-Jihad and Islamic State West Africa Province, the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) and the Nigerian Security Forces.

In the report, the Secretary-General notes that, despite a decrease in verified grave violations against children compared with previous years, the highly volatile and rapidly evolving security situation in north-eastern Nigeria continued to have a negative impact on the protection of conflict-affected children. He presents trends and provides information on verified violations, notably the abduction of children, which was the most prominent violation verified. The detention of children for their alleged association with armed groups is also highlighted as an issue of concern.

In the report, the Secretary-General highlights the efforts made by the Government of Nigeria and by CJTF to strengthen the framework to respond to, end and prevent grave violations against children. The report also contains recommendations for ending and preventing grave violations in Nigeria and improving the protection of children.

Source: UN Security Council

In order to gain a better understanding of mobility flows and trends throughout West and Central Africa, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) implements the Displacement Tracking Matrix’s Flow Monitoring (FM) tool at key transit points across the region.

In The Gambia, DTM conducts Flow Monitoring activities at several important transit locations: in 1) Barra (FMPs are located at the ferry terminal and the main garage);

Farafenni (FMPs are located at Farafenni main garage, Farafenni Ballan-Ghar garage, Farafenni McCarthy and Sanjally garage, Farafenni turntable garage, and the truck garage); 3) Basse (FMPs are situated at the main garage and the bus station in Basse Santa-Su) and 4) Brikama (FMPs are located at the main garage and the Bus station).

These activities enable DTM to monitor the movements of passengers within The Gambia, out of, and towards The Gambia as well as transiting The Gambia.

This report presents the key results from the Flow Monitoring Survey conducted with travelers between October and December 2021. The report presents data collected on flows, routes, provenance, destination, and demographic profiles of travelers observed at the FMPs.

Source: International Organization for Migration

MAPUTO, Sept 8 (NNN-IRIN) – Mozambican President, Filipe Nyusi, said yesterday that, six people were beheaded and another three were kidnapped by terrorists, who attacked several villages in Erati and Memba districts, in the northern province of Nampula, over previous days.

Nyusi was speaking in the southern city of Xai-Xai, at celebrations marking “Victory Day.”

Nyusi said, the terrorists causing panic in Nampula are those that were driven away by the Defence and Security Forces in the neighbouring province of Cabo Delgado.

One of the attackers was captured, leading to five arrests, said the president.

“The Defence and Security Forces continue to be committed to the task of defending the territorial integrity and are doing everything with the help of their partners, for the rapid re-establishment of peace and security in those regions,” said Nyusi.

He also announced that 40 more terrorists have surrendered to the authorities, in the Cabo Delgado districts of Palma, Mocimboa da Praia, and Nangade.

Source: Nam News Network

PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY: (Via interpreter) Dear State Secretary, colleagues, first and foremost, I would like to extend words of gratitude for your visit and the visit of your team. It sends a very important signal that confirms the leadership support and the leadership positions of the United States, in terms of their support to Ukraine in this war, for our freedom, for democracy, for our nation, for our people, for our territory in this war against the aggressor, the Russian Federation.

And we are grateful for this signal, for the enormous support you are providing on the day-to-day basis, and we’d like to extend words of gratitude to you personally and to the administration of the President Biden, him personally. I would like also to extend words of gratitude to the Congress of the United States for these very constructive steps of support in many directions – the financial support, which is allocated to ensure the stability of Ukrainian economy, as well as further reinforces the capabilities of our armed forces, which are defending the territorial integrity of Ukraine on the battlefield.

These are very important signals saying that United States are with us. And for us it’s a guarantee of the possibility of returning our territories, our lands. And I highly appreciate your arrival, and I’m sure that we can cover many topics today in a more detailed manner.

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Mr. President, thank you so very much. It’s wonderful to see you again, to see my friend, Dmytro. We speak on the phone frequently, but it’s even better to see him and you in person. This is my fifth trip to Ukraine in this job, the third since Russia’s invasion, if you count as one trip the occasion when Dmytro and I met on the border very early and we stepped into Ukrainian territory.

But Mr. President, we know this is a pivotal moment. More than six months into Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, as your counter-offensive is now underway and proving effective, that is of course mostly the function of the incredible bravery, resilience of Ukrainians. We see that on the battlefield every day. We are so pleased that we’ve been able to support your efforts and we’ll continue to do so. But fundamentally what this comes down to, the reason for this success, is that this is your homeland, not Russia’s. And it’s as basic as that.

Mr. President, I am pleased to be able to announce, as we did earlier today, additional support for Ukraine, another $675 million in assistance and supplies that your military is already using to such great effect – rockets, artillery, armed vehicles, anti-tank systems, and more. This is the 20th drawdown, as we call it, and that brings our total commitment in security assistance to Ukraine since February to $13.5 billion.

We also notified our Congress of our intent to provide Ukraine with an additional $1 billion in what we call foreign military financing. This is for longer-term acquisitions of systems. We are also providing $1 billion, additional dollars, of financing for our European allies and partners, who’ve been doing so much to support Ukraine. This will allow the purchase of systems that you need, and others will need, over the longer term to deter and defend against any future aggressions from Russia. It will be the kind of assistance that is durable and enduring, as the prime minister and I discussed. I’m looking forward to an opportunity to hear about the counteroffensive, which is part and parcel of putting you, putting Ukraine, in the strongest possible position both on the battlefield and in the event there is a future opportunity for diplomacy.

Another key aspect of this is the massive cost and the massive consequences that Moscow is being subjected to as a result of its aggression. And I think it’s important to continue to emphasize that because what we see is costs on Russia that are already extraordinary and they’re going to get heavier and heavier. We see its GDP in freefall, anywhere between 9 and 15 percent this year; an exodus of more than 1,000 international companies from Russia, a brain drain of the most talented people from Russia; a huge decline in their imports so that they are unable to replace the weapons that they are using. They are unable to produce the products for their own people that they’ve expected in the past. They’re unable to make the things that they used to export to other countries, and their markets will dry out as a result. And they’re unable to borrow money against their sovereign debt.

So it’s gotten to a point where Moscow is now seeking military assistance from North Korea and Iran as we have systematically choked off their access to inputs elsewhere, and we will continue to exert that pressure until the aggression ceases and Ukraine is fully sovereign and independent.

Across all of these measures, our support – the pressure on Russia, the humanitarian and economic assistance – I think together we’ve proven very effective, and we will keep (inaudible). You have our word and our track record. I should also add this: The rest of the world, of course, has felt the consequences of Russia’s aggression. And one of the consequences has been an increase in food insecurity that was already severe because of climate change and because of COVID. Russia’s aggression added to that problem.

The agreement that was reached that lifted the blockade by Russia on Odesa has already resulted in 100 ships bringing grain and food products to the world, and most of that has gone to what we call the Global South – countries in Africa and elsewhere who are the most in need. President Putin’s threat to discontinue that agreement I think will deeply anger and upset the countries that are benefiting now from Ukraine’s right to export its own food.

Very quickly, Mr. President, in April I pledged that we would reopen our mission at the first possible opportunity. Today, joined by Ambassador Brink, I spent some time with our team at the embassy. It was very meaningful to me to see the American flag flying over the United States embassy. We are committed to it, and I’m glad we did it.

Secretary of Defense Austin and I also promised that we will continue to provide security assistance at the president’s request, and as I mentioned, we’ve since provided billions of dollars. Today, the Secretary of Defense Austin is in Ramstein, Germany where he has been working and coordinating with countries around the world in providing assistance to Ukraine.

I said we’d continue to step up with economic assistance. Since April, we’ve provided about $7.5 billion in economic support that goes directly to your (inaudible), including support for 600,000 teachers, and the school year has now started. And so for your future, for our future together, this is so important. We’ll continue to be there for you.

Finally, Mr. President, I visited a children’s hospital today, and that made very real the costs (inaudible) that you’re suffering, but also what’s at stake – quite literally the future of the country, as represented by those children who are victims of Russian aggression. Their bravery, their courage is incredibly inspiring. It’s clear, Mr. President, that Ukrainians both young and old have extraordinary resolve. So does the United States.

Thank you.

Source: US State Department

With the COVID-19 pandemic delaying meningitis vaccination campaigns for more than 50 million children in Africa, the region is at a heightened risk of outbreaks of meningitis type A, the UN health agency said on Thursday.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and partners have launched a roadmap to stop by 2030, bacterial meningitis outbreaks on the continent.

In a race against time, African countries are being urged to rapidly implement the plan before the start of the meningitis season in January, which runs until June.

“More than 400 million Africans are still at risk of seasonal meningitis outbreaks, but the disease has remained off the radar for too long,” said Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa

Meningitis is caused by inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Acute bacterial meningitis can cause death within 24 hours and leaves one in five survivors with lifelong disability.

African success story

Historically, type A was the highest meningitis outbreak in Africa.

However, in 2010 the effective MenAfriVac vaccine was developed and deployed throughout the continent.

With WHO and partners’ support, more than 350 million people in 24 high-risk African countries have to date, received the MenAfriVac vaccine.

While meningitis type A accounted for 90 per cent of cases and deaths before 2010, no new cases have been reported since 2017.

Controlling that lethal form of meningitis has led to fewer meningitis type A deaths and while half of meningitis-affected people died in 2004, in 2021, 95 per cent of cases survived.

“The defeat of meningitis type A is of one of Africa’s biggest success stories in health, but the fallout from COVID-19 hampers our drive to eliminate this bacterial infection as a public health threat once and for all, and could lead to catastrophic resurgences,” said Dr. Moeti.

Trending backwards

The pandemic severely disrupted meningitis prevention and control services, with disease surveillance, laboratory confirmation of cases and outbreak investigations all steeply declining.

Based on country reports, WHO found that meningitis control activities were reduced by 50 per cent in 2020 compared with 2019, with a slight improvement in last year.

While no meningitis type A case has been reported in Africa over the past five years, outbreaks still occur and are caused by other types of meningococcal bacteria.

In 2019, 140,552 Africans died from all types of meningitis, with major outbreaks of meningitis type C recorded in seven so-called “meningitis belt countries” since 2013.

And last year, a four-month outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo claimed 205 lives.

Moreover, Africa is the only region to still experience outbreaks and accounts for the highest number of new meningitis cases globally – reporting 100 cases per 100,000 people.

“Aside from the toll on human life, outbreaks negatively impact health systems, our fragile economies, and impoverish entire populations forced to contend with multiple health and socio-economic challenges,” lamented Dr Moeti.

Fighting back

In an ambitious bid to defeat bacterial meningitis in Africa by 2030, the new regional strategy sets out a roadmap for countries to shore up diagnosis, surveillance, care, advocacy and vaccination to eliminate outbreaks, curb deaths by 70 per cent and halve infections.

WHO estimates that $1.5 billion will be required between now and 2030 to implement the plan, which if fully adopted will save more than 140,000 lives every year in the region and significantly reduce disability.

“In prioritizing the response to COVID-19, we must not lose our focus on other health problems,” underscored the senior WHO official, urging countries to “ramp up implementation of the new WHO regional roadmap now”.

Source: United Nations

Secretary-General António Guterres expressed on Thursday, his deep sadness at the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

As the UK’s longest-lived and longest-reigning Head of State, the 96-year-old Queen was widely admired for her “grace, dignity, and dedication around the world,” he said in a statement.

“She was a reassuring presence throughout decades of sweeping change, including the decolonization of Africa and Asia and the evolution of the Commonwealth”.

‘Good friend’ to Organization

Queen Elizabeth II was “a good friend of the United Nations”, he said, recalling that she had visited New York Headquarters twice, more than fifty years apart.

“She was deeply committed to many charitable and environmental causes and spoke movingly to delegates at the COP26 climate talks in Glasgow,” recalled the UN chief.

“I would like to pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II for her unwavering, lifelong dedication to serving her people”.

‘Devotion and leadership’

Mr. Guterres extended his sincere condolences to her bereaved family, the Government and people of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the wider Commonwealth of Nations.

“The world will long remember her devotion and leadership,” he concluded.

Last days in Scotland

Queen Elizabeth II died on the estate known as Balmoral Castle in Scotland, which had served as a royal summer retreat.

Over the past year, she had delegated some royal duties to her eldest son, Prince Charles, the heir to the throne, including presiding over the state opening of Parliament in May. It was the first time since 1963 that the Queen did not attend the ceremony.

The Queen passed during a fragile moment politically after Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s recent resignation. New Prime Minister Liz Truss travelled on Tuesday to the royal castle in Scotland, to be formally asked to form a government.

She became the 15th prime minister to hold office during the queen’s reign – the first was Winston Churchill.

Life of a queen

Queen Elizabeth II ascended to the throne following the death of her father King George VI on 6 February1952, at just 25 years of age.

She was crowned in June the following year.

In February, the UK kicked off a series of celebrations for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years of her service to the British Commonwealth.

Throughout her tenure, the Monarch served as a living link to World War II Britain, presided over a post-colonial era adjustment and saw the country through what some called “a bitter divorce” from the European Union during Brexit.

Saying good-bye

After the announcement of her death, crowds outside Buckingham Palace continued to grow significantly while others braved heavy rainfall at Balmoral.

The official website of the Royal Family was temporarily unavailable immediately following her passing but did post that the Queen had died peacefully.

It added that her son Charles and his wife Camilla, the King and Queen Consort, “will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow”.

According to news media, there will be a 10-day mourning period before her funeral will take place.

Source: United Nations

Water stress and hazards like withering droughts and devastating floods are hitting African communities, economies and ecosystems hard, according to a new report launched on Thursday by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

The State of the Climate in Africa 2021 reveals that rainfall patterns are disrupted, glaciers are disappearing and key lakes are shrinking.

And rising water demand, combined with limited and unpredictable supplies, threatens to aggravate conflict and displacement.

“The worsening crisis and looming famine in the drought-stricken Horn of Africa shows how climate change can exacerbate water shocks, threatening the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and destabiliizing communities, countries and entire regions,” said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas.

Temperature trends

The report shows how extreme weather and climate change are undermining human health and safety, food and water security, and socio-economic development.

While Africa accounts for only about two to three per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, it suffers disproportionately from it.

With a special focus on water, The State of the Climate reveals that high water stress is estimated to affect about 250 million people on the continent and displace up to 700 million individuals by 2030.

Four out of five African countries are unlikely to have sustainably managed water resources by 2030.

“Africa’s climate has warmed more than the global average since pre-industrial time,” warned Mr. Taalas, noting that the sea level rise along African coastlines is faster than the global mean.

He observed that that this is contributing to increases in the frequency and severity of coastal flooding and erosion, and salinity in low-lying cities.

“Changes in continental water bodies have major impacts on the agriculture sector, ecosystems, biodiversity,” said the WMO chief.

Making changes

Currently only 40 per cent of the African population has access to early warning systems against extreme weather and climate change impacts.

At the request of Secretary-General António Guterres, WMO is spearheading a campaign to ensure universal access to early warnings in the next five years.

Meanwhile, climate action is gaining momentum.

More than 40 African States have revised their national climate plans to make them more ambitious and add greater commitments to climate adaptation and mitigation.

The State of the Climate report makes a number of recommendations, including to strengthen early warning systems, increase transboundary cooperation, data exchange and knowledge sharing.

It underscores that the need for more investment in adaptation is crucial, as is a concerted drive towards more integrated water resource management.

The report was launched with an accompanying digital story map at a Ministerial Meeting on Integrated Early Warning and Early Action System initiative in Maputo, Mozambique.

Source: United Nations