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World: Commission Implementing Decision of 11.6.2013 amending Commission Implementing Decision C(2012)9883 on the financing of humanitarian aid operational priorities from the 2013 general budget of the European Union (ECHO/WWD/BUD/2013/01000)

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Source: European Commission Humanitarian Aid department
Country: Afghanistan, Algeria, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Colombia, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Haiti, India, Iraq, Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Mexico, Myanmar, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, occupied Palestinian territory, Pakistan, Philippines, Somalia, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, Western Sahara, World, Yemen, Zimbabwe, South Sudan (Republic of)

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1257/96 of 20 June 1996 concerning humanitarian aid ("the Humanitarian Aid Regulation"), and in particular Article 2, notably 2 (c), Article 4 and Article 15(2) and (3) thereof,

Having regard to Council Decision 2001/822/EC of 27 November 2001 on the association of the overseas countries and territories with the European Community ("Overseas Association Decision"), and in particular Articles 21 and 30 thereof,

Whereas:

(1) Commission Decision C(2012)9883 adopted on 4 January 2013 provides for the financing of humanitarian aid operational priorities from the 2013 general budget of the European Union for a total amount of EUR 661,419,000 from budget articles 23 02 01, 23 02 02 and 23 02 03. The implementation period of this Decision runs from 1 January 2013 until 31 December 2014.

(2) The Commission is committed to providing a humanitarian response in those areas where there are the greatest humanitarian needs. Accordingly, the humanitarian response may be subject to reorientation or scaling-up in the course of the implementation of actions when required by changing circumstances in the field which might affect existing humanitarian needs or generate new needs.

(3) The global humanitarian context has been characterised by an increase in humanitarian needs for collective violence in Central America/Mexico, man made crises in locations such as Central African Republic, Mali, Syria, and natural disasters in locations such as Philippines, the Sahel and Chad. Budgetary allocations per specific objectives should be revised accordingly without prejudice to the flexibility for non-substantial changes to be adopted by the delegated authorising officer.

(4) It is therefore appropriate to increase the overall amount of Decision C(2012)9883 to adapt the humanitarian response to the evolving humanitarian aid operational priorities by EUR 165,218,746, of which EUR 136,100,000 from budget article 23 02 01, EUR 28,900,000 from budget article 23 02 02 and EUR 218,746 from budget article 23 02 03, to distribute this additional funding to the specific objectives fixed in that Decision, and to amend it accordingly. As the adoption of this Decision may precede the actual transfer of EUR 115,000,000 from the Emergency Aid Reserve to budget articles 23 02 01 and 23 02 02 of the 2013 general budget of the European Union, the implementation of Decision C(2012)9883 as amended should be subject to the availability of the said appropriations.

(5) This Decision constitutes a financing decision within the meaning of Article 84 of Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2012 on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union and repealing Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 ('the Financial Regulation') and Article 94 of the Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 1268/2012 of 29 October 2012 on the rules of application of Regulation (EU,
Euratom) No 966/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union ('the Rules of Application of the Financial Regulation').

(6) The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Humanitarian Aid Committee established by Article 17(1) of the Humanitarian Aid Regulation,


Kenya: Finally A Referral Hospital for Communities Living in Dadaab By Red Cross

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Source: Kenya Red Cross
Country: Kenya, Somalia

The Dadaab refugee and host communities on Monday 10th June; 2013, received a visit from the British Red Cross Secretary General, Nick Young, the British Red Cross East African Representative Karen Peachey and the Kenya Red Cross Society Secretary General, Dr. Abbas Gullet, whose visit aimed at seeing the progress of the Level 5 hospital; that is being constructed by the KRCS with funding from the British Red Cross Society.

The Level 5 hospital will be used by the refugees at the Dadaab Refugee Camp as well as the host community in IFO 2 East and West and its environs as a referral centre for any medical emergencies. The Dadaab Refugee complex is made up of five camps namely Dagahaley, Hagadera, IFO, IFO 2 (East and West) and Kambioos hosting at least 500,000 refugees. Each camp is under management by a lead agency that provides camp management services to the refugees. The camps are also run by implementing agencies which provide specific services such as Health, Water and Sanitation, Education within the camps.

The KRCS came into IFO 2 West as a lead agency offering Health Services and Camp Management services from 27th October 2011 by setting up temporary clinics with outreach services. The UNHCR further requested KRCS to extend these services to IFO 2 East after the implementing partner suddenly withdrew.

Part of the projects that were incomplete when the KRCS took over Camp Management in IFO 2 East was a hospital that was then under construction and that was to be constructed to the standards of a Provincial hospital. Consequently, the KRCS has been working on the same and the hospital is currently in the final stages of completion.

Further, the KRCS is managing four other health facilities and the newly constructed hospital. The new hospital has six wards and two theatres that can admit between 100 – 120 patients.

World: USAID FrontLines – May/June 2013

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Source: US Agency for International Development
Country: Azerbaijan, Ethiopia, Haiti, Senegal, World, Zambia, Zimbabwe

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

About FrontLines Insights from Administrator Rajiv Shah

FEED THE FUTURE

Feed the Future: Our New Development Model in Action
Smallholder Farmers Strive to Support Relief Efforts in Ethiopia
More Data, Less Hunger?
Sell More, For More
Enriching Nutrition in Senegal
The Rice of Hope
Laws of the Land Raise up Tajik Women Farmers
Empowering Women Farmers in Zambia
Farmers with a Head for Business—and Bananas—Form the Backbone of Zimbabwe Project
Guns, Honey and Rice
Haiti's Greenhouse Revolution
Podcast: Science to Feed the Future

EXTRA

Azerbaijan's Aquaculture Gets a Makeover
Magnets Help Plants Grow

Read the full issue

Mali: The lawless roads: an overview of turbulence across the Sahel

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Source: Norwegian Peacebuilding Resource Centre
Country: Mali

The political, economic and social crises that stretch across Africa’s Sahel region are connected via trade routes that were established centuries ago. The Sahel is now the main area of conflict and desperate poverty on the continent, but with implications for countries thousands of miles away. For example, the conflict in Mali is undermining stability in oil- and gas-rich Nigeria and Algeria, respectively.

The lack of jobs, education and health services is drawing more young people into a criminal-political economy. The links between drug lords and kidnappers, on the one hand, and opportunistic politicians and jihadists, on the other, mean that the proceeds of crime have become an important political resource.

This report demonstrates how in three Malian centres – Kidal, Gao and Timbuktu – politicians of all ideologies have collaborated with criminal gangs and further undermined the shallow foundations of the state. Our on-the-ground reporting shows the complexity and pervasiveness of these criminal-political networks.

Civic leaders and independent activists in Mali say political dialogue and widely agreed reforms are necessary if this worsening social breakdown is to be stopped. They warn that attempts by the political class in Bamako, encouraged by Western governments, to organise a quick-fix election could reverse some of the tentative progress in recent months and prolong the conflict.

Mali: Bamako souhaite amender le projet d'accord, accepté par les Touareg

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Source: Agence France-Presse
Country: Mali

06/11/2013 19:41 GMT

Par Romaric Ollo HIEN

OUAGADOUGOU, 11 juin 2013 (AFP) - Le pouvoir malien s'est dit prêt mardi à signer le projet d'accord avec les rebelles touareg occupant Kidal (nord-est) proposé par la médiation burkinabè, si "quelques amendements" y sont apportés, tandis que les groupes armés sont déjà disposés à le parapher.

Le président burkinabè Blaise Compaoré, médiateur régional qui mène les négociations à Ouagadougou depuis samedi, a soumis lundi un projet d'accord aux deux camps, espérant sa signature pour mardi.

Le chef de la délégation de Bamako, l'ancien ministre Tiébilé Dramé, est dans la foulée retourné dans la capitale malienne pour rendre compte des discussions au président malien par intérim, Dioncounda Traoré.

De son côté, la délégation conjointe touareg du Mouvement national de libération de l'Azawad (MNLA) et du Haut conseil pour l'unité de l'Azawad (HCUA) a envoyé certains de ses membres consulter leur base à Kidal.

Mais la signature de l'accord a dû être retardée, du fait des autorités maliennes.

"Nous sommes prêts à signer le document de paix mercredi, si l'autre partie prend en compte quelques amendements, qui ne sont d'ailleurs pas de nature à dénaturer le texte initial", a affirmé à l'AFP une source gouvernementale malienne.

"Nous sommes optimistes", a-t-elle assuré, sans révéler l'objet des amendements souhaités.

Elaboré sous la conduite du Burkina Faso, appuyé par la communauté internationale, le compromis doit permettre un retour de l'armée malienne à Kidal, jusque-là refusé par les mouvements armés touareg, dans la perspective de la présidentielle prévue le 28 juillet dans tout le Mali.

L'élection est destinée à aider le pays à sortir de la plus grave crise de son histoire.

"Nous ne constituerons pas un obstacle au processus", a affirmé à l'AFP une source au sein de la délégation MNLA-HCUA, soulignant que la "base" n'a "pas vu d'objection sur le texte".

"Le moment venu, on va signer sans problème", a-t-elle promis.

Une source proche de la médiation s'est félicitée que les représentants des groupes armés soient "prêts à signer l'accord". "Maintenant, nous attendons le retour (à Ouagadougou) de la délégation" des autorités maliennes, a-t-elle relevé.

"Je poursuis les consultations à Bamako", a déclaré le chef de la délégation du régime malien. Cependant, selon lui, "la poursuite des consultations ne remet en cause ni le processus de Ouagadougou ni la signature d'un accord".

"Je serai de retour à Ouagadougou demain (mercredi), inch'Allah (si Dieu le veut)", a-t-il dit.

Les rebelles touareg se sont installés fin janvier à Kidal à la faveur de l'intervention militaire française contre les groupes islamistes armés liés à Al-Qaïda. Les jihadistes avaient pris en 2012 le contrôle du nord du Mali, s'alliant d'abord au MNLA qui avait lancé l'offensive, avant d'évincer ce mouvement dans la région.

Le projet d'accord est "un bon texte, un accord assez équilibré, qui ne devrait pas poser d'obstacle", a estimé un diplomate ayant participé aux négociations.

L'Union européenne a indiqué mardi qu'elle soutenait "activement" les pourparlers engagés à Ouagadougou, y voyant "une avancée cruciale" avant la présidentielle de juillet.

La Minusma, la mission onusienne attendue au Mali en juillet et qui absorbera la force africaine déjà sur place (Misma), devrait encadrer l'armée malienne à Kidal au moment de la présidentielle, selon des sources proches des discussions.

Elle sera commandée par le général rwandais Jean-Bosco Kazura, ancien numéro deux de la Mission de l'Union africaine au Soudan, a annoncé à l'AFP la ministre rwandaise des Affaires étrangères, Louise Mushikiwabo.

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Mali: Mali Tuaregs and Bamako on brink of election deal

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Source: Agence France-Presse
Country: Mali

06/11/2013 20:10 GMT

OUAGADOUGOU, June 11, 2013 (AFP) - Mali's rebel Tuaregs said Tuesday they were ready to sign a deal that would pave the way for Bamako to hold nationwide polls next month but the interim authorities demanded further amendments.

Rebels from the MNLA and HCUA groups, that want autonomy for the northern Tuareg homeland they call Azawad, said they were prepared to ink a document put forward by regional mediator Burkina Faso.

"We won't obstruct the process," an official in the Tuareg delegation told AFP. "When the time comes, we'll sign no problem."

The National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) controls the key northern town of Kidal and has been reluctant to let government troops step in to secure the planned July 28 presidential ballot.

The election is seen as a key step in Mali's recovery from a crisis that saw Al Qaeda-linked groups take over the northern half of the country for nine months on the back of a March 2012 coup.

Former colonial power France, which sent in troops in January this year to pin back Islamist militants threatening to advance on the capital, has supported the interim administration's July 28 election target.

The transitional government that took over from the junta in Bamako said it was also ready to sign the deal but added it wanted a few changes made.

"We are ready to sign the peace deal Wednesday if the other party takes into account some amendments that don't distort the original text," a government official said on condition of anonymity.

"We're optimistic," the official told AFP.

The draft accord was submitted to both sides on Tuesday by Burkinabe President Blaise Compaore, who was appointed lead mediator by regional body ECOWAS early on in the Mali crisis.

The disastrous sequence that plunged one of western Africa's success stories into chaos began in January 2012, when the MNLA launched a military offensive against the government.

Flush with weapons following the return of Tuareg mercenaries who fought alongside slain Libyan tyrant Moamer Kadhafi, the group made quick gains.

But powerful Al Qaeda-linked groups that have been running smuggling rings in the Sahel desert piggybacked the Tuareg offensive and soon overpowered the MNLA to seize control of the Malian north and impose an extreme form of Islamic law.

French troops have in five months reclaimed most lost territory but analysts have warned that Malian soldiers and a UN mission of African forces would struggle to contain Islamist fighters without support from Paris.

The MNLA sided with France during the worst of the fighting this year but it has been reluctant to allow government troops into its Kidal bastion for the election.

The latest Ouagadougou talks follow heavy fighting which erupted last week when the army launched an attack in Anefis, a town south of Kidal, following reports that the light-skinned Tuaregs had been arresting and expelling black Malians in the city.

The army said 30 rebel soldiers were killed. The MNLA claimed that several army vehicles were destroyed and the men aboard them killed.

"There is a lot of distrust at the moment, particularly after the latest events at Anefis," Burkinabe Foreign Minister Djibrill Bassole said on Monday.

Compaore has said the Malian parties must agree on the "redeployment of general administration, basic social services, defence and security forces to the north of Mali and in particular to Kidal".

The mediation has proposed a gradual return of the Malian army in the city and the billeting of rebel troops.

It has also suggested that French and UN troops could supervise the Malian military's operations to assuage Tuareg fears of reprisals by government forces.

Rights groups have warned against the risk of retaliatory action by pro-government troops who blame the Tuareg rebellion for last year's disastrous scenario, which saw Al Qaeda groups impose a deadly brand of Islamic law in the areas under their control.

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Mali: CRS to begin $9.2 million, 2-year project to fight tuberculosis in Mali

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Source: Catholic Relief Services
Country: Mali

BALTIMORE, MD, June 11, 2013 – Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has been awarded a $9.2 million grant by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to combat tuberculosis (TB) in the war-torn West African nation of Mali. The two-year initiative, with the possibility of a further three years, will be part of a nationwide effort by the Mali Ministry of Health to detect and cure more cases of the disease, reducing the number of new infections and deaths.

CRS will work closely with the Mali Ministry of Health to strengthen its ability to implement and carry out a national strategy to provide TB screening and treatment throughout the country, particularly in remote, rural areas where people often don’t have access to health services.

“Mali is a very vulnerable country that has been plagued by conflict since rebel insurgents took over more than half of the country in March 2012, and then were pushed back to the northern parts,” explains Sean Gallagher, CRS’ country representative in Mali. “While international aid agencies still cannot access many parts in the North due to ongoing violence, working with the Ministry of Health and its network of health centers will allow CRS to reach people in those areas and advance the national fight against TB.”

The nationwide TB project in Mali will rely on community volunteers who will be trained in detecting the disease and making sure people adhere to their treatment regimen. Often referred to as Directly Observed Treatment, Short course, or DOTS, this strategy requires a health care professional or trained volunteer to watch patients swallow each dose on a daily basis.

“Tuberculosis is a preventable and curable disease if detected and treated in its early stages,” said Dr. Elena McEwan, CRS’ Senior Health Technical Adviser. “The cost of treating a patient with TB can be as low as $10 if the person adheres to the drug regimen for 6 months. If that regimen is interrupted, there is a greater risk of becoming drug-resistant, dramatically increasing treatment costs as well as the risk of death, and the potential to spread this drug-resistant strain to others.”

As TB is a highly stigmatized disease in many countries, the initiative will also focus on raising awareness and educating people about its spread and prevention. CRS will train community and religious leaders and people who have been cured of the disease to disseminate messages on the importance of detection and care. Evidence has shown that community collaboration has the potential to significantly increase detection and cure rates.

Additionally, CRS will strengthen the national health system’s ability to diagnose TB, especially in children, by providing newer, more effective equipment and training laboratory staff in the biological diagnosis of new cases.

People who are co-infected with HIV and TB are much more likely to develop TB, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The initiative in Mali will focus heavily on strengthening the National Tuberculosis Program to test people living with HIV and coordinating with the Ministry of Health’s High Council for the Fight Against HIV to provide anti-retroviral therapy, as well as TB treatment for patients with both infections.

“Mali is in a severe political-economic crisis, and the Ministry of Health has limited resources to fight the disease,” Gallagher said. “Our support to the National TB Program of the Ministry of Health in this nationwide initiative will allow us to reach more people with important TB messages, and improve diagnostic services and treatment, meaning fewer people will become sick and more lives are saved.” TB is a global problem. In 2011, the largest number of new TB cases occurred in Asia, accounting for 60 percent of new cases globally, according to the WHO. Sub-Saharan Africa carried the greatest proportion of new cases per population with over 260 cases per 100,000 people in 2011.

CRS supports TB programming through more than 20 projects in 15 countries, reaching one million people.

CONTACT:
Kim Pozniak
Catholic Relief Services
410-951-7281
kim.pozniak@crs.org

Mali: Bamako sous pression pour un accord avec les rebelles touareg

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Source: Agence France-Presse
Country: Mali

06/12/2013 17:01 GMT

Par Serge DANIEL GBOGBOHOUNDADA

BAMAKO, 12 juin 2013 (AFP) - Le chef de la diplomatie du Burkina Faso, pays médiateur dans la crise malienne, a retrouvé mercredi à Bamako le président malien pour finaliser l'accord conclu avec les rebelles touareg occupant Kidal, dans le nord du Mali.

Arrivés à la mi-journée, le ministre Djibrill Bassolé et des diplomates (ONU, Union africaine, Union européenne, France...), qui appuient les négociations engagées à Ouagadougou depuis le week-end dernier, ont été reçu dans l'après-midi par le président de transition, Dioncounda Traoré, a constaté l'AFP.

Il s'agit de "lever les derniers blocages", a indiqué à l'AFP un membre de la délégation.

Un accord doit permettre un retour de l'armée malienne dans la ville de Kidal (nord-est), jusque-là refusé par les mouvements armés touareg, dans la perspective de la présidentielle prévue le 28 juillet dans tout le Mali, une élection jugée cruciale par la communauté internationale.

Mais la signature, attendue mardi, a dû être retardée du fait des autorités maliennes, qui veulent retoucher le document d'ores et déjà accepté par la délégation conjointe touareg du Mouvement national de libération de l'Azawad (MNLA) et du Haut conseil pour l'unité de l'Azawad (HCUA).

Si les blocages sont levés, "l'accord pourrait être paraphé à Ouagadougou" avec l'émissaire principal de Bamako dans ces discussions, l'ancien ministre Tiébilé Dramé, selon la source au sein de la délégation de Djibrill Bassolé.

Un accord pourrait être conclu "ce (mercredi) soir, ou demain (jeudi)", a avancé une source proche du pouvoir malien.

Actuellement dans la capitale malienne, Tiébilé Dramé a assuré à l'AFP que "les consultations en cours ne remettent pas en cause ni le processus de négociations, ni la signature de l'accord", mais sans s'avancer sur une date de signature.

Mardi soir, le régime de Bamako avait fait savoir qu'il était prêt à "signer le document de paix mercredi" si "quelques amendements" y étaient apportés. Des modifications qui ne sont "pas de nature à dénaturer le texte initial", a-t-on ajouté.

l'enjeu du désarmement des rebelles

"J'ai vu le texte hier (mardi), qui est un bon texte, et j'espère, si possible, qu'aujourd'hui même, il sera signé", a déclaré le chef de la diplomatie française Laurent Fabius sur la chaîne de télévision France 2.

Bamako ne réclame que des modifications "marginales", a-t-il assuré, estimant que "les bases d'un accord de réconciliation sont réunies".

Les discussions entre la médiation et le président Traoré "vont essentiellement tourner autour du désarmement des rebelles et de la question de l'impunité. On ne peut pas passer sous silence tous les crimes commis par les groupes armés", a expliqué un officiel malien.

En annonçant que le MNLA et le HCUA étaient disposés à parapher le texte pour "aller à la paix", le chef de leur délégation, Mahamadou Djeri Maïga, a fait savoir que les combattants touareg seraient "cantonnés avec leurs armes".

Selon lui, le désarmement de ces éléments n'interviendra qu'une fois un accord "final" signé avec les autorités maliennes légitimes installées après la présidentielle, et conférant un "statut particulier"à l'Azawad, terme par lequel les autonomistes touareg désignent la région septentrionale du Mali.

Les rebelles touareg se sont installés fin janvier à Kidal à la faveur de l'intervention militaire française contre les groupes islamistes armés liés à Al-Qaïda. Les jihadistes avaient pris en 2012 le contrôle du nord du Mali, s'alliant d'abord au MNLA qui avait lancé l'offensive, avant d'évincer ce mouvement dans la région.

La Minusma, la mission onusienne attendue au Mali en juillet et qui absorbera la force africaine déjà sur place (Misma), devrait encadrer l'armée malienne à Kidal au moment de la présidentielle.

Pour les représentants touareg, il s'agit de "garde-fous" qui éviteront des "vengeances" de l'armée malienne une fois revenue dans la cité.

Les cas de représailles à l'encontre des Touareg et des communautés arabes dans le nord du Mali ont diminué depuis la mi-mars, a affirmé mercredi l'ONU à Genève, relevant toutefois une persistance des violations des droits de l'Homme.

Pour sa part, Bamako accuse sans relâche le MNLA de nombreuses exactions.

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Mali: Sahel : le Coordonnateur humanitaire de l'ONU appelle à la mobilisation pour faire face à la crise alimentaire

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Source: UN News Service
Country: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Gambia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan

11 juin 2013 – Robert Piper, le Coordonnateur régional des secours humanitaires des Nations Unies pour le Sahel, a lancé mardi un appel à la communauté internationale pour la mobilisation de 1,1 milliard de dollars, afin de faire face à la crise alimentaire et nutritionnelle qui affecte 1,6 million de personnes dans la région du Sahel.

M. Piper a expliqué, au cours d'une conférence de presse tenue au Siège de l'ONU à New York, que ce montant viendrait ainsi compléter les 609 millions de dollars déjà collectés, soit 36% du montant total des 1,7 milliard de dollars requis pour une prise en charge adéquate des besoins humanitaires de la région du Sahel.

La crise actuelle au Mali, qui continue d'affecter une grande partie de la région du Sahel, aggrave la situation humanitaire dans la région sahélienne, a indiqué M. Piper. Il a ajouté que l'insécurité qui règne au Soudan et au nord du Nigéria a également conduit près de 900 000 personnes de la région à fuir leurs domiciles, et a précisé que près de 1,5 million d'enfants de moins de cinq ans sont atteints de malnutrition aiguë dans la bande sahélienne.

Le Coordonnateur régional des secours humanitaires des Nations Unies au Sahel a cependant tenu à saluer l'assistance humanitaire fournie en 2012, qui a permis d'aider 5 millions d'agriculteurs. Globalement, le nombre de personnes qui ont besoin d'une assistance est passé de 18 millions en 2012 à 11,6 millions pour l'année en cours, a indiqué M. Piper.

Il a par ailleurs rappelé qu'en 2012, de graves inondations ont affecté près de 5 millions de personnes dans la région du Sahel. Avec l'arrivée prochaine de la saison des pluies, il est à craindre que ce scénario ne se reproduise, a-t-il prévenu.

L'insécurité alimentaire chronique, la malnutrition, et la fréquence des sécheresses et des inondations au cours des dernières années ont détérioré la capacité d'adaptation des personnes dans la région, ce qui les rend dépendantes de l'aide, a souligné Robert Piper.

Cette année, les organisations humanitaires lancent un appel pour la mobilisation de fonds qui devraient aider à soutenir des projets destinés à bâtir et renforcer la résilience des populations et des communautés, ces projets allant de la reconstruction des infrastructures à l'amélioration de la production agricole dans les pays du Sahel.

Cet objectif est autant plus urgent à réaliser que l'insécurité au nord du Nigéria a provoqué la flambée des prix des céréales, ce pays produisant près de la moitié des céréales consommées dans la région sahélienne, a noté M. Piper.

Il a également plaidé en faveur d'un partage des priorités entre donateurs qui sont, a-t-il fait remarquer, en ce moment essentiellement focalisés sur la situation humanitaire en Syrie.

M. Piper a aussi demandé un rééquilibrage des dons en faisant remarquer que des pays comme le Niger, le Tchad ou le Mali sont parmi les moins bien lotis dans le classement de l'indice de développement humain du Programme des Nations Unies pour le développement (PNUD). Mais, paradoxalement, ces pays sont ceux qui reçoivent le moins d'assistance de la part des donateurs, a-t-il déploré.

Les pays de la région qui font face à une situation humanitaire préoccupante sont le Burkina Faso, le Cameroun, le Tchad, la Gambie, le Mali, la Mauritanie, le Niger, le Nigéria et le Sénégal, certains étant affectés par des conflits et les autres par l'afflux des réfugiés ou les conditions naturelles.

Gambia: GIEWS Country Brief: Gambia 10-June-2013

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Source: Food and Agriculture Organization
Country: Gambia
preview


FOOD SECURITY SNAPSHOT

  • Above-average precipitation expected in 2013
  • Estimates for the 2012 harvest point to a large recovery in cereal production
  • The food supply situation has improved in 2012/13 compared to the previous year
  • Howewver, access to food continues to be constrained by high food prices and the lingering effects of last year food crisis

Kenya: The quality and accountability journey for CARE Kenya: Dadaab Case Study (April 2013)

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Source: CARE, Humanitarian Accountability Partnership
Country: Kenya
preview


CARE Kenya charts its accountability journey

The Quality and Accountability Journey for CARE Kenya: Dadaab Case Study (CARE Kenya, 2013) is based on the impact of a HAP deployment in Kenya, and the accountability learning resulting from this. Outlining achievements, challenges and lessons learned, this is a comprehensive look at the way in which organisations can embed the HAP benchmarks in their organisational practice.

If your organisation has a case study on the implementation or impact of accountability mechanisms, don’t hesitate to get in touch with use at: mgarrard@hapinternational.org so we can share your good practice among our membership.

Date: 12 June 2013
Permalink: http://www.hapinternational.org/news/story.aspx?id=367

Mali: Talks between Mali regime and Tuarag rebels extended

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Source: Agence France-Presse
Country: Mali

06/13/2013 04:49 GMT

by Serge Daniel

BAMAKO, June 13, 2013 (AFP) - International mediators failed Wednesday to convince Mali's president to sign a deal with northern Tuareg rebels that would pave the way for nationwide polls next month, with the talks now expected to take several more days.

"We hope to secure a deal within days," Pierre Buyoya, head of the pan-African force fighting Islamist militants in Mali (Misma), said Wednesday.

Burkina Faso's Foreign Minister Djibril Bassole earlier led the delegation to the Malian capital to ask President Dioncounda Traore "to lift the final obstacles" to the deal, as the United Nations said the human rights situation "remains precarious" in the north.

Rebels from the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) and a smaller group, who want autonomy for the northern Tuareg homeland they call Azawad, said Tuesday they were prepared to sign a document put forward by regional mediator Burkina Faso.

The militants, who control the northeastern regional capital of Kidal, were initially reluctant to let government troops step in to secure the town for a planned July 28 ballot but agreed to the deal after amendments were made.

"We won't obstruct the process," an official in the Tuareg delegation told AFP. "When the time comes, we'll sign, no problem."

Bassole and UN, African Union, EU and French diplomats held six hours of talks with transitional leader Traore, but failed to overcome the remaining obstacles to a deal being signed.

Next month's planned polls are seen as a key step in Mali's recovery

Misma chief Buyoya said the negotiations would shift to neighbouring Burkina Faso on Thursday, adding that there was never an expectation that the deal would be reached in a day.

"All parties have decided to make an effort to achieve peace," the former Burundian president said, seeking to end a crisis that saw Al Qaeda-linked groups take over the northern half of the country for nine months on the back of a March 2012 coup.

Former colonial power France, which sent in troops in January this year to pin back Islamist militants threatening to advance on the capital, has supported the interim administration's planned election date.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Wednesday on France 2 television: "I saw the text yesterday, it is a good text, and I hope if possible it will be signed today."

The transitional government that took over from the junta in Bamako insists it is also ready to sign the deal but added it wanted a few changes made.

A source close to the negotiations said the Malian government was uneasy about stipulations concerning rebel disarmament and the conditions for the arrival of the Malian army.

The question of arrest warrants issued against MNLA chiefs also remains a sticking point.

"We cannot stay silent on all the crimes committed by the armed groups," a Malian official said.

Mahamadou Djeri Maiga, the leader of the Tuareg contingent in the talks, said the rebels were willing to sign the agreement to "move towards peace" and said Tuareg fighters would be "confined to cantonments with their weapons".

But he said they would only disarm if there were a post-election agreement with the Malian authorities on giving "special status" to the northern region.

Meanwhile the United Nations added Mali to its child soldier list of shame.

The Tuareg rebels, Al Qaeda Islamists and pro-government militias all used hundreds of child soldiers in Mali, said special UN representative Leila Zerrougui.

Children make up more than half of Mali's population of 15.8 million and many have been abducted for armed groups and girls forced to become the wives of combatants, Zerrougui told a press conference in New York.

In Geneva, the UN said Wednesday that Mali's military has since March carried out fewer reprisals against ethnic groups suspected of sympathising with rebels, while adding that "the human rights situation remains precarious" in the north.

Analysts have questioned the readiness of the authorities to stage polls by July 28 in the still deeply-divided nation, with 500,000 people displaced in the more stable south or in neighbouring countries.

But the insistence of France on a July poll and promises of international aid of 3.2 billion euros ($4.1 billion), appear to have won hearts and minds, with virtually all of Mali's warring political factions accepting the deadline.

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© 1994-2013 Agence France-Presse

Mali: West Africa’s Sahel region still in crisis and requires urgent support, says UN official

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Source: UN News Service
Country: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Gambia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal

11 June 2013 – A senior United Nations humanitarian official today appealed for urgent support to tackle the ongoing food and nutritional crisis in the Sahel region of West Africa and respond to the needs of 11.4 million people facing food insecurity.

“Crises in this region are becoming more frequent, they’re getting closer and closer together and as a result, people are finding it harder and harder to get back on their feet before the next one comes along,” Robert Piper, UN Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Sahel, told a news conference in New York.

The Sahel region consists of Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Gambia, and Nigeria. The humanitarian community has appealed for $1.7 billion to help millions in need this year in the region, which is still reeling from the crisis that affected some 18 million people in 2012. This year’s appeal is only 36 per cent funded.

Mr. Piper noted that “a lot of things went right in 2012” – donors responded quickly, the Governments of the region recognized the problem early, the UN system mobilized, and the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) “really proved its weight in gold” in terms of being a fast disbursing mechanism.

“We really are getting better and better at responding to these kinds of large-scale humanitarian crises, certainly in the Sahel,” he stated. “But of course, the real goal has got to be to reduce the demand for this kind of humanitarian response in the first place.”

Despite better rains and harvest projections for 2013, Mr. Piper said the international community finds itself in a region that is still in crisis, with over 11 million people affected by food insecurity. The region is also dealing was a huge number of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs).

“We have to recognize that one good agricultural season is not going to reverse the situation in a place like the Sahel,” stated Mr. Piper.

“People are not getting enough time to climb out of these holes of vulnerability. Markets are not functioning well because of insecurity across the whole region. The population growth is generating a momentum of its own. And as these crises keep getting closer and closer together, families are really adopting more and more negative coping mechanisms with long-term consequences,” he added.

While Mali is definitely “at the heart” of today’s crisis in the Sahel, the problems in the region go way beyond one country, he noted.

In Mali, about half a million people are food insecure and more than 4.3 million people are in need of humanitarian aid after fighting broke out in January 2012 between Government forces and Tuareg rebels. The conflict uprooted thousands of people and prompted the Malian Government to request assistance from France to stop the military advance of extremist groups.

Mr. Piper noted that while Mali is having a “tremendous” spill-over effect, a country like Chad – with its refugee caseload and its own food insecurity and nutrition crisis – is requiring a huge amount of support.

He added that the region is home to some of the most vulnerable people in the world, noting that his first visit to the region after taking up his post felt like “a tour of the bottom of the human development index.” Niger ranks 186 out of 186 countries on the UN’s Human Development Index, while Chad is 184 and Mali is 182.

“These extraordinarily vulnerable people are facing natural disasters with higher and higher frequency and greater and greater intensity. And each time, they’re finding it harder to recover.”

Niger: Nouveaux troubles au Niger, un camp de gendarmerie attaqué à Niamey

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Source: Agence France-Presse
Country: Niger

06/12/2013 16:31 GMT

Par Boureima HAMA

NIAMEY, 12 juin 2013 (AFP) - Moins de trois semaines après les premiers attentats suicide de son histoire, le Niger a été secoué dans la nuit de mardi à mercredi par de nouveaux troubles, avec l'attaque d'un commando non identifié contre un camp de la gendarmerie à Niamey.

L'attaque a été perpétrée par des "hommes armés" venus à bord de plusieurs véhicules mais a pu être repoussée, et "il n'y a eu ni blessé ni mort", a affirmé à l'AFP le ministre de la Défense, Karidjo Mahamadou.

"Tout se passe bien, on les a repoussés, pas de blessés ni de morts", avait indiqué un peu plus tôt un gendarme. Equipé d'un gilet pare-balles et d'une kalachnikov, il était posté devant le camp, voisin du quartier Koïra-Tégui, dans le nord de la capitale. La vie avait repris dans les alentours, entre voitures et échoppes.

Le ministre de la Défense n'a pas précisé si cette attaque était liée aux récents attentats islamistes qui ont frappé ce pays sahélien, engagé militairement au Mali voisin contre les mouvements jihadistes liés à Al-Qaïda.

Selon M. Mahamadou, "hier (mardi) aux alentours de 21H00 (heure locale, 20H00 GMT), deux hommes armés ont tenté d'escalader le mur du camp du côté sud (...). La sentinelle a ouvert le feu, ce qui a fait fuir les deux hommes, qui ont rejoint des véhicules qui les attendaient derrière une maison non loin".

"Il y a eu des tirs nourris de la part des occupants des véhicules, ce qui a entraîné une riposte des gendarmes", a-t-il poursuivi. "Au même moment, trois motocyclistes se sont présentés du côté ouest du camp et ont ouvert le feu sur la sentinelle. Il y a eu une riposte énergique qui a fait fuir les motocyclistes", a raconté le ministre.

"Les recherches se poursuivent", a-t-il ajouté, sans précision sur l'identité de ce commando.

Après "des échanges de tirs intenses", "les assaillants ont réussi à s'enfuir", a souligné une source sécuritaire.

"On a aussitôt pensé à des terroristes"

"Ca tirait de partout, on a aussitôt pensé à des terroristes", a raconté Ali Amadou, un riverain habitant en face du camp.

"Il faisait très sombre, c'était juste quand il y a eu une coupure de l'électricité, comme si les assaillants avaient un +timing+ très précis", a relevé un autre voisin. Depuis plusieurs semaines, Niamey est frappée par de longues coupures de courant en raison d'une panne sur le réseau électrique qui l'alimente à partir du Nigeria, ce qui ajoute à la tension perceptible dans les conversations.

Cette attaque a été précédée "en début de semaine" d'un autre incident inhabituel impliquant la gendarmerie, a affirmé à l'AFP une source au ministère de l'Intérieur, sans toutefois établir de lien entre les deux événements.

"Une patrouille de la gendarmerie a été attaquée dans la périphérie sud de Niamey, aux abords du fleuve Niger, par des hommes armés", a-t-elle relaté, faisant état de "deux civils très légèrement atteints" dans la fusillade.

Frappé depuis plusieurs années par des attaques et des rapts (notamment d'Occidentaux) commis par des groupes islamistes, le Niger, l'un des pays les plus pauvres du monde, connaît un nouvel accès de tension depuis quelques semaines.

Deux attentats suicides perpétrés dans le nord du pays le 23 mai ont fait une vingtaine de morts, essentiellement des militaires nigériens.

Ces attaques, les premières du genre dans le pays, ont été revendiquées par Les Signataires par le sang du jihadiste algérien Mokhtar Belmokhtar et le Mouvement pour l'unicité et le jihad en Afrique de l'Ouest (Mujao).

Belmokhtar, alias "Le Borgne", a menacé de s'en prendre à nouveau au Niger et aux autres pays engagés militairement au Mali contre les jihadistes qui occupaient le Nord malien depuis 2012.

Le camp de la gendarmerie attaqué mardi soir a notamment accueilli en début d'année des troupes tchadiennes en transit vers le Mali, où elles ont combattu les islamistes armés aux côtés de la France et de soldats ouest-africains.

Par ailleurs, le 1er juin, des "terroristes" présumés détenus à la prison de Niamey avaient permis l'évasion d'une vingtaine de prisonniers, selon les autorités.

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Niger: Niger Bulletin humanitaire Numéro 23 | 12 juin 2013

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Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Country: Niger, Nigeria
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FAITS SAILLANTS

• Plus de 2,8 millions de personnes vivent encore dans les zones vulnérables à l’insécurité alimentaire.
• La situation humanitaire se se dégrade avec l’arrivée de centaines de personnes à Bosso
• Le plan de relogement des sinistrés de la Komadougou démarre à Diffa.


Nigeria: Nigeria agrees to strengthen disaster resilience

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Source: UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction
Country: Nigeria

ABUJA, June 12- The Nigerian government has requested the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) to facilitate the development of a comprehensive disaster risk management plan for Africa’s most populous country.

The agreement to move beyond a predominantly response-focused approach to disaster planning came after wide ranging discussions between Nigerian Vice President Namadi Sambo and the head of UNISDR Margareta Wahlström in Abuja.

Vice President Sambo summed up the philosophy that would guide his government’s approach when he told Ms Wahlström: 'It is time to come back to what the wise man said, prevention is better than cure.’

The strengthening of Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) was a top agenda item and Ms Wahlström said UNISDR would support NEMA’s efforts to complement its response capacity with more advocacy of disaster risk reduction, stronger local and state capacity and more proactive coordination of various actors.

‘Nigeria is already convinced that disasters are a development concern and it is increasingly aware of the impact of climate change so it is very encouraging to see the strong political commitment to strengthen disaster risk reduction as integral for protecting development gains,’ Ms Wahlström said.

‘It is impressive how key government ministries are really focused on strengthening Nigeria’s resilience and preparedness for disasters and climate change.

‘The recent floods have had a huge impact on public and official perception of disasters. It is the first time that Nigeria talks about the financial impact of disasters on the state and the people.

‘It is encouraging to see this deeper interest in the triggers of disaster and it’s important that we make progress because building a safer and more resilient country will be a long and challenging road. The need for good early warning systems is especially important.’

Other important outcomes from the talks included the organization of a national discussion to strengthen public-private partnership so that business can be an increasingly central actor in reducing disaster risk.

The Vice President and Ms Wahlström also agreed on the need to address the impact of disasters on children’s education in Nigeria. Many children directly affected by disaster are unable to attend school and in addition several schools are used for months at a time as centres for disaster displaced people, which means teaching cannot take place.

The Vice President also urged that the growing issue of armed conflict over resources, such as grazing land and water, between various groups, such as pastoralists and farmers, be a key part of the post-2015 replacement of the current Hyogo Framework for Action on Disaster Risk Reduction.

Nigeria has suffered repeated floods in many of its cities and continues to endure an ongoing drought in the north of the country.

The need for prompt action to reduce disaster risk was highlighted in a World Bank report, ‘Toward Climate-Resilient Development’, released this week in collaboration with the Federal Government. The report made ten practical recommendations for Nigeria to grow its economy and its resilience but warned of the consequences if concerted action was not taken.

Commenting on the report, Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Federal Minister of Finance Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said: ‘The 2012 floods in Nigeria were a stark reminder of the vulnerability of our communities, infrastructure and economy to climate-induced natural disasters.’

Nine of Nigeria’s 36 states in the Sahelian northern part of the country are currently severely affected by drought. The Ministry of Finance estimated that the 2012 floods reduced GDP by 0.36 per cent. At the time, the Guardian Nigeria newspaper reported: ‘Lagosians gasp for breath as flood ravages city’.

UNISDR’s recently-released 2013 ‘Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction’ said the floods from 2011 resulted in the highest claim settlement in the history of the Nigerian insurance industry.

The report focused on the port of Lagos, the country’s biggest urban area and Africa’s second fastest growing city, and said that the state government faced huge costs from corrective mitigation measures as a result of uncontrolled urban development that has generated increased risk.

About 70 per cent of Lagos’ population lives in informal, poorly regulated settlements. ‘While sound urban development policies exist, implementation of building and safety codes remains marred by corruption and limited capacity,’ The Global Assessment Report says.

‘About 80 per cent of artisans engaged in the construction industry are either unskilled or uncertified owing to an absence of standardized training.’

Mali: Caritas Internationalis met en garde que « sans la paix au Mali , toute la sous-région vivra dans l’insécurité ».

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Source: Caritas
Country: Mali

Caritas Internationalis en collaboration avec Caritas Mali s’expriment à l'occasion de la présentation du Rapporteur de la Haut-Commissaire aux droits de l'homme dans le cadre du Conseil des droits de l'homme des Nations Unies à Genève qui s'est réuni pour sa 23ème session du 27 mai au 14 juin.

La situation au Mali reste fragile et les prochaines élections en juillet organisées par le gouvernent de la Transition Malienne inquiète car la situation dans le Nord du pays n’est pas stable.

Avec le retrait des forces françaises et l'arrivée de troupes d'appui et la mise en place d'une mission de formation de l'Union européenne au Mali, un contingent de 12 600 casques bleus sera déployé dès le 1er juillet. Cette force de maintien de la paix sera chargée de stabiliser le nord du pays.

Si Caritas salue cette décision qui constitue une étape importante dans la résolution de la crise et « souhaite que les conditions de leur réussite soient réunies ». L’instabilité dans le nord du pays reste une préoccupation importante. A cet égard, Caritas demande aux autorités de la Transition « qu’elles assurent le retour sûr et rapide des déplacés internes et des réfugiés dans leurs foyers ».

Le conflit du Mali déclenché en janvier 2012 par une attaque des combattants rebelles touaregs alliés à des rebelles islamistes contre les forces nationales, a plongé le pays dans une crise profonde. Face à une avancée des rebelles menaçant la ville de Bamako et l’état d’urgence déclaré, une intervention militaire française fut entreprise en janvier 2013.

L’impact du conflit dans le Nord du pays touche 2.8 millions de personnes. La présence de ces rebelles a engendré de nombreuses violations des doits de l’homme et l’interruption de services essentiels ayant pour conséquences d’importants déplacements.

La fragile transition politique a aggravé l’insécurité alimentaire généralisée et la crise nutritionnelle qui affecte l'ensemble du pays . Il est estimé que 450 000 enfants de moins de 5 ans vont souffrir de malnutrition dont 210 000 de malnutrition aiguë . Quelque 208 558 Maliens ont déjà trouvé refuge dans les pays voisins et plus de 204 000 personnes sont devenus déplacés internes .

« La réussite du processus de paix et de réconciliation nationale conditionne l’avenir du Mali », déclare Caritas et appelle « a la tenue d’élections inclusives, sereines et transparentes pour un nouveau Mali ».

Le message de Théodore TOGO, Secrétaire Général de Caritas Mali est clair « Nous souhaitons. que tous les partenaires nationaux et internationaux, tous les amis et sympathisants du Mali contribuent au retour définitif de la paix au Mali. Car seulement avec la paix la cohésion sociale peut revenir et des élections crédibles et apaisées peuvent se dérouler dans la sérénité sur l’ensemble du territoire malien» .

Pour les informations et le lien au site du Haut Commissaire aux Droit de l’homme

Contacter Valerie Kaye, chargée de la communication, au +39 06 698 797 57 ou kaye@caritas.va.

World: Conflict creating unprecedented threats to children’s lives

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Source: UN Children's Fund
Country: Afghanistan, Mali, Syrian Arab Republic, World

Attacks and threats against schools must stop, says UNICEF

NEW YORK, 12 June 2013 – Children living in armed conflict today face unprecedented threats. These include grave violations such as the recruitment and use of children in armed conflict, sexual violence against children, killing and maiming of children, and recurrent attacks on hospitals and schools.

These grave violations are highlighted in the latest annual report of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict, issued today by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict Leila Zerrougui.

Such violations must stop, said UNICEF today.

The continuing trend of schools being attacked and used for military purposes is particularly abhorrent. In conflict, schools must be seen by children, parents and families as protected safe havens where children can learn and grow to their full potential, while benefitting from a sense of normalcy in a context that is anything but normal for children.

The report highlights incidents in several countries in which schools and education personnel have been attacked or schools used as military barracks, weapons storage facilities, command centres, detention and interrogation sites, and firing and observation positions. These actions put children’s lives at risk, hampers their right to an education and results in reduced enrolment and high drop-out rates, especially among girls.

A few examples from different regions noted in the report include:

In Syria, thousands of children have suffered through the shelling, missile firing and heavy aerial and artillery bombardment of their schools, hospitals and homes. The use of car and other bombs near schools, resulting in the death and injury to children was reported. One hundred sixty-seven education personnel, including 69 teachers, were reported killed up to the end of February 2013 and 2,445 schools are reported damaged. In some areas, children have not been to school in over 18 months.

In Afghanistan, targeted attacks against schools were reported, including improvised explosive devices and suicide attacks, burned schools and the abduction and killing of education personnel. Acts of intimidation, threats against teachers and students, and the forced closure of schools were also reported. Ten cases of the use of schools for military purposes in Afghanistan are noted in the report.

In Mali, the take-over of northern Mali by armed groups in 2012 had a devastating effect on children’s access to education. The report notes that 115 schools were looted, damaged, bombed, used for military purposes or contaminated with unexploded ordnance. As of February 2013, 86 per cent of students remaining in the north still do not have access to education.

UNICEF uses the opportunity of the publication of the Secretary-General’s Report to reiterate that all parties to armed conflict must do everything to ensure the safety of children and the protection of their rights.

The full report is available here: http://reliefweb.int/report/world/children-and-armed-conflict-report-sec...

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About UNICEF

UNICEF works in more than 190 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.

For more information about UNICEF and its work visit: www.unicef.org

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook

For more information, please contact:

Simon Ingram, UNICEF Middle East and North Africa Regional Office, Tel: +962-79-590-4740, singram@unicef.org

Alistair Gretarsson, UNICEF Afghanistan, Tel: +93-790-507-110, Mobile: +93-798-507-110, agretarsson@unicef.org

Martin Dawes, UNICEF West & Central Africa Regional Office, Tel: +221 338 69 58 58; Mobile: +221-77-74-04-679, mdawes@unicef.org

Kent Page, UNICEF New York, Tel: +1-212-326-7605, kpage@unicef.org; Mobile: +1-917-302-1735

Mali: Operationalizing civilian protection in Mali: the case for a civilian casualty tracking, analysis, and response cell

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Source: Stability: International Journal of Security & Development
Country: Afghanistan, Iraq, Mali, Somalia

Marla B. Keenan

Abstract

This practice note details an emerging best practice of civilian harm mitigation in armed conflict: namely, the creation of civilian casualty tracking, analysis and response processes by a warring party or peace operation force. It asserts that in Iraq, Afghanistan and soon Somalia, these processes to better understand civilian harm and address consequences have positively shaped mission tactics, training, and overall operations. In both Iraq and Afghanistan, tracking and analysis has lead to a marked decrease in civilian casualties and facilitated the making of amends for any civilian losses. The paper argues that for warring parties to achieve their mission—particularly one with a protection of civilians mandate as with the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA)—they must fully understand the impact of their actions on the civilian population, positive or negative. For this reason, a Civilian Casualty Tracking, Analysis, and Response Cell should be created for MINUSMA to improve its ability mitigate risk to civilians as required by its Security Council mandate.

Nigeria: CRS joins global partnership fighting cassava disease in Africa

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Source: Catholic Relief Services
Country: Cameroon, India, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Zambia

By Jim Stipe

Catholic Relief Services is joining 18 other international scientific and development organizations in committing to fight the spread of Cassava Brown Streak Disease (CBSD) and Cassava Mosaic Disease (CMD), both major threats to one of Africa’s staple crops.

Cassava is an inexpensive and essential part of the daily diet of many Africans. The effects of these plant diseases are potentially catastrophic, threatenting the food security of 135 million people in East Africa alone, and upward of 300 million cassava consumers across the continent.

CRS participated in a gathering of the Global Cassava Partnership for the 21st Century in Bellagio, Italy last month and helped to formulate the group’s plan for taking immediate, medium and long term actions against these crop diseases. “If these measures are applied very quickly, we believe that the spread of CBSD can be contained to East Africa, that the impact of CMD can be substantially decreased, and that the risk of the spread of the diseases to the rest of the world could be dramatically reduced,” the group’s final statement said.

The group’s statement urged quick and decisive action to avert potentially devastating consequences.

Both diseases are caused by viruses and transmitted by small insects called whiteflies. New, “super-abundant” whiteflies have emerged in Uganda, spreading south and west, and are now present as far south as Zambia and as far west as Cameroon.

The diseases are also spread by the movement of cuttings taken from infected plants. The increasing international movement of these cuttings could enable the diseases to spread further across the continent and, possibly, to the rest of the cassava-producing world.

If CBSD reaches Nigeria – the world’s biggest producer and consumer of cassava – it will cause a human catastrophe of unforeseen magnitude; if it reaches Thailand or India it will jeopardize economic sectors worth several billion dollars a year.

Read the GCP21-Bellagio Final Statement

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