Conflicts mar 20th anniversary of African Union
8/2/2022: African leaders should reflect on the African Union's capacity to fulfil its promise to prevent and resolve conflict especially after a turbulent 2021 in which the organisation's response to coups, Islamist insurgencies, civil wars and other urgent crises has been mixed.
Source: The East African
Millions face severe hunger as drought grips Horn of Africa
8/2/2022: The Horn of Africa is experiencing the driest conditions recorded since 1981 with severe drought affecting Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. The World Food Programme is calling for $327 million to respond to immediate needs of 4.5 million people over the next six months.
Source: World Food Programme
Why press freedom and end to FGM are related in Somalia
7/2/2022: Press freedom and female genital mutilation (FGM) may be unrelated issues around the world but in Somalia stakeholders think achievement of one will depend on the other. Nine in every ten women in Somalia aged 15-49 have undergone FGM according to the UN Population Fund.
Source: The East African
Social protection is key to COVID-19 action on hunger
7/2/2022: Since the first reported case of COVID-19 hunger has increased quickly across all regions. Experience from more than 200 countries has shown that those with strong social protection systems were better able to respond according to the Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.
Source: UN Food and Agriculture Organization
Africa on track to control pandemic this year
10/2/2022: The WHO's Regional Director for Africa has said that countries have got smarter faster and better at responding to Covid-19. The most recent wave of the virus has been the shortest and has not led to an increase in hospitalizations and deaths.
Source: UN News
A step toward Africa’s own Covid-19 vaccine
16/2/2022: A Cape Town company claims it has made a vaccine that successfully mimics Moderna's messenger RNA vaccine. This copycat will still need to undergo clinical trials but the effort could yield Africa's first Covid-19 vaccine.
Source: Inter Press Service
World leaders call for $23 billion to end pandemic this year
9/2/2022: The UN is calling for a fair share of contributions from more than 50 rich countries to fund the ACT-Accelerator treatments and vaccines. Only a paltry 0.4 per cent of COVID-19 tests administered globally have been conducted in low-income countries.
Source: UN News
Safe havens for coral reefs will disappear as oceans warm
2/2/2022: A new study has found that places that have historically protected coral reefs from thermal stress will decline substantially when global heating reaches 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels; at 2°C most coral reef refugia will disappear.
Source: Mongabay
Vaccinating the world depends on elusive coordination
21/2/2022: People in advanced economies are not safe until the poorest countries are protected from Covid-19. With barely 1 per cent of available vaccines reaching low-income countries the world has a coordination problem.
Source: East Asia Forum
Malaria vaccine receives WHO seal of approval
6/10/2021: The World Health Organization has recommended that RTS,S/AS01, a vaccine developed by British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline, should be widely given to African children. How soon and to what scale countries can begin to roll out the vaccines will remain in question until decisions are made around funding.
Source: Devex