Month: January 2023

GENEVA — The U.N.’s main AIDS program says thousands of children are dying from HIV/AIDS because, unlike adults, they do not receive treatment for the deadly disease.

HIV/AIDS is no longer an automatic death sentence. People infected with the disease can live a normal lifespan, provided they receive treatment and care. Unfortunately, there is a glaring disparity between the way children and adults with HIV/AIDS are treated.

UNAIDS spokeswoman Charlotte Sector says 76 percent of adults have access to treatment but only half of children living with HIV are receiving lifesaving treatment. She says children account for 15 percent of all AIDS deaths, despite making up only four percent of all people living with the disease.

“Last year alone 160,000 children were infected with HIV,” Sector said. “So, what is happening is that 12 countries are coming together in Africa because six countries in sub-Saharan Africa represent 50 percent of those new infections.”

She says a global alliance led by UNAIDS, the World Health Organization, and UNICEF has formed to close the huge gap. She says 12 African countries have joined the alliance. Sector says health ministers from eight countries will launch the initiative next week in Tanzania.

“So, not only is it getting children on treatment, but it is mostly trying to stop vertical transmission,” Sector said. “Now what is vertical transmission? It is the mother passing on HIV during pregnancy, during delivery or during breast feeding because most of those transmissions are taking place during breastfeeding.”

Spector says efforts to contain the spread of HIV in sub-Saharan Africa mainly have been centered on getting adults on treatment, as the main transmitters of the virus. In the process, however, she says the needs of children have been overlooked.

“So, what happens is suddenly there is a realization that we have forgotten all these children, and there is a forgotten generation of children,” Sector said. “So now, there has been a scramble to kind of close that faucet, if I may say, of getting to the children before they are even born or after they are born.”

The global alliance will run for the next eight years until 2030. During that period, it aims to close the treatment gap for pregnant and breastfeeding adolescent girls and women living with HIV, prevent and detect new HIV infections, provide access to testing and treatment, and end the social barriers that hinder access to services.

Source: Voice of America

Responding to the killing of at least nine Palestinians by Israeli forces during a military raid on Jenin refugee camp this morning, Philip Luther, Middle East and North Africa Research and Advocacy Director at Amnesty International, said:

“In the space of just a few hours this morning, Israeli forces killed at least nine people and injured 20 more; blocked ambulances from accessing the wounded; and fired tear gas at a hospital, reportedly causing suffocation injuries to sick children. Medics in Jenin say a child is one of those being treated for gunshot wounds, and Palestinian authorities have confirmed that a 61-year-old woman was among those shot dead.

“For almost a year, Jenin refugee camp has been at the centre of Israel’s escalating military crackdown. Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was shot dead in the camp last May, and its residents continue to be subjected to relentless military raids which amount to collective punishment.

“Meanwhile, Israel continues to enjoy total impunity for the system of apartheid it imposes on Palestinians – a system which is partly maintained through violations like unlawful killings. While Palestinian deaths mount, the international response to Israel’s violations consists of little more than timid condemnation at best, and unconditional support at worst.

“Today’s bloodshed is a reminder of the cost of this shameful inaction – until there is accountability, deadly attacks against Palestinians across the Occupied Palestinian Territories will continue.”

Source: Amnesty International

The World Food Programme (WFP), said yesterday, it has received a 71.44-million-U.S. dollar donation from the European Union, to tackle the food crisis in 11 countries in eastern and southern Africa.

WFP said, the funds, received through its humanitarian aid department, have been immediately put to work to address the unprecedented needs, caused by the global effects of the war in Ukraine, climate shocks, conflict, and economic pressures.

“Targeting 11 countries, the contribution allows WFP to provide life-saving assistance at a time when humanitarian needs continue to soar,” it said in a statement, issued in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.

The special funding will be used for WFP’s operations in DRC, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.

WFP said, much of the funding will go towards meeting the basic food and nutrition needs of millions of people across eastern and southern Africa.

“This includes, among other emergencies, the millions of people in need of assistance in Sudan, those affected by conflict in northern Mozambique, and Burundian and Congolese refugees in Tanzania,” it said.

Source: NAM News Network

As food security for millions of Africans continues to be impacted by rising food and fuel prices further compounded by threats of a debt crisis in some countries, the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) are joining forces to address the structural problems hampering agricultural productivity in Africa through a new programme aimed at feeding Africa sustainably.

IFAD and AfDB signed a letter of intent today in support of the pan-African Mission 1 for 200 (M1-200) – a joint initiative created to reduce Africa’s food import dependency, and build sustainable, inclusive and climate-adapted food systems. New investment partners and much needed sources of funding for Africa are sought out under this new programme.

“The current convergence of crises has exposed the underlying structural issues affecting agriculture and food systems. Many countries in Africa need to find solutions now to avert more extreme consequences,” said IFAD President Alvaro Lario.

In Africa, high fertilizer prices continue to be a significant hurdle to food production in many low-income countries. In addition, food supplies are expected to be affected by limited grain imports due to the war in Ukraine, climate-related shocks and persistent drought conditions in some countries. Since 2020, there has been an 8.5 percent rise in the cost of a typical food consumption basket in Africa, according to International Monetary Fund data. Now, high interest rates coupled with currency depreciation are compounding debt in many low-income countries. About 60 per cent are at high risk or in debt distress, exposing countries to debt default in the midst of a historic food crisis.

M1-200 seeks to attract investments to boost small and medium enterprises in the agriculture sector. The initiative will ensure that small-scale food producers across the agriculture value chain are included and that additional jobs are created for those that need one.

“Africa’s agribusiness sector is projected to output US$1 trillion by 2030 and presents a sound business opportunity for investors,” said Lario.

The latest climate-induced, economic and social shocks that hit countries in Africa have increased hunger and extreme poverty, reversing years of steady development progress. Africa currently has the highest hunger rates in the world – one person out of five suffers from hunger — and a total of 278 million people are food insecure, according to the latest State of Food Insecurity report issued by the UN.

“Only investments in agriculture that support small-scale farmers will get us out of this worrying downward spiral of crisis after crisis. Strategic investments will boost agricultural productivity, they will build food sovereignty and they will pave the way for a more equitable distribution and access to food, bringing opportunities for all,” Lario added.

The President of IFAD also emphasized the UN Fund’s commitment to invest in the transformation of African agriculture and rural development through public and private partnerships. Lario reminded those attending the summit that IFAD is an institution that can “mobilize, directly or indirectly, and assemble much larger volumes of finance from different sources than our size would suggest.”

M1-200 builds on AfDB’s flagship Feed Africa strategy and complements IFAD’s core programs, including its portfolio of investments in the areas of inclusive rural transformation, agricultural development, nutrition and food security, and climate adaptation, all of which is geared towards supporting small-scale farmers as the cornerstone of food systems transformation.

This new agreement reinforces the previous commitment that IFAD and AfBD have to boost agricultural production by doubling productivity levels through expanding existing agro-technologies, investing in access to markets, and promoting agricultural research and development.

Press release No.: IFAD/05/2023

IFAD invests in rural people, empowering them to reduce poverty, increase food security, improve nutrition and strengthen resilience. Since 1978, we have provided US$23.2 billion in grants and low-interest loans to projects that have reached an estimated 518 million people. IFAD is an international financial institution and a United Nations specialized agency based in Rome — the United Nations food and agriculture hub.

Source: International Fund for Agricultural Development