Day: April 13, 2024

WINDHOEK: Windhoek residents can now earn an income from their solid waste material following the inauguration of the City of Windhoek (CoW) first Solid Waste Buy-Back Centre in Katutura on Friday.

The four-year pilot project is a partnership between CoW and the city of Bremen in Germany, funded by the European Union (EU) to the tune of N.dollars 36 million to promote recycling and environmental awareness.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Windhoek Mayor Queen Kamati said the project aims to instil a culture of waste management amongst the residents of Windhoek and promotion of a circular economy.

‘With this facility, residents can now deposit their solid waste here and earn an income. The project is expected to provide direct job opportunities to 10 people including administrative staff and operators of the facility,’ she said.

She noted that the establishment of the facility is in alignment with the objectives outlined in the 2018 National Waste Management standards by 2028, which is a subsequent f
ocus on waste reduction and achieving zero waste to landfill.

At the same event, EU Ambassador Ana Beatriz Martins said one of the objectives is to support Namibia to shift towards a more sustainable model known as circular economy for Windhoek as a pilot, and for Namibia as a whole in the future through mitigation of environmental harm and promoting growth by recycling waste and raising awareness through environmental education.

‘In line with EU’s strategic priorities and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals we recognise the importance of high-quality solid waste management to safeguard public health, protect the environment and transition to a circular economy,’ she said.

CoW’s Solid and Waste Management acting chief engineer, Stellio Tsauseb indicated the centre will be open to the public in May 2024, noting that different types of solid waste materials will have different price structures which will be measured in kilograms to determine the price.

‘If you bring in the waste, it needs to be
separated as well and there are different elements. So if you bring in aluminium, plastic, papers and all those, it should be separated so that it can be weighed as per the type of waste and you can get your price based on that,’ he said.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

Addis Ababa: Ethiopia has been elected to serve as a member of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) for a four-year term.

In 1946 the Commission on the Status of Women was established to promote the advancement of women throughout the world.

The Commission continues to provide unique opportunities for exchange of ideas, experiences, good practices and lessons-learned to enhance implementation of commitments at national level, through interactive expert panels on the themes under consideration and roundtables for high level representatives attending the annual sessions.

Ethiopia is elected to be a member of UN Commission on the Status of Women for a four-year term of office beginning at the first meeting of the Commission’s seventieth session in 2025 and expiring at the close of its seventy-third session in 2029, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

Addis Ababa: Some 14 million youth have participated in the national voluntary service program to foster their contribution in Ethiopia’s aspiration of development and prosperity, according to the Ministry of Peace.

The Ethiopian national voluntary youth service program was launched in 2020 to mobilize volunteers across the country, it was indicated.

Essentially, the government of Ethiopia has introduced the program with the objective of fostering a sense of national unity, social cohesion, peace and stability, volunteerism and public service.

In response to this voluntary youth service program request, 14 million youths have participated in the program, the National Volunteer Service Lead Executive with the Ministry Gemechis Eticha told ENA.

Tremendous youths of the country have received training in eight rounds since the inception of the national voluntary youth service program.

The Ministry of Peace has trained 48,000 young people so far, he indicated

According to him, the engagement of the youth vol
unteers has brought about positive results and enabled the youth to play their role in national reconciliation and develop a sense of patriotism.

The lead executive added that the volunteers are playing an important role in nurturing peace and they are providing services that would solve social problems and benefit the society.

He also figured out that this year alone, some five million young people participated in the forums organized under the theme: ‘Adwa for sustainable peace and nation building.’

Stressing the need for consolidating the nation-state building and realizing lasting peace, Gemechis said a national voluntary youth service program has been put into action and will be reinforced through generations.

As a result, the Ethiopian youth voluntary association is being formed for this purpose, mentioning that 34,000 members have been registered so far.

The 9th round of the national voluntary service training is anticipated to be started next week and it will bring about 1,500 young volunteers, i
t was learned.

Finally, Gemechis called on non-governmental organizations and the community to support the government’s efforts to strengthen voluntary services in Ethiopia

Source: Ethiopian News Agency