The World Food Programme (WFP), with the support of the European Union (EU), has been able to provide emergency food assistance to nearly 6.4 million people, of which around 550,000 people received cash, since the conflict erupted in Sudan just over one year ago. This was in part made possible with a EUR €28 million contribution from the EU Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) in 2023. The aid agency also used this funding to help treat and prevent malnutrition for 260,000 children and pregnant or nursing women.

“Amid escalating conflict and rising hunger, sufficient funding is critical to meet increasing humanitarian needs. We are extremely grateful to the European Union for their contribution, which helped us save lives during this crisis,” said Eddie Rowe, WFP Sudan Country Director and Representative.

WFP has been warning that Sudan could become the world’s largest hunger crisis during the upcoming lean season, which starts in May and lasts through October. Currently, during the harvest season, a record 17.7 million people already face acute food insecurity, while almost 5 million people are just one step away from starvation (IPC 4). The food security situation is expected to worsen even further in the coming months unless urgent action is taken to support those facing the highest levels of hunger.

In 2024, the EU has mobilized an initial amount of EUR €117 million for the humanitarian response in Sudan, as well as an additional EUR €185 million to respond to the impact of the crisis in neighbouring countries. This new amount comes on top of the European Commission’s humanitarian funding for Sudan in 2023, which totaled EUR €128 million. As WFP works to scale up its operations to avert the risk of a humanitarian catastrophe, the support of partners such as the EU — one of our most generous partners in Sudan — remains critical to WFP’s efforts.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Food Programme (WFP).

The Somali Stock Exchange, in partnership with UN Women Somalia, hosted the ‘Ring the Bell for Gender Equality’ event on 7th March 2024 to raise awareness of the importance of economic empowerment for women in business growth and development, as well as to highlight the role the private sector can play in creating opportunities for women in the workplace, marketplace, and community, with the focus on investing in women.

The event also encouraged financial institutions to finance female-led enterprises and motivated Somali corporations to continue to enhance the capacity and knowledge of their female clients by partaking in the National Financial Literacy Initiative.

“Ring the Bell” is an initiative of the UN and the Empowerment of Women, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Sustainable Stock Exchanges Initiative (SSE), the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), and the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE). It is held annually to commemorate International Women’s Day and to raise awareness among enterprises and the private sector about increasing women’s economic empowerment towards accelerating gender equality and sustainable development.

The event keynote speakers included Dr. Sadiq Sayed, Head of UN Women Somalia. Zahra Mohamed Ahmed, Chairwoman of the African Woman Leadership Network, Somalia and Asha Abdulle Siyad, Executive Director of the Somali Women in Leadership Initiative and the civil society reference group chairperson. The participants included representatives from the Ministry of Women and Human Rights Development, Government officials, private sector such as bank executives, university students and academicians.

Dr. Syed Sadiq, Head of UN Women Somalia, who joined the event elaborated the importance of raising awareness on gender equality and said, “It has been a proud moment for us to launch the Ring the Bell for Gender Equality, witness Somalia participating in such a great global effort, and show our support and commitment for promoting gender equality and women’s economic empowerment in peace, preventing crises, enabling recovery and building resilience.”

A panel discussion was held during the event, around the International Women’s Day 2024 theme, “Invest in women: Accelerate Progress.” Among the topics discussed were: Investing in women: A human rights issue, ending poverty, implementing gender-responsive financing, shifting to a green economy and caring society, and supporting feminist change-makers.

Mr. Hassan Dudde, CEO of the Somali Stock Exchange, highlighted some of the challenges that are facing women, such as the lack of a saving culture and poor financial literacy and use of technology among women, resulting in women entrepreneurs missing out on opportunities in the growing digital economy.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of UN Women – Africa.

All schools will re-open on Monday next week, President William Ruto has announced.

The President said the decision has been made in consultation with the Meteorological Department, which has confirmed that the rains will subside in coming days.

Schools were set to reopen on April 29, 2024, but the Ministry of Education postponed following massive flooding across the country.

“All parents are now advised, based on the assessment of weather experts and the government, that it is safe for our children to go back to school.”

The President also said the government will release funds to the National Government Constituency Development Fund for rehabilitation of schools that have been damaged by the floods.

He made the remarks at State House Nairobi during a meeting with grassroots leaders from Kajiado Central and Laikipia North constituencies led by MPs Kanchory Memusi (ODM) and Sarah Korere (Jubilee) respectively.

The President also announced that next Friday has been gazetted as a public holiday to remember those who have been affected by the floods.

On the same day, the President said, an extensive tree-planting programme will be launched to conserve and restore the environment and begin to reverse the challenges of climate change.

“On this day, we will plant trees and remind ourselves that the solution to climate change is taking care of our environment,” he said.

The President announced that the plan is to plant 200 million trees on the day and urged each Kenyan to plant at least 50 trees.

On destruction of infrastructure by flooding, President Ruto stated that the government will work with development partners to repair damaged roads.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of President of the Republic of Kenya.

The UAE has condemned in the strongest terms the Israeli forces invasion and seizure of the Rafah border crossing in southern Gaza, and warned against military escalation that threatens to cause the loss of more innocent life and exacerbate the humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip.

Furthermore, the UAE stresses the need to ensure the safe and unhindered flow of humanitarian aid and delivery of life-saving supplies to the population in the Strip.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) reaffirmed its strong condemnation of any forced displacement of the brotherly Palestinian people, and all practices that violate the resolutions of international legitimacy and international and humanitarian law.

The Ministry called on the international community to undertake immediate efforts to reach a ceasefire to avoid further loss of life, and prevent fueling the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, while preventing regional spill-over that risks further violence, tension, and instability.

In this regard, the Ministry commended the mediation efforts undertaken by the State of Qatar and the Arab Republic of Egypt to reach a ceasefire, expressing hope that it would result in a truce that leads to an end to the war, protecting the brotherly Palestinian people from further suffering and reinforcing pillars of stability and achieving sustainable peace in the region.

The Ministry reaffirmed the UAE’s position calling for a return to negotiations to achieve the two-state solution with an independent Palestinian state, emphasizing the urgent need to find a political horizon to return to negotiations to achieve comprehensive peace, bringing a halt to tensions and violence, and safeguarding the lives of civilians, while facilitating the urgent delivery of aid to the people of Gaza in a safe and sustainable manner, without impediment.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Arab Emirates Ministry of Foreign Affairs&International Cooperation.