His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio has departed for the United Kingdom to deliver the Keynote Address at the fourth edition of the OpenAg Symposium, which will focus on the future of food and agriculture in a changing climate.

This year’s symposium will highlight the vital role of agricultural practices in enhancing both national and international food security, as well as ensuring the financial stability of farmers and the broader economic security of nations.

Moreover, the event will emphasize the significance of sustainable agricultural practices in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating the impacts of climate change. “By adopting practices that enhance resilience and sustainability, the agricultural sector can play a pivotal role in securing food, water, and energy resources for the future,” organizers noted.

The OpenAg Symposium 2024 is organized by the Oxford India Centre for Sustainable Development (OICSD), a partnership between the University of Oxford and the Government of India. The event is co-organized by UPL, a global provider of sustainable agriculture products and solutions, with annual revenues exceeding $5 billion.

Accompanying the President are his wife, First Lady Fatima Bio, Chief Minister, Dr. David M. Sengeh, and the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Henry M. Kpaka.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of State House Sierra Leone.

After Morocco (2022) and Mauritania (2023), the UNECE Environmental Performance Reviews (EPR) continue to reach beyond the region of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). Mongolia has requested UNECE to undertake its second review, following the first in 2017.

Today, a multidisciplinary team of 17 international experts, met with 30 officials representing various environmental and sectoral authorities of Mongolia. Ms. Ariuntuya Dorjsuren, Director General of the International Cooperation Department of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, who facilitated the meeting, highlighted the importance of the EPR process in shaping and enhancing environmental governance in the country and for monitoring and attaining SDG implementation.

The team also met with representatives of international organizations active in the country and national NGOs. The experts will continue working in Ulaanbaatar until 25 September 2024, assessing the environmental performance of the country and examining developments during the past seven years.

This is the fifth EPR conducted outside of the UNECE region – which stretches across North America, Europe and Central Asia – since the establishment of the EPR Programme. UNECE EPRs provide a comprehensive tool to help countries identify key environmental challenges and establish concrete recommendations to improve environmental sustainability across all sectors.

The second review of Mongolia will measure progress made and considers challenges encountered in the areas of air quality, water management, biodiversity and protected areas, soil protection, waste and chemicals management and greening the economy. It will also examine the country’s environmental data, information and observation systems, the extent to which international environmental agreements and commitments are implemented, and activities regarding climate change.

The country’s legal, policy and institutional framework and regulatory and compliance assurance mechanisms relating to the environment will be reviewed, as well as the integration of environmental considerations into economic sectors. The review will also address the issues related to education for sustainable development, land management and health protection.

In addition, this review will assess the country’s progress towards relevant targets and indicators of the Sustainable Development Goals. The review team will examine how the Goals are being adapted to the national context and how the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is put into practice, whether the necessary resources have been allocated and responsibilities are clear, what obstacles have been encountered when targeting the Goals and what concrete results have already been achieved.

Building on the analysis of progress made since 2017, the review will result in a set of recommendations on how to improve the country’s environmental performance. The review process will culminate with the UNECE Committee on Environmental Policy considering the recommendations in 2025, with a view to their adoption, and the country committing to implement them within the next 5 to 10 years.

The country review mission, which includes engagement with different stakeholders including businesses and civil society, will be organized in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, other key ministries and governmental institutions. The second review of Mongolia is made possible by financial and in-kind support from Finland, France, Germany, Portugal, the Netherlands, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific and the United Nations Environment Programme. Special thanks to the Mongolia United Nations Country Team for sharing their expertise on the country.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).

As the civil war in Sudan continues to rage and drive people out of the country, humanitarian needs, including access to enough food, remain critical in refugee camps in eastern Chad, which has received over half a million refugees since the outbreak of the war in April 2023.

In Aboutengue, one of the camps, nearly 44,500 Sudanese refugees—the majority of whom are women and children—are facing severe cuts to food rations and poor living conditions due to a lack of adequate shelter.

“Life here is tragic compared to Sudan [prior to the war],” says Jimiya, who arrived in Aboutengue with her family in July 2023. “At first, we were given enough food, but now the rations have decreased. Recently, we only got sorghum and oil, which are hard to cook without fresh ingredients. We don’t have enough to sustain our family, especially the children.”

Since February the primary humanitarian agency responsible for food aid has progressively reduced the rations. Uncertainty about future funding has led to significant supply disruptions and delays, according to the agency.

“We are paying close attention to these recurrent shortages in food distributions,” says Danielle Borges, Emergency Coordinator for MSF in East Chad. “It would be devastating if the gaps in this humanitarian response were creating an additional food crisis in these camps.”

The geographical isolation of Aboutengue camp, located in a remote area with very few livelihood opportunities, makes refugees even more dependent on this inadequate food assistance. Without sufficient food or financial support, women have to walk deep into surrounding forests to collect firewood, which is one of the few available ways to earn money.

However, this comes with serious risks. “Sometimes, when we’re in the forest, some people threaten us, saying we’re not allowed to collect wood,” says Aziza. a Sudanese refugee, a mother of seven children, who has been in the camp since July of last year. “Some of us have even been beaten.”

A bundle of dry branches sells for the equivalent of 1 to 3 euros in the informal markets that have sprung up around the camp. The lack of resources and food means that the refugees have no choice but to continue collecting firewood in order to survive.

“One of the few livelihood opportunities that exist for women in Aboutengue camp involves collecting firewood in the surrounding forests and selling it for a handful of pounds due to the lack of sufficient food supply and financial support,” says Atsuhiko Ochiai, MSF Project Coordinator. “This activity puts the women at risk of violence, but it has become so vital for them that they have no other choice. Unfortunately, stories of women being assaulted in the forest continue.”

Decreasing food portions could lead to rising malnutrition, particularly among children. “In Aboutengue camp, MSF is treating hundreds of children each month for moderate and severe acute malnutrition,” warns Borges. “We’re concerned this situation could worsen if the food shortages continue.”

In Metché, two hours from Adré, the situation is similarly alarming. Many refugees are now surviving on just one meal a day. While in recent months food distributions have taken place both in Metché and the nearby camps of Alacha and Arkoum, refugees receive low number of calories per portion.

The inpatient therapeutic feeding center (ITFC) at MSF Metché hospital is the busiest ward, with an increase from January to August in the number of children with severe acute malnutrition with complications arriving from Alacha and Arkoum camps: 11 children in Metché have faced relapses after being discharged just between early August and September.

There is an urgent need for increased nutritional support and logistical solutions to prevent further deterioration. The refugees’ plight is compounded by the lack of sustained and planned funding for the humanitarian response. “The prevailing feeling is that this crisis is being neglected by major donors,” says Borges. “Without immediate and substantial support, we risk seeing an even greater humanitarian disaster unfold in this region.”

“We are grateful for the help we’ve received from the NGOs,” says Jimiya, “but we need enough food, proper shelter, and work opportunities to live with dignity, like we used to.”

For over a year, MSF has been providing essential medical care, water, and sanitation support to refugees in Aboutengue camp, including treating malnutrition and distributing basic supplies like soap, mosquito nets, and jerrycans. Despite being relocated to this camp 14 months ago, around 14,000 refugees still lack proper shelter and continue to live in makeshift structures under extremely harsh conditions.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Médecins sans frontières (MSF).

The Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among, has urged the African Network of Parliamentary Budget Offices to foster increased citizens participation in budget processes. 

Speaker Among made the remarks in a speech read on her behalf by Parliamentary Commissioner Hon Solomon Silwany during the 7th Annual African Network of Parliamentary Budget Offices (An-PBO) Conference, at the Munyonyo Commonwealth Resort on Monday, 16 September 2024.

Citizen involvement and participation, said Among, engenders transparency and accountability in governance and budgeting.  

“Parliament of Uganda’s Budget office has developed capacity to monitor government programmes through topical studies, but this can be further enhanced during the consideration of the annual budget estimates through citizen participation, like in the case of Zimbabwe that holds a pre-budget conference incorporating citizens’ views,” she said. 

Among said budget officers need adequate financial and technical support to deliver on their mandate.

“Parliamentary budget offices must be equipped with tools and knowledge to provide our Parliaments with the best possible advice on emerging issues. This can be achieved through capacity building to ensure a robust and well-functioning Parliamentary Institution. Investing in the capacity of Parliament through training, resources and support mechanisms is also crucial,” Among said.

She hailed as timely the theme, ‘Role of PBOs in African Parliaments’ Fiscal Oversights: Contribution to the African Development Agenda 2063′, and said it reflects the evolving challenges and opportunities in the line of work of parliamentary budget offices.

Speaker Among was also named patron of the African Network of Parliamentary Budget Offices. 

The Deputy Clerk (Parliamentary Affairs), Ms Rose Ikiror, said the Uganda Parliament Budget Office has been instrumental in supporting the appropriation and oversight functions of Parliament.

“The work that your offices do across Africa is critical in ensuring that our parliaments serve as effective checks and balances on the Executive, thereby safeguarding the interests of our citizens,” she said. 

She added that the conference will serve as a vital platform for collaboration, knowledge sharing and capacity building, and such forums will avail learning from the experience and best practices of participating countries.

The Chairperson of the African Network of Parliamentary Budget Offices, Dr. Dumisani Jantjies, observed that the budget offices feed into the role of the legislature and support the work of MPs in handling fiscal policy, and as such, they should be accorded more support to deliver more effectively.

The Director of the Parliament of Uganda Budget Office, Mr Sulaiman Kiggundu, said the AN-PBO conference will amplify the importance of the collective role in public finance management, where parliament budget offices appear in unique positions to support fiscal legislative processes.

“This conference is not just about sharing knowledge but also building a collaborative network where we can continue to support each other. The partnerships we foster here will strengthen our collective capacity to respond to the fiscal challenges of today and tomorrow,” Kiggundu added.

The week-long AN-PBO conference will feature discussions on topical issues including the complimentary role of parliamentary budget offices in achieving policy outcomes, and building capacity for sound financial management in African institutions.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.