On May 7, 2024, Ambassador Zhao Weiping donated 200 copies of the book “Symbiotic Relationship between National Interest and Foreign Policy” written by the rector of the SWAPO Party School to Namibia School of Diplomatic Studies. The ceremony was attended by Prof. Kenneth Matengu, Vice Chancellor of the University of Namibia (UNAM), Prof. Ellen Namhila, Pro Vice Chancellor of UNAM, and representatives of the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation of Namibia.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Republic of Namibia.

In 2023, the Regional Collaboration Centres (RCCs) strengthened their position as an enabling force for climate action, engaging governments and stakeholders in key regions ahead of the first global stocktake that concluded at COP28 in Dubai. As highlighted in their latest Annual Report, the Centres were recognized in COP28 decisions for their potential to advance and accelerate progress, for example, through capacity-building activities on developing new climate action plans (Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)) or participation in the Article 6 emissions crediting mechanism.

The RCCs Annual Report 2023: Boosting Regional Preparedness shows how collaboration by the RCCs enables global progress and accelerated climate action through the power of partnerships.

They advanced pivotal work under the Paris Agreement tailored to their region’s needs: as collaborative platforms, they facilitated Paris Agreement implementation through technical assistance, networking, matchmaking and organizing capacity-building activities relating to NDCs, long-term low emissions development strategies, climate finance, Article 6 (where countries can pursue voluntary international cooperation to reach their climate targets), and more.

Introducing the Annual Report 2023, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell emphasizes the importance of regional collaboration, and notes the potential of the RCCs to advance climate action, and improve and safeguard lives and livelihoods around the world.

“Our Regional Collaboration Centres are playing their part. They are our hands, eyes, and ears on the ground,” he says. “They serve more than 140 developing countries and billions of people. RCCs map and build networks of actors and experts, assessing needs and providing support. The relationships they hold – across governments, civil society, and among experts – are incredibly valuable to the UN Climate Change secretariat.”

Among the RCC’s global RCC achievements were:

The Centres helped organize the Regional Climate Weeks 2023, which brought together more than 25,000 stakeholders at four regional events.
The six RCCs engaged organized, co-organized, or participated in a total of 235 capacity-building events on diverse topics.
RCCs advanced transition to Article 6 of the Paris Agreement while supporting 10 Clean Development Mechanism projects, help develop 17 standardized baselines to measure and compare emissions reductions in projects and over 100 individual stakeholder queries.
RCCs delivered training sessions on Article 6 at the Regional Climate Weeks, held dialogues and conducted surveys to identify the best path forward.

In their respective regions, the RCCs took a customized approach, also with a view to advancing implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals:

RCC Asia-Pacific is involved in adaptation and building resilience, needs they identified in the region and a request received from governments.
RCC Caribbean connects a diverse network to explore innovative ways to address climate change for Small Island Developing States.
RCC East and Southern Africa focuses on engaging all stakeholders in the process, including women and youth.
RCC Latin America supports action on agriculture, which is fundamental to economic growth in the region and meeting the climate challenge.
RCC Middle East and North Africa and South Asia is heavily involved in the Needs-based Finance project, where they collaborate to facilitate access and mobilize climate finance.
RCC West and Central Africa supports adaptation activities and facilitates participation of countries in the Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.

Moving forward, the RCCs have defined robust workplans tailored to their region. The next round of NDCs is in focus, as is enhancing access to climate finance, enabling Article 6 as a climate solution, addressing loss and damage and the development of National Adaptation Plans (NAPs). The Centres will continue to engage widely with youth, indigenous communities, business leaders and experts for an inclusive and coordinated approach to climate action.

Interested collaborators are invited to explore the RCCs Annual Report 2023: Boosting Regional Preparedness to better understand the work of the Centres in each region. Check out the RCCs on the web, sign up for regular newsletters and join the LinkedIn group to connect with a community of collaborators for climate action.

Partner Voices

The RCCs Annual Report 2023: Boosting Regional Preparedness features messages from our regional partners that host the RCCs and are key to the Centres’ ongoing success. They share their perspectives on the RCCs in their own words below.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Parties to the conflict must end collective punishment and enable access to life-saving telecommunications. In the midst of the devastating humanitarian crisis that is fast deteriorating in Sudan, we, representing 94 humanitarian, civil society, human rights organizations and members of the #KeepItOn coalition, urgently appeal for the re-establishment of telecommunications infrastructure across the entire country.

Sudan has become the world’s worst displacement crisis and is on the brink of becoming the world’s worst hunger crisis. In total, more than half of Sudan’s population – nearly 25 million people – need humanitarian aid. Over a year of relentless warfare and indiscriminate violence have destroyed homes, towns, livelihoods, and critical civilian infrastructure.

Indiscriminate attacks and disruption of telecommunications by warring parties have severely affected civilians’ ability to cope with the effects of the war, as well as aid workers’ capacity to deliver essential services, with local responders most severely impacted. Both sides have consistently used targeted attacks on telecommunication infrastructure or the imposition of bureaucratic restrictions (such as the banning of the importation and use of certain satellite-internet devices). severely impacting civilian populations.

When available, internet access has been instrumental in assisting civilians share and receive critical and often lifesaving information, including about safe areas and routes. Civilians also use the internet to access cash and bank transfers—often receiving support from relatives living overseas—which for many has become a lifeline, allowing them to purchase the most basic necessities, such as food and water. Local aid groups, who have been the first and main responders in most conflict-affected parts of the country, rely heavily on telecommunications to reach vulnerable communities and receive funding for their lifesaving activities. In areas where formal telecommunication is barely functioning, both civilians and local responders, such as Emergency Response Rooms (ERRs), often connect through informal Starlink internet cafes. Humanitarian organizations also rely on functional telecommunications to coordinate and deliver relief efforts safely, particularly to provide cash assistance into the most remote areas.

A nationwide telecommunication shutdown in February 2024 left almost 30 million Sudanese without access to the internet or telephone calls for more than a month. Across the country, those experiencing the horrors of war have been separated from and unable to contact their families and loved ones. While some levels of services were restored in the east of the country, large swathes of territory remain disconnected from the network providers, such as Zain, MTN and Sudani – namely the Darfur region, and parts of Khartoum and the Kordofans. The same areas are also the most exposed to conflict and risk of famine, making the consequences of telecommunications blackout even more life-threatening. In some areas cut-off from broader telecommunications, the only available service has been via satellite connectivity devices such as Starlink. While the cost of satellite services is prohibitive to most civilians and there are significant restrictions on the importation of satellite equipment, such services remain critical for both international humanitarian organizations and local responders to remain operational in Sudan. While there remain valid concerns around the use of this technology—and other telecommunications systems–by the parties to the conflict, the potential shutdown of Starlink (as announced in April 2024) would have a disproportionate impact on civilians and the aid organizations who are trying to reach them.

We call upon all stakeholders to ensure the uninterrupted provision of telecommunication services in Sudan. Any shutdown of telecommunication services is a violation of human rights and may be considered to be a collective punishment that will not only isolate individuals from their support networks but also exacerbate the already dire economic situation facing millions.
Telecommunications infrastructure must be considered as critical civilian infrastructure. As such, parties to the conflict must refrain from attacking, destroying, damaging, or otherwise rendering inoperable telecommunications infrastructure, facilitate the rehabilitation of damaged systems, and ensure telecommunication services are accessible to all, regardless of where they live. In addition, they should lift restrictions on all satellite-internet and actively facilitate the importation of satellite-internet devices.

All service providers able to ensure connectivity in Sudan must immediately ensure that access to the internet remains accessible without interruption or additional cost increases. This includes diversifying the means to access the internet, such as solutions based on satellite (including, though not limited to, Starlink) and WiMAX technology, or the use of e-SIMs near the country’s borders.
 Development donors and financial institutions should support the development of the telecommunication sector in the longer term, by promoting decentralized infrastructure and reducing barriers for smaller businesses to enter the telecommunications market.
The United Nations, through the Emergency Telecommunications Cluster, must urgently increase emergency telecommunication capacity in Darfur and the Kordofans, and provide access to the services to all humanitarian actors, including expanding its services to civilians until other options become available.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Norwegian Refugee Council.

UNICEF is urgently appealing for USD 84.9 million to fund its emergency response aimed at assisting children and women affected by the El Nino crisis in Zimbabwe. This funding will provide life-saving interventions to 1.34 million people, including 866,000 children, amidst a complex humanitarian crisis exacerbated by water and food shortages.

Zimbabwe is experiencing an El Nino emergency impacting severely children under five years, pregnant and lactating women, and adolescents. The challenges created by El Nino in Zimbabwe come at a time when the country is also faced with public health emergencies related to cholera and polio, putting Zimbabwe into a complex, multi-dimensional humanitarian crisis.

El Nino’s induced drought is creating numerous health issues affecting children, including disease outbreaks, infectious and respiratory illnesses, and increased levels of malnutrition. Water scarcity is expected to contribute to the spread of diarrheal and other water-scarce diseases among children exacerbated by reduced immunity in children because of malnutrition. The El Nino-induced drought is increasing household’s poverty and vulnerability and the risk of school dropouts and violence, and abuse and exploitation against children.

Dr Nicholas Alipui, UNICEF Representative ai in Zimbabwe said: “We are particularly concerned about the vulnerability of children in this current emergency. Decreased access to clean water and a poor diet heightens the risk of malnutrition and diarrheal diseases among children and impacts on their rights to education and protection with the full impact of these intersecting factors expected to manifest only later. Hence the need for a front-facing preventive strategy to avert excess deaths in the months to come.”

The UNICEF appeal is part of the UN-interagency appeal recently launched to support the Government’s response to the emergency caused by El Nino.

UNICEF’s appeal focusses primarily on ensuring – in collaboration with the Government of Zimbabwe and partners – continued access of children and their caregivers to integrated health, water, sanitation and hygiene, nutrition, education and child protection services.

We are urging the donor community to generously support UNICEF’s appeal, emphasizing the critical need to secure children’s rights to health, education, and protection during this crisis.

“The funding will help mitigate child morbidity and mortality, prevent malnutrition and provide treatment, enhance water access, ensure continuous learning for children, and protect children against abuse and exploitation. It will also help strengthen the resilience of household to deal with the crisis,” stressed Dr Alipui.

The effects of the current drought will continue to impact child nutrition into next year as household level food production and stocks will be severely depleted. 

Given the enduring impact of El Nino on Zimbabwe’s children and vulnerable demographics, continued support will be crucial in the coming months.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of UNICEF Zimbabwe.