The International Air Transport Association (IATA) welcomed progress by states towards a long-term aspirational goal (LTAG) of net-zero aviation carbon emissions by 2050 in line with the Paris Agreement’s temperature objectives. This is noted in the summary of discussions for the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) High Level Meeting held in preparation for the 41st ICAO Assembly later this year.
“The ICAO High Level Meeting’s support of a long term goal for states that is in line with the aviation sector’s net-zero by 2050 commitment is a step in the right direction. A formal agreement at the 41st ICAO Assembly would underpin a common approach by states to decarbonize aviation. That’s critical for the aviation industry. Knowing that government policies will support the same goal and timeline globally will enable the sector, especially its suppliers, to make the needed investments to decarbonize,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.
In October 2021, IATA member airlines committed to net zero emissions by 2050. The path to achieve this will involve a combination of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), new propulsion technology, infrastructure and operational efficiencies, and carbon offsets/carbon capture to fill any gaps.
States progress towards long term aspirational goal on aviation emissions
Italy grant 1million euros to the UNICEF
The Italian Ambassador to Djibouti (resident in Addis Ababa), Agostino Palese, and UNICEF Representative in Djibouti, Franck Abeille, sign an agreement of 1 million euros for strengthen the Child protection system in Djibouti.
The initiative, implemented by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) will focus, for the next 24 months, on the prevention and the response to violence against girls and boys and the support of the legal and policy environment to enable vulnerable children and families to access quality child protection and other basic social services.
The initiative has been developed in close coordination with the competent institutions – Ministry of Woman and Family, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Interior – but also with non-governmental organizations and local associations to ensure the success of the action and the achievement of the set objectives.
Mitigating rising commodity prices in Africa
As part of its regular Price Watch Dialogue series, the African Centre for Statistics (ACS) at the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) hosted, on 21 July, a policy dialogue on the impact of the Ukraine-Russia conflict on commodity and food prices in Africa.
In his welcoming remarks, Oliver Chinganya, ACS Director, stated “Africa, in the last two years, has been hit by exogenous shocks that undermine its dreams of prosperity. Interest rate hikes, increased borrowing costs, weakened currencies and tightening global financing conditions have had dire implications on the fiscal space of low and middle-income countries.”
Rising consumer prices, particularly rising food prices, are increasing inflationary pressures. Critical items like oils, fats and vegetables are up near 10% in Morocco, whilst the price of staple foods like cooking oil and wheat have risen by almost 50% in Kenya. Thus, to cope with market turbulence, nations have sought to pass on costs to consumers and seek external help. Increased food costs put vulnerable populations at increased risk of food insecurity.
Africa’s drought reaches far beyond the Horn of Africa, says ForAfrika
Hundreds of thousands of people could die of starvation if the extent of Africa’s food security crisis is not recognised, says Isak Pretorius, CEO of the largest indigenous African non-governmental organisation, ForAfrika.
“The food crisis – and rising malnutrition – affecting our continent is real and pressing, and I urge people of conscience to rally behind the people of Africa,” he says.
In contrast to what is often reported, drought in Africa extends far beyond the Horn of Africa, and hundreds of thousands of people across Central and Southern Africa are at risk as a result of not enough food being produced in the region this year, says Killen Otieno, ForAfrika’s chief of operations.
Urgent aid is needed to prevent parts of the Horn of Africa region that encompasses Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Somaliland and Djibouti from sliding into famine, Otieno says. In addition, drought and heat stress are evident as far south as north-western Namibia, south-western Angola, northern and central Mozambique, Malawi and Madagascar.
