In the frame of the continued cooperation between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Federal Republic of Ethiopia in various sectors especially in the health sector, the two countries are discussing the best means and sharing experiences in dealing with impacts of COVID-19.
The two countries bilateral cooperation focuses, among other things, on women empowerment as the UAE is keen to prioritize women in its humanitarian initiatives especially in the health sector. That is part of the UAE’s efforts to advocate and support women and to recognize their contributions in the societies, especially with the current COVID-19 pandemic.
The UAE provided Ethiopia with a total of 48 ton of medical supplies to bolster its efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19 and assist medical professional in the country. Ethiopia is also an essential partner for the UAE’s efforts to deliver medical aid to the African countries, in coordination with international organizations.
COVID-19: UAE supported female health professionals in Ethiopia
A new partnership to enhance the sexual reproductive health of women and adolescents
CPAR and Global Affairs Canada are joining forces on a new four-year, $4.1 million CAD project to improve the sexual reproductive health (SRH) of women and adolescents in Ethiopia. The project will support the delivery of the national Ethiopian curriculum for SRH and the development of SRH service capacity. The Amhara and Oromia regions of Ethiopia, where the project will be centred, lack youth-friendly SRH services. Gender discriminatory norms related to early and forced child marriage, female genital mutilation, and early pregnancy are common in the project communities. Obstetric fistula, a preventable birth complication that can result from a prolonged or obstructed labour and create urinary and rectal incontinence, is a devastating condition that can lead to women being ostracized and shut out of community life.
Through this project, CPAR and Global Affairs Canada will work with the Ethiopian Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Women and Children, the Ministry of Education, and with regional and zonal health authorities, local universities, community healthcare teams and local grassroots organizations to address these and other issues related to SRH education and services.
New US, UK funders to join African narrative collaborative
The UK’s Comic Relief and the US-based Conrad N. Hilton Foundation are the latest funders to join Africa No Filter (ANF) – a donor collaborative working to change harmful and stereotypical narratives about and within Africa. Both organisations join existing partners Ford Foundation, Bloomberg, Mellon Foundation, Luminate and Open Society Foundations to fund an ambitious program – influencing how the world sees Africa and how Africa sees itself.
All seven funders have committed to a minimum of two years to capitalise the organisation which is led by recently appointed Executive Director Moky Makura, who left the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to head up the initiative. Despite the Covid-19 Pandemic, which has seen many funders divert resources to rapid response initiatives linked to the pandemic, Africa No Filter’s funders remain committed to the program.
New ECA report calls on governments to harmonize trade & cross-border policies
The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) launched a new COVID-19 cross-border trade report urging governments on the continent to adopt and harmonize policies that will help continent strike an appropriate balance between curbing the spread of the virus and facilitating emergency and essential trade.
Titled Facilitating cross-border trade through a coordinated African response to COVID-19, the report says continued inefficiencies and disruptions to cross-border trade presented significant challenges for Africa’s fight against COVID-19, and risked holding back the continent’s progress towards the attainment of the sustainable development and goals and Africa’s Agenda 2063.
Maintaining trade flows as much as possible during the pandemic will be crucial in providing access to essential food and much-needed medical items and in limiting negative impacts on jobs and poverty, said Stephen Karingi, Director of the ECA’s Regional Integration and Trade Division (RITD) that penned the report.
To curtail the rapid spread of the virus, African nations introduced lockdowns and various restrictions that negatively affected cross-border and transit freight transportation.
The border restrictions and regulations have helped minimize infections and deaths across the continent but had a negative impact on cross-border trade and economic activity, hindering both significantly.
