To mark the Day of the African Child, held this year under the theme “30 years after the adoption of the Charter (ACRWR): Accelerate the implementation of Agenda 2040 for an Africa fit for children”, the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) calls for nationwide policies and efforts of recovery and rehabilitation of post-conflict areas to be child-centred. As noted in the document, the main objective of the Agenda “is to restore the dignity of the African child through assessments of the achievements and challenges faced towards the effective implementation of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child”, which Ethiopia ratified in 1990. Among the goals detailed in the Agenda, figures Aspiration 9 which provides that “every child is free from the impact of armed conflicts and other disasters or emergency situations.”
At national level, United Nations (UN) studies estimate that among 23.2 million people in Ethiopia in need of humanitarian assistance, 12.5 million are children. Of the 1.82 million persons who are internally displaced (IDPs) primarily due to conflict, around 58% are less than 18 years old, of whom 21,659 are unaccompanied. EHRC monitoring of IDP shelters also indicates that the majority of people living in these shelters are women and children.
Reconstruction and rehabilitation of post conflict areas should be child-centred
“A country cannot develop without empowering women,” says WB Regional Vice President
The World Bank Regional Vice President (RVP) for Eastern and Southern Africa, Hafez Ghanem, visited Buluk Quarter Council in Juba Municipality on his first official mission to South Sudan, where he heard first-hand testimonies from beneficiaries and community committees on the impact of the World Bank-funded South Sudan Safety Net Project (SSSNP) on people’s lives.
Implemented by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), in partnership with the Government of the Republic of South Sudan, the SSSNP provides low-income and vulnerable households across 10 counties in South Sudan with cash assistance to meet their urgent needs and invest in their household welfare.
Speaking at the event, the World Bank Regional Vice President Hafez Ghanem, expressed his appreciation for the partnership between the World Bank, UNOPS and the South Sudan Government towards addressing economic vulnerabilities in the country. “I am happy to hear that you have used the money to buy food for your families, pay school fees for your children and invest some of it in sustainable businesses. You are responsible citizens, mothers and leaders of your community. A country cannot develop without empowering women,” he said.
Sahara Group urges WTO to promote equitable trade, access to energy
Kola Adesina, Executive Director, Sahara Group has said the World Trade Organisation (WTO) needs to galvanise the interest and support of various stakeholders to promote equitable global trade relations and energy access in Africa where almost 600 million live without electricity.
Adesina who spoke on ‘Redirecting the World Trade Organisation’ at the virtual 2021 Horasis Global Meeting said deploying multilateral engagements would help circumvent the status quo that has made global trade relations “somewhat lopsided.” Horasis is one of the foremost annual meetings of the world’s leading decision makers from business, government and civil society.
“The WTO must ensure that multilateralism guides its decision making. The countries of the world are not all on same pedestal, there should be consideration for the poor countries. The WTO should create a system where countries come together to create a united front to handle the issues the world is facing,” he said.
AVATT to deploy vaccines for 400 million Africans
The President of the World Bank, David Malpass, and his senior management team comprised of Axel van Trotsenburg and Makhtar Diop met with the African Union’s COVID-19 Vaccine Acquisition Task Team (AVATT) to discuss modalities for a partnership that will accelerate vaccine deployment to Africa.
In a historic COVID-19 vaccine procurement agreement signed on 28 March 2021, the AVATT had previously successfully secured up to 400 million doses of the Johnson and Johnson single-shot COVID-19 vaccine with the support of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank). “In providing a US$2billion guarantee on behalf of the African Union member states, we were able to help put Africa in a strong negotiating position with producers as we negotiated vaccine procurement. It was obvious to us at AVATT that no deal will have been possible without a strong financial backing “the President of Afreximbank, Prof Benedict Oramah said.
