Metro

Tigrayan crisis worst man-made humanitarian disaster on earth – WHO

Published

2 years ago

August 18, 2022

The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has described the current crisis in Tigrayan region of Ethiopia as the worst man-made humanitarian disaster on earth.

Ghebreyesus who raiser the alarm on Wednesday, said so far, more than six million people have been under siege by Ethiopia and Eritrea for nearly two years with the country sealed off from the outside world with “no electricity, no banking services, and only limited fuel supplies.”

The WHO chief noted that a trickle of food aid and medicine has managed to reach the conflict-ridden northern Ethiopian province since a truce between the Ethiopian government and Tigray rebel forces was declared in late March, but the population is still facing multiple outbreaks of diseases, including malaria, anthrax and cholera.

“Nowhere in the world would you see this level of cruelty, where a government punished six million of its people for more than 21 months by denying them basic services,” Ghebreyesus who is a native of the troubled region said.

Ghebreyesus who once served as a Tigray regional health official in the early 2000s, and later spent more than a decade in the Ethiopian government, first as minister of health, then as minister of foreign affairs, also lamented the fact that though peace talks for the Tigray conflict are ongoing, they are “leading nowhere because powerful countries in the developed world are not using their influence to make it happen.”

“The humanitarian crisis in Tigray is more than Ukraine without any exaggeration. And, I said this many months ago, maybe the reason is the color of the skin of the people in Tigray

“This is the worst disaster on Earth as we speak. I am from Tigray. It is not because I am from Tigray I am saying this. That is the truth,” he said while appealing to the Ethiopian government to resolve the conflict in Tigray peacefully.

Related Topics:#crisis Ethiopia Featured Tigray WHO

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Metro

EU launches initiative to reintegrate over 417,661 out-of-school children in Nigeria

Published

8 hours ago

November 15, 2024

Isaac Dachen

The European Union (EU) has launched an initiative to reintegrate over 417,661 out-of-school children in Nigeria, particularly in the northwestern parts of the country.

Mrs. Tobi Ransomed, who is the consortium lead, disclosed this during the launching of the “Accelerating Basic Education and Livelihood Opportunities for Children and Youth in North West Nigeria Program” (ABEP), held in Dutse, the capital of Jigawa State, on Thursday.

While declaring the event open, Ransomed noted that the high rate of out-of-school children in the region required a holistic approach from all relevant stakeholders to ensure these children reached their potential.

Speaking further, she said the ABEP three-year pilot program would be implemented through Save the Children International, PLAN, and Development Alternatives Incorporated (DAG) across twelve local government areas in Kano, Jigawa, and Sokoto States.

“Data from Save the Children International (SCI), has shown that 10% of the world’s out-of-school children are in Nigeria, with over 10 million primary school-age children not in school. Approximately 25% of girls and 10% of boys in the country have been victims of sexual violence,” she stated.

“The program aims to increase access to safe, quality, and inclusive alternative and accelerated education programs for 324,000 young girls and boys, as well as 32,400 persons with disabilities, supporting their transition into formal or non-formal education.

“This project plans to increase access to livelihood opportunities, vocational education, and green job opportunities for 60,000 youths and 6,000 persons with disabilities, with 20,000 beneficiaries in each participating state.

“The overall objective is to contribute to the empowerment of the poorest, underserved, and most marginalized population groups, including women, girls, and youth, by providing access to quality, inclusive, gender-sensitive, and conflict-sensitive education in northwestern Nigeria with a special focus on Kano, Jigawa, and Sokoto States,” she stated.

Metro

World Bank pledges $3b to support Zambia’s development goals

Published

1 day ago

November 14, 2024

Isaac Dachen

The World Bank Group has pledged to avail Zambia with approximately $3 billion to support the country’s development goals under the new Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for 2025-2029, with nearly half of the funds already disbursed.

World Bank Country Manager, Achim Fock, who made this known at the CPF launch at the Mulungushi Conference Centre in Lusaka on Wednesday, outlined the global lender’s focus areas, which included enhancing jobs, human capital, and climate resilience.

Fock highlighted that $200 million had been approved to strengthen Zambia’s social protection programs, including the Refugee and Host Community Project.

He also expressed optimism for upcoming approvals, including the Climate and Economic Resilience Financing and the Zambia-Tanzania Interconnector.

Zambia’s Finance and National Planning Minister, Situmbeko Musokotwane, who also spoke at the event, noted that 2.3 million Zambian households have so far benefited from social protection interventions such as the Cash for Work Programme, emphasizing the government’s commitment to safeguarding lives amid crises like the recent drought.

Musokotwane further reiterated the government’s commitment to protecting lives during times of crises such as the recent drought.

“More than two thirds of the Zambian population was affected by the drought. It was the government’s view that the first priority was to save lives,” Musokotwane stated.