Africa Day is an annual commemoration (25 May) of the founding of the African Union. On 25th May in 1963, 30 leaders of independent African states signed the charter to establish the Organisation of the African Unity, the name of the African Union at the time.

The aim of the day is to promote integration and development in Africa. The focus this year will be mainly on the resolution of conflicts but also on strengthen solidarity and co-operation in the vital areas of trade negotiation and political and economic relations with other regions and blocks of the world.

 

Jean Ping, Chairperson of the AU Commission stated today that ‘Africans in general tend to bemoan the phenomenon of marginalisation and the place of Africa in the global hierarchy. As we observe the rise of Asian giants, particularly, China and India, we must confront the challenge of ensuring that we claim the twenty-first century as ours’.

 

To ensure the sustainable economic development of the continent, it is vital that Africa brings an end to the remaining conflicts that continue to destroy the livelihoods of so many Africans. With this objective in mind the African Union and Africa’s Heads of State and Government took the decision to declare 2010 the Year of Peace and Security in Africa in their Tripoli Declaration of August 2009.

 

The declaration communicated a collective determination to push forward the agenda of conflict prevention and peacemaking in order to leave a peaceful and prosperous legacy for future generations of Africans, and as such, the African Union is pursuing a number of public campaigns and events this year with the help of a range of African and international partners, under the banner of ‘Make Peace Happen’, in an effort to mobilise peace building efforts on the continent.

 

Africa Day is about making Africa a vibrant and dynamic player on the global scene by working together, planning together and achieving together.

 

Courtesy of AfricaPractice

24 March 2012, 06:00 a.m.

24 March 2012 marks the second annual International Day of the Right for the Truth concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims. 

This date was selected by the UN General Assembly to honour the life and death of leading rights advocate, Archbishop Arnulfo Romero, of El Salvador. He was assassinated on this day in 1980 after denouncing violations of the human rights of the most vulnerable populations.

Aim

The aim of the day is to:

• Honour the memory of victims of gross and systematic human rights violations and promote the importance of the right to truth and justice;

• Pay tribute to those who have devoted their lives to, and lost their lives in, the struggle to promote and protect human rights for all.

Duty of States

In 2006 the UN established  that people had the right to know the truth about gross human rights violations and serious violations of human rights law. This right was linked to the duty and obligation of governments to protect and guarantee human rights, to conduct effective investigations and to guarantee effective remedy and reparations.

On 21 December 2010, with its Resolution A/RES/65/196, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 24 March as the International Day for the Right to the Truth concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims.

Message of Inspiration

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message points out that “(T)o deny victims this vital knowledge is to deny them justice, dignity and recognition of — as well as reparations for — their suffering and loss.”  He continued saying: “The rights to truth and justice are central to ending impunity for gross violations of human rights.”

Role of the Social Media

Several events are being held in Africa, while one can also participate on Facebook.

22 March 2012, 06:00 a.m.

The United Nations’ World Water Day is celebrated every year on 22 March and is coordinated by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization.

Theme 2012

The theme of 'Water and Food Security' is high on the agenda during 2012 with three major international events, the World Water Forum, World Water Day and World Water Week (planned for 26 - 31 August 2012), which will address the relationship between water and food production and looking at ways to feed growing populations within the boundaries of freshwater resources.

According to reliable sources there are currently 7 billion people to feed on the planet and another 2 billion are expected to join by 2050.

Statistically each person drinks between 2 - 4 litres of water every day; however most of the water we 'drink' is embedded in the food we eat: producing 1 kilogram of beef for example consumes 15,000 litres of water, while 1 kilo of wheat 'drinks up' 1,500 litres.

Message of Inspiration

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message points out that: “Unless we increase our capacity to use water wisely in agriculture, we will fail to end hunger and we will open the door to a range of other ills, including drought, famine and political instability.”

Commemoration Events

The Environment News Service reports that Bai-Mas Taal, Executive Secretary to the African Ministers' Council on Water (AMCOW), reiterated that African nations are committed to achieving clean water and sanitation across the continent. He added that currently 340 million Africans do not have access to clean water and 500 million do not have access to decent sanitation. According to him, African nations are working hard to change that.

African heads of state and ministers have endorsed a ‘position paper’ for the Water Forum in which they commit themselves to mobilize the required resources and all necessary efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goal for water supply and sanitation in Africa.

Several events are being held in Africa, while one can also participate on Twitter, and Facebook.

Background

International World Water Day is held annually on 22 March as a means of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.

An international day to celebrate freshwater was recommended at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro. The United Nations General Assembly responded by designating 22 March 1993 as the first World Water Day by adopting its Resolution A/RES/47/193 of 22 December 1992. 

8 March 2012, 06:00 a.m.

The United Nations’ International Women’s Day is celebrated every year on 7 March in recognition of the role and contribution of rural women in both the developed and developing world towards global economies.

Theme 2012

The global food and economic crisis has given rise to this year’s theme of ‘Empower Rural Women – End Hunger and Poverty’.

Although an estimate of 60% of chronically hungry people are women and girls, it is also true that women have the same access to productive resources as men, whereby they are able to increase farm productivity by 20% – 30%. Basic needs and rights which still remain inaccessible to millions of rural women include primary healthcare, education, gender inequality and limited access to credit.

Messages of Inspiration

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message reiterates that: “On this International Women’s Day, I urge Governments, civil society and the private sector to commit to gender equality and the empowerment of women — as a fundamental human right and a force for the benefit of all. The energy, talent and strength of women and girls represent humankind’s most valuable untapped natural resource. “

On International Women’s Day, 8 March 2012, UN Women Executive Director Michelle Bachelet calls for women’s equal participation in all spheres of life as fundamental to democracy and justice.

Ms. Bachelet: “Today on International Women’s Day, let us reaffirm our commitment to women’s rights and move forward with courage and determination. Let us defend human rights, the inherent dignity and worth of the human person, and the equal rights of men and women”

Commemoration Events

In Tanzania, 75 men, women and youth commenced their three day trek on the 5th of March to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro, their extraordinary humanitarian objective; the climbers representing 36 African countries, 14 United Nations agencies, businesses, women’s rights activists and civil society organisations are participating in a continent-wide campaign to end violence against women and girls.

Several events are being held in West Africa, while one can also participate on Twitter in the discussion on #AskUNWomen Twitter Chat: The Empowerment of Rural Women.

Background

International Women’s Day was commemorated for the first time on 19 March 1911 in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. In 1975, during International Women’s Year, the United Nations began celebrating 8 March as International Women’s Day.

21 February 2012, 06:00 a.m.

The International Mother Language Day on 21 February has been observed since 2000. It was proclaimed by the General Conference of UNESCO  (The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) on November 1999 (30C/62).

The aim of International Mother Language Day is to promote and protect linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism. It also aims to develop fuller awareness of linguistic and cultural traditions based on understanding, tolerance and dialogue.

Theme of International Mother Language Day 2012

The theme for 2012 is “Mother tongue instruction and inclusive education”, which highlights the importance of mother tongue as part of the right to education and encourages member states to promote education in the mother languages.

Using mother tongue at school: a powerful remedy against illiteracy

The UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova underlines, in her dedicated message, the importance of protecting linguistic diversity and the fact that "linguistic diversity accelerates the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and Education for All goals in particular." 

 Allowing indigenous peoples "to learn from a very early age in their mother tongue, and then in national, official or other languages", UNESCO Director-General says, "promotes equality and social inclusion." And she quotes Nelson Mandela, “if you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart."

International Mother Language Day in Africa

With over 3000 languages spoken in Africa, many African countries are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of their linguistic inheritance as not only a social and cultural issue, but indeed a vital political issue as well as a tool for development, progress and stability. 

Yet, the language of instruction is often not the mother language of the teacher or the learner, but in either French, Portuguese, Arabic or English.

In South Africa, which has 11 official languages of which most are regional, English is the language of education in most schools. South African parents believe that education in English will provide their child with a better education and more opportunities and do not support schools that provide teaching in mother languages. Yet, multilingualism is enshrined in the South African Constitution, providing everyone with the right to speak and receive education in their mother language.

UNESCO's Regional Bureau for Education in Dakar makes the point that while the introduction of national languages in schools of Senegal has been on governments' educational agenda for decades, the use of national languages is far from becoming a reality.

In 2011 Rwanda, however, changed the official school language for young learners from French to Kinyarwanda, the mother language of Rwanda.

Background to the International Mother Language Day

The date represents the day in 1952 when students demonstrating for recognition of their language, Bangla, as one of the two national languages of the then Pakistan, were shot and killed by police in Dhaka, the capital of what is now Bangladesh.

20 February 2012, 06:00 a.m.

The United Nations' World Day of Social Justice is celebrated every year on the 20th of February. It highlights the need for social justice, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms – and the right to social security for all in a world where up to 80% of the global population, especially women, do not have access to adequate social protection.

On this day UN member states are invited to promote national activities towards poverty eradication, full employment opportunities, gender equity and access to social well-being and justice for all.

The important role social justice plays in the promotion of development, peace and stability has been clearly demonstrated by events in the Middle East and North Africa as the ’Arab Spring’ uprisings spread across the region. 

The importance of these events was underlined by the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in his message: "Over the past year, the winds of change have swept across the globe. Citizens by the millions have voiced their discontent around similar themes: inequality, corruption, repression and the absence of decent work. At the heart of this mass mobilization lies a call for social justice."

The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon further called for "… a new social contract for the 21st century. Let us chart a development path that leads to greater social justice and the future we want."

Background of the United Nations' World Day of Social Justice

The first United Nations' World Day of Social Justice was held on 20 February 2009, in accordance with the United Nations General Assembly Resolution A/RES/62/10 on26 November 2007.

The origins of the World Day of Social Justice stem from the 1995 Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action adopted at the World Summit for Social Development (6 to 12 March 1995). Over 100 political leaders pledged to make the conquest of poverty and full employment, as well as stable, safe and just societies, their overriding objectives. They also agreed on the need to put people at the center of development plans.

Five years later, during the twenty-fourth special session of the United Nations General Assembly, entitled “World Summit for Social Development and beyond: achieving social development for all in a globalizing world”, Ex-Secretary-General Kofi Annan pointed out that "Social and economic welfare are not separate concepts. Without economic prosperity, no country can provide for all the social needs of its citizens. But nor can any country be called truly prosperous so long as many of its citizens are left to fend for themselves against ignorance, hardship and disease". 

In February 2005, UN's member states gathered at the 43rd session of the Commission for Social Development in New York to review the implementation of the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action and the outcome of the 24th special session of the General Assembly. Subsequently, on November 26, 2007, the UN General Assembly declared February 20 as the annual World Day of Social Justice.

The first World Day of Social Justice was observed in 2009.

Follow World Day of Social Justice on Facebook.

18 December 2011, 06:00 a.m.

The International Migrants Day is observed on 18 December 2011, as a global day of action against racism and for the rights of migrants, refugees and displaced people.

Background

International Migrants Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly on 4 December 2000, in its resolution A/RES/55/9, taking into account the large and increasing number of migrants int the world. This follows the adoption of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families on 18 December 1990.

New migration patterns are evolving in Africa, Asia and South America to meet labour needs in those areas; indicating a shift from the previous patters of migration dominated by people moving from developing countries to rich developed countries.

IOM's World Migration Report 2011: Communicating Effectively about Migration

In its Global Migration Report 2011, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) highlighted the role of migration as a means to exchange talent, services and skills to achieve diverse experiences. However, it also noted that migration is often politically sensitive and mostly misunderstood, and underlined the need for migrants’ voices to be “more effectively heard in the debate about migration, especially during economic downturns when discussions often include negative stereotyping and even xenophobia.”

With an estimated 215 million international migrants and 740 million domestic migrants in the world, there are more people on the move than at any other time in recorded history, according to William Lacy Swing, Director General of the IOM. “You would think at a time like this that migration would be something that is very welcome, but in point of fact, the cruel irony is that more and more governments are turning inward, borders are being closed, visa regimes are being tightened and there is less and less opportunity for migration to occur on a legal basis, so a lot of people are being pushed into the hands of traffickers,” he said.

Messages of Inspiration

To migrants world-wide, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's message brings these inspirational words: "When their rights are violated, when they are marginalized and excluded, migrants will be unable to contribute either economically or socially to the societies they have left behind or those they enter. However, when supported by the right policies and human rights protections, migration can be a force for good for individuals as well as for countries of origin, transit and destination."

In addressing the Council of the IOM in Geneva, General Assembly President Nassir Abdul-Aziz Al-Nasser said: “Migration provides a force for good, contributing significantly to human development,” He cited the businesses established, jobs created and millions in remittances sent home by migrants. According to the World Bank statistics, the total recorded amounts of remittances in 2011 were more than US$ 483 billion, with most of it, US$ 351 billion, being sent to developing countries.

Migrants in Africa

The Arab Spring in  2011 had a considerable impact on the migration patterns in North Africa.

In Libya the uprising escalated into a full scale war, and forced an estimated 600,000 migrants to leave the country. About a third were nationals from West African countries, returning primarily to Niger, Chad, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria and Burkina Faso, according to an IOM report.

This sudden return of large numbers of migrant workers to their home countries, already suffering from high unemployment rates, resulted in the loss of an important source of income for many families; the flow of remittances dipped, and in the case of Chad, for instance, led to a 57% reduction of remittances from Libya.

In its 2011 annual global migration report the IOM also highlights that out of the approximately 30 million Africans (3% of the population on the African continent) who have migrated internationally:

• Two-thirds of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa move to other countries in the region.

• 4% of all migrants living in OECD countries come from sub-Saharan Africa.

• During 20101 64% of the sub-Saharan migration was intra-regional and employment-related, directed mainly towards countries such as Burkina Faso, Kenya and South Africa.

9 December 2011, 06:00 a.m.

COP17 is a high-level climate change conference, taking place in Durban, South Africa this year.

Approximately 15,000 delegates from 195 countries are attending the negotiations on climate change. According to the official United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) website, “The discussions will seek to advance, in a balanced fashion, the implementation of the Convention and the Kyoto Protocol, as well as the Bali Action Plan, agreed at COP 13 in 2007, and the Cancún Agreements , reached at COP 16 last December.”

What is COP17? 

The negotiating process on climate change revolves around the sessions of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COP), which meets every year to review the implementation of the Convention. The COP adopts decisions and resolutions, published in reports of the COP.

Successive decisions taken by the COP make up a detailed set of rules for practical and effective implementation of the Convention. It also serves as a meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP), which adopts decisions and resolutions on the implementation of its provision.

Who is attending?

Participation in COP 17 and CMP 7 is restricted to duly nominated representatives of Parties, observer States, accredited observer organizations and accredited press/media.

The UN estimates that more than 1,400 journalists are accredited to report on COP17. Those Parties to the Convention that are not Parties to the Protocol may participate as observers in the meeting of the Parties.

COP also attracts environmental lobbying groups, activists and NGOs such as Greenpeace.

The Goals of COP17

As COP17 negotiations enter the second week, it is widely feared that no tangible agreement will be reached at the Durban conference.

There are three main goals that COP17 needs to achieve:

The Green Climate Fund (Cancún Agreements)

The first goal is seen as the most achievable by commentators; that is that participating countries need to fix the detail of the initiatives agreed on in Cancún, mainly on the Green Climate Fund. The aim of the agreement is to establish a $100-billion fund by 2020 to assist developing countries to bring down their carbon emissions and to aid them to adapt to global warming.

A further aim is to distribute green technology to these countries. The US and Saudi Arabia are refusing to sign the agreement.

Kyoto Protocol

The second goal, which is receiving most of the attention, is for all the countries to reach an agreement to ensure the future existence of the Kyoto Protocol. The countries that are refusing to commit for a second period includes the US (who never signed the agreement in the first place), Canada, Japan and Russia.

China declared that they will agree to binding commitments after 2020, subject to a number of conditions. Many observers warn that this is not new, and suggest that further clarity on China’s announcement should be obtained.

The Kyoto Protocol is the only global, legally binding instrument for developed countries to cut carbon emissions. The Protocol’s first commitment period started in 2008 and will end in 2012. The Protocol does not curb the emissions of developing countries, which are now 58% of the total; China emits 23%.

China is a signatory to the Protocol, but has previously been seen as a developing country and only had to make voluntary commitments to reduce its emissions. The second-biggest polluter, America, is emitting 20%, and has not ratified the treaty.

EU Roadmap (Bali Action Plan)

The EU will only agree to sign a second term (of five years), if the major emitters such as China and the US support a road map to set a new binding agreement to be completed by 2015 and which will come into force by 2020 - when the existing timetable of voluntary pledges has run its course.

The US have announced that they cannot support a legal framework of which the content is not set out in detail. China and India indicated that they are opposing the EU roadmap. The EU roadmap suggests that all major economies, including Brazil, China, India, South Africa, and the US, all be subject to legally binding emissions targets.

The roadmap is supported by the poorest countries and small island states that are exposed to rising sea levels.

Lobbying groups, activists and lobbying groups

Demonstrators and activists handed over list of demands to the UNFCC, requesting governments to meet the following targets by the end of the COP17:

• ensure a peak in global greenhouse gas emissions by 2015;
  
• ensure that the Kyoto Protocol continues and provide a mandate for a comprehensive, legally binding instrument;
  
• deliver the necessary finance to tackle climate change; set up a framework for protecting forests in developing countries;
  
• ensure global cooperation on technology and energy finance and
  
• ensure international transparency in assessing and monitoring country commitments and actions.
  

COP17 and Africa

Africa is especially exposed to the increased risks of extreme weather. The head of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change , Dr Rajendra K Pachauri, says that Africa is facing disasters such as droughts which cause less food security and famine, storms, cyclones and floods.

Experts also warn of a new era of deforestation in Africa. Frances Seymour, director-general of the Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) has informed delegates at COP17: "It is urgent to safeguard Africa's forests, not only because they slow climate change, but also because they act as a final barrier to creeping desertification, underpin sustainable agricultural production, and support the livelihoods of tens of millions of rural poor".

The president of the African Wildlife Foundation , Helen Gichohi says that between 1995 and 2005 across sub-Saharan Africa, 9 % of forest cover have vanished, representing an average loss of 40 000 square kilometres of forest per year. As an example, Kenya has lost the majority of its forest cover to settlements and agriculture, leaving only 1.7 % of its land still forested.

5 December 2011, 06:00 a.m.

The International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Africa (ICASA) was opened Sunday the 4th of December 2011, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in the presence of former U.S. president George W. Bush and the Ethiopian president Meles Zenawi. 

This theme for the 16th edition of the ICASA conference, 'OWN, SCALE-UP & SUSTAIN', was chosen to highlight the conference as an advocacy platform to mobilize African leaders, partners and the communities with the intent of increasing ownership, commitment, and support for the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

The five-day ICASA 2011 conference has drawn more than 5,000 experts and activists from around the world for an exchange of ideas and best practices in the fight against AIDS.

Funding concerns were high on the agenda among the participants as HIV/AIDS funding has diminished in recent years due to the global economic recession.

The Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which so far has paid for some 70 percent of anti-retroviral drugs distributed in Africa, announced it would not hold a new fund-raising round for HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention programmes.

An estimated 22.9 million of the 34 million people who are infected with the Aids virus worldwide live in sub-Saharan Africa, with the majority in eastern and southern Africa.

The year 2011 marks the 30th year after AIDS was first discovered as a new disease; 10 years after the UNGASS Political Declaration on AIDS; and 5 years after the Global Declaration towards Universal Access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support.

Background

ICASA is one of the major international AIDS conferences happening in Africa. Its current biennial hosting alternates between the Anglophone and Francophone African countries. ICASA 2008 was held in Dakar, Senegal.

ICASA provides a forum for exchange of scientific knowledge, experiences and best practices in Africa and around the globe in all dimensions of HIV/AIDS and STIs. Most importantly, ICASA serves as a platform for sharing of progress towards universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support in the continent, which is the milestone of MDG 6.

The participants at ICASA include heads of States and Governments, Eminent Scientists, renowned health workers, high-level policy makers, people living with HIV and AIDS (PLHIV), community and opinion leaders as well as activists working in the fields of AIDS, STIs as well as Tuberculosis & Malaria.

It also encourages the participation of young researchers, health care workers, and community representatives from the developing world by providing scholarships.

Objective

This High-Level Conference will seek to promote sectoral achievements in AIDS response and to strengthen the partnership among governments, civil societies, and development partners.

The specific objectives of ICASA 2011 are:

· To serve as an advocacy platform to mobilize African leaders, partners and the communities to increase ownership, commitment and support to the response.

· To provide a forum for exchange of knowledge, skills and consolidation of experiences and best practices in Africa and around the globe to scale up evidence-based response on HIV/AIDS/STIs, TB and Malaria to achieve the MDGs.

· To use as a forum to link and hold accountable political and national leaders, the scientific community, practitioners, communities, civil societies, the private sector and partners to scale-up and sustain the response.

· To create opportunities to define priorities and set policy and program agenda to enhance mobilization and effective utilization of resources.

16 October 2011, 12:00 p.m.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), celebrates the World Food Day each year on 16 October, the day on which the Organization was founded in 1945.

Aim

World Food Day 2011 aims to:

• encourage attention to agricultural food production and to stimulate national, bilateral, multilateral and non-governmental efforts to this end;
• encourage economic and technical cooperation among developing countries;
• encourage the participation of rural people, particularly women and the least privileged categories, in decisions and activities influencing their living conditions;
•  heighten public awareness of the problem of hunger in the world;
• promote the transfer of technologies to the developing world; and
• strengthen international and national solidarity in the struggle against hunger, malnutrition and poverty and draw attention to achievements in food and agricultural development.

Theme

The theme for 2011, Food prices – From Crisis to Stability, has been chosen to raise awareness of rapidly rising food prices affecting consumers, and what can be done to lessen the impact on the more vulnerable. 

Messages of Inspiration

In the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon World Food Day message, he calls on rich and poor countries to invest in the energy and resources needed to win the battle against hunger: “This year’s World Food Day highlights the issue of price volatility. For the world’s poorest people, many of whom spend up to 80 per cent of their income on food, this can be devastating. In 2007-2008, food price inflation pushed some 80 million people into hunger. Recent food price hikes have propelled another 70 million people into extreme poverty.”

The FAO Director-General Dr Jacques Diouf World Food Day message highlights the need for political will to counteract the already well-known causes of food price instability. He stresses that “(A)griculture cannot respond fast enough with increased food production because of long-term under-investment in research, technology, equipment and infrastructure.”

Diouf’s message ends with a request: “On World Food Day 2011, let us reflect seriously at what causes swings in food prices, and articulate alternatives on what needs to be done at national, regional and global levels to reduce the impact on almost a billion people who do not have enough to eat.”

The  World Food Programme (WFP) has, ahead of the World Food Day 2011, launched a “Feed a Child, Feed a Dream” initiative, to provide a glimpse into the lives and aspirations of some of the children around the world who are receiving food from WFP, and to demonstrate how easy it is to help.

Background

On 5 December 1980, in its Resolution 35/70, the United Nations General Assembly welcomed the observance of the World Food Day. The first observance was held on 16 October 1981, as decided by the FOA at its twentieth General Conference in November 1979.

Between 2005 and 2008, the world’s staple food prices soared to their highest levels in 30 years. In the last 18 months of that period,the price of maize increased by 74%, while that of rice almost tripled, climbing 166%. 

According to the World Bank, during the 12 months of 2010-201, rising food costs pushed nearly 70 million people into extreme poverty.

These rapidly rising food prices are affecting the poor the most, and represent a major threat to food security in most developing countries.

World Food Day in Africa 2011

In the Horn of Africa, more than 13 million people are affected by one of the region’s worst droughts in 60 years. The famine in Somalia is reaching tragic proportions as Al-Shabaab refuses food aid agencies access into areas that it controls.

The cost of soaring food prices has been cited as one of the reasons for the uprisings in Egypt at the beginning of 2011. Other African countries that experienced protests and uprisings with the price of food and petrol as part one of the reason, include North Sudan, Tunisia, Algeria, and Malawi.

Recent statistics from Ghana indicate that approximately 1.2 million Ghanaians have limited access to sufficient and nutritious food. A further 2 million are at risk of experiencing serious food insecurities in the event of a disaster.

A number of African countries including Egypt, Mali, Morocco and Senegal have removed or reduced taxes and tariffs on basic foodstuff:

• Morocco changed tariffs on imported wheat from 130 to 2.5%. 
• Nigeria cut duties on imported rice from 100 to 2.7%.
• Burkina Faso lifted import taxes on four types of staple food in 2008.
• In May 2008, the Republic of Congo reduced VAT on a range of basic imported food from 18 to 5%.
• Madagascar reduced VAT on rice from 20 to 5%.
• Kenya removed the 16% VAT charged on bread and rice.
• Ethiopia removed 15% VAT and turnover taxes on flour and grains.

Social Media

Follow events of World Food Day on Twitter: follow the #tag #WorldFoodDay and #wfd2011. 

13 October 2011, 06:00 a.m.

Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders 2011 goes to Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera

The Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders will be presented to Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera from Uganda, during a ceremony  on 13 October 2011, at the prestigious Victoria Hall in Geneva, Switzerland.

The Jury of the Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders (MEA) announced in May 2011, that they selected Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera as the Laureate for her work for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights and marginalised people in Uganda.

The Chairman of the Jury of the MEA, Hans Thoolen, describes Kasha Jacqueline as “an exceptional woman of a rare courage, fighting under death threat for human dignity and the rights of homosexuals and marginalised people in Africa”. With this award the MEA Jury underlines its position against the discrimination of people based on gender or sexual orientation.

Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera is the founding director of Freedom and Roam Uganda, a LGBT rights organization. The position of LGBT community is extremely difficult and dangerous in many countries like Uganda where LGBT people are threatened, imprisoned, attacked and even murdered on the simple ground of their sexual orientation. On 26 January 2011, one of her colleagues, gay activist David Kato, was murdered following the publication of a “gay list” by the Ugandan tabloid Rolling Stone calling for their hanging; on this list Kasha Jacqueline’s name also appears. Kasha continues to find the courage to appear on national and international media at the risk of her life.

The Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders is a unique collaboration among 10 of the world's leading human rights organizations. The award is sometimes referred to as the Nobel prize for human rights. The jury are made up by the following NGOs: Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Human Rights First, International Federation for Human Rights, World Organization Against Torture, International Commission of Jurists, German Diakonie, International Service for Human Rights, Front Line, and HURIDOCS.

13 October 2011, 06:00 a.m.

The International Day for Disaster Reduction is observed every year on 13 October.

Aim

The International Day for Disaster Reduction (DDR) aims to raise awareness about what we can all do to reduce our risk to disasters such as earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, and tornados, etc.  It offers not only an opportunity to reflect on our past efforts in reducing disaster risks, but it also provides a forum through which fresh commitments are made by stakeholders to take action on Disaster Risk Reduction.

Messages of Inspiration

The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message of inspiration reminds the global community that “Each time disaster strikes, nature are often blamed. Rarely do we think about human actions that increase risk and turn danger into catastrophe.” He added that “…economic burden of technological disasters continues to grow. Making the case for investment in risk reduction can be an uphill struggle. Yet much can be gained from spending wisely rather than spending more.”

Theme 

The theme for this year, “Making Children and Youth Partners in Disaster Risk Reduction”, focuses on children and young people with the slogan “Step Up for Disaster Risk Reduction.”

The theme was selected to raise the global awareness that children and young people are partners in reducing disaster risk, and to promote more partnerships with children and young people in disaster risk reduction. Finally the theme will connect and build bridges and understanding amongst children and young people.

Children and Young People Commit to Disaster Risk Reduction 

During the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction gathering held in May 2011 in Geneva, a five-point Children's Charter for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) was launched.

The Charter highlights 5 priorities:

1. Schools must be safe - education must not be interrupted.

2. Child protection must be a priority, before, during and after a disaster.

3. Children and young people have the right to participate and to access the information they need.

4. Community infrastructure must be safe, and relief and reconstruction must help reduce future disaster risk.

5. Disaster risk reduction must reach the most vulnerable.

Background

The United Nations General Assembly designated in its Resolution 44/236 (22 December 1989), the second Wednesday of October as the International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction. This day was to be observed annually during the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction, 1990-1999, adopting the International Framework of Action.

Two years ago, with resolution 64/200 (21 December 2009), the General Assembly designated 13 October as the date to commemorate the Day and also changed its name to the International Day for Disaster Reduction.

Events in Africa

Countries and organisations are listing their events to raise awareness for International Day for Disaster Reduction on the Prevention Web.

Support via Social Media #iddr11

Follow and add your events via Facebook, Twitter hashtag #iddr11, as well as on Flickr and Youtube.

3 October 2011, 06:00 a.m.

World Habitat Day is observed every year on the first Monday of October; this year it falls on the 3^rd.

Aim

World Habitat Day 2011 aims to inspire people and governments to reflect on the state of their towns and cities and to remind governments of the basic right of all to have adequate shelter. It is also intended to remind the world of its collective responsibility for the future of the human habitat.

Background

On 17 December 1985, in its Resolution 40/202, the United Nations General Assembly endorsed a recommendation made by the Commission on Human Settlements that the first Monday of October is designated World Habitat Day.

The first World Habitat Day was observed in 1986.

In today’s urban era with most of humanity living in towns and cities, people should bear in mind that the greatest impacts of disasters resulting from climate change begin and end in cities. Cities too have a great influence on climate change.

Theme of World Habitat Day

The theme for this year, “Cities and Climate Change”, was chosen because climate change is fast becoming the pre-eminent development challenge of the 21st century.

Messages of Inspiration

The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reminds the world that World Habitat Day 2011 falls in a month when “demographers predict our planet's seven billionth inhabitant will be born.” He continues: “Cities are centres of industrialization and sources of emissions, but they are also home to solutions. More and more municipalities are harnessing wind, solar and geothermal energy, contributing to green growth and improving environmental protection.”

The Secretary General announced that the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Durban, South Africa, to be held during December 2011, need to build on advances made by international initiatives to address the problems faced by urbanization and climate change. These indicatives include “... the creation of the Climate Change Adaptation Fund and adoption of the action plan to Reduce Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation, known as REDD. All countries should agree on the goal of limiting global temperature rise to below 2 degrees Celsius”

In his message for World Habitat Day, Dr. Joan Clos, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Executive Director of UN-HABITAT stated that prevention of climate disasters “…should be addressed through better urban planning and building codes so that city residents, especially the poorest, are protected as far as possible against disaster.”

He continued: “Many towns and cities, especially in developing countries, are still grappling with climate change strategies, working out how to access international climate change funding and how to learn from pioneering cities.”

World Habitat Day in Africa

Africa accounts for approximately 7.8 per cent of the global greenhouse gas emissions.

According to the Cities and Climate Change: Global Report on Human Settlements 2011, a possible effect of a 1-2 degree increase in temperature could lead to the sea level rising and thereby exposing 6-25 million residents to flooding in the coastal North African cities.

The report also found that sea level rise projections from 2030 to 2050 indicate that Egyptian cities in the Nile Delta will be severely impacted, including Port Said, Alexandria, Rosetta and Damietta.

According to the report, the urban poor will pay a heavy price for the affluence and consumption of wealthy cities — normally situated a world away from them. Those in developing countries will be affected even more so, as global inequity increases with the rising impact of climate change.

Launched in 2008, the Cities and Climate Change Initiative (CCCI) initially helped four pilot cities in Asia, Africa and Latin America to carry out climate change assessments. They were all at risk of natural disasters.

In 2009, (CCCI) expanded to include five new cities in Africa:

• Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso

• Mombasa, Kenya

• Walvis Bay, Namibia

• Kigali, Rwanda

• Saint Louis, Senegal

Events in Africa

A number of events are planned in various countries across the continent, including Botswana, Kenya and the youngest African state, South Sudan.

A complete list of events is available on UNHABITAT.

Botswana

The national commemorations of World Habitat Day 2011 will be celebrated under the patronage of the Ministry of Lands and Housing in the village of Ramotswa, in South East District on 7 October. Numerous initiatives to create awareness and promote ownership of the commemorations by the public have been lined up.

Kenya

Marigo Uprising, a women-led organization in Kariobangi South and Korogocho Slums, will organize, in cooperation with local leadership, an event to celebrate World Habitat. Planned activities include an open forum and crusades on Climate Change, as well as a tree planting ceremony

The Ministry of Housing will host the national celebration in Kisumu, at the Kenyatta Sports Ground on 3 October. Organisations to participate in the event will include the Ministry of Lands, Kisumu Municipality, the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA), Shelter Afrique, the University of Nairobi, Maseno University among others.

To build up to the main celebration, pre - World Habitat Day activities such as clean-up, tree planting and sporting activities at Nyalenda informal settlements have been planned.

Nigeria

The Women Entrepreneurs Association of Nigeria (WEAN) is organising programs for the World Habitat Day in the Ogun State of Nigeria. One of events is a youth rally to mobilize and sensitize a target population of 200 young people in Akute Communities on issues of the environment.

Mrs.Ama Pepple, the Minister for Lands and Housing and Urban Development will lead the celebrations in Nigeria. Major events planned to mark the day include: promotion of public awareness of the day through the Ministerial Press Conference prior to World Habitat Day and a one-day seminar to mark the day.

The Rural People Encouragers Network (RUPEN) plans a public information campaign to raise awareness of the problems and issues of Climate Change theatre, a forum and paper presentations under the topic 'Effect of Climate Change and Education'.

Africa Initiative for Environment Sustainable Network, an NGO based in Nigeria, is taking this year's commemoration to local communities where climate change and habitats are facing serious environmental and climate change impacts.

The project 'Delta Green Initiative' aims at planting and nurturing over 100 trees, activities such as a 1km walk, a lecture and field visits to determine the need for tree planting.

Advance Future Leaders Foundation plans a strategic awareness campaign and citizens participation in an event aimed to combat floods.

Rwanda

Angels Rwanda, a cultural organization based in Rwanda which engages in sensitization on climate change with messages via music, plans to launch a campaign involving the youth on the theme of Climate Change.

Activities will include a concert with songs on the topic of the day, and a debate with youth coming from three districts of Kigali and guests from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi.

Sierra Leone

The African Youth Unite for Change will raise awareness and celebrate World Habitat Day through entertainment and sports activities.

South Africa

The University of Johannesburg will be organizing an event for the students on Town and Regional Planning on the occasion of World Habitat Day.

South Sudan

The first ever national celebrations of World Habitat Day in the brand new republic of South Sudan will see a procession from Ministry of Housing & Physical Planning (MoHPP) and the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure (MoPI) to the Hai Zandia informal settlement.

Tanzania

Community Servers Tanzania (COSETA) plans a public information campaign to celebrate World Habitat Day in Temeke, Dar es Salaam. The main activity will be an open concert with music and speeches. The event will be held from 29-30 October.

Togo

NGO Challenges International, an organization focusing on livelihoods of people in Togo and campaigns against poverty, plans to organize a national event to celebrate World Habitat Day in Togo.

Zambia

The Youth Care and Community Prevention Program (YCCPP) has planned to carry out community sensitization activities, drama performances and speeches by invited guests to mark World Habitat Day.

29 September 2011, 12:00 p.m.

2011 marks the 34^th anniversary of the day. Traditionally, World Maritime Day is observed from 26 to 30 September with the exact date left to individual governments. The International Maritime Organization (IMO), headquartered in London, observes the day on the 29^th September.

This annual event allows the IMO to lead the world in honouring shipping around the globe.

Theme

The theme for this year’s World Maritime Day focuses on Piracy: Orchestrating the Response, which is a continuation of the previous year’s theme, which was dedicated to all seafarers.

The theme was chosen in response to the continuing acts of piracy off the coasts of East and West Africa, with the spotlight on IMO efforts to meet the challenges of modern-day piracy and to facilitate the orchestration of a broader, global response aimed at eradicating this scourge.

The Secretary-General of the IMO, Efthimios E. Mitropoulos announced the theme a day after news of the apparent cold-blooded killing of a seafarer on the “Beluga Nomination”, a ship hijacked off the coast of the Seychelles.

The objectives to be pursued during 2011 include:

• Increased pressure at political level to secure the immediate release of all hostages being held by pirates;
• A reviewed and improved guidance to the industry and promotion of full compliance by ships with all recommended preventive, evasive and defensive measures;
• Promotion of greater levels of support from navies;
• Promotion of anti-piracy co-ordination and co-operation between and among states, regions and organizations;
• Building the capacity of states in piracy-infested regions of the world, and elsewhere, to deter, interdict and bring to justice those who commit acts of piracy and armed robbery against ships; and equally important;
  
• providing care for those attacked or hijacked by pirates and for their families

Messages of Inspiration

In UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's message, he welcomed the anti-piracy theme for World Maritime Day, underlining that “'Piracy is a global menace.” He added that “The only truly successful way to address the problem in the long term is through a strategy that focuses on deterrence, security, the rule of law and development.”

Ban Ki-moon reiterated that: “Although piracy manifests itself at sea, the roots of the problem are to be found ashore. This is a complex issue. But in essence, piracy is a criminal offence that is driven by economic hardship, and that flourishes in the absence of effective law enforcement.”

The Secretary-General of the IMO, Efthimios E. Mitropoulos stressed that the world economy suffers “… an annual cost that is now estimated to be between 7 billion and 12 billion US dollars.” Further explaining the immense impact of piracy, he stated that “…with more than 12 per cent of the total volume of oil transported by sea flowing through it, the strategic importance of the Gulf of Aden can be severely affected, while ships, electing to divert via the Cape of Good Hope to avoid being attacked by pirates, face significantly longer voyages with all the associated costs and environmental consequences.”

World Maritime Day in Africa

Piracy off the East Coast of Africa, specifically the Somalia coast, is of global concern and has been receiving attention from the IMO since 2005 as a high risk piracy area. According to the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre (PRC), which monitors  attacks by Somali pirates, they are as of 27 September, holding 15 vessels and 277 people hostage.

A steady increase of pirate attacks is also taking place in the Gulf of Guinea, with 19 cases by reported IMB in 2011 alone. This has, according to the BBC, led its neighbours NIgeria and Benin to being joint naval patrols. This West African region is now been rated in the same high - risk category as the coast of Somalia.

The risk of piracy spreading further south, lead the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) in Pretoria, South Africa, to organise a Pirate seminar. It called for preventive action in Mozambique, where the same factors are present that allow piracy in Somalia; a long coast line, weak economic conditions and a weak government. The attack on FV Shiuh Fu No 1, a Taiwanese owned fishing vessel, occured approximately 120 nautical miles off the north-eastern tip of the island of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean.

Commemorative Events

South Africa 

The South African Government observed World Maritime Day on 22 September. The SA government, via its Department of Transport and with the support of South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA), has intensified its efforts to fight piracy.

The Long Range Identification Tracking System (LRIT) technology, housed at the SAMSA Centre for Sea Watch and Response in Cape Town, is a beacon of hope in the fight against Piracy.

Social Media in support

Follow Facebook and Twitter for news about piracy. 

 

World Rabies Day is observed every year on 28 September.

Aim

The World Rabies Day highlights the impact of rabies on humans and animals, and promotes how to prevent and stop the disease by combating it in animals.

Rabies is the oldest and deadliest disease known to mankind. According to the Ethiopian Health and Nutrition Research Institute (EHNRI), rabies has been endemic in Ethiopia since the early 17th century.

Rabies is a viral disease transmitted to animals and humans through bites, although contamination via broken skin or mucous membranes from infected animals may also occur. Once neurological symptoms of the disease develop, rabies is fatal to both animals and humans.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 55,000 people die of rabies each year, half of which are children under the age of 15. Still, the good news is that rabies is easily preventable.

Background

Led by the Alliance for Rabies Control and supported by numerous human and animal health organizations worldwide, World Rabies Day is a unique campaign that brings together hundreds of thousands of people across the world to reinforce the message that rabies is a preventable disease.

The first World Rabies Day was observed on 7 September 2007.

Messages of Inspiration

Dr. Deborah Briggs, Executive Director for the Alliance for Rabies Control says in her message that “Rabies is primarily a disease of children, who are particularly at risk from this terrible disease, due to their close contact with dogs, the major global source”.

Dr Briggs explains: “Children are more likely to suffer multiple bites and scratches to the face and head, both of which carry a higher risk of contracting rabies. Children are often unaware of the danger that dogs transmit rabies and may not tell their parents when a bite, lick, or scratch has occurred from an infected animal.”

According to Peter Costa, Global Communications Coordinator for the Alliance for Rabies Control, “Vaccination prior to possible exposure is a crucial part of health management of domestic animals, and is the single most important factor in rabies prevention”

World Rabies Day in Africa

It is estimated that 24,000 people in Africa die from rabies, despite the fact that vaccines exist. This has a significant impact on the health and wellbeing of the people of the continent.

South Africa

The KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa has been plagued by dog rabies for several decades. In 2009, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, in cooperation with WHO, started a pilot programme to eliminate canine rabies in three candidate territories where the disease is endemic, of which 2 are in Africa:

• the KwaZulu Natal province in South Africa

• the south-eastern part of the United Republic of Tanzania

In KwaZulu Natal, the project seeks to bring sustainability to existing control measures in a region fraught with challenges in service delivery. Despite a slow start in terms of administration, the ongoing field and associated activities have proven so effective that in July 2011 they celebrated one year without a reported case of human rabies.

Algeria

Presentation of several papers on the epidemiology, management, and use of rabies vaccine and serum.

Ghana

An awareness campaign to be conducted amongst junior high school students in MansoNkwanta.

Kenya

The Kenya Medical Research Institute/Centers for Disease Control and the Kenya Veterinary Association will sponsor rabies vaccination activities in six sites in Machakos, a rabies endemic area.

Liberia

Liberia Animal welfare Society (LAWS), in partnership with the non-profit organization Doggone Safe, will carry on awareness education in 10 schools on dog-bite prevention and rabies control.

LAWS will also do an outreach exercise for free rabies vaccination in 5 communities. This activity will take place from September 19 to 29 in Voinjama, Kolahun and Foya Districts.

Madagascar

The Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Livestock, in association with the Institut Pasteur from Madagascar and Sanofi Pasteur have decided to celebrate for the first time in Madagascar, the World Rabies Day in order to inform the population about the disease, preventative methods and post-exposure treatment centers.

Nigeria

World Rabies Day 2011 events include a seminar, lecture, dog walk and dog show at Ikeja.

Sierra Leone

Awareness will be created by means of jingles on regional radio stations, with discussion and phone-in programs, a symposium on ways of getting vaccines for human and dogs, as well as a talk by local community people at Njala University.

South Africa

IN the Mopani District of the Limpopo Province, in association with the Mashishimale tribal authority and the Departments of Agriculture and of Health pamphlets will be distributed, vaccinations will be done and road shows will be held amongst the school children of surrounding communities.

Uganda

A vaccination and neutering program will be held in Jinja, Eastern Uganda, to address the stray dog problem in the area.

An Awareness Program for children in the Masaka region, followed by vaccinations of all pets is also part of the campaign.

The International Day of Peace (Peace Day) is observed on 21 September. 2011 marks the 30th observance of the day.

Aim

The aim of Peace Day is to create an opportunity for individuals, organizations and nations to implement practical acts of peace on a shared date. It offers a cessation of violence and conflict throughout the world, and the related importance of achieving the broadest possible awareness and observance of the International Day of Peace among the global community.

Background

International Day of Peace was established by the United Nations Resolution of 1981 to coincide with the opening of the General Assembly. The first Peace Day was celebrated in September 1982.

In 2002, on the 20^th anniversary of International Peace Day, the General Assembly officially declared September 21 as the permanent date for the International Day of Peace.

Peace Day 2011

This year’s observance has 3 guiding principles and actions:

• Peace within - the Minute of Silence at noon in each time zone;
• Peace without - an Act of Service for Peace that benefits the larger community;
  
• Peace year round - a commitment to a Daily Peace Practice by joining with others to build a worldwide Culture of Peace.

International Day of Peace is also a Day of Ceasefire – on a personal and political level. People all over the world are urged to take this opportunity to make peace in their own relationships as well as impact the larger conflicts of our time.

Many events observing Peace Day will last for several days and may continue until 2 October, the birthday of Gandhi and the International Day of Non-Violence.

One important focal point across the globe will be the 'Minute of Silence' at 12:00 noon, in all time zones worldwide, on September 21, as requested by Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations. Many groups are actively promoting this ‘Minute of Silence’ and tens of millions of people will be doing this; enveloping the world with a ‘Wave of Peace’.

Theme

The theme for International Day of Peace 2011 is ‘Make Your Voice Heard’. The theme focusses on the very topical issues of peace and democracy, underlined strongly by the people in North Africa showing the power of reaching out, connecting and rallying for a common cause.

Mr. Kiyo Akasaka, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Communication and Public Information highlights this particular power towards a common cause in his message.

Other Messages of Inspiration

The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reminds the world that the day to day quest and core value of the UN is peace. He reiterates that peace is “crucial for human rights. It provides channels for resolving differences. It gives hope to the marginalized… and power to the people.”

International Day of Peace in Africa

An interactive map shows the number of conflicts in Africa. The UN has sent peacekeeping forces to most countries in Africa. The African Union (AU) has been under pressure from the international community to take more responsibility for the conflicts on the continent. The limited capacity of the AU still requires the assistance of the UN in peacekeeping in Africa.

The United Nations Peacekeeping forces  have seven missions in Africa:

• United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS)

• United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA)

• UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO)

• African Union-UN Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID)

• UN Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI)

• UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) 

•  UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO)

The United Nations Mission in the Sudan (UNMIS) ended on 9 July 2011.

Events

There are already hundreds of events listed on the International Day of Peace website, representing diverse countries.

African countries listing their events include: Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda.

Social media supporting the International Day of Peace

Invite all your Facebook friends to the Peace Wave Facebook event, as it travels around - and envelopes - the world!

The United Nations' International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer is observed every year on September 16.

Aim

This day highlights the urgent need to preserve the ozone layer, which filters sunlight and prevents the adverse effects of ultraviolet radiation reaching the Earth's surface, and thereby preserving life on the planet.

The observance of International Day for Preservation of the Ozone Layer is an opportunity to celebrate the capacity of humanity to work together towards a common goal.

Background

On 19 December 1994, in its Resolution 49/114, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 16 September International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer. The first event was observed in 1995.

This date commemorates the signing of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer in 1987. This Protocol is seen as one of the successes of modern international acts to protect the environment.

The Protocol encourages nations and international companies to take precautionary measures to control global emissions of ozone-depleting substances (ODSs).

A long road however, still lies ahead. According to the Antarctic Ozone Bulletin: “Despite international progress in cutting production and consumption of ozone-depleting chemicals, they have a long atmospheric lifetime and it will take several decades before their concentrations are back to pre-1980 levels.”

Theme

The theme for this year is: 'HCFC phase-out: a unique opportunity'.

Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) are a class of ozone destroying gases being phased out under the Montreal Protocol.

Messages

In his message, the United Nations Secretary-General Ban ki-Moon  "urge(s) Parties and industries to seize the opportunity provided by the HCFC phase-out to leapfrog HFCs wherever possible.  Only by limiting global climate change can we hope to achieve sustainable development for all."

Africa, the Ozone Layer and Climate Changes

Natural disasters are intensified by the effects of a depleted ozone layer and resultant climate changes; this includes droughts, storms and floods. No region on the planet has escaped the adverse effects of climate change as experienced over the past few years, but it is clear that Africa is particularly vulnerable. Deforestation, erosion, over-grazing and over-exploitation of fish stocks are only a few  of a long list of causes. 

Africa Carbon Forum

Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, in her address to the Africa Carbon Forum in July 2011, said that: “The opportunities in Africa are increasing. I am convinced that the growing interest in Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects will help turn the tide and contribute to firmly positioning Africa’s opportunities for the carbon market landscape beyond 2012.”

Events

The UN have on their website resources available to help institutions, inter alia environmental groups and schools to plan activities around this important day.

The International Day of Democracy is observed on September 15 each year. In the light of the recent uprisings in North Africa, the 2011 observance of this day is particularly important and relevant to the African continent.

Aim

The International Day of Democracy is aimed at celebrating democracy and to serve as a reminder that the need to promote and protect democracy is as urgent now as ever. This day recognises that human rights, the rule of law and democracy are interlinked and mutually reinforcing.

Background

The International Day of Democracy was declared by the United Nations General Assembly on 8 November 2007, and first observed in 2008. The choice of 15 September for the International Day of Democracy corresponds to the adoption in September 1997 by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) of a Universal Declaration on Democracy. 

In its resolution A/RES/62/7, founding the International Day of Democracy, the United Nations observed that "while democracies share common features, there is no single model of democracy" and that "democracy does not belong to any country or region".

Theme

 The theme for the 2011 International Day of Democracy is: “What do citizens expect from their parliament?”

It appears that parliamentarians worldwide are struggling to meet the ever growing expectations of citizens. Data suggests that citizens hold parliamentarians to account principally for the services that they are able to deliver outside parliament, not for their law-making role or their ability to oversee the Executive.

The forthcoming Global Parliamentary Report, which has surveyed over 600 parliamentarians, suggests that working on citizens' issues is the single most time-consuming aspect of a parliamentarian's work.

Messages

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon, in his message, urges communities to: “... redouble our efforts to support all people, in particular the young – the drivers of this year’s momentous events – in making democracy a working reality. This Day belongs to them. Let us honour their commitment to a lifelong journey in democracy. "

His message reiterates, in the light of the historical events in North Africa and the Middle East,  “... that democracy is a universal model yearned for by all peoples and alien to no culture” and reminds everyone  “... that democracy cannot be exported or imposed from abroad; it must be generated by the will of the people and nurtured by a strong and active civil society.”

Democracy in Africa

In 2007 the African Union adopted the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance. Despite some countries, such as Zimbabwe, Eritrea, Swaziland, Sudan and Uganda, the citizens of the African continent now have a bigger involvement in electing their governments than they did ten years ago.

Citizen States

According to Nancy Dubosse, head of Research at Idasa's Economic Governance Programme: “We are moving into an era in which the state is transformed to manifest the will of its constituents.” She adds that it is “a challenge to its traditional authority, its autonomy, its supremacy.” The recent “Arab Spring” has seen citizens of Tunisia, Egypt and Libya trying to bring democracy into their society.

Events

Numerous events are taking place across Africa, they include among others:

Egypt

The activities in Egypt in order to observe the International Day of Democracy include a workshop on the Assessment of Parliamentary Mechanisms, on September 14th and 15th.

Kenya 

The Youth Forum is arranging a Procession to Uhuru Park (Charter Hall) on Wednesday 14 September and a discussion under the theme 'Building Partnerships for Youth Inclusion and Democracy'.

Liberia 

On 14 September, in observance of the International Day of Democracy, the Liberian Legislature following the recommendations of the IPU, will be holding a round-table interactive dialogue between some Members of the Legislature and representatives of pro-democracy organizations.

South Sudan

In South Sudan, NGOs operating in Yei River County are preparing for the International Day of Democracy. The program started on September 13 in the Youth Gardens with public lectures.

It concludes on September 15 with speeches at Yei’s Freedom Square and a public debate in the Yei Community Resource Centre.

Social media

Keep up to date with events relating to the International Day of Democracy on Facebook and Twitter.

In a article in the Liberian paper, The New Dawn, its heading “Bumps, but Africa’s democracy rises”, sums up the status quo on the continent: “After much misunderstanding, with all the anarchic one-party ordeals and self-serving dictatorial military juntas, it appears Africa is nearing a turning point in its democratic grasp.”

8 September 2011, 06:00 a.m.

The International Literacy Day is observed every year on 8 September.

Aim

With International Literacy Day, UNESCO reminds the international community of the status of literacy and adult learning. Since its creation, UNESCO has played a lead role in promoting literacy and affirming its vital importance as a human right.

Background

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) adopted International Literacy Day on 17 November 1965, and the first International Literacy Day was observed in 1966. UN literacy statistics conclude that globally there are approximately four billion literate people, 776 million illiterate, 75 million children not attending or dropping out of school, around 35 countries with a literacy rate of less than 50%, and two-thirds of the world’s illiterate are women.

Theme 2011

The theme for this year will focus on the link between Literacy and Peace. During a ceremony in New Delhi, India, UNESCO will award the international Confucius and King Sejong literacy prizes to projects - in Africa -  to Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The National Literacy Service of Burundi is the laureate of one of the two awards of the UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize, and is awarded for its innovative approach to linking functional literacy to daily life issues and to topics related to peace and tolerance, as well as for its overall impact. From 2010 to 2011 alone, this Service presented more than 50,000 certificates to new readers.

The other award of the UNESCO Confucius Prize for Literacy on the African Continent will be presented to Collectif Alpha Ujuvi in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, for its programme, Peaceful Coexistence of Communities and Good Governance in North Kivu. The programme uses an innovative model for preventing and resolving tensions and conflicts among individuals and communities. Each of the four laureates will receive US$20,000 during the ceremony, which will be webcast.

Messages of Inspiration

The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reminds the world that “Literacy unlocks the capacity of individuals to imagine and create a more fulfilling future. It opens the way to greater justice, equality and progress. Literacy can help societies heal, advance political processes and contribute to the common good.”

The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokovaalso, in her message says “No country can hope to establish lasting conditions for peace unless it finds ways of building mutual trust between its citizens through inclusive education systems that promote mutual understanding, respect, tolerance and dialogue.”

She urges governments, international organizations, civil society and the private sector “to make literacy a policy priority, so that every individual can develop their potential, and actively participate in shaping more sustainable, just and peaceful societies.”

Literacy in Africa

More than half the adult population of the following African countries are illiterate: Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Sierra Leone. Sub-Sahara Africa accounts for 21.4% of the world’s adult illiterate population.

In South Africa, with a population of 49 million, nearly 5 million people are illiterate. Ghana has an illiteracy population of 46%.

According to the Nigerian Education Minister of State Ezenwo Wike, the national adult literacy rate is 56.9%.

Events

Ghana 

At the launch of International Literacy Day in Ghana Mr Charles Darlington Afare, Acting Director of Non-Formal Education Division of the Ministry of Education will call on local sponsors and the international donor community to support the Education Division in its plan towards the success of decreasing illiteracy in Ghana, especially among women and children and in addition, develop a national plan that would promote literacy in the country.

Nigeria 

“The Federal Ministry of Education is set to increase the number of people who are literate in the countryby10 million yearly for the next four years.” This plan was announced by Mr Nyesom Wike, the Minister of State for Education in Abuja while speaking to journalists about the International Literacy Day celebration.

South Africa 

Kingsway Centre of Concern is holding a ‘Read-a-Thon’ involving schools, the University of Johannesburg and Monash University on 8th September 2011 at the Piazza in Clearwater Mall. To coincide with South Africa's Literacy Week and International Literacy Day, the ‘Teacher supports the CNA Read-a-Thon Campaign’, was launched in June and runs until the end of September. 

Uganda 

The Ntungamo District is in preparation to host the national celebrations for its International Literacy Day. Deputy Chief Administrative Officer, Mr Fedelis Kizza announced that “We shall have a symposium at the district to design a concept paper for integration in the national literacy policy, especially for old people ... and other activities including tree planting before the function.”

Zimbabwe  Much history teaching in Africa is still Eurocentric. UNESCO and the African Union are holding an expert meeting (4-9 September, Harare, Zimbabwe) to promote the teaching of history based on an African cultural perspective in addition to launching the second phase of the General History of Africa.

Social Media Supports the Day

Click on the link to the International Literacy Day Facebook page and get all the updates; alternatively follow #Youth and #InLitDay on Twitter.

23 August 2011, 12:00 p.m.

The International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition pays tribute to the millions of men, women and children who were victims of slavery and pays tribute to those who worked to abolish slave trade and slavery.

This commitment and the actions used to fight against the system of slavery had an impact on the human rights movement of today.

Background

The International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition was first celebrated in Africa in Goree, Senegal on 23 August 1999.  

During the night of 22 until the morning of 23 August 1791, Santo Domingo (today known as Haiti and the Dominican Republic) experienced the beginning of the uprising that would play a critical role in the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade. It is estimated that more than 12.5 million Africans were deported to the Americas and the Caribbean to be enslaved. 

Special anniversary during 2011

The commemoration of the events this year carries a special significance: it  marks the 10^th anniversary of the United Nations World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance that was held in 2001 in Durban, South Africa, at which meeting slave trade was acknowledged as a crime against humanity. 2011 was also declared by United Nations General Assembly as the International Year for People of African Descent.

International Design Competition

The  Director-General of UNESCO, Ms Irina Bokova, launched an international competition, on the occasion of the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition, to design a permanent memorial to the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade, to be built at United Nations Headquarters in New York.

Events in Africa

Angola

A conference is planned on the theme: "Escravos angolanos povoaram tambem as Antilhas Neerlandesas" (“Angolan slaves also populated the Netherlands Antilles), organized by the Eduardo dos Santos Foundation, at the Augustino Neto University in Luanda, to be held on 23 August.

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

A workshop to be held on the achievements of the Slave Route project in the DRC, with the presentation of The Slave Trade, Slavery and Colonial Violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo, published in 2010. This initiative will also provide a framework for considering the implementation of future activities.

Ghana

A workshop to be held on the slave trade for educators from three regions of the world in Accra; 11 – 13 August.

Madagascar

A screening of the documentary, “Slave Routes: A Global Vision” at the University of Antananarivo on 23 August.

Senegal

Various awareness-raising and educational programmes planned: a panel discussion, a painting and photo exhibition, as well as cultural activities at the Joseph Ndiaye Socio-Cultural Centre in Gorée on 23 August.

19 August 2011, 12:00 p.m.

The first World Humanitarian Day was held on 19 August 2009.

Background

In December 2008, the sixty-third session of the UN General Assembly decided to designate 19 August as World Humanitarian Day. On this day in 2003, a brutal terrorist attack on UN headquarters in Baghdad killed 22 people, including UN envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello. 

 Aim

The World Humanitarian Day has been designated to raise public awareness of humanitarian assistance worldwide and the people who risk their lives in order to provide it.

Every day humanitarian aid workers help millions of people around the world no matter who they are or where they are.

World Humanitarian Day is also a celebration of people helping people. The day recognizes the sacrifices and contributions of those who risk their lives to give others help and hope.

Theme

The theme for this year, “People Helping People”, is about inspiring the spirit of aid work in everyone.

Humanitarian aid is based on a number of founding principles, including humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence. Humanitarian aid workers should be respected, and be able to access those in need in order to provide vital assistance.

Messages of Inspiration

In his message, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urges the world to: “Let those we honour today inspire us to start our own journey to make the world a better place and bring our human family more closely together."

Humanitarian work in Africa

As the world is gripped by the food crises in the Horn of Africa, it may be easy to forget that the UN and a host of other organisations are working hard in many other regions on the continent.

Humanitarian aid involves addressing crises such as:

• Civil wars – as is currently raging in Libya with vital food and medical aid.

• Food security – an example is the current famine in the Horn of Africa, especially in Somalia.

• Aiding internally displaced persons – inhabitants fleeing their homes due to social strive, armed conflict or natural disasters. Examples are flood or storm response, especially in the Zambezi River Basin, Mozambique and Madagascar.

• Provision of emergency medical care when diseases such as cholera break out.

•  Assistance with coordinating efforts in AIDS research and care.

To learn more about humanitarian aid work and how to volunteer, visit the World Humanitarian Day  site.

The International Day of the Youth is observed every year on 12 August.

The International Youth Day is a global recognition of the potential of youth, a celebration of their achievements, and a platform to rally them into action in the development of their societies while including them in decision-making at all levels.

Background

On 17 December 1999, in its Resolution 54/120, the United Nations General Assembly endorsed a recommendation made by the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth that 12 August is declared International Youth Day. The first event was observed in August 2000.

12 August 2011 also sees the culmination of the International Year of the Youth; on 18 December 2009, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming the year commencing on 12 August 2010 as the International Year of Youth: "Dialogue and Mutual Understanding" to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the first International Youth Year of 1985. 

Theme of the International Youth Day

The theme for this year, Change Our World, was chosen to express the level of impact that young people strive to achieve and it also reflects the notion of a global community that is the core principle of the United Nations.

Messages of Inspiration

The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon refers to the recent uprisings in North Africa in his International Year of the Youth message, underlining that: "Young people are gifted with open minds and a keen awareness of emerging trends, and are bringing their energy, ideas and courage to some of the most complex and important challenges facing the human family."

The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokovaalso, also delivers a poignant message, "Young people are already changing the world and reinventing culture", where she refers to the “youth quakes” which have shown the ability of young people today to drive change.

Youth in Africa

In Africa the youth (ages between 15 and 24) represents approximately 20% of the population of the continent.

It is estimated that by 2050 the youth will make up:

• 18.6 % of the population in Central Africa;

• 18.5 % in Eastern Africa;

• 18.8 % in Western Africa;

• 15.6 % in Southern Africa;

• 13.9 % in North Africa.

• Approximately 36.8 % of Africa’s workforce is made up from this age group.

• In 2009, the unemployment rate amongst the youth was 11.9% in Sub Saharan Africa and 23.7 % in North Africa; especially amongst young females.

• To date, literacy rates in the region have generally improved; over the last two decades, these rates amongst the female population rose from 58% to 66.6%, compared to 72% to 78.4 % for young men.

The uprisings in Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, and even the less successful events in Swaziland and Malawi, have proved that the African youth have the potential to provide a great stimulus for development and change on the continent. According to a UN regional report, positive developments will be severely hampered if youth issues such as health, training and education, and unemployment are not addressed.

Youth Day Events

Various events to commemorate the day are planned in a number of African countries:

Ghana

At the opening of the Third African Youth and Governance Conference in Accra, Vice President John Dramani Mahama reiterated government’s commitment to continue to pursue the right-based approach to youth development. This conference will end with the International Youth Day on August 12, with the joint commemoration of Inter-(National) Youth Day; 2011 is the 13^th year the church commemorates the day.

Kenya

The Youth Congress will host an International Youth Day 2011 in collaboration with other partners and stakeholders. The Youth Congress intends to provide leadership and space for other youth organizations and organizations working on youth issues to celebrate the International Youth Day 2011, as well as amplify youth voices, issues and causes in Kenya. Activities will include Sports for Peace and Safety, a Youth Assembly and a music concert.

Nigeria

Senator Babafemi Ojudu will deliver this year's International Youth Day lecture organised by the African Centre for Media & Information Literacy. The event will take place in in Abuja, and will be attended by a cross section of Nigerian youth, including members of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), the NYSC, university students, and members of civil society.

South Africa has a special Youth Day which commemorates the Soweto Uprisings of 16 June 1976, while Tunisia celebrates its Youth Day on 21 March.

The “Change Your World” Facebook page has more information about events around the day, as well as information about the next Global Changemakers Youth Summit  during November 2011.

9 August 2011, 06:00 a.m.

The International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples is observed on 9 August every year.

Theme 2011: "Indigenous Designs: Celebrating stories and cultures, crafting our own Future"

The theme for the 17^th International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples is "Indigenous Designs: Celebrating stories and cultures, crafting our own Future." It highlights the need for preservation and revitalization of indigenous cultures, including their art and intellectual property. It is also a reminder that there is a story and a personal experience behind every piece of cloth, textile or artwork from an indigenous individual or community.  

The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon highlights in his message the fact that indigenous peoples face a number of challenges in trying to maintain their identity, traditions and customs. Their cultural contributions are often exploited and commercialised with little or no recognition. The UN Secretary-General tasks the international community to “work harder to recognize and strengthen their right to control their intellectual property, and help them to protect, develop and be compensated fairly for the cultural heritage and traditional knowledge that is ultimately of benefit to us all.” 

Navi Pillay, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, reminds us in her statement that “many of the estimated 370 million indigenous peoples around the world have lost, or are under imminent threat of losing, their ancestral lands, territories and natural resources because of unfair and unjust exploitation for the sake of development.”

Background

The International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples  was declared in 1994 by the United Nations to mark the first meeting of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations (WGIP) in 1982. This day offers the international community an opportunity to reiterate the principles of respect for human rights protected in the Charter and to find solutions to improve the plight of indigenous people.

Who are the Indigenous Peoples of Africa?

According to the Indigenous Peoples of Africa Co-ordinating Committee (IPACC), indigenous groups in Africa are those who have been making a living by hunting and gathering and living migratory nomadic lifestyles. These different peoples represent the backbone of Africa's traditional knowledge of nature and sustainable development in remote rural areas.

Well-known groups include the:

• Bushmen of the Kalahari/Namibia

• Maasai of Kenya and Tanzania

• Meru of Kenya

• Pygmy of Central and Western Africa

• Tuareg of the Sahel

• Zulu of South Africa

For a more extensive list, please see People of Africa website. 

7 August 2011, 08:00 a.m.

Cape Verdeans go to the polls on Sunday to elect a new leader to succeed incumbent President Pedro Pires, who steps down after serving two terms since 2001.  

The Cape Verdean Constitution does not allow a third term for a president.

Cape Verde's first multi-party elections were in 1991, and since then the two main parties have each held power for about 10 years.

There are four contenders with their names on the ballot:

• Manuel Inocencio Sousa, the official candidate of the ruling African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV).
• Jorge Carlos Fonseca from the Movement for Democracy (MPD).
• Aristides Lima, who broke away from the PAICV after losing his bid to be the official candidate, is contesting this election as an independent. He has the support of the Independent Cape Verdean Union Democratic (UCID), the Party of Labour and Solidarity (PTS), as well as a part of the PAICV.
• Joaquim Monteiro, who is also running as an independent.

If no candidate wins an absolute majority, a run-off vote will be held between the top two finishers.

Polls are expected to be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.

There are 305,349 voters on the electoral list, including 36,934 in the Diaspora. A large percentage of Cape Verde's 1.5 million citizens live outside the country. 

The election will take place under the watch of 112 international observers, including 16 from the African Union (AU) led by Congolese Pascal Gayama, former Deputy Secretary General of the AU, and 82 from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

25 April 2012, 06:00 a.m.

World Malaria Day 2012

The World Health Organisation’s (WHO) World Malaria Day is observed every year on 25 April to recognise the global effort to provide effective control of malaria.

Theme of World Malaria Day 2012

The theme for the 2012 World Malaria Day “Sustain Gains, Save Lives: Invest in Malaria”, highlights the positive effect of malaria control. “Whether the malaria map will keep shrinking, as it has in the past decade, or be reclaimed by the malaria parasites, depends, to a great extent, on the resources that will be invested in control efforts over the next years,” says the WHO.

The WHO estimates that half of all the people on earth are at risk of getting malaria, a mosquito-borne disease caused by a parasite. People with malaria experience fever, chills, and flu-like illness. Left untreated, they may develop severe complications and die. The population most at risk is young children in sub-Saharan Africa.

Malaria in Africa

As a result of investments made in malaria control, an unprecedented momentum has been created and the world has seen remarkable returns. In Africa the deaths as a result of malaria have decreased by on third over the last ten years.

Aim of World Malaria Day

The aim of this commemorative day is to provide education about the disease and assist with the public’s understanding of malaria. It further supports national control strategies against the spread of malaria, and community - based activities in countries worldwide, but specifically in Africa.

The day provides opportunities for:

• Countries that fall in malaria-afflicted areas to learn from each other’s efforts and experiences.
• To attract new donors to join the alliance against malaria.
• Academic and research foundations and institutions make use of the day to create awareness of their findings.
• International partners, foundations and companies are offered an opportunity to explain their efforts and discuss on how to widely implement successful efforts.

Song of Inspiration

In their fight against malaria, Mortein called on Nigerian pop star Omawumi and producer Cobhams Asuquoto to compose a song to help raise awareness for the fight against malaria.

Background

On 25 April 2000, African leaders from 44 malaria-endemic countries participated in the first-ever African Summit on Malaria in Abuja, Nigeria.

At the Summit, the leaders signed the historic Abuja Declaration committing governments to an intensive effort to halve the burden of malaria in Africa by 2010 and setting interim targets for the year 2005.

The decision to establish a World Malaria Day was taken by the World Health Assembly in May 2007 to commemorate the Declaration signed by the African leaders in 2000.

News and events

The World Malaria Day website has a live update facility where news about events and other malaria information can be posted.

For more information on malaria and preventative care, please visit the website of the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention 

A host of institutions, inter alia Malaria-no-More and the Malaria Consortium, as well as celebrities and individuals are all working towards preventing further deaths by malaria, and have organised events to commemorate and create global awareness for this important day.

Namibia

Director General of the WHO Dr Margaret Chan will be visiting Namibia to mark World Malaria Day. During her visit, Dr Chan will launch a new WHO initiative entitled “T3: Test. Treat. Track”, urging malaria-endemic countries, donors and the global health community to substantially scale-up investments in diagnostic testing, treatment, and surveillance for malaria.

WHO Country Representative to Namibia, Dr Magda Robalo says, “This is a momentous occasion for Namibia to host the WHO DG Dr Chan, given that it is one of the countries making sterling progress to reduce malaria drastically. In 2005, 80,000 cases were reported and this figure was brought down to 22,000 cases in 2010. Last year less than 16,000 malaria cases were registered. Consequently, Namibia is one of the countries identified to eliminate malaria.”

Social Media

To participate and help creat awareness, please follow Twitter and Facebook.

24 March 2012, 06:00 a.m.

To create awareness about the global epidemic, the World Health Organization declared March 24 as World Tuberculosis Day. It commemorates the day in 1882 when Dr Robert Koch announced that he diagnosed the cause of TB, Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB).

Tuberculosis — one of the world’s oldest diseases — remains an epidemic, causing the death of several million people every year. No country is unaffected by it, although Africa and Asia account for 85% of all cases. India and China collectively represent 35% of TB incidents globally.

Aim

The Stop TB Partnership, a network of organizations and countries fighting TB, organizes the day to highlight the scope of the disease and how to prevent and cure it.

Theme 2012

The theme for 2011 is “Innovation: On the move against Tuberculosis”, and it is the second year of a two-year campaign to inspire innovation in TB care and research.

Commemorative Events 

Despite political unrest in countries such as Egypt, Sudan, South Sudan and Tunisia, commemorative events will continue, according to the World TB Day website.

Kenyans will be able to go for free TB screening, South Africa is launching a month-long campaign to raise awareness, while Namibia is launching a “World TB Day Road Show”.

The organization Stop TB Partnership features their complete list of events and news.

Messages of Inspiration

The Message of Inspiration of by Dr L Ditiu, Executive Secretary of the Stop TB Partnership focus on “the people most affected by childhood TB and those who can do the most to stop it”, while The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Dr Ban Ki-Moon, in his message ”... call(s) for intensified global solidarity to ensure that all people are free from fear of tuberculosis and its devastating effects.  Let us vow to end the neglect of TB and to end deaths from this disease in our lifetime.”

So much more can be done

Despite the alarming statistics, TB is a curable disease. In the majority of cases, over 90% of people who have drug-susceptible TB can be cured within six months by taking combinations of first-line drugs. If a person is affected with multi-drug-resistant TB (MDR-TB), of which there are about 500,000 cases every year, a more challenging approach is required. The second-line drugs are more expensive, cause more severe side-effects and take up to two years to be effective. The cure rates for MDR-TB range from between 50 -70%.

Contribute via the Social Media

To join the discussion and help bring  Africa and the world together in the fight against TB, please follow Twitter, Facebook YouTube and Flickr.