SADC Executive Secretary Dr. Tomaz Augusto Salomão, and the German Ambassador to Botswana & SADC, H.E Mrs Annett Günther, signed, on April 10, 2013, four agreements formalising support from the Federal Republic of Germany to the SADC Region. The agreements, totaling €44.2 million, cover commitments made in 2010 and 2011 under SADC-Germany Cooperation on the agreed focal areas of cooperation which include:

• Transboundary water management;

• Transboundary management and protection of natural resources;

• and Regional economic cooperation.

Points de presse, 19 avril 2013

Ceci est un résumé des déclarations du porte-parole du HCR Adrian Edwards – à qui toute citation peut être attribuée – lors de la conférence de presse du 19 avril 2013 au Palais des Nations à Genève.

Les pays africains accueillant de larges populations de réfugiés rwandais, ainsi que le Rwanda lui-même, ont réitéré leur engagement à résoudre la situation prolongée des réfugiés rwandais selon la Stratégie globale qui avait été annoncée par le HCR en octobre 2009.

NEW YORK, 19 April 2013 – One and a half million children would not have died in 2011 had they been immunized, according to UNICEF at the start of World Immunization Week. But one in five children is not being reached with vital vaccines due to social or geographical exclusion, lack of resources, weak health systems or conflicts such as those raging today in Syria and parts of West Africa.

JOHANNESBURG, 25 March 2013 (IRIN) - South Africa's gold mines are estimated to have the highest number of new tuberculosis (TB) cases in the world, making the disease a leading export to neighbouring countries. IRIN takes a look at the declaration meant to change this situation.

In August 2012, heads of state from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) agreed to sign the SADC Declaration on TB in the Mining Sector, following endorsements by their national ministers for health, labour and justice.

This year, World Water Day (March 22) highlights the importance of international efforts to preserve and protect the world’s shared water resources.

The United Nations has declared 2013 the International Year of Water Cooperation. According to UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon: ‘Water is central to the well-being of people and the planet, we must work together to protect and carefully manage this fragile, finite resource.’

The Open Data Platform is a user-friendly tool for extracting data, creating and sharing own customized reports, and visualizing data across themes, sectors and countries in tables, charts and maps. Through the Open Data Platform, users can access a wide range of development data on African countries from multiple international and national official sources. The platform also facilitates the collection, analysis and sharing of data among countries and with international development partners.

L’Institut international d’agriculture tropical (IITA) a lancé mardi 12 février le projet « Appui à la recherche agricole pour le développement des cultures stratégiques (SARD-SC)» dans sa composante manioc. Ce projet quinquennal vise à relancer la sécurité alimentaire et à augmenter les revenues des paysans des pays bénéficiaires, a indiqué son coordonnateur Chris Akem.

Ce projet est financé par la Banque africaine de développement (Bad) à hauteur de 63 millions de dollars américains et concerne cinq millions deux cent mille paysans repartis dans vingt pays.

The Joint Assessment Mission (JAM) conducted in September 2012 aimed at obtaining a better understanding of the situation, needs, risks, capacities and vulnerabilities of refugees in Malawi with regard to food, livelihood, their nutritional/health situation and related matters. The current programme is coming to an end, and this JAM Report aims to provide information for further assistance through the design of a new programme cycle for both WFP (the PRRO) and UNHCR. The last JAM was carried out in 2009 in coordination with the GoM and other stakeholders.

JOHANNESBURG, 13 December 2012 (IRIN) - Over the past five weeks, almost 1,000 people have fled into Zambia to escape fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), forcing the Zambian government to consider re-opening a refugee camp it closed two years ago.

The refugees are pouring into Kilwa Island, on Lake Mweru, from villages in DRC's Katanga Province. The island, located on the Zambian side of the lake, is about an hour by boat from the DRC border.