JOHANNESBURG, 29 December 2011 (IRIN) - In 2011 the global economic crisis combined with poor governance, financial mismanagement and unpredictable rainfall to push several southern African countries to the point of crisis. Others responded to rising unemployment and increased pressure on national budgets by hardening their attitude towards immigrants and closing their borders to asylum-seekers. IRIN covered developments from all over the region, but the following stories consistently grabbed headlines:

Summary:
CHF 244,036 was allocated from the Federation’s Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) in February 2011. The DREF had a dual purpose of supporting the national society in delivering assistance to flood affected households, and to replenish depleted disaster preparedness stocks following a draw down during the earlier stages of the response. 2,000 families, equivalent to 10,000 beneficiaries received assistance.

Ireland’s support to women’s empowerment in the dGender equality is both a human right and fundamental to sustainable economic growth and poverty reduction.

Note by the Secretary-General

General Assembly
Nineteenth session
27 February-23 March 2012
Agenda item 2
Annual report of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Human Rights and reports of the
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for
Human Rights and the Secretary-General

SADC REGIONAL SUMMARY

• Assessments by the end of October 2011 indicated that the 2011/12 rainy season had not commenced in most parts of the region except for a few isolated areas. Planting rains are mostly expected in November in the Region.

• Latest rainfall forecasts indicate that most parts of the Region may receive normal to above normal rains during the period November 2011 to January 2012. Should this be realized and farmers are able to timely access inputs, the Region may have another good harvest in 2012.

MASERU, 1 December 2011 (IRIN) - Livestock herders in Lesotho are suspicious of the government's motives for "modernizing" the land tenure system, fearing it will bring about a radical change in their way of life and deprive them of their birthright to land.

"This land act is not for us, it's for people sitting in the highest seats of government and in the fancy chairs in the city," Khotso Lehloka, secretary general of the Lesotho Herders Association (LHA), which represents between 17,000 and 20,000 livestock herders, told IRIN.

Cyclical drought, food insecurity, disease outbreaks, prolonged complex emergencies, environmental degrada-tion, and limited government capacity present significant challenges to vulnerable populations throughout the Southern Africa region. Between Fiscal Year (FY) 2002 and FY 2011, USAID’s Office of U.S.

Note: Map in 2 pages

By Tsitsi Singizi

MASERU, Lesotho, 16 November 2011 -The tremors of the global economic slow-down have reached Matiisetso Ntlale’s granary in the mountains of Lesotho. A half-full 25kg bag of corn, a head of cabbage and a near empty bottle of cooking oil, make up the entire contents of her storeroom. These should miraculously last her and her three grandchildren for the next three weeks as breakfast, lunch and supper.