Polio this week - As of 12 June 2013

N°: 158/2013

7 June 2013 [Lagos-Nigeria]

The ECOWAS Commission has called for strong support for the operationalization of its conflict prevention framework, the ECPF, as a major tool for addressing the proximate and structural causes of violent conflicts and the promotion of human security and peace building in the region.

DAKAR / GENÈVE (10 juin 2013) – Plus de 40 parlementaires, acteurs gouvernementaux, et représentants de la société civile et des institutions nationales pour les droits de l'homme se réuniront les 13 et 14 juin à Dakar afin d'identifier les meilleures pratiques visant à mettre en œuvre concrètement le droit de l'homme à une alimentation adéquate dans la région.

L'Afrique de l’Ouest peut être divisée en trois zones agro-écologiques ou en trois bassins commerciaux (bassins de l’ouest, bassin du centre, bassin de l’est). Les deux sont importants pour l'interprétation du comportement et de la dynamique du marché.

ECOWAS has called for more support from the UN Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) for effective implementation of the region’s gender, child and humanitarian policies.

The Vice President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Toga McIntosh told a visiting delegation led by the fund’s Regional Director for West and Central Africa Mr. Benot Kalasa, that the organization "is desirous of working with you in this area and facilitating project implementation and coordination for greater impact."

In the wake of the food crises of the early 1970s and the resulting World Food Conference of 1974, a group of innovators realized that food security depends not only on crop production but also on the policies that affect an entire food system, from farm to table. The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) was founded in 1975, the same year as the signing of the Treaty of Lagos, which formally created the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Around 6.5 million people were newly displaced, almost twice as many as the 3.5 million during 2011. The conflicts in Syria and DRC were responsible for around half of the new displacements.

West Africa can be divided into three agro-ecological zones or three different trade basins (West Basin, Central Basin and East Basin). Both important for understanding market behavior and dynamics.

ECOWAS and its partners have achieved another milestone in their stride towards the elimination of malaria in the region with the ground breaking ceremony for the construction of a biolarvicides factory in Port Harcourt, capital of Nigeria’s south eastern Rivers State.

The President of the ECOWAS Commission His Excellency Kadré Désiré Ouédraogo and Nigeria’s Minister of Health Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, who represented President His Excellency Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, unveiled the plaque at a well-attended ceremony on Thursday 11th April 2013.