Vienna, Austria, June 17, 2013. The Governing Board of the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID), meeting in its 143rd Session on June 13, has approved 17 loans and grants totaling over US$234 million to boost socio-economic development in over 44 partner countries. The majority of the public sector funding will co-finance transportation, energy and water supply and sanitation projects.

The approved public sector loans are as follows:

Burkina Faso

1) The delayed onset of the March-May rainfall has negatively impacted ground conditions over the Belg-producing areas of northern Ethiopia. Despite an increase in rain since mid-April, the accumulated rainfall has remained below-average. Limited rain is forecast over the area during the next outlook period, likely maintaining rainfall deficits.

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.

By Tommy Trenchard

FREETOWN , Jun 7 2013 (IPS) - On a street corner in downtown Freetown, Sierra Leone’s capital city, 12-year-old Kaita sits with a friend on a peeling steel railing watching the headlights of motorbikes cruising through the otherwise silent streets. It is after midnight, and motionless human forms lie curled up in doorways or stretched out on pavements nearby. For Kaita, these streets are home, and have been for almost six years.

An insufficient rain since the start of the season has resulted in abnormal dryness across parts of northern Nigeria.

1) Despite an increase in rainfall since mid-April, the delayed onset or seasonal rainfall has led to unfavorable ground conditions for the northeastern Belg-producing areas of Ethiopia. The erratic nature of the seasonal rains has negatively impacted cropping activities, likely resulting in below-average crop yields.

On the occasion of the 38th Annual Meeting of the IDB Board of Governors held in Dushanbe, Republic of Tajikistan, a number of financing agreements have been signed under which the Bank shall participate in financing new development projects in (10) member countries (in addition to the Republic of Kosovo) for a total amount of USD230.9 million , The details are as follows:

1 . The Republic of Tajikistan

Loan for USD10 million, to participate in phase-3 in the Dangara Valley Irrigation Project with the objective of poverty reduction among the population.

By David Tereshchuk*

May 30, 2013—Little can evoke the sheer horror of civil war as powerfully as encountering the countless citizens of Sierra Leone whose arms or legs were brutally chopped off by rampaging paramilitary gangs.

Now that Sierra Leone lives in relative peace after those terrible 11 years of violence, the war’s wounds, both physical and emotional, still weigh heavily on the population. But UMCOR, the United Methodist Committee on Relief, has been employing practical measures to improve the lives of those left limbless.

Hundreds of women have taken part in workshops where specially trained community members lead sessions on issues such as rape, incest and eviction of widows.

Thirty-day rainfall surpluses continue to grow across western Ethiopia and western South Sudan

1) Poorly distributed and significantly below average seasonal rainfall has resulted in deteriorating ground conditions since January. This has negatively impacted crops and livestock throughout many parts of southern Angola and northern Namibia.