The Heads of States of Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) countries should be congratulated on the pledges to end drought emergencies made at the Nairobi Summit on the Horn of Africa Crisis in September 2011. However, limited progress has been made to implement those pledges, and dryland communities in the Horn of Africa are already faced with the prospect of possible below normal rainfall in the coming months. Thus urgent attention should be paid to speeding up the implementation of country plans and the Declaration particularly on the following issues:
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs:
Lessons from Borana, Oromia and Harshin, Somali Regional States, Ethiopia
This Study on Ethiopia's Land Fragmentation in the drylands of the Horn of Africa and its effects on pastoral resilience. This is having a highly negative impact on pastoralism as an effective production system in these predominantly drylands areas,and increasing the vulnerability of those who rely on pastoralism for their food and livelihood security.
Organization Name Independent consultant
Author Name Fiona Flintan , Boku Tache and Abdurehman Eid
The current drought in The East and Horn of Africa is estimated to have affected 13 million people, of which 4.5 million are Kenyans. Lives and livelihoods have been lost. It has also caused extensive debates on how to end drought emergencies. The discussions have hit media headlines and formed agendas of national and international conferences. A few of the issues that have cut across all these discussions are the acknowledgement that:
· While drought is an unavoidable natural phenomenon, it need not and should not lead to famine and other disasters.
Disasters and their effects are well documented but little mentioned is how people have traditionally coped before disasters strike. Evidence exists that communities are endowed with traditional early warning systems that ensured safety for communities and minimal loss of lives and property to hazards. More recently, climatic change has created confusion in the ecological system such that indigenous early warning systems have either been discarded or underutilized.
Aid agencies urge donors to get priorities for newest nation right from the start
A coalition of 38 aid agencies today (Tuesday 06 September 2011) called on donors not to squander the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of the people of South Sudan, the world’s newest nation. The call came as new violence in Jonglei state increased emergency needs.
Yet again, Kenya is facing impending drought, and the drylands are already bearing the brunt. Around 3 million people are currently affected, and it is likely the situation will get worse over the coming months. Water and pasture is already in short supply – and as livestock get weaker and their market value decreases, pastoralists have less income to buy food. Malnutrition is rising as families skip meals, take on debts to buy food, and weak cattle are unable to produce vital milk. Families are withdrawing children from school as they migrate with their cattle to find water.
Renewing the PledgeThe clock is ticking
fast towards what might be the most important date in modern sudanese history
- two referenda in Sudan that are likely to result in the breakup of Africa's
largest state. With six months remaining until 9 January 2011, the scheduled
date of the referenda, the run-up to, and outcome of, the vote must be
managed with extreme care. the Guarantors to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement
(CPA), who invested considerable effort in obtaining the CPA on 9 January
The next 12 months will be critical for
the future of Sudan. As the country marks the fifth anniversary of the
signing of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended a devastating
civil war, southern Sudan has seen a major upsurge in violence. In 2009,
some 2,500 people were killed and 350,000 fled their homes. With landmark
elections and a referendum on the horizon, the peace deal is fragile and
the violence likely to escalate even further unless there is urgent international
engagement.
En juin 2009, des ONG travaillant en République
démocratique du Congo (RDC) ont produit un rapport
de situation sur la réponse de l'Union européenne (UE) aux besoins urgents
de protection et d'assistance dans l'Est du pays. Le document soulignait
l'impact humanitaire dramatique des opérations militaires conduites par
l'armée congolaise (les FARDC), avec le soutien de la force de maintien
de la paix des Nations unies (MONUC,) pour désarmer de force les milices
In June 2009, NGOs working in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo (DRC) produced a situation update on the European
Union's response to urgent protection and assistance needs in the Eastern
provinces of the country. The paper noted the dramatic humanitarian impact
of military operations being conducted by the Congolese army (the FARDC)
with support of the UN peacekeeping force (MONUC) to forcibly disarm the
FDLR (Forces Démocratiques de Libération du Rwanda) militia, and called
for, among other things, the EU to press the Congolese government to take
Shangla is a mountainous, isolated district
in the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan with a population of approximately
800,000. The main town is Alpuri, where the district headquarters are located,
while it is divided into two sub-divisions namely Alpuri and Puran. Puran
is presently "no-go" area as clashes between militants and the
army are ongoing. Shangla has the lowest Human Development index in NWFP
province and the second lowest in the country.
A briefing paper by eleven NGOs operating
in Afghanistan for the NATO Heads of State and Government Summit, 3-4 April
2009
Summary
1 Protection of civilians
The intensification and spread of the
conflict in Afghanistan is increasingly affecting civilians. In 2008 there
were over 2,100 civilian casualties, 55% of which were caused by militants.
Despite steps to reduce civilian casualties, international military forces
(IMF) caused 552 civilian deaths through airstrikes in 2008, which is up
by 72% on 2007. IMF have also carried out or supported raids and search
The Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration
of ex-combatants is an imminent challenge in countries emerging from violent
conflict. This study explores whether NGOs should contribute to such processes
and how they could do so. Field work was done in Afghanistan, the Democratic
Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone. The full report consists of the three
case studies and a synthesis study.
A coalition of development, humanitarian,
peace and human rights organisations expressed their intense disappointment
at the absence of a strong emphasis on improving conditions on the ground
in the occupied Palestinian territory and on human rights commitments in
the EU's declaration on relations with Israel. The declaration presented
at the EU-Israel Association Council in Luxembourg yesterday opens the
way to upgrading mutual ties but fails to effectively link it to ending
the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip and to ensuring respect for human
This study looks into civil-military
relations in conflict and post-conflict countries. In recent years, the
issue has invoked a heated debate, which has occasionally lacked nuance
and clarity. Some guidelines have emerged, but they are hardly sufficient
for adequate positioning. This study focuses on Afghanistan and Liberia
and is intended to assist policymakers and practitioners in developing
adequate strategies by answering the following questions:
For the past few weeks both El Daein and
Adilla localities have been a bee hive of visiting activities from most
UN health agencies notably WHO, UNFPA and UNICEF. In particular, as El
Daein becomes the focal locality for IDPs organizing a return to Northern
Bar Ghazal, not to ignore the spontaneous new arrivals of IDPs affected
by instability in areas southeast of Nyala; Cordaid, an INGO based in the
Netherlands reinforced its partnership with UNFPA as both agencies strategize
to serve the vulnerable populations particularly the women.
In intensifying sensitization and enforcing
"We don't mind not having a clinic
as long as we have water to drink!" An elderly women quipped to John
Garang, Cordaid Project Field Assistant a couple of weeks ago while on
our regular runs in Jad Alsid. This town has 3 non-functional water boreholes
just like the locality of Al Mazroub both SLA controlled towns in Adilla.
"We are seriously reflecting these comments from our beneficiaries
as we try to cope with variables that affect our impact. The absence of
water in most areas of Cordaid operation in South Darfur is changing the
