Belgium
(MissionNewswire) Saidi, a 14-year-old Afghan, is attending the Don Bosco Institute of Tournai. He is one of five refugee boys attending the school and receiving shelter, education and support services. In Belgium, like in many countries across Europe, Salesian missionaries have been assisting young refugees with programs that help them to integrate into their new communities.
La Belgique et la FAO unissent leurs efforts pour sauvegarder les moyens d’existence des communautés agricoles affectées au Cameroun et au Tchad
19 octobre 2017, Dakar – Dans le Bassin du Lac Tchad, la crise sécuritaire exacerbe les défis auxquels sont confrontés les agriculteurs et éleveurs vulnérables, déjà exposés aux effets des aléas climatiques durant la dernière décennie.
Belgium and FAO join efforts to safeguard the livelihoods of crisis-hit agricultural communities in Cameroon and Chad
19 octobre 2017, Dakar – In the Lake Chad Basin, the security crisis exacerbates the challenges faced by vulnerable farmers and herders, already affected by climate hazards over the past decade.
Herders bear a heavy burden because of the crisis, as their livelihoods are severely affected or even destroyed. Livestock have been deliberately killed, looted by insurgents or abandoned by herders fleeing violence.
On 5 April 2017, representatives of over 70 countries, international organisations and civil society came together in Brussels for the ‘Supporting the future of Syria and the region’ conference (Brussels conference) to build on momentum from the previous London and Kuwait conferences and mobilise funding to respond to the needs of the people affected by the Syria crisis. The EU, Germany, Kuwait, Norway, Qatar, the United Kingdom (UK) and the United Nations (UN) co-chaired this fifth pledging conference for Syria and the region.
Overview
Between 1 January and 31 July 2017, 25,556 refugees were submitted by UNHCR for resettlement to 22 countries in Europe, only 11% less than the total for 2016 and already 130% more than the average rate of 11,100 submissions per year during the last decade.
In reaction to a number of articles published the last few days, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Didier Reynders and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Development Cooperation Alexander De Croo clarify the Belgian policy regarding the support to schools in the Palestinian Territories.
SYNOPSIS OF HURRICANE MARIA
Maria, the 13th named storm of the 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season, became a category 5 hurricane near the Leeward Islands on Monday September 18th, 2017. Hurricane Maria impacted Dominica at approximately 9:35pm on September 18th as an extremely strong hurricane with wind speeds of 155 mph. Maria then impacted Antigua and Barbuda, Montserrat and St. Kitts and Nevis on September 19th, 2017 and the Virgin Islands September 19 – 20, 2017.
The relief and recovery efforts are still ongoing at a high intensity. Accessibility gradually improving, pharmacies and banks have re-opened, and water pipes being repaired. Situation is still defined as relief effort and medevacs are still ongoing, but the overall response is gradually shifting to recovery.
However lack of transportation in situ is severely challenging the distribution of relief items.
29,401 Total persons relocated
20,323 Relocated from Greece (30% of 66,400)
** 9,078** Relocated from Italy (23% of 39,600)
On September 29th, the Government of Flanders pledged 1.1 million euros to APOPO in Mozambique for its TB-detection program using scent detection rats.
Dès aujourd'hui, 7 organisations, ainsi que la Commission d'Aide juridique française de l'arrondissement judiciaire de Bruxelles, s’associent pour répondre de façon simple et lisible aux besoins des migrants présents à Bruxelles. Elles mettent en place un « hub humanitaire » où chaque organisation interviendra selon ses spécificités.
Thursday, September 28, 2017 — The Embassy of Dominica in Brussels (member of the Embassies of the Eastern Caribbean States) is working closely with the EU Directorate General for Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), to trigger the EU's emergency response system, to aid Dominica for both monetary and material relief.
On 26 September at 6.00 UTC, hurricane MARIA was located 360 km southeast of Hatteras (North Carolina, USA) as a category 1 hurricane. Tropical storm warnings are in effect for parts of North Carolina.
SYNOPSIS OF HURRICANE MARIA
Maria, the 13th named hurricane of the 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season, became a category 5 hurricane near the Leeward Islands on Monday September 18 th, 2017. Hurricane Maria impacted Dominica at approximately 9:35pm on September 18 th as an extremely strong hurricane with wind speeds of 155 mph.
Maria then impacted St. Kitts and Nevis and Antigua and Barbuda on September 19th, 2017 and the Virgin Islands September 19 – 20, 2017.
Belgian opposition groups, refugees, and human rights organisations led by Amnesty International have strongly criticised Brussels for having invited Sudanese government officials to identify migrants and arrange documents for their forced repatriation.
In an open letter, the organisations expressed their “extreme concern” about the decision of Brussels to involve Sudanese authorities in the identification of asylum seekers without papers. The cooperation could bring the Sudanese asylum seekers in serious problems, they said.
Highlights
Compilation of available statistical data indicates that the arrivals to Europe through the Mediterranean in the first eight months of 2017 is lower when compared to the same period in 2016. As of 31 August 2017, national authorities in Greece, Italy, Cyprus, Bulgaria and Spain registered 131,167 newly arrived migrants mostly from the Middle East, Africa, South and Central Asia which is in a sharp contrast to 297,255 recorded during the same period in 2016 (56% decrease).
At the initiative of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Development Cooperation Alexander De Croo, our country allocates an additional 6 million euros to the alarming humanitarian situation in the DRC. The Minister makes this announcement today in New York, at the occasion of a meeting with the UN Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region Said Djinnit and with UN humanitarian coordinator Mark Lowcock. Minister De Croo also asks the international community to make more humanitarian resources available to the DRC.
Sous l’impulsion du vice-Premier ministre et ministre de la Coopération au Développement Alexander De Croo, notre pays va mobiliser 6 millions d’euros d’aide humanitaire supplémentaire pour faire face à la situation humanitaire alarmante en RDC. C’est ce qu’a annoncé le ministre aujourd’hui à New York à l’occasion d’un entretien qu’il a eu entre autres avec l’émissaire spécial de l’ONU pour les Grands Lacs, Saïd Djinnit, et le coordinateur humanitaire de l’ONU Mark Lowcock. Le ministre De Croo demande à la communauté internationale de libérer elle aussi plus de fonds humanitaires.
Trends and key figures
La FAO anunció que ha activado su Fondo Especial para Actividades de Emergencia y Rehabilitación-Capacidad de Respuesta a Insumos Agrícolas con la contribución del gobierno de Bélgica, para asistir la rehabilitación de la producción agrícola y pesquera ante los daños ocasionados por el Huracán Irma en el Caribe
