Comoros

MORONI, Comoros – As a midwife, Hadjira Oumouri, 49, spent years advocating for the health and rights of women. Today, she is the second-ever woman Member of Parliament in the Comoros, and currently the only female MP.

Her experience has informed her leadership. Since taking office, she has introduced multiple bills to promote gender equality, and she has worked hard – with success – to gain the support of her male colleagues.

“I think the fight of the woman is every day,” she said. “Politics is also a fight you have to keep fighting.”

Health Ministers and Environment Ministers, Experts, Officials and other key stakeholders from Small Island Development States (SIDS) of Africa and South East Asian regions, namely Cabo Verde, Comoros, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, Reunion Island, Sao Tome and Principes and Seychelles participated in the World Health Organization (WHO) Third Global Conference on Climate Change and Health on 21-22 March 2018 in Mauritius.

They were lively and lovely, and they moved me close to tears. The Angolan teenaged girls I met told me about their dreams and the barriers they face to achieving what is simply normal elsewhere – finishing primary school, graduating from high school, protecting themselves from unplanned pregnancy and HIV, being safe from male aggression, living and loving in peace and harmony, and having a better future than their parents.

By Ragy Saro

“Reduce disaster loss and protect lives.”

CAIRO, 14 March 2018 - That refrain echoed through Cairo, the capital city of Egypt as a 3-day training event kicked off this week bringing together representatives from 11 Arab States committed to implementing the global plan for reducing disaster losses, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.

This activity report summarizes activities of Result Area 5, also known as the Africa Disaster Risk Financing (ADRF) Initiative—referred to as the “ADRF Initiative,” the “Initiative” or “R5”—from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017. The report gives an overview of the achievements to date and identifies upcoming priorities and challenges.

Last month, Ousseni Souffiani’s life was turned upside down. He had lived in a hillside shantytown on the island of Mayotte, but a torrential downpour swept his flimsy home away, killing his wife and four of his children who were sheltering inside.

Read more on IRIN.

Geneva – IOM, the UN Migration Agency, reports that 7,795 migrants and refugees entered Europe by sea through the first five and a half weeks of 2018, with about 60 per cent arriving in Italy and the remainder divided between Greece and Spain, both at roughly 20 per cent. This compares with 12,217 arrivals across the region through the same period last year.

Cyclical drought, food insecurity, cyclones, floods, disease outbreaks, and complex emergencies present significant challenges to vulnerable populations throughout the Southern Africa region. Between FY 2008 and FY 2017, USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) and USAID’s Office of Food for Peace (USAID/FFP) provided humanitarian assistance in response to a range of natural and man-made disasters.

Poorly distributed rainfall contributes to ongoing moisture deficits in Southern Africa

1. Below-average rainfall has increased moisture deficits and resulted in a drought in eastern Kenya and southern Somalia. With the October-December rainfall season ending, the chance for recovery is very unlikely.

2. While east-central South Africa has benefited aboveaverage rain since late November, northern and westcentral areas of the country report moderate to large moisture deficits over the past thirty days.

Moroni – A flight chartered by IOM, the UN Migration Agency in Libya, arrived yesterday (21/12) at the Moroni Hahaya International airport, Comoros, carrying 89 Comorian migrants, including 30 women and one unaccompanied child. Among the returnees were two medical cases that received immediate attention for medical follow up.

The returnees were welcomed by representatives from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Interior, Health, Social Affairs, and by a delegation of IOM headed by Daniel Silva y Poveda, IOM Chief of Mission to Madagascar, Comoros and the Seychelles.

The India, Brazil and South Africa Facility for Poverty and Hunger Alleviation

(Cotonou, le 17 Novembre 2017) : une quarantaine de journalistes communiquants et d’experts en urgences sanitaires des Comores de la Mauritanie du Tchad et du Bénin ont été formés à Cotonou.

Foreword

The auxiliary role provides essential space for dialogue and mutually beneficial relations between National Societies and public authorities. This Guide to the Auxiliary Role is designed to help external actors, particularly public authorities, develop their understanding of the auxiliary role and strategies to enhance their partnerships with National Societies.

This year plague came early to Madagascar and spread quickly. When it began to move out from the areas where it traditionally occurs, people became increasingly alarmed – both within the island nation and in neighbouring territories and countries.

From August to late October 2017, more than 1800 suspected, probable or confirmed plague cases were reported, resulting in 127 deaths. This outbreak is unusually severe, and there are still five more months to go before the end of the plague season.

A. Situation analysis

Description of the disaster

A plague outbreak in Madagascar has raised concern in neighbouring countries. As of 12 October, a total of 684 cases (suspected, probable and confirmed) including 57 deaths (CFR 8.3%) have been reported from 35 out of 114 districts. Of these 474 were clinically classified as pneumonic plague.

The Madagascar Ministry of Health (MoH) reported caseload on 16 October was 805 (confirmed and suspected) with 74 deaths.

A. Situation analysis

Description of the disaster

On Monday 16 October 2017 the Council adopted the EU Annual Report on Human Rights And Democracy in the World in 2016.

2016 was a challenging year for human rights and democracy, with a shrinking space for civil society and complex humanitarian and political crises emerging. In this context, the European Union showed leadership and remained strongly committed to promote and protect human rights and democracy across the world.

Death, destruction and displacements due to cyclones are not uncommon in the Indian Ocean countries. What is worrying, of late, is the growing intensity.

When cyclone Enawo hit Madagascar in March 2017, Mr Getachew Taa, Head of the Country Cluster Support Team for East Africa and Indian Ocean for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said: “Tropical Cyclones are not unusual for Madagascar at this time of year. However, the severity of Enawo is troubling.”