United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi arrives in Cameroon Thursday for a two-day visit, during which the UNHCR will launch its 2017 interagency funding appeal to assist refugees in the Lake Chad region. Grandi will travel to the far north region of Cameroon, where a refugee camp at…
The city of Abidjan is investing in new passenger ferries as part of a plan to build sustainability into its urban transportation system. Damen Shipyards Group, based in the Netherlands, announced Monday that it has signed a contract with Société de Transport Lagunaire (STL) in Cote d’Ivoire to build 16…
Abdoulaye Thiam, a journalist with Le Soleil in Senegal, will lead an organization of African journalists devoted to reporting on climate change until the new media group meets for its first general assembly in 2017. Thiam is among more than 70 journalists from 40 African countries who are represented in…
A woman from Sudan, living in an Ethiopian refugee camp, explains that drought sent her family to live by the river, but they couldn’t stay there because of the fighting. A Somali farmer living in Uganda tells a similar story of drought and conflict that made it impossible to stay…
Cameroon’s Celestine Ketcha Courtes, the mayor of Bangangte and a champion on climate issues, was leading the way again Friday as the Women4Climate initiative was launched at COP22 in Marrakech. Ketcha Courtes joined Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo and other women in climate leadership in the effort to empower women…
Nearly a third of all people in South Sudan are facing severe food insecurity now, and that’s expected to “rapidly deteriorate to massive proportions” in 2017, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization said. The FAO issued an assessment report Monday explaining that harvest time in South Sudan traditionally means…
Four African countries are among the world’s five most dangerous for walking and cycling, a new UN Environment Programme report on transportation finds, but positive change is making big strides. From Uganda’s student bike-sharing programs, to Zambia’s village bicycle ambulances and Namibia’s bicycle-based recycling pickup service, Africans are taking an…
Climate action on agricultural sustainability is a priority for reducing carbon emissions, and much of that work is being done among Africa’s smallholders. The support for local food systems and related anti-poverty efforts in rural regions of the continent is among the priorities laid out in the UN State of…
Rwanda is ready to host international climate talks with air conditioning refrigerants at the forefront, as nearly 200 countries try to work out a deal to remove hydrofluorocarbons (HFC) from the environment faster. The week-long meeting in Kigali begins Saturday, where national delegates will discuss an amendment to the Montreal…
The United Nations Security Council has approved the selection of António Guterres of Portugal as the next UN Secretary General. A formal vote will take place Friday in Geneva. The nomination was confirmed at UN headquarters on Thursday, and praised by Russian, Indian and European leaders. Guterres is expected to…
Most of the world’s fragile cities are clustered in Africa and Asia, with cities in Somalia, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) among the most high-risk cities in the world. That’s according to a consortium, led by the Igarapé Institute, that studied urban fragility across the globe…
Morocco, host of the COP22 conference in Marrakech this November, was one of 31 countries to ratify the Paris Agreement on climate Wednesday. The Moroccan commitment, alongside that of Ghana, Uganda, Madagascar and Niger, brings to 60 the nations that have ratified the action plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,…
African Muslims arrive at Mecca for annual hajj pilgrimage Thousands of Muslims from Kenya, Ghana and across Africa are streaming to Saudi Arabia as the annual hajj pilgrimage begins Friday. Hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, is an obligation for adult Muslims who are able to make the…
Zimbabwe protest ban lifted as student-activist unrest continues A Zimbabwe court has ruled that a ban on Harare protests issued Friday is illegal, and has lifted the ban for seven days following successful claims that it violates political activists’ rights. The ban forced cancellation of a large National Electoral Reform…