Mali - L'OIM lance un appel urgent de 3,5 millions de dollars en vue de fournir une aide vitale d'urgence aux Maliens deplaces qui ont fui les affrontements et l'insecurite au nord du pays pour se refugier a Bamako, la capitale, a Mopti, ville portuaire du nord et a Kayes, a l'ouest du pays.

L'OIM œuvre egalement avec les partenaires locaux, notamment avec la Croix-Rouge malienne, l'Association des municipalites du Mali (AMM) et la Protection civile malienne, pour pouvoir acceder aux populations deplacees qui restent prisonnieres des zones de conflit au nord du pays sans aide adequate.

L'aide humanitaire, notamment la fourniture d'abris et d'articles non alimentaires, permet en outre de porter assistance aux groupes vulnerables de deplaces internes qui se sont regroupes dans les regions de Gao, Kidal et Tombouctou, au nord du pays. (...)

Situation Overview

Heavy rains from 10th to 11th of May 2012 triggered mudflow in number of villages in Balkhobi and Tutu jamoats of Muminabad district. Several houses including cultivated land and household facilities have been severely damaged. The affected residents were relocated to their neighbors' and relatives' houses. The road within the jamoat has been damaged and travel capacity is limited. (...)

On May 10, the U.S. African Development Foundation (USADF) provided a $100,000 grant to the Kongwa Cereal Growers Association in Tanzania to help the group implement its high-quality grains production project.

The Association, with more than 100 members, will use the grant to expand its sustainable food grains business. (...)

Currently, production costs for rice in Tanzania are high, but profit margins are low. Large-scale agricultural investments are important for driving technology adoption and improving markets, but these investments are few and scattered.

Feed the Future has begun working closely with the Tanzanian Rice Partnership, established under the auspices of the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT), to link smallholder farmers with major rice vendors and markets. SAGCOT is an agricultural public-private partnership designed to improve agricultural productivity, food security, and livelihoods in Tanzania. (...)

Talk of the Month: Building a body of Knowledge

'We have to document well our experiences: it is critical to show the changes generated by the Initiative.' Francisco Alvarado P4P Nicaragua Coordinator

Trying new approaches, testing new models and learning from those experiences is at the core of Purchase for Progress (P4P). Since 2008, this initiative by WFP has been working on piloting innovative ways to use local procurement as a development tool by connecting smallholder farmers to formal markets in a sustainable manner. (...)

GLIDE n TC-2011-000114-DOM

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) is a source of un-earmarked money created by the Federation in 1985 to ensure that immediate financial support is available for Red Cross Red Crescent response to emergencies. The DREF is a vital part of the International Federation's disaster response system and increases the ability of National Societies to respond to disasters.

Summary: CHF 81,845 was allocated from the IFRC's Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) on 2 September 2011 to support the Dominican Red Cross in delivering assistance to some 5,000 beneficiaries affected by Hurricane Irene. (...)

BANGKOK, 23 May 2012 (IRIN) - As Mohammed Mohammedi lay trapped in the car with his co-worker, pinned down by heavy gunfire, they promised each other that whoever made it out alive would tell the other's family. Now, 12 years after he was captured and beaten by militias in Somalia while carrying out a polio vaccination campaign, he realizes this was a 'futile promise'.

'If you ask someone at WHO [World Health Organization], 'What is the extent of the problem?' [of attacks on health facilities and workers],' said Rudi Coninx, with the Emergency Risk Management and Humanitarian Response team at WHO. (...)

05/23/2012 02:01 GMT

by Lara Sukhtian

ADEN, May 23, 2012 (AFP) - When Al-Qaeda swept into Yemen's southern Abyan province a year ago, thousands of local residents ran for their lives.

Today, the United Nations says more than 160,000 of them are scattered in towns and cities across Yemen's south, languishing in miserable living conditions and surviving on the hope that one day soon they will return home. (...)

The Government of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg has been a long-standing champion of the AIDS response both in its domestic approach to the epidemic and through its support to countries most affected by HIV. It has also been committed to supporting UNAIDS in terms of sustained funding as well as political support.

Luxembourg has particularly intensified efforts to advance the AIDS response for women and girls. In 2010-2011, Luxembourg contributed Euros 2 million to UNAIDS to reduce violence against women, increase progress on preventing new HIV infections in children and roll out the UNAIDS Agenda for accelerated country action for women and girls which focuses on addressing the specific needs of women and girls and protect their human rights. (...)

HIGHLIGHTS

• Each week, UNHCR and its partners assist hundreds of refugees to return home.

• Liberian children are more affected by acute malnutrition than their Ivorian counterparts

• Over 15,250 children were registered in Child Friendly Space (CFS) both in camps and host communities

Uganda: Maintaining Growth - Moving Towards Structural Transformation

Overview

Thanks to a sustained record of prudent economic management and reform, Uganda has maintained high economic growth and reduction in poverty for more than a decade. However, the fast-growing and youthful population poses serious challenges for sustained poverty reduction and improvement of living standards, through quality and equitable services, productive employment and efficient urbanization. The International Development Association's support for the government work on these issues has helped across a range of fronts, from connecting Ugandans to clean water and sanitation to increasing the speed of the registration of a new business or property. (...)

Based on the latest weather forecast we anticipate that government schools will be able to open tomorrow provided that weather conditions remain stable. However weather conditions may change without notice and the public is encouraged to closely monitor public announcements until this weather system passes.

For further information contact: Simon Boxall

22 mai 2012 - En visite en Cote d'Ivoire, les membres du Conseil de securite des Nations Unies ont tenu mardi a Guiglo une seance de travail avec le corps prefectoral, les autorites administratives, politiques, traditionnelles et communautaires de la ville, situee dans l'ouest du pays.

L'objectif de cette tournee dans l'Ouest ivoirien, la region qui a paye le plus lourd tribut aux differents conflits qui ont secoue le pays, etait pour les membres du Conseil de constater par eux mêmes la situation sur place.

L'un des deux chefs de la delegation, l'Ambassadeur du Togo, Kojo Menan, a indique que le Conseil etait informe des difficultes rencontree par la Cote d'Ivoire apres la crise et en particulier, celle qu'ont connue les populations de Guiglo : « Nous sommes venus vous ecouter et avoir votre point de vue sur ce que vous faites pour la securite et le vouloir vivre ensemble », a-t-il estime. (...)