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<rss version="2.0" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:dcterms="http://purl.org/dc/terms/" xmlns:rdf="http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#" xmlns:rdfs="http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#" xmlns:search="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/search/" xmlns:ags="http://www.purl.org/agmes/1.1/"><channel><description>FAO: News and Events Management system</description><title>FAO News and Events RSS Feed</title><link>http://www.fao.org/nems</link><image><url>http://www.fao.org/img2/Faologo.gif</url><title>Fao.org</title><link>http://www.fao.org/nems</link><width>134</width><height>19</height></image><language>en</language><copyright><![CDATA[< Food and Agriculture organization (FAO), 2010. All rights reserved. <http://www.fao.org/about/copyright/en/> FAO does not warrant or make any representations regarding the use of the results of the information in this RSS in terms of its correctness, accuracy, reliability or otherwise. FAO authorized materials are available exclusively from <www.fao.org>. FAO takes no responsibility of any kind for any unauthorized copies of any portion of the FAO website that may appear in other domains]]></copyright><webMaster>webmaster@fao.org</webMaster><item><guid isPermaLink="false">fao.org.nems/37957</guid><title><![CDATA[African forestry sector critical to climate change debate: Regional workshop highlights links between forests and climate change ]]></title><link>http://www.fao.org/nems/rss/nems_detail.asp?event_id=37957</link><description><![CDATA[ “Forests play a critical role in climate change,” FAO said today during the opening day of the first-ever joint meetings between the Near East Forestry Commission and the Africa Forestry and Wildlife Commission.  Jan Heino, FAO Assistant Director-General for Forestry, said, “The Forestry sector, mainly deforestation in tropical areas, causes 17 percent of global emissions of greenhouse gases.  Sustainable forest management is a necessary component of a global strategy to combat climate change.”

Trees are even more important in countries that do not have a large forest area.  “The development of guidelines for best forestry practices in arid and semi-arid zones can be a significant step forward in the Near East region,” said Pape Djiby Koné, Senior Forestry Officer for the Near East.

The meetings in Khartoum are the largest single gathering in history of the heads of national forestry and wildlife agencies in the two regions.  The wildlife experts will develop strategies to address the conflict between humans and wildlife, which destroy hundreds of hectares of food crops and claim human lives each year in Africa.

Over 80 percent of wood is used for energy in Africa, mainly for cooking and heating.  In the Near East, most wood products are imported, and oil products are the main source of energy.  The importance of forests in the energy strategies for countries in both regions will be addressed throughout the week of meetings in Khartoum, according to Heino.

Clean water is increasingly scarce in many parts of Africa and the Near East.  The joint sessions will consider options for improving the conservation of water, with a focus on new approaches to watershed management that take into consideration the impact of human development activities in each watershed.


The role of wildfires

The commissions will also consider ways to improve the management of wildfires.  “Africa accounts for about half of the area burned by wildfires throughout the world.  As global temperatures rise, the need to manage wildfires increases,” according to Heino.

The joint meetings bring together about 160 participants from more than 50 countries, including Ministers, heads of national forestry and wildlife agencies, representatives from the private sectors and non-governmental organizations, and United Nations experts.  Discussions will emphasize ways to mobilize resources and ways to improve international cooperation to address these critical issues.  The future towards sustainable use and protection of natural resources in both regions depends on the successful integration of economic development and environmental conservation.]]></description><ags:dateStart scheme="dcterms:W3CDTF">2008-02-18</ags:dateStart><ags:dateEnd scheme="dcterms:W3CDTF">2008-02-19</ags:dateEnd><ags:location><ags:locationCountry schema="dcterms:ISO3166">SDN</ags:locationCountry></ags:location><pubDate>Tue, 19 Feb 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">fao.org.nems/37463</guid><title><![CDATA[The forgotten half: women in forestry in Africa]]></title><link>http://www.fao.org/nems/rss/nems_detail.asp?event_id=37463</link><description><![CDATA[Although women play key roles in forest protection and conservation, policies and laws are biased in favor of men, said the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today at the opening of a gender workshop for forestry in Africa. 

“Why are forests especially important in the lives of women? Far more women than men, in the developing world, are farmers, cutters and users of woodfuel, collectors and traders of minor forest products, and tenders of livestock,” remarked Esther Obeng Dapaah, Minister of Lands, Forestry and Mines of Ghana in her keynote address.

Nonetheless, policies and laws do not reflect this reality and are biased against women. Lack of adequate data, information and methodologies impede addressing women’s different needs. 

 “One outstanding problem is the near absence of women in policymaking roles and processes concerning forestry,” said Edouard Tapsoba, head of the FAO regional office for Africa. 

For example, in Ethiopia, female professional employees in forest-related sectors of the federal natural resource bureau made up only 13.6 percent in total. 

As a result, for instance, there is gender inequality in access to land. Land access is critical for people to be able to use its forest resources. But both modern and traditional laws tend to be interpreted in favor of male ownership and control. In some cases, laws bar women from acquiring or disposing of land without their husbands’ consent.

Female-headed households are also often denied agricultural loans, including for forestry. In Kenya, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Zambia and Zimbabwe, on average, women received less than 10 percent of the loans directed to small land holders and one percent of the total loans to agriculture. Further, women tend to have more marginal and remote land than men. 

“The lack of gender awareness constrains the sustainable use and management of forests and forest ecosystems throughout the world,” said Tapsoba. 

Addressing the problem
To address this gender imbalance, representatives of national forest services, international organizations and universities will review at the workshop, studies carried out on gender in forestry in ten African countries (Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, the United Republic of Tanzania and Zambia). They will then come up with recommendations for better inclusion of women in forest management and provide the basis for the creation of local networks of women in forestry. 

FAO organized the two-day workshop in collaboration with the University of Ghana, the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO).

]]></description><ags:dateStart scheme="dcterms:W3CDTF">2007-11-12</ags:dateStart><ags:dateEnd scheme="dcterms:W3CDTF">2007-11-21</ags:dateEnd><ags:location><ags:locationCountry schema="dcterms:ISO3166">GHA</ags:locationCountry></ags:location><pubDate>Wed, 21 Nov 2007 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">fao.org.nems/36338</guid><title><![CDATA[Four West African countries join forces to fight  Avian Influenza]]></title><link>http://www.fao.org/nems/rss/nems_detail.asp?event_id=36338</link><description><![CDATA[The top veterinary officials of four West African countries are to join forces to battle the possible spread of avian influenza in the region. 

Closing a two-day ground-breaking meeting June 5 in Sunyani, a regional capital close to the Ghana-Côte d’Ivoire border, the chief veterinary officers of Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Togo issued a statement calling for better communication and information exchange among countries of the region to control outbreaks of avian influenza. 

The four countries will set up a standing committee of the national Directors of Veterinary Services which will meet regularly to exchange disease surveillance intelligence and draw up a policy on the movement of poultry and poultry products within the region.

The committee will also streamline control measures in the four countries, and enhance the capacity of bodies such as the armed forces, customs and excise authorities, police forces and national disaster agencies to participate in avian influenza crisis management and control activities.

The cross-border meeting, the first of its kind in Africa to look for common solutions to the potential threat of the spread of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus across national borders, was hosted by the Ghanaian government with support from the Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in Ghana, the FAO Ghana office and FAO headquarters in Rome.

The meeting looked at the current disease situation in each of the four countries and the risks of cross-border transmission, focusing on the current status of border awareness, inspection and transport control, and ways to improve networking for surveillance, including monitoring of border markets.

The Chief Veterinary Officers also discussed sample sharing among laboratories, and compensation, market chain and animal health communication aspects of HPAI prevention and control.

The meeting was facilitated and funded by FAO’s Crisis Management Centre-Animal Health (CMC), which had just completed a rapid assessment to the country following outbreaks of HPAI H5N1 in May in Tema, which lies on the country’s coastline, some 20 km to the east of the capital Accra, and in Sunyani, 400 km northwest of the Ghanaian capital Accra,
]]></description><ags:dateStart scheme="dcterms:W3CDTF">2007-06-6</ags:dateStart><ags:dateEnd scheme="dcterms:W3CDTF">2007-11-21</ags:dateEnd><ags:location><ags:locationCountry schema="dcterms:ISO3166">GHA</ags:locationCountry></ags:location><pubDate>Wed, 21 Nov 2007 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">fao.org.nems/33677</guid><title><![CDATA[High bird flu risk in Africa after outbreak in Nigeria]]></title><link>http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2006/1000226/index.html</link><description><![CDATA[Immediate control interventions crucial for stopping the spread of the virus
]]></description><ags:dateStart scheme="dcterms:W3CDTF">2006-02-8</ags:dateStart><ags:dateEnd scheme="dcterms:W3CDTF">2006-02-9</ags:dateEnd><ags:location><ags:locationCountry schema="dcterms:ISO3166">NGA</ags:locationCountry></ags:location><pubDate>Thu, 9 Feb 2006 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">fao.org.nems/33461</guid><title><![CDATA[Regional Training Workshop on Information Exchange and International Exchange and Phytosanitary Portal]]></title><link>http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2006/1000226/index.html</link><description><![CDATA[A five-day Regional Training Workshop on Information Exchange and International Exchange and Phytosanitary Portal has ended in Accra. 

The workshop afforded 21 Senior Plant Protection Officers drawn from the English Speaking Countries of Botswana, Cameroon, Eritrea, Ethiopia, ,Gambia,  Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Leostho, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa,  Swaziland, United Republic of Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe opportunity for intensive training on accessing global information on agricultural pests and other relevant information on plant protection from the portal, which is a website of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) secretariat.

Earlier on, in his address to participants, Mr. Oloche Anebi Edache, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Africa, said the collaborative efforts of the FAO, the IPPC Secretariat, the Inter-African Phytosanitary Council (IAPSC) and African Union to organize the workshop underscores the importance attached to effective plant protection activities in Africa.

He said many National Plant Protection Organizations (NPPOS) have been using sanitary and Phytosanitary Information to assist in their bio-security decision making process.

The private sectors in other countries have also used this information in negotiating for agricultural export commodities, he added.

The Deputy Minister of Agriculture Dr. W. Nii Okai Hammond, in his opening address expressed his greatest appreciation for the organization of the workshop and thanked the FAO and the IPPC Secretariat for their joint capacity building activities and the increasing strength between the two organisations saying that collaboration does not mean much without joint activities. He outlined the importance of the workshop and its benefit adding that in this era of information technology, the role of information exchange and the mode of information movement are of paramount importance for decision making and capacity building in various areas of concern.

He said the establishment and the availability of the International Phytosanitary Portal (IPP) facility will enhance and strengthen the capacity of contracting parties to communicate efficiently, effectively and in a timely manner with the IPPC Secretariat, and even more importantly between and among IPPC members, especially between trading partners.

In his statement said that this workshop is hoped that the national capacity of the contracting parties of this region will be strengthened since participants will be trained in the use of the IPP, and how to access official information for use in the Phytosanitary decision making process. This should enhance participants competency in their endeavour to adhere to and fulfil the obligations required.

It is my hope that this training workshop will assist in providing a positive direction towards enhanced information sharing and more interaction especially among African countries. I also trust that the workshop will address the issue of collection, processing and storage of relevant information to provide a database that will serve the information sharing system.

Dr. Jan Breithaught, the Coordinator also observed that the workshop would enable members of the IAPSC to meet their basic National Information Exchange obligations under IPPC.

Participants had very positive impressions. One said it was the best training he ever had, while another expressed his new found professional strength in accessing global pest information for the benefit of his country’s plant protection services.
]]></description><ags:dateStart scheme="dcterms:W3CDTF">2005-12-20</ags:dateStart><ags:dateEnd scheme="dcterms:W3CDTF">2005-12-20</ags:dateEnd><ags:location><ags:locationCountry schema="dcterms:ISO3166">GHA</ags:locationCountry></ags:location><pubDate>Tue, 20 Dec 2005 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">fao.org.nems/32065</guid><title><![CDATA[A Report on the Workshop for the Review of Draft International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures, Held in Accra, Ghana.]]></title><link>http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2006/1000226/index.html</link><description><![CDATA[The havoc being caused by Pests to Agricultural produce and measures to stem them 
was central to two presentations made by Ghana’s Minister of Food and Agriculture,
Mr Ernest Debrah, and Mr Oloche Anebi Edache, Assistant Director-General and FAO Regional Representative for Africa.

Opening the four-day workshop for the Review of Draft International Standards for Phytosanitary
Measures (ISPM) in Accra, Mr Debrah pointed out that the standards are important if the fight against pest introduction is to gain any grounds.

He referred to damage being made by Cassava mealy bug, cassava mites, black Sigatoka on 
Banana and Plantains, the Mango Mealy bug, the poly phagous spiraling white fly and recently a fruit fly on Mango which is affecting the export of the crops.

Mr. Debrah said given agriculture’s contribution to our national economies, such pest invasions
must give cause for great concern to all.

“This should be the basis why we should as much as possible ensure that the spread of pests to new areas are kept as low as possible....", he added.

He commended the IPPC of the FAO of the United Nations for doing its best to reduce to the barest minimum pest invasion of crop farms, adding that some interventions such as the development and adoption of the globally accepted integration standards for phtosanitary measures (ISPM) is commendable.

Mr. Debrah also commended the FAO of the UN for providing to Ghana, technical assistance in the form of Capacity Building (both human and equipment) to control pest incidences, support in the development of legislation and regulations to check pest introduction, support to participate in international meetings and conferences.

Mr. Debrah stressed on the need for further support for countries with less developed economies like ours in the implementation of these measures.

Mr. Edache also noted that the implementation of specific standards will in turn contribute to preventing the Spread of pests and to facilitate trade.

He further said, realistic and objective standards will protect the health of consumers and promote trade, besides controlling spread of pests.

Active participation of all African Countries in standard-setting is therefore essential for the Region as a whole, he said.

 Mr. Edache outlined objectives of the four-day workshop and the five drafts under study this year.

   These include – 
   Diagnostic protocols for regulated pests;
   Guidelines for consignments in transit;
   Principles for the protection of plant health (revision of ISPM No. 1);
   Requirements for the establishment and maintenance of pest free areas
   for tephritid fruit flies; and,
   Requirements for the submission of phytosanitary treatments.
  

    
   
]]></description><ags:dateStart scheme="dcterms:W3CDTF">2005-08-29</ags:dateStart><ags:dateEnd scheme="dcterms:W3CDTF">2005-11-18</ags:dateEnd><ags:location><ags:locationCountry schema="dcterms:ISO3166">GHA</ags:locationCountry></ags:location><pubDate>Fri, 18 Nov 2005 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">fao.org.nems/31624</guid><title><![CDATA[Street vended food: Balancing safety standards and livelihoods]]></title><link>http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2006/1000226/index.html</link><description><![CDATA[The FAO Sub-regional office for Eastern and Southern Africa and Consumers International Africa Office (CI-ROAF), two prominent organisations tackling food safety implementation, have teamed up to work on the issue of street vended foods in Africa, particularly in East and Southern Africa.


During a 3-day workshop scheduled from 15 to 17 June 2005 in Lilongwe, Malawi, participants will present situation analyses and review existing instruments in various African countries. They will also share their experiences on how to implement those instruments with the aim of improving the capacity of both vendors and consumers of street vended foods so as to ensure that safer standards are applied. 


Participants will come from Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Benin, with the objectives of formulating a consensual plan of action that includes all relevant stakeholders for promoting safer street vended foods and securing the livelihood of the vendors.


Georges E. Codjia, the FAO’s Regional Food and Nutrition Officer at the sub-regional Office for East and Southern Africa says: “We have always recognised the importance and potential hazards of foods sold in the street. As a major contributor to urban food supply and livelihood, street vended foods play a big role in food security matters. As such, initiatives aiming at tackling issues around street vended foods should be an integral part of more comprehensive national and international food security strategies.”


Amadou Kanoute, Regional Director, Consumers International concurs: “As a consumer organisation, our main objective is to ensure that consumers’ interests are taken onboard. However, the true challenge is balancing safety concerns with the livelihoods of the vendors. This can be achieved through easily understood and enforced regulatory mechanisms, and through further involvement of local, regional and international institutions in the monitoring of street foods practices and hygiene.”

]]></description><ags:dateStart scheme="dcterms:W3CDTF">2005-06-13</ags:dateStart><ags:dateEnd scheme="dcterms:W3CDTF">2005-06-17</ags:dateEnd><ags:location><ags:locationCountry schema="dcterms:ISO3166">MWI</ags:locationCountry></ags:location><pubDate>Fri, 17 Jun 2005 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">fao.org.nems/31519</guid><title><![CDATA[IMARK/AGRIS training workshop for Kenya]]></title><link>http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2006/1000226/index.html</link><description><![CDATA[A national IMARK/AGRIS training workshop for Kenya was held from 18th to 22nd April 2005. The objectives of the workshop, which was organized by the Kenya Agricultural Research Institutes (KARI) in collaboration with the Regional Agricultural Information Network (RAIN) of the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA), the were to:

1. Introduce participants to modern trends and initiatives in agricultural information management;
2. Introduce participants to the Information Management Resource Kit (IMARK) modules on Management of Electronic Information Resources, and Digitization and Digital Libraries;
3. Introduce participants to the new AGRIS vision;
4. To equip participants with skills to enable them to manage outputs of agricultural research (electronic documents) using WebAGRIS tools and methodologies.

Mr. Justin Chisenga, Information Management Specialist from the FAO Regional Office for Africa attended, the workshop as the key resource person.  

Participants at the workshop came from the following institutions: Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI, Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI), niversity of Eastern Africa - Baraton, Ministry of Agriculture – Kilimo Library, Ministry of Agriculture – Agricultural Information Resource Centre, Moi University, University of Nairobi, Egerton University, and FAO – Somalia Water and Land Information Management (SWALIM) Project.

Among the outcomes of the workshop is the agreement by participants to work towards setting up a national AGRIS network.

]]></description><ags:dateStart scheme="dcterms:W3CDTF">2005-05-26</ags:dateStart><ags:dateEnd scheme="dcterms:W3CDTF">2005-05-26</ags:dateEnd><ags:location><ags:locationCountry schema="dcterms:ISO3166">KEN</ags:locationCountry></ags:location><pubDate>Thu, 26 May 2005 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate></item></channel></rss>
