Notes on the Principle “Best Interest of the Child”: Meaning, history and its place under Ethiopian law

(No abstract

Regional Climate Services for Agriculture Project Presentation, and Demonstration and Discussion of Agricultural Maprooms: Launch Events at 44th Greater Horn of Africa Climate Outlook Forum

A joint collaborative initiative between ICPAC, CCAFS and IRI was launched publically through a series of presentations and side sessions at the 44th Greater Horn of Africa Climate Outlook Forum (GHACOF44) in Kampala, Uganda, on 30 August 2016. This initiative is part of the Climate Services for Africa Project, a three-year project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The project is being implemented at ICPAC and is intended to roll out climate services in support of Agriculture and Food Security to ICPAC member states (all IGAD and EAC countries) with technical support from CCAFS and IRI. The overall goal of this initiative is to strengthen the capacity of ICPAC and that of ICPAC member countries to develop effective climate products and services for agriculture and food security, for the benefit of smallholder farmers

Improving resilience to climate impacts in West Africa through improved availability, access and use of climate information: dialog with users

The stakeholder workshop on “Improving Resilience to Climate Impacts in West Africa Through Improved Availability, Access and Use of Climate Information: Dialogue With Users” was convened by the Centre Regional de Formation et d'Application en Agrométéorologie et Hydrologie Opérationnelle (AGRHYMET) in collaboration with the International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI) with funding and technical support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). Stakeholders from six Permanent Inter-state Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS) countries were invited, in addition to representatives of five river basin organizations and the African Center of Meteorological Application for Development (ACMAD). The three-day meeting in Niamey, Niger (January 21-23, 2014) was attended by 40 participants and facilitators. It consisted of five components: • Introduction to AGRHYMET’s latest climate data, tools, and information products; • Training on the use of the tools for data analysis and visualization; • Engagement on the concept of climate risk management in the different sectors; • Soliciting feedback and needs from participants, to assess the value of the available tools and products to users, and inform improvements that are most relevant to stakeholders; and • Exploration of an Advisory Group for improving Climate Services provided by the AGRHYMET Center. The workshop introduced and solicited feedback on data, products and decision-support tools launched to support improved resilience to climate impacts, across sectors, initially targeting the agriculture, water and disaster risk management communities

Web-based climate information resources for malaria control in Africa

Malaria remains a major public health threat to more than 600 million Africans and its control is recognized as critical to achieving the Millennium Development Goals. The greatest burden of malaria in Africa occurs in the endemic regions where the disease pathogen is continuously present in the community. These regions are characterized by an environment that is conducive to interactions between the Anopheles mosquito, malaria parasites and human hosts, as well as housing of generally poor quality, which offers little protection from mosquito-human contact. Epidemic malaria tends to occur along the geographical margins of endemic regions, when the equilibrium between the human, parasite and mosquito vector populations is occasionally disturbed and a sharp but temporary increase in disease incidence results. When malaria control measures are inadequate, as is the case in much of sub-Saharan Africa, the disease distribution is closely linked with seasonal patterns of the climate and local environment. In the absence of good epidemiological data on malaria distribution in Africa, climate information has long been used to develop malaria risk maps that illustrate the boundaries of 'climatic suitability for endemic transmission.' The best known of these are produced by the Pan-African-based MARA Collaboration. This paper describes the development of additional malaria suitability maps which have been produced in an online, interactive format to enable temporal information (i.e., seasonality of climate conditions) to be queried and displayed along with spatial information. These maps and the seasonal information that they contain should be useful to the malaria control and health service communities for their planning and operational activities

Use of Remote Sensing for Monitoring Climate Variability for Integrated Early Warning Systems: Applications for Human Diseases and Desert Locust Management

A number of the major human infectious diseases (like malaria and dengue) and Desert Locusts that still plague the developing world are sensitive to inter-seasonal and inter-decadal changes in environment and climate. Monitoring variations in environmental conditions such as rainfall and vegetation helps decision-makers at Ministries of Agriculture and Ministries of Health to assess the risk levels of Desert Locust outbreaks or malaria epidemics. The International research institute for climate and society (IRI) has developed products based on remotely sensed data to monitor those changes and provide the information directly to the decision-makers. This paper presents recent developments which use remote sensing to monitor climate variability, environmental conditions and their impacts on the dynamics of infectious diseases (malaria) and Desert Locust outbreaks

Application of non-linear techniques for daily weather data reconstruction and downscaling coarse climate data for local predictions

Downscaling techniques aim at resolving the scale discrepancy between climate change scenarios and the resolution demanded for impact assessments. Requirements for downscaled climate, to be useful for end users, include reliable representation of precipitation intensities, temporal and spatial variability, and physical parameters consistency. This report summarizes the results of the proof of concept phase in the development and testing of a novel data reconstruction method and a downscaling algorithm based on the multiplicative random cascade disaggregation method using rainfall signals at different spatial and temporal resolutions. The Wavelet Transformed-based Multi-Resolution Analysis (WT-MRA) was used for reconstructing the historical daily rainfall data needed as input for the downscaling methodology, using satellite-derived proxy data. Comparisons with presently used software showed that in all the cases; that is, the reconstructed, generated daily or downscaled daily data, the products developed outperformed the control test by either generating more accurate outcomes or by demanding significantly less parameterizing data

Using climate information in the health sector

Many infectious and chronic diseases are either directly or indirectly sensitive to the climate. Managing this climate sensitivity more effectively requires new working relationships between the health sector and the providers of climate data and information. In Africa, where communities are particularly vulnerable, Ministries of Health and National Meteorological Services need to collaborate to reduce the burden of climaterelated ill health

Antimicrobial resistance surveillance in Ethiopia: Implementation experiences and lessons learned

Introduction: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a global threat. High levels of AMR to commonly used antibiotics have been reported in East Africa. A situation analysis of AMR in Ethiopia also indicated high resistance levels. To prevent and contain AMR, Ethiopia established a national surveillance network. Objectives: This article describes the steps taken to prioritise AMR and establish the National Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System in Ethiopia, as well as present the challenges and lessons learned through implementation. Methods: In April 2017, Ethiopia had developed and approved the National AMR Surveillance Plan for laboratory-based AMR surveillance. The World Health Organization recommendations and Ethiopias’s current microbiology capacity were used to prioritise organisms for reporting. The surveillance system is comprised of a network linking the national reference laboratory with surveillance sentinel sites. Roll-out of the AMR surveillance network occurred in three phases in order to ensure successful implementation. Results: Electronic capture and transmission of data, supply chain for the microbiology laboratory and communication problems were challenges observed after implementation started. Support from Ethiopian Public Health Institute focal persons for data entry, regular scheduled communication establishment and procurement of supplies by the American Society for Microbiology were some of the measures taken to address the challenges. Conclusion: Ethiopia has demonstrated that setting up AMR surveillance in lower resource settings is possible with strong leadership and stakeholder engagement

Climate Risk Management in Agricultural Extension for Ethiopia 2nd Edition

The Climate Risk Management in Agricultural Extension (CRMAE) for Ethiopia Reference Guide 2nd Edition is an accompaniment to the abridged CRMAE Handbook, with new and updated content following demand from Ethiopia's Agricultural Technical Vocational Education and Training (ATVET) colleges. Both the Reference Guide and Handbook are training and reference materials intended to be used during implementation of the Climate Risk Management in Agricultural Extension course in Ethiopia. The Reference Guide was designed for Ethiopia’s subject matter specialists (SMS) and extension staff, including development agents (DAs). It may also be used by other actors, such as non-governmental organizations (NGOs) or community-based organizations (CBOs), who work closely with farmers and those who support them. It aims to provide foundational knowledge on climate and agricultural decision making and practical tools to analyze climate-related risks, use appropriate weather and climate information to support agricultural decisions, communicate complex climate information effectively with farmers, and integrate climate services into agricultural extension activities

Climate Risk Management in Agricultural Extension for Ethiopia 2nd Edition: Facilitators' Guide

The 2nd Edition of the Climate Risk Management in Agricultural Extension for Ethiopia Facilitators’ Guide is an accompaniment to curricular materials presented in the Climate Risk Management in Agricultural Extension (CRMAE) Reference Guide and Handbook, with new and updated content following demand from Ethiopia's Agricultural Technical Vocational Education and Training (ATVET) colleges. It is intended to be used during implementation of the CRMAE course targeting Ethiopia’s subject matter specialists (SMS) and extension staff, including development agents (DAs). This includes, but is not limited to, teachers of Ethiopia’s Agricultural Technical Vocational Education and Training (ATVET) program and its associated colleges. This Facilitators’ Guide was designed to ensure that all of the learning objectives are addressed effectively in the time allotted for each of the four modules that comprise the CRMAE course. It provides facilitators with a roadmap and step-by-step instructions for each of the modules and their sub-components, including each session’s agenda, presentations, activities, and worksheets