UN and Africa: UN volunteers, land policies for the “Africa we want” and space technology
Raising the profile of UN Volunteers in Sudan
Building roads, empowering young people and contributing to peace and development efforts: those are just some of the duties performed by more than 200 international and local volunteers working with the UN in Sudan. Roughly half of these UN Volunteers are serving at the joint African Union-UN Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), in areas such as human rights, child protection and community stabilization. However, whether they are local, or from overseas, they often face numerous challenges doing their jobs; such as cultural barriers, extreme weather conditions and insecurity. To mark International Volunteer Day, celebrated on 5 December, Setyo Budi spoke to Stuart J. Moran, the Mission’s UNV Programme Manager in Darfur.
Land policy conference promotes youth rolein ‘The Africa We Want’
Promoting young people’s access to land was among the key objectives of a four-day conference held recently in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa. The event sought to deepen knowledge about land policy on the continent and to support the African Union’s declaration of 2017 as the Year of Youth. This marked the second time the conference has taken place, hosted by the African Land Policy Centre; a joint initiative of the AU Commission, the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), and the African Development Bank. Ernest Cho spoke to UNECA’s chief land expert, Hubert Ouedra-ogo.
Space technology critical to SDG success in Africa:Kenyan scientist
Although space-based applications are helping African countries stay on track towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), access remains in the “infancy” stage, according to one Kenyan scientist. Joseph Olwendo is a lecturer at Pwani University who is researching the impact of “space weather” on satellites and other technology. He attended a recent forum in Dubai looking at how the global space sector worldwide can support efforts to end extreme hunger and address climate change: just two of the 17 SDGs. Dianne Penn caught up with Mr. Olwendo at the event, which was jointly organized by the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the United Arab Emirates.
Presenter: Matt Wells
Production Assistant: Fatima E. Mendez
Duration: 10”00″
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