Confronting climate change in South Sudan

30 Jun 2017 by Jean-Luc Stalon, Deputy Country Director & Biplove Choudhary, Team Leader, Human Development and Inclusive Growth, UNDP South Sudan

According to the Climate Change Vulnerability Index 2017, South Sudan is ranked amongst the five worst performing in the world alongside the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Haiti and Liberia. Projections indicate that in South Sudan, global warming will be felt 2 ½ times more than the global average. … Read more

Setting sail to achieve SDG 14 – Life below Water – in Africa

29 Jun 2017 by Saskia Marijnissen, Regional Technical Adviser - Ecosystems & Biodiversity, and Akiko Yamamoto, Regional Technical Adviser - Water and Ocean Governance, UNDP Africa

For Africa’s coastal and island states, proximity to the sea offers vast opportunities. Blue economy sectors such as fisheries, maritime transport, renewable energy, and tourism can boost employment, food security and trade, leading to economic growth. However, these sectors will only be sustainable if accompanied by efforts to restore and sustain ocean health. … Read more

Can the SDG target to industrialise be achieved in resource-rich Africa countries?

19 Jun 2017 by Degol Hailu and Chinpihoi Kipgen

To see how far this SDG target will be achieved, we have analysed the performance of seven resource-dependent countries in sub-Saharan African (SSA) that have prioritized diversification and industrialisation in their national development plans and strategies. … Read more

Land degradation and Migration: will restoring degraded lands keep people at home?

15 Jun 2017 by Phemo Kgomotso

‘Would forced migration end, if people knew that they could thrive and survive in their homeland’? The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) asks this pertinent question as we observe World Day to Combat Desertification, on 17 June, focused on examining the important link between land degradation and migration. … Read more

Saint-Louis, Senegal: the challenge of sustainability

08 Jun 2017 by Abdoulaye Mar Dieye

As the Ocean Conference is in full swing in New York, we mark World Ocean Day. Throughout this week, we were reminded of two essential truths: life below water, with its rich fauna and flora is precious and the livelihoods that depend on it are in danger. This is especially true along the west coast of Africa, and especially in Senegal a country, where at least two thirds of the population lives near coastal areas which are receding at an alarming rate (on average 1 to 2 metres per year) due to rising sea levels, and rapid urbanization. Few places illustrate the compounded effects of these predicaments with greater urgency than Saint-Louis, Senegal (also known as Ndar), the island city I am proud to call my hometown. Saint-Louis is a unique place. It looms large in the history of Senegal and indeed that of the whole region. It was once the seat of French West Africa (from 1895 to 1902), the country’s first capital, and the birthplace of philosopher Gaston Berger. It is the very place where the Senegal river meets the Atlantic ocean. Its bountiful delta attracts thousands of migratory birds. The pristine beauty of its Langue de Barbarie, the … Read more