African Union Commission Deputy Chairperson Amb. Kwesi Quartey met with Li Zhanshu, the Chairman of the Standing Committee of National People’s Republic of China at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa Ethiopia on Friday, where both leaders renewed their commitments to consolidate and deepen the longstanding African Union- China strategic partnership.

China has for long been one of Africa’s most important allies, with significant Sino-Africa history, dating back to the colonial and liberation struggles.
According to the media statement, the high level meeting and the first visit to Africa by Mr. Zhanshu, was an opportunity for the AU Commission and China to assess the implementation progress of the areas of cooperation under the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) mechanism and the Belt and Road initiative.

The leaders had exchanges on the need to capitalize on the synergies between the African Union and China, to ensure the success of the joint continental projects in areas such as peace and security, infrastructure, agriculture, manufacturing, energy, health and education sectors, whose realization, they noted, would cement the win-win cooperation. These areas of cooperation were the centre of deliberations in the visit to China, by the Chairperson of the AU Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat
Kwesi briefed on the priorities and flagship projects of the AU notably the establishment of the African Continental Free Trade Area, the protocol on Free Movement, the single air transport and further highlighted the progress in enhancing domestic resource mobilization with the implementation of the decision of financing of the Union for the self-reliance and predictable funding of the AU activities and projects.
Imposing the 0.2 per cent levy on eligible imported goods will fund 100 per cent of the operational budget, 75 per cent of the program budget and 25 per cent of the peace support operations of the African Union. Zhanshu reiterated China’s support for Africa’s development agenda noting that the cooperation would seek to advance the realization of the priorities of the needs of the African citizenry and would align to the continent’s development blueprint; Agenda 2063 underpinned by the principles of mutual interests and shared values.
In referencing to China advanced industrialisation, Kwesi observed the need for human capacity development which he noted would catapult Africa’s development agenda. He underscored the need for education and skills improvement for the African citizenry, especially the bulging youth, which he said would enhance the quest for industrialization, integration through managed migration and skills transfer, peace and security by creating an environment for meaningful engagement of the population, value addition for Africa’s rich natural resources which would provide job opportunities and the improvement of the socio-economic environment for all.
“I am glad there is this popular realization that to drive Africa’s vision, we need an educated, literate and numerate population. We must endeavour to have every child in school and to review the quality of education our institutions offer, to make it more responsive to the demands of the modern day demands and realities. We must leverage on science and technology”, he said.
In this regard, Zhanshu shared the experience and the benefits of having an educated people, which he highlighted was the backborne of China’s economic rise. He in particular noted “China has relentlessly implemented the Compulsory Education Law where everyone has to undergo nine years of government funded compulsory school attendance. We have now expanded our focus on the tertiary education because we have are reaping the benefits of education and skills training”. China’s education system is the largest state-run education system in the world.

The bilateral meeting was also attended by Mrs. Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko, the Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, Mrs Amira Elfadil Mohamed Elfadil, the Commissioner for Social Affairs, Directors and Advisors to the Deputy Chairperson, the Commission briefed on the intended establishment of an African Union representational office in Beijing to heighten the cooperation between the African Union and China.

Mr. Zhanshu also took the opportunity to restate China’s commitment to continue supporting African Common positions at the United Nations Security Council especially the sustainable financing of peace support operations in line with the UN resolutions and decisions adopted by the African Union Assembly of Heads of State and Government.

Ahead of the 4th FOCAC Summit scheduled to take place in Beijing, in September 2018, both leaders acknowledged the results achieved within FOCAC mechanism highlighting the intentions to strengthen the mechanism to further promote multilateralism

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As they make their global journeys, migratory birds not only set birdwatchers’ binoculars agog, they also help the planet maintain its essential ecological balance.

That’s one of the key messages from United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, for World Migratory Bird Day, celebrated on Saturday, with the message: “Unifying Our Voices for Bird Conservation.”
“Migratory birds connect people, ecosystems and nations. They are symbols of peace and of an interconnected planet,” Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement to mark the Day.
“Their epic journeys inspire people of all ages, across the globe,” he continued, adding: “World Migratory Bird Day is an opportunity to celebrate the great natural wonder of bird migration – but also a reminder that those patterns, and ecosystems worldwide, are threatened by climate change.”

The Day highlights the need to conserve migratory birds and their habitats by raising awareness of the threats they face, their ecological importance and the need for international cooperation to conserve them.
Migratory birds fly hundreds and thousands of kilometres, along historic routes, to find the best habitats available for feeding, breeding and raising their young. The perilous journeys involve a wide and diverse array of threats.
Of the 11,000-bird species on the planet, one-in-five is considered migratory. Forty per cent of them are in decline, with one-in-eight under threat of global extinction. Major threats include habitat-loss and degradation, caused by agricultural and coastal development; collision with badly placed wind turbines and powerlines; unsustainable harvesting, and illegal killing and taking.

Migratory birds are also greatly affected by poisoning, such as through ingesting lead released into the environment, through spent ammunition, or toxic weights used for fishing.
“Migratory birds are under threat from every corner: they are losing their habitats, subjected to illegal killing and suffering from the impacts of climate change,” said Erik Solheim, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme, UNEP, adding that we all have a responsibility to “save such a precious component of the natural world.”
By protecting them, we protect our planet.
Key supporters and partners globally, are adamant that successful migratory bird conservation can only be achieved through a united effort.
“I urge Governments and people everywhere to take concerted conservation action that will help to ensure the birds’ survival – and our own,” the Secretary-General concluded.

On 26 October 2017 in the margins of the CMS COP12 in Manila, Environment for the Americas (EFTA), the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA), announced an innovative partnership to increase awareness of the plight of migratory birds around the world.
The new partnership formally unites two of the world’s largest bird education campaigns, International Migratory Bird Day (IMBD) and World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) in a bid to strengthen global recognition and appreciation of migratory birds and highlight the urgent need for their conservation.

From 2018 onwards, the new joint campaign will adopt the single name of “World Migratory Bird Day” and major events to celebrate the day will be organized twice a year, on the Second Saturday in May and in October.

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About 400,000 children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) “are at risk of death” in the Kasai’s region from food shortages caused by conflict and displacement, a senior UN official who has just returned from the area, has expressed shock following his visit to that area.

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has issued the warning on Friday, as it scales up its response to those in needs.
Before violence flared in mid-2016 between government forces and tribal militia across the vast region, the people of the Kasais had little experience of conflict, according to UNICEF Spokesperson Christophe Boulierac.
“What I saw really shocked me at a personal level…The situation there is absolutely scary, in the sense that people had to flee in the bush (with) family, children”, he said.

“They had to stay a few months because of the violence. They had no proper food, they had no proper water to drink. And now that the violence has decreased they come back.”
The UNICEF official who has worked in the field in Asia, African and the Caribbean countries said: “Often we say that children are at risk of dying; no, that’s not what we are saying in Kasai. We say that children are dying; I saw that.”
Some 3.8m people are in need of humanitarian assistance in the Kasais, including 2.3m children. At least half of all children under-5 years of age in the region – that’s 770,000 – are suffering from acute malnutrition, including 400,000 who are severely malnourished, according to a UNICEF report published this week.

UNICEF says that many families driven from their homes have been unable to plant and harvest their crops for three successive seasons. It also warns that thousands of children have been recruited into armed groups and militias and that hundreds of schools and health centres have been looted, burned or destroyed.
To support its programmes for the children of Kasai in 2018, UNICEF has appealed for $ 88m, which to date is only 25 per cent funded.

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