"Plastic waste is one of the menaces of our time"- says Sambou

 

WED BAJ Gambia members in action

Biodiversity Action Journalists-Gambia (BAJ Gambia), a local media organisation operating across The Gambia, in complementing the efforts of the area councils and municipalities in keeping the country clean and tidy held cleansing exercise on World Environment Day (WED) 5th June, 2014 in Lower River Region.

Mr. Ansuman Sambou, director of planning and development at Mansakonko Area Council, have this to say during the celebration of the World Environment Day in Lower River Region, that plastic waste is one of the menaces of our time.

He said Biodiversity Action Journalists-The Gambia (BAJ-Gambia) Lower River Region (LRR) chapter coming with this theme: ‘Eliminating Plastic’ was really timely.

  

Plastic is everywhere and it is one quarter of waste, he said, adding that its management is very key to human health and the biodiversity of the country.  

“The celebration of the World Environment Day is key in the socio-economic development of the country,” said Ansuman Sambou during the celebration of World Environment Day organised by BAJ-The Gambia LRR office.

Climate Change is sucking funding away from biodiversity

By Anthony Watts

From the “let’s include climate change is all our work so we’ll keep getting funded” department, comes this admission in the form of a press release from The University of Kent.
Overshadowed by climate change
Kent research suggests that recent high levels of media coverage for climate change may have deflected attention and funding from biodiversity loss.
In a paper published by the journal Bioscience, Kent conservationists also recommend that, to prevent biodiversity from becoming a declining priority, conservationists need to leverage the importance of climate change to obtain more funds and draw attention to other research areas such as biodiversity conservation.

BAJ Gambia top brass participates in 3rd National Renewable Energy forum

Executive Director Abdou Rahman Sallah and Mamadou Edrisa Njie Director of Programmes of Biodiversity Action Journalists Gambia (BAJ Gambia), are currently attending 3rd National Renewable Energy forum in Banjul, The Gambia an invitation through REAGAM membership.

The forum is organised by PURA annually in partnership with the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC), through funding from USAID on theme: Policy ‘for Small Scale Renewable Energy Regulation’ from 18th-19th, June 2014 held in a local hotel in The Gambia.

CAID: Commemoration of Day of the African Child Film Screening

Ibrahim Ceesay
Social Justice Activist & Film-Maker
Executive Director, CAID

In commemoration of the African Child Day, Children and Community Initiative for Development (CAID), on 16th June, 2014 to gather government officials, youth groups, UN Agencies, Students, CSOs amongst others personalities to a screening of the award winning film ‘’The Hand of Fate’’ on the 16^th of June 2014 by 6:00p.m at the Ebunjan Theatre, opposite Gambia Football Association House Kanifing Institutional Area, as part of commemoration of Day of the African Child (DAC) 2014. 

The screening will be followed by discussions, questions and answers with cast and crew of the film, Government officials, UN Agencies, Students, Youth Groups and Civil Society Organizations on the theme of DAC 2014.  

The Children and Community Initiative for Development CAID, is a public interest based organization striving towards children and community development in the Gambia. Disadvantaged communities and children that vulnerable to poverty and human rights violations are powerful agents of change and development when mobilized from within. CAID believes that children are the leaders in future making therefore, they should be educated, empowered and equipped with the necessary skills in circumventing challenges affecting them at all levels.

APO Media Award: WIN $500 a month for one year, one lap top, one intercontinental flight ticket to a destination of your choice and more

The second-place winner will be awarded $300 a month for one year, and the third-place winner will receive $200 a month for one year

DAKAR, Senegal, June 12, 2014/ -- APO (African Press Organization) (http://www.apo-opa.com), the sole press release wire in Africa and the global leader in media relations relating to Africa, announced today that entry is now open for the 2014 APO Media Award (#APOMediaAward).The first-place winner will be presented with $500 a month for one year, one laptop and one intercontinental flight ticket to a destination of his or her choice as well as one year of access to over 600 airport VIP lounges worldwide.

 The second-place winner will be awarded $300 a month for one year.
 The third-place winner will receive $200 a month for one year.

APO Media Award celebrates brilliant and inspiring stories about Africa. The subject matter may comprise a single topic or a variety of subjects, including – but not limited to – business, economy, technology, agriculture, health, energy, gender, logistics, tourism, motoring, aviation, not-for-profit issues, diplomacy, environment, mining, entertainment and more.

BAJ Gambia celebrates World Environment Day in URR with a grand style "Cleansing Exercise"

Group Picture: BAJ Gambia with Basse Community People

Biodiversity Action Journalists Gambia Upper River Region (URR) chapter in collaboration with Basse Area Council and other institutions such as the regional forestry office, water resources office, town development committee and a cross-section of the local communities in Basse, gathered to clean Basse major praying ground as part of observing World Environment Day 5^th June, 2014 an initiative organised by BAJ-Gambia and supported by Basse Area Council.

 

The celebration attended by key institutions and local communities was part of BAJ-Gambia’s activities in observance of World Environment Day, according to Abdou Rahman Sallah, executive director of Biodiversity Action Journalist Gambia in an interview with reporters during the exercise in Basse URR.

World Environment Day: the importance of ensuring access to information and freedom of expression

World Environment Day provides an opportunity to shed light on the increasing importance of the right to environmental information, as recognized in documents such as the Rio Declaration from the UN Conference on Environment and Development (Eco -92).

 

ARTICLE 19 South America believes the right to a healthy and sustainable environment for all requires governments to disclose complete and current information on construction, public policies and environmental programs. Access to information provides a more transparent and participatory decision-making process on development and environmental issues. It also improves governments’ performance in meeting people's demands and gives more legitimacy to environmental decisions by ensuring citizens’ rights to participate, and by promoting accountability.

Open Letter to President Obama from Gambian environment minister

Pa Ousman Jarju Gambian minister

Dear President Obama:

As former chair of Least Developed Countries group in the United Nations climate change negotiations, and former Special Envoy for the group, I am speaking on behalf of LDCs who are already suffering from the devastating impacts of climate change.  

The latest IPCC report indicates that the evidence of human-caused climate-change impacts is unequivocal, and that increased warming likewise increases the likelihood of severe, pervasive, and irreversible impacts.

The research shows that these increases in temperature will be linked to increases in the level and the extent of poverty around the world, making more difficult our recovery from climate-related disasters. Both will set back decades of human development efforts and create new security risks for the world.    

Message from UNEP chief Achim Steiner on World Environment Day

 

Download the UNEP supported Climate Action 2013/2014 report here. The report is a leading a platform for government ministers, business leaders and distinguished academics to debate climate change solutions.

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Every year, on June 5th, millions of people across the planet celebrate World Environment Day- coming together at community, national and regional level to promote positive action on the most-pressing environmental challenges of our day.

This year's global host for World Environment Day is Barbados, one of many Small Island Developing States (SIDS) facing multi-dimensional issues that require integrated global action.
SIDS contribute little to the problem of climate change- the combined annual carbon dioxide output of these nations accounts for less than one per cent of global emissions.