NEWS BANJUL THE GAMBIA(MB)-The sub-regional meeting of heads of meteorological services in West Africa, as well as representatives of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), and the meteorological agency of the Kingdom of Spain ended at the Kairaba Beach Hotel on 5th February, with the adoption of the Banjul Action Plan 2010.
News and Report interviewed Bernard Gomez, permanent representative of The Gambia at the WMO, on the Banjul Action Plan 2010 and the deliberations of the 1 to 5 February meeting of Directors of West African national meteorological hydrological services (NMHS) in Banjul.
According to Mr. Gomez, the first two days of the meeting centered on resource mobilization for the sub-region meteorological services.
He added that some countries in the sub region are finding it difficult to mobilize resources for their operations, adding that "we really need resources to do our work effectively, but lack of enough resources is making our work difficult every day".
It was against this background that during the first two days, they deliberated on resource mobilization, he added, pointing out that some of the poorest countries are finding it difficult to mobilize resources, including the Gambia.
According to Mr. Gomez, meteorological services in West Africa are not having support like other sectors, and he called on donors, governments and individuals to give support.
"Meteorological services in West Africa are really finding it difficult to mobilize resources, and without resources it is difficult to carry out our work effectively", he repeated.
Gomez thanked WMO and the Kingdom of Spain for funding the meeting, and all the West African countries “for their very positive participation”.
During the last three days of the meeting, Mr. Gomez explained, there was a revision of the Las Palmas Action Plan, which was done in Niamey 2007, and the adoption of the Banjul Action Plan 2010.
Members agreed ongoing and additional actions and mechanisms for cooperation during 2010, he revealed, further noting that the meeting added some new areas in the Banjul Action Plan such as climate and health, specific capacity building and training activities, tools for management and planning.
The meeting, he went on, also considered a new organizational structure for activities in three strategic areas, in addition to the programme monitoring activities, that is core technical, applied technical, and management capacity building activities.
Core technical capacity building will include observation, weather watch i.e. data collection, weather monitoring, and forecasting. Climate activities include climate change monitoring, reports, databases and climate services.
For the management capacity building activities, the aim is to strengthen management practices improvement, mobilization of resources initiatives support, marketing and others.
According to Mr. Gomez, the meeting of Directors of the West African NMHS also focused on the cooperation agreement with the Kingdom of Spain and WMO for NMH services in the sub region.
The agreement, he pointed out, started in 2007 with merely focusing on strengthening meteorological services in West Africa.
The Banjul Action Plan, Mr. Gomez said, out-lines four key areas, that is, agricultural meteorology, marine meteorology, climate and health, and management skills.
Explaining agricultural meteorology, he said activities are in the form of a regional project focused on strengthening surface observation networks and other use of simplified rain gauges to elaborate and disseminate information to farmers and decision makers, and to partners such as WMO and national MHS.
Marine meteorology, he said, concerns implementation of a pilot project according to the four-year Marine Met-Ocean Project (monitoring and services from the North West Africa Basin and Macronesia).
Phase one of the project includes countries like Senegal, Mauritania, Cape Verde and The Gambia, with the addition of Guinea and Guinea Bissau later, and expansion to other countries in the Gulf of Guinea to be considered.
Management skills, he added, concerns enhancing capacity of NMHS in advocacy for increased political support and financing to the NMHS within the national context.
It also relates to the hosting of a workshop focused on resource mobilization, creating and tutoring a management course in French by e-learning for NMHS, directors and managers and WMO e-learning platform usage on technical and management issues.
According to Mr. Gomez, providing weather reports on a daily basis is a common problem for many countries like The Gambia, but not a problem for countries like Ghana and Nigeria as they have many reports daily.
"For The Gambia, we have only one report for the day, aired over GRTS-TV, which should not be the case". He went on, "we need to have funds for the meteorological services to be reporting the weather forecast from morning to night continuously in the day".
He said that it is through forecasting that one can know whether it is going to be sunny and hot for the day, adding that in many places around the world, a daily forecast is available. It is through the forecast also that one can know the air-quality conditions and weather of the day, he added.
Meteorologists, he asserted, have been working with scientists in many disciplines for decades to improve on local and regional forecasts, and know how to turn the data into useful information for the public.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Alarming Rate of Environmental Degradation
NEWS BANJUL THE GAMBIA(MB)-The Gambia Government recognises the alarming rate of environmental degradation and the increasing levels of disasters in the country.
This is according to the national draft report entitled “Views From The Frontline” based on survey conducted in The Gambia, carried out by the Children For Children Organisation (CFCO) with its partners involved in a research project in the country.
According to the report’s Executive Summary, the Gambia is one of the 168 member states of the United Nations which signed and adopted the HYOGO Framework for Action (HFA) in Kobe, Japan 2005.
This is a key framework on implementing disaster risk reduction measures within the overall goal of building the resilience of nations and communities to disasters.
The report stated that disaster management in Gambia has been based a top-down management approaches which were simply unsuccessful in addressing the needs of vulnerable communities.
According to the report, a better understanding of disaster and losses in the Gambia today reveals that the increase in disaster occurrence and disaster related losses is due to the exponential increase in occurrence of small and medium scale disasters.
Against this background, it is important to adopt a new strategy, such as the bottom-up approach, because communities are considered the best judges of their own vulnerability and can make the best decisions regarding their own well-being.
The CFCO national coordinator, Ibrahim Ceesay, was contacted on 14 February 2010 to shed more light on the contents of the report.
He said that the survey, “View From The Frontline”, was the first attempt to involve local stakeholders from government and civil society to measure progress towards implementing disaster prevention measures at country level, adding that the project is being implemented in several countries at the global level.
Mr. Ceesay stated that the project was designed to support the implementation of the HFA by establishing a global infrastructure to measure progress at the local level, noting that the infrastructure will provide a provisional baseline by which future progress can be periodically assessed.
The role of civil society in the assessment, Mr. Ceesay added, is crucial as the information gathered will be collated and analysed at the local, national and regional levels to identify good practice, critical success factors and key constraints towards progress.
He recalled that CFCO in January 2009 organised a consultative and briefing meeting with stakeholders on the “Views From The Frontline” project, and in July 2009 another consultative workshop was held, in which government officials, youth organisations, media, among others, attended to share experiences and ideas about the report. The workshops, he said, were all successfully conducted as the participation and the turn out was “very impressive”.
About the HFA, Mr. Ceesay said “the required outcome of the HFA is a substantial reduction in disaster losses by 2015. To achieve this outcome, the impact of the HFA must be felt on the ground where people who are at risk live, eat and work. Effective implementation of the HFA will require strong accountability, based on the ability to measure progress towards objectives”.
Building a strong evidence base, he continued, will inform public policy work and can serve to facilitate dialogue between civil society organisations and public authorities.
“This dialogue can encourage agreement on policy positions and build broad based advocacy coalitions and alliances that will enable local voices to be clearly heard within national, regional and international decision-making processes.
“Local communities and civil society organisations participating in the review process will be able to use the information produced to develop ways forward to address the main challenges”, he added.
Quoting the report’s Forward authored by Mr. Ceesay himself, he said disasters are no longer seen as extreme events created entirely by natural forces, but as manifestations of unresolved problems of development.
According to Mr. Ceesay, the poor are often those most affected by a disaster; yet, he said, it is too simplistic to assume that there is a direct and absolute correlation between poverty and vulnerability. Poverty, he explained, is an indicator of lack of access to resources and income opportunities, and that is only one of the several dimensions of vulnerability.
The report is meant to provide guidance for government and relief agencies on disaster risk issues, and it is to be used as a tool in the Gambia on how it is viewed, and how the local communities are affected.
“We hope this report will be a useful guide for implementation of the HFA in The Gambia which is a key framework for implementing disaster risk reduction and building resilience of communities to disaster”.
According to the CFAO coordinator, the following were identified as communities at risk: Basse (URR) Janjanbureh (CRR) Jarra Soma (LRR) Kerewan (NBR), Brikama (WR), Ebo Town (KMC) and Banjul (BCC).
A total of 102 questionnaires were filled by CSOs, community and government representatives in all the places.
A common survey method that was designed by the Global Network of Civil Society Organisatins for Disaster Reduction (GNDR) was used to ensure high quality standards and cross country comparability, according to Mr. Ceesay.
Speaking on the main challenges in the implementation of the HFA process in the country, based on findings, Mr. Ceesay spoke of a lack of awareness campaigns on HFA, limited capacities, a disaster policy which has limited applicability in the informal sector, weak infrastructure and regional disaster management committees.
Also a lack of coherency in disaster management and response in The Gambia, poor analytical expertise and limited experts with relevant qualifications, he added. He also cited issues such as a low funding base and being under-resourced, a multitude of small players and issues of legitimacy, accountability and transparency.
According to him, various recommendations were made by the respondents during the survey, and participants in the community consultations recommended the need for multi-stakeholder engagement. That is, the government, private sector, CSOs, vulnerable and affected populations and communities on disaster risk reduction.
The recommendations also included to ensure local ownership of the HFA so as to amplify local voices at grass roots and national level, to mobilise communities and CSOs, through capacity building training programmes and massive awareness campaign activities on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR).
Also to develop early warning systems and contingency plans to ensuring the pre-positioning or storage of a minimum amount of food and medical supplies and equipment that might be needed by affected communities in case of a disaster.
Still dilating on the recommendations, Mr. Ceesay said these included the harnessing of resources, coherency in disaster management and response through improved partnerships between the CSOs and the government.
Also regular coordination meetings and networking, coalitions and to ensure proper use of natural resources to decrease environmental degradation, as well as ensure that construction standards are disaster-resilient.
The CFCO coordinator thanked various organisations, CSOs, NGOs and institutions for making the project a success.
He gave special thanks to all regional governors and mayors, regional disaster management focal persons, the media and all those who participated in the survey in the country.
This is according to the national draft report entitled “Views From The Frontline” based on survey conducted in The Gambia, carried out by the Children For Children Organisation (CFCO) with its partners involved in a research project in the country.
According to the report’s Executive Summary, the Gambia is one of the 168 member states of the United Nations which signed and adopted the HYOGO Framework for Action (HFA) in Kobe, Japan 2005.
This is a key framework on implementing disaster risk reduction measures within the overall goal of building the resilience of nations and communities to disasters.
The report stated that disaster management in Gambia has been based a top-down management approaches which were simply unsuccessful in addressing the needs of vulnerable communities.
According to the report, a better understanding of disaster and losses in the Gambia today reveals that the increase in disaster occurrence and disaster related losses is due to the exponential increase in occurrence of small and medium scale disasters.
Against this background, it is important to adopt a new strategy, such as the bottom-up approach, because communities are considered the best judges of their own vulnerability and can make the best decisions regarding their own well-being.
The CFCO national coordinator, Ibrahim Ceesay, was contacted on 14 February 2010 to shed more light on the contents of the report.
He said that the survey, “View From The Frontline”, was the first attempt to involve local stakeholders from government and civil society to measure progress towards implementing disaster prevention measures at country level, adding that the project is being implemented in several countries at the global level.
Mr. Ceesay stated that the project was designed to support the implementation of the HFA by establishing a global infrastructure to measure progress at the local level, noting that the infrastructure will provide a provisional baseline by which future progress can be periodically assessed.
The role of civil society in the assessment, Mr. Ceesay added, is crucial as the information gathered will be collated and analysed at the local, national and regional levels to identify good practice, critical success factors and key constraints towards progress.
He recalled that CFCO in January 2009 organised a consultative and briefing meeting with stakeholders on the “Views From The Frontline” project, and in July 2009 another consultative workshop was held, in which government officials, youth organisations, media, among others, attended to share experiences and ideas about the report. The workshops, he said, were all successfully conducted as the participation and the turn out was “very impressive”.
About the HFA, Mr. Ceesay said “the required outcome of the HFA is a substantial reduction in disaster losses by 2015. To achieve this outcome, the impact of the HFA must be felt on the ground where people who are at risk live, eat and work. Effective implementation of the HFA will require strong accountability, based on the ability to measure progress towards objectives”.
Building a strong evidence base, he continued, will inform public policy work and can serve to facilitate dialogue between civil society organisations and public authorities.
“This dialogue can encourage agreement on policy positions and build broad based advocacy coalitions and alliances that will enable local voices to be clearly heard within national, regional and international decision-making processes.
“Local communities and civil society organisations participating in the review process will be able to use the information produced to develop ways forward to address the main challenges”, he added.
Quoting the report’s Forward authored by Mr. Ceesay himself, he said disasters are no longer seen as extreme events created entirely by natural forces, but as manifestations of unresolved problems of development.
According to Mr. Ceesay, the poor are often those most affected by a disaster; yet, he said, it is too simplistic to assume that there is a direct and absolute correlation between poverty and vulnerability. Poverty, he explained, is an indicator of lack of access to resources and income opportunities, and that is only one of the several dimensions of vulnerability.
The report is meant to provide guidance for government and relief agencies on disaster risk issues, and it is to be used as a tool in the Gambia on how it is viewed, and how the local communities are affected.
“We hope this report will be a useful guide for implementation of the HFA in The Gambia which is a key framework for implementing disaster risk reduction and building resilience of communities to disaster”.
According to the CFAO coordinator, the following were identified as communities at risk: Basse (URR) Janjanbureh (CRR) Jarra Soma (LRR) Kerewan (NBR), Brikama (WR), Ebo Town (KMC) and Banjul (BCC).
A total of 102 questionnaires were filled by CSOs, community and government representatives in all the places.
A common survey method that was designed by the Global Network of Civil Society Organisatins for Disaster Reduction (GNDR) was used to ensure high quality standards and cross country comparability, according to Mr. Ceesay.
Speaking on the main challenges in the implementation of the HFA process in the country, based on findings, Mr. Ceesay spoke of a lack of awareness campaigns on HFA, limited capacities, a disaster policy which has limited applicability in the informal sector, weak infrastructure and regional disaster management committees.
Also a lack of coherency in disaster management and response in The Gambia, poor analytical expertise and limited experts with relevant qualifications, he added. He also cited issues such as a low funding base and being under-resourced, a multitude of small players and issues of legitimacy, accountability and transparency.
According to him, various recommendations were made by the respondents during the survey, and participants in the community consultations recommended the need for multi-stakeholder engagement. That is, the government, private sector, CSOs, vulnerable and affected populations and communities on disaster risk reduction.
The recommendations also included to ensure local ownership of the HFA so as to amplify local voices at grass roots and national level, to mobilise communities and CSOs, through capacity building training programmes and massive awareness campaign activities on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR).
Also to develop early warning systems and contingency plans to ensuring the pre-positioning or storage of a minimum amount of food and medical supplies and equipment that might be needed by affected communities in case of a disaster.
Still dilating on the recommendations, Mr. Ceesay said these included the harnessing of resources, coherency in disaster management and response through improved partnerships between the CSOs and the government.
Also regular coordination meetings and networking, coalitions and to ensure proper use of natural resources to decrease environmental degradation, as well as ensure that construction standards are disaster-resilient.
The CFCO coordinator thanked various organisations, CSOs, NGOs and institutions for making the project a success.
He gave special thanks to all regional governors and mayors, regional disaster management focal persons, the media and all those who participated in the survey in the country.
GAMCOY Ten Leaves For Darfur
NEWS BANJUL THE GAMBIA(MB)-A contingent of the Gambia Armed Forces (GAF) numbering 196 soldiers on Thursday 11 February 2010 left the Gambia “on a humanitarian and peace support mission” in the troubled Sudanese region of Darfur.
Known as GAMCOY 10, the contingent includes 10 female soldiers, and members will be in Darfur for at least six months. The contingent is led by Lieutenant Colonel Ousman Gomez.
They are the tenth group of Gambian peacekeepers to be deployed to Darfur, since the first mission arrived there in 2004, and the fourth to be deployed under the UN/AU UNAMID force in Darfur.
Speaking at the farewell parade held at 22 July Square in Banjul, Lieutenant General Masanneh Kinteh, Chief of Defence Staff of the GAF, said that the security situation in Darfur has, over the past few months, “improved but still remains somehow unpredictable”.
“The hybrid mission continues to make significant strides in fulfilling its mandate, of creating the conditions for a peaceful a stable environment to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance.
“The deployment of more UNAMID troops in the mission area has undoubtedly improved the security situation. Your contingent, therefore, will join other contingents deployed in the mission area in carrying out your assigned tasks under the UNAMID mandate.
“Your tasks will include, among other things, to provide security and freedom of movement to UNAMID personnel and humanitarian workers within your areas of responsibility”.
Other aspects of their mission also involve “protection of the civilian population under threat of physical violence”. “Perhaps, more importantly, you are required to give hope to the hopeless and restore confidence and human dignity in the communities. To achieve this, you must work hard to win the hearts and minds of the civilian population. This requires a high sense of commitment and dedication to the service of the mission, and the people of Darfur”, he declared.
Describing the members of GAMCOT Ten as “our peace ambassadors in Darfur”, the CDS advised them to be ready at all times “to execute your tasks in a highly professional manner”.
The Vice President, Dr. Isatou Njie-Saidy, attended the parade, and delivered the farewell message on behalf of the President who said that “recent developments in that part of our continent have given light to hope for peace again”. “Just a couple of days ago President Idris Deby of Tehad ended a two-day state visit to Sudan Both heads of state (Deby and El-Bashir) had publicly declared that there are no more problems between their two countries and had acknowledged the pressing need for peace for their peoples.
“In this regard, Government’s commitment to fulfil its obligations to the Charter and principles of the AU/UN and the Gambia Armed Forces’ readiness to participate in the peacekeeping endeavours to consolidate these gains will be unrelenting”, the President declared.
GAMCOY Ten, the Gambian leader added, was being deployed at a time when “Sudan is well poised to hold its presidential elections next year and also the referendum for its southern province. Preparations are well under way for these very important activities, crucial for the peoples of Sudan including the Darfur”.
“The outcome for these elections are going to determine the future of generations to come, and your role in this process is of paramount importance”, he added.
Known as GAMCOY 10, the contingent includes 10 female soldiers, and members will be in Darfur for at least six months. The contingent is led by Lieutenant Colonel Ousman Gomez.
They are the tenth group of Gambian peacekeepers to be deployed to Darfur, since the first mission arrived there in 2004, and the fourth to be deployed under the UN/AU UNAMID force in Darfur.
Speaking at the farewell parade held at 22 July Square in Banjul, Lieutenant General Masanneh Kinteh, Chief of Defence Staff of the GAF, said that the security situation in Darfur has, over the past few months, “improved but still remains somehow unpredictable”.
“The hybrid mission continues to make significant strides in fulfilling its mandate, of creating the conditions for a peaceful a stable environment to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance.
“The deployment of more UNAMID troops in the mission area has undoubtedly improved the security situation. Your contingent, therefore, will join other contingents deployed in the mission area in carrying out your assigned tasks under the UNAMID mandate.
“Your tasks will include, among other things, to provide security and freedom of movement to UNAMID personnel and humanitarian workers within your areas of responsibility”.
Other aspects of their mission also involve “protection of the civilian population under threat of physical violence”. “Perhaps, more importantly, you are required to give hope to the hopeless and restore confidence and human dignity in the communities. To achieve this, you must work hard to win the hearts and minds of the civilian population. This requires a high sense of commitment and dedication to the service of the mission, and the people of Darfur”, he declared.
Describing the members of GAMCOT Ten as “our peace ambassadors in Darfur”, the CDS advised them to be ready at all times “to execute your tasks in a highly professional manner”.
The Vice President, Dr. Isatou Njie-Saidy, attended the parade, and delivered the farewell message on behalf of the President who said that “recent developments in that part of our continent have given light to hope for peace again”. “Just a couple of days ago President Idris Deby of Tehad ended a two-day state visit to Sudan Both heads of state (Deby and El-Bashir) had publicly declared that there are no more problems between their two countries and had acknowledged the pressing need for peace for their peoples.
“In this regard, Government’s commitment to fulfil its obligations to the Charter and principles of the AU/UN and the Gambia Armed Forces’ readiness to participate in the peacekeeping endeavours to consolidate these gains will be unrelenting”, the President declared.
GAMCOY Ten, the Gambian leader added, was being deployed at a time when “Sudan is well poised to hold its presidential elections next year and also the referendum for its southern province. Preparations are well under way for these very important activities, crucial for the peoples of Sudan including the Darfur”.
“The outcome for these elections are going to determine the future of generations to come, and your role in this process is of paramount importance”, he added.
BAR WEEK CONFERENCE HELD
NEWS BANJUL THE GAMBIA(MB)_The Week would bot had been possible without support of Legal Capacity Building Project funded by the DFID of the British Government. Which as they all knew has been supporting capacity building to the legal sector over the past few years. The President of the bar Association Amie Bensouda reminded her colleagues, at the kairaba beach Hotel, on Thursday 28 January 2010. As she welcome them to the Conference, as part of the Bar Week 2010, activities.
She added “we are very appreciative of the support, and in particular tat the head of the project who is a Barrister who understands and shares with our vision to made the GBA the leading civil society organisation for the protection of rights” she reiterated. Continuing she stated this is one of the key events of what has been a busy but productive week for members of the Bar. “Its been a landmark week comprising a series of activities designed to enable the Bar interface with the public, review and re-appraise itself in terms of its capacity to deliver its mandate as articulated in our constitution” she noted
Furthermore, she indicated that it is also the first Bar Week organised by the Gambia bar Association. The theme she said for the week “LEGAL PRACTICE IN THE 21 CENTURY”. And the focus has been o n ethnical values in relation to two of their main objectives, the maintenance of professional standards, discipline and etiquette.
Officially launching the conference the Minister of Justice Marie Saine Firdaus, noted that “in order to face the 21 Century you must upgrade yourself”. She told her colleagues. She continued that they must continue to burn the exercise honestly, politeness and build partnership between the Bar and bench as well as the Government”. She induce them to equip themselves with working facilities in their chambers in order to make their easier, “ engaged yourself in publishing boos and other source of reference, for the up coming young ones who want to be Legal Practitioners” she stressed. She said with this you could beat your chest and say I had contribute a lot for my country.”
Speaking earlier, the project manager Robert Hufley said that it is a great pleasure, and assured the Bar that his office will surely support the bar. He stated that “media and law are very essential in strengthening democracy in any country”.
She added “we are very appreciative of the support, and in particular tat the head of the project who is a Barrister who understands and shares with our vision to made the GBA the leading civil society organisation for the protection of rights” she reiterated. Continuing she stated this is one of the key events of what has been a busy but productive week for members of the Bar. “Its been a landmark week comprising a series of activities designed to enable the Bar interface with the public, review and re-appraise itself in terms of its capacity to deliver its mandate as articulated in our constitution” she noted
Furthermore, she indicated that it is also the first Bar Week organised by the Gambia bar Association. The theme she said for the week “LEGAL PRACTICE IN THE 21 CENTURY”. And the focus has been o n ethnical values in relation to two of their main objectives, the maintenance of professional standards, discipline and etiquette.
Officially launching the conference the Minister of Justice Marie Saine Firdaus, noted that “in order to face the 21 Century you must upgrade yourself”. She told her colleagues. She continued that they must continue to burn the exercise honestly, politeness and build partnership between the Bar and bench as well as the Government”. She induce them to equip themselves with working facilities in their chambers in order to make their easier, “ engaged yourself in publishing boos and other source of reference, for the up coming young ones who want to be Legal Practitioners” she stressed. She said with this you could beat your chest and say I had contribute a lot for my country.”
Speaking earlier, the project manager Robert Hufley said that it is a great pleasure, and assured the Bar that his office will surely support the bar. He stated that “media and law are very essential in strengthening democracy in any country”.
" Cooperation, Most Challenging For ICC"
NEWS BANJUL THE GAMBIA(MB)_The Deputy Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Fatou Bensouda, has said that the mot challenging area for the ICC and the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) is cooperation. She was speaking to delegates at the Kairaba Beach Hotel, on the occasion of the Gambia Bar Week.
The Bar Week whose closing ceremony was held on Friday 29 January 2010, was organised by the Gambia Nar Association and funded by the Legal Capacity Building Programme. The theme of the Bar Week was:“Legal Practice In The 21st Century”.
Mrs. Bensouda told delegates that the Rome Statute establishes a comprehensive regime for the repression of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
“While the court has the necessary judicial powers it does not have an independent mechanism to enforce its decisions”.
According to her, the “successful implementation of its work depends on cooperation with the international community”, in particular state parties.
She said cooperation is necessary, for instance, “in assisting the court with the protection of victims and witnesses, the execution of warrants of arrest, the transfer of suspects to the court, as well as logistical and administrative matters”. She indicated that while cooperation in these fields is requested primarily from the territorial states, the ICC has seen how the support of other states and organisations, particularly the United Nation in the context of the DRC, would often be essential to achieving arrests.
On how the ICC and the Gambian Bar Association could work together, Mrs. Bensouda said, in the long term, the success of the Rome Statue would be the effective prosecution of these crimes through ending impunity around the world.
This is one area in which, she believes, they could work together since their separate mandates could complement each other.
“One of the tasks of the prosecutor is to make it clear to states that he would do his part”, but that a positive understanding of the idea of complementarity is essential”, she pointed out, adding, “it is key to the success of the system”.
On what this means in practice, she said they firmly believe that a positive understanding of complementing means making sure that first the court is taken seriously as an enforcer of the statute.
“We believe that we have after five years now crossed a critical threshold where the public and, in particular, governments realise that the rules had changed and they have to act,” she stressed.
She said this means, for instance, implementing the provisions of the Rome Statute into national legislation.
This was an area in which the Gambia Bar Association could contribute in a crucial manner, she noted.
“I would like to point out that 30 African states are state parties to the Rome Statute”, which clearly demonstrates the high level of responsibility expressed by the African states including The Gambia.
“ICC core values are consistent with African norms. It was clear that even those African countries that are not yet state parties to the Statute share our objective of working for greater accountability”, she stated.
Another challenge faced by the OTP specifically relates to how to initiate its investigations. “For the prosecutors and myself our mandate is clear. We have to apply the law, as an independent prosecutor”. She explained that with propio motu powers the prosecutors have the responsibility to select the cases to bring to the court. This, she further explained, was seen in Rome as the most sensitive of issues. “But selection of cases is, at the end of the day, straight forward. The prosecutors, she told delegates, investigate those most responsible for the most serious crimes of the gravest situations under their jurisdiction.
“Nothing more, nothing less; that is what we did and what we would continue to do”.
She made it clear that, as a result of the application of the law, they are prosecuting Thomas Lubanga for recruiting child soldiers, Joseph Kony and other leaders of the Lord Resistance Army (LRA) for abducting children and transforming them into sexual slaves and killers.
They are also prosecuting Germain Katanga and Mathew Ngudjao for killing and raping civilians, Jean-Pierre Bemba, for a campaign of rape and pillage, and Harun and Kushayb for attacking civilians in villages.
Finally, she said, “we had requested an arrest warrant against Al Bashir for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes”, she declared.
They are also prosecuting Abu Garba for attacking AU peacekeepers in Haskanita on 29 September 2007.
“As announced in late November, we are seeking authorization from the court’s judges to open an investigation proprio motu regarding the situation in Kenya and the crimes committed during the post-election violence
The Bar Week whose closing ceremony was held on Friday 29 January 2010, was organised by the Gambia Nar Association and funded by the Legal Capacity Building Programme. The theme of the Bar Week was:“Legal Practice In The 21st Century”.
Mrs. Bensouda told delegates that the Rome Statute establishes a comprehensive regime for the repression of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
“While the court has the necessary judicial powers it does not have an independent mechanism to enforce its decisions”.
According to her, the “successful implementation of its work depends on cooperation with the international community”, in particular state parties.
She said cooperation is necessary, for instance, “in assisting the court with the protection of victims and witnesses, the execution of warrants of arrest, the transfer of suspects to the court, as well as logistical and administrative matters”. She indicated that while cooperation in these fields is requested primarily from the territorial states, the ICC has seen how the support of other states and organisations, particularly the United Nation in the context of the DRC, would often be essential to achieving arrests.
On how the ICC and the Gambian Bar Association could work together, Mrs. Bensouda said, in the long term, the success of the Rome Statue would be the effective prosecution of these crimes through ending impunity around the world.
This is one area in which, she believes, they could work together since their separate mandates could complement each other.
“One of the tasks of the prosecutor is to make it clear to states that he would do his part”, but that a positive understanding of the idea of complementarity is essential”, she pointed out, adding, “it is key to the success of the system”.
On what this means in practice, she said they firmly believe that a positive understanding of complementing means making sure that first the court is taken seriously as an enforcer of the statute.
“We believe that we have after five years now crossed a critical threshold where the public and, in particular, governments realise that the rules had changed and they have to act,” she stressed.
She said this means, for instance, implementing the provisions of the Rome Statute into national legislation.
This was an area in which the Gambia Bar Association could contribute in a crucial manner, she noted.
“I would like to point out that 30 African states are state parties to the Rome Statute”, which clearly demonstrates the high level of responsibility expressed by the African states including The Gambia.
“ICC core values are consistent with African norms. It was clear that even those African countries that are not yet state parties to the Statute share our objective of working for greater accountability”, she stated.
Another challenge faced by the OTP specifically relates to how to initiate its investigations. “For the prosecutors and myself our mandate is clear. We have to apply the law, as an independent prosecutor”. She explained that with propio motu powers the prosecutors have the responsibility to select the cases to bring to the court. This, she further explained, was seen in Rome as the most sensitive of issues. “But selection of cases is, at the end of the day, straight forward. The prosecutors, she told delegates, investigate those most responsible for the most serious crimes of the gravest situations under their jurisdiction.
“Nothing more, nothing less; that is what we did and what we would continue to do”.
She made it clear that, as a result of the application of the law, they are prosecuting Thomas Lubanga for recruiting child soldiers, Joseph Kony and other leaders of the Lord Resistance Army (LRA) for abducting children and transforming them into sexual slaves and killers.
They are also prosecuting Germain Katanga and Mathew Ngudjao for killing and raping civilians, Jean-Pierre Bemba, for a campaign of rape and pillage, and Harun and Kushayb for attacking civilians in villages.
Finally, she said, “we had requested an arrest warrant against Al Bashir for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes”, she declared.
They are also prosecuting Abu Garba for attacking AU peacekeepers in Haskanita on 29 September 2007.
“As announced in late November, we are seeking authorization from the court’s judges to open an investigation proprio motu regarding the situation in Kenya and the crimes committed during the post-election violence
Gambia Hosts Sub- Regional Meeting on Meteorology and Hydrology
NEWS BANJUL THE GAMBIA(MB)_A meeting to discuss progress on the implementation of the cooperation agreement between the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and the Spanish Meteorological Services in West Africa was held recently at the Kairaba Beach Hotel.
Participants were drawn from Nigeria, Senegal, Guinea Bissau, Ghana, and Guinea Conakry, The Gambia, among other countries in West Africa, who focused on cooperation and collaboration to fight climate change in West Africa, especially those sharing similar climate patterns.
The meeting was funded by the Meteorological Agency of the Kingdom of Spain, which is giving invaluable support to the meteorological services in the sub-region, according to officials.
Works Minister Lamin Bojang, addressing participants at the opening ceremony on behalf of Minister of Water Resources, assured participants that The Gambia was pleased to host such a forum.
“It is a great honour and privilege to be associated with this meeting of the World Meteorological Organisation, heads of meteorological services in West Africa and the Meteorological Agency of the Kingdom of Spain in one conference hall”. He continued:
“I am, therefore, delighted to note that The Gambia has been given its rightful place as a member of WMO, as evidenced by holding of this important meeting on its soil, barely three years following the inception of the cooperation agreement between WMO, the Meteorological Agency of the Kingdom of Spain and meteorological services in West Africa”.
According to Mr. Bojang, the cooperation agreement among countries should be taken with the utmost seriousness, as the very survival of their communities depends on how countries utilized the climate resources for their benefit.
Minister Bojang added that statistics over the last decade show that over 80 percent of all natural disasters are climate related, adding that more than 65 percent of losses and nearly 90 percent of people were attributed to climate hazards.
Unfortunately, the Minister said, the burden of the associated impacts falls disproportionately on developing countries, and on the poorest communities.
In a country such as The Gambia, livelihoods depend on climate-sensitive activities such as agriculture, forestry, fisheries, tourism, Mr. Bojang further noted.
It is, therefore, easy to know why weather and climate issues are of paramount importance to the Gambia, and to all other of countries in the sub-region.
“We in the Gambia are much concerned with the current and future state of the climate because, in spite of our well meaning efforts to achieve our National Vision 2020, alleviate poverty and meet the Millennium Development Goals”, climate change can undermine our efforts and constitutes a major threat to sustainable development and progress”, he said.
Holding this meeting in Banjul, Minister Bojang said, was timely. He re-iterated the government’s support to the meteorological services in various areas, citing staff training, deployment of state-of-the-art equipment, and the capacity to deliver relevant, accessible and user-friendly weather and climate information to communities at the local level, as well to decision makers in government and elsewhere.
According to the Minister, many countries are aware that climate change is one of the greatest challenges that humankind is faced with in this modern world, adding that it is a global concern in which both rich and poor nations are affected by its impacts.
He went on to point out that some countries, particularly in the developed world, now treat climate change as a national security concern.
The justification for such a position is not difficult to explain, taking examples of intense precipitation, drought, storm, winds etc. all threatening livelihoods and lives on a daily basic as well as undermining past achievements, he added.
The Gambia’s representative at the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), Bernard Gomez, noted that the meeting is timely and important to all the stakeholders that are involved in the meteorological services.
He added that experts that are involved in the meteorological services are aware of the dangers that climate change poses to the communities in the region.
The Spanish Ambassador to The Gambia, Javier Benoso, hailed the Gambia government for accepting to host the meeting. Among the speakers was Alioune Ndiaye, the WMO Regional Director for Africa, who also thanked the Spanish Meteorological Agency for funding the meeting.
Participants were drawn from Nigeria, Senegal, Guinea Bissau, Ghana, and Guinea Conakry, The Gambia, among other countries in West Africa, who focused on cooperation and collaboration to fight climate change in West Africa, especially those sharing similar climate patterns.
The meeting was funded by the Meteorological Agency of the Kingdom of Spain, which is giving invaluable support to the meteorological services in the sub-region, according to officials.
Works Minister Lamin Bojang, addressing participants at the opening ceremony on behalf of Minister of Water Resources, assured participants that The Gambia was pleased to host such a forum.
“It is a great honour and privilege to be associated with this meeting of the World Meteorological Organisation, heads of meteorological services in West Africa and the Meteorological Agency of the Kingdom of Spain in one conference hall”. He continued:
“I am, therefore, delighted to note that The Gambia has been given its rightful place as a member of WMO, as evidenced by holding of this important meeting on its soil, barely three years following the inception of the cooperation agreement between WMO, the Meteorological Agency of the Kingdom of Spain and meteorological services in West Africa”.
According to Mr. Bojang, the cooperation agreement among countries should be taken with the utmost seriousness, as the very survival of their communities depends on how countries utilized the climate resources for their benefit.
Minister Bojang added that statistics over the last decade show that over 80 percent of all natural disasters are climate related, adding that more than 65 percent of losses and nearly 90 percent of people were attributed to climate hazards.
Unfortunately, the Minister said, the burden of the associated impacts falls disproportionately on developing countries, and on the poorest communities.
In a country such as The Gambia, livelihoods depend on climate-sensitive activities such as agriculture, forestry, fisheries, tourism, Mr. Bojang further noted.
It is, therefore, easy to know why weather and climate issues are of paramount importance to the Gambia, and to all other of countries in the sub-region.
“We in the Gambia are much concerned with the current and future state of the climate because, in spite of our well meaning efforts to achieve our National Vision 2020, alleviate poverty and meet the Millennium Development Goals”, climate change can undermine our efforts and constitutes a major threat to sustainable development and progress”, he said.
Holding this meeting in Banjul, Minister Bojang said, was timely. He re-iterated the government’s support to the meteorological services in various areas, citing staff training, deployment of state-of-the-art equipment, and the capacity to deliver relevant, accessible and user-friendly weather and climate information to communities at the local level, as well to decision makers in government and elsewhere.
According to the Minister, many countries are aware that climate change is one of the greatest challenges that humankind is faced with in this modern world, adding that it is a global concern in which both rich and poor nations are affected by its impacts.
He went on to point out that some countries, particularly in the developed world, now treat climate change as a national security concern.
The justification for such a position is not difficult to explain, taking examples of intense precipitation, drought, storm, winds etc. all threatening livelihoods and lives on a daily basic as well as undermining past achievements, he added.
The Gambia’s representative at the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), Bernard Gomez, noted that the meeting is timely and important to all the stakeholders that are involved in the meteorological services.
He added that experts that are involved in the meteorological services are aware of the dangers that climate change poses to the communities in the region.
The Spanish Ambassador to The Gambia, Javier Benoso, hailed the Gambia government for accepting to host the meeting. Among the speakers was Alioune Ndiaye, the WMO Regional Director for Africa, who also thanked the Spanish Meteorological Agency for funding the meeting.
Health Ministry Bags International Award
The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) has has given an award to the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) a Component of Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MOHSW) in Banjul, for its “consistent high immunization coverage over the past five years”.
The Gambia, according to GAVI, is the second country in Africa to introduce the pneumococcal vaccine into the routine immunization programme, after Rwanda.
A presentation ceremony was held at the Ministry’s conference hall recently, to hand over the award to the national health authorities.
Chairing the ceremony, Ramou Cole-Ceesay, assistant director Family Health, said the presentation of the award to Gambian authorities is for their “dedication to health concerns”.
Giving a brief history of the EPI’s programme, Mrs Cole-Ceesay added that the EPI is one of the 13 technical units of the health ministry, estabilshed way back in 1976 following an outbreak of yellow fever in the country.
Since then the EPI has added various vaccines to its arsenal for yellow fever, measles etc., noting that the EPI now has more than ten vaccines.
According to her, the EPI has involved progressively in giving vaccines to Gambians and non-Gambians living in the country. The health sector has stood firmly to curb the menace of diseases that kill children under 5 years, thanks to the Gambia government, she declared.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has recognised the efforts of the government as one of the best in Africa, in terms of implementing its health programmes. Yamundow Jallow manager EPI programme, giving background information on the EPI, said it was in 1979 when the primary health care (PHC) was adopted when the EPI was born. According to her, the EPI is currently targeting mealses, Diptheria, pertusis (whooping cough), tetanus, yellow fever, hepatitis heamophilus influenza type B and pneuococcus with as many as ten vaccines, noting that all this contributes to achieving the MDGs.
On programme strategies, she said they have fixed or static clinics, mobile clinics or outreach and National Immunisation Days (NIDS) all geared toward ensuring that the children in the country get vaccines at the right time. The target population varies from children 0-24 months of age to mothers of child-bearing age, that is, 15 –49 years of age.
“As I am speaking at this ceremony, since 1994 to date there have been no single day when a vaccine is out of stock”. She added that all drugs imported into the country are recommended by UNICEF and WHO, and that “all these vaccines are quality stocks”. Vaccines for the programme are all ordered though UNICEF to ensure quality stocks, she further noted.
Citing some of the achievements, Mrs. Jallow said that for the past five years, the county ha achieved 85 percent coverage on vaccines. “We have switched from kerosene to solar refrigerators in 1988, attainment of polio free status in 2004, attainment of NNT elimination status in 2002, no laboratory confirmed measles cases since 2003 and no laboratory confirmed yellow fever cases since 1979.
On some of the challenges, she revealed that the maintenance of high immunization coverage, mobilization of adequate resources for EPI and inadequate trained human resources at all level are some of the challenges.
She gave the following recommendations: increase financial resources for EPI, continue training or retraining of staff and strengthen collaboration with partners for improved immunization services.
Receiving the award on behalf of the ministry, Sekou Omar Toure, permanent secretary said that despite the challenges, the Gambia is ranked high under the EPI.
He added that it has always been a core priority of the Health ministry, and that a lot has been done and still more needs to be done in terms of service expansion to the doorsteps of the people.
The Gambia, according to GAVI, is the second country in Africa to introduce the pneumococcal vaccine into the routine immunization programme, after Rwanda.
A presentation ceremony was held at the Ministry’s conference hall recently, to hand over the award to the national health authorities.
Chairing the ceremony, Ramou Cole-Ceesay, assistant director Family Health, said the presentation of the award to Gambian authorities is for their “dedication to health concerns”.
Giving a brief history of the EPI’s programme, Mrs Cole-Ceesay added that the EPI is one of the 13 technical units of the health ministry, estabilshed way back in 1976 following an outbreak of yellow fever in the country.
Since then the EPI has added various vaccines to its arsenal for yellow fever, measles etc., noting that the EPI now has more than ten vaccines.
According to her, the EPI has involved progressively in giving vaccines to Gambians and non-Gambians living in the country. The health sector has stood firmly to curb the menace of diseases that kill children under 5 years, thanks to the Gambia government, she declared.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has recognised the efforts of the government as one of the best in Africa, in terms of implementing its health programmes. Yamundow Jallow manager EPI programme, giving background information on the EPI, said it was in 1979 when the primary health care (PHC) was adopted when the EPI was born. According to her, the EPI is currently targeting mealses, Diptheria, pertusis (whooping cough), tetanus, yellow fever, hepatitis heamophilus influenza type B and pneuococcus with as many as ten vaccines, noting that all this contributes to achieving the MDGs.
On programme strategies, she said they have fixed or static clinics, mobile clinics or outreach and National Immunisation Days (NIDS) all geared toward ensuring that the children in the country get vaccines at the right time. The target population varies from children 0-24 months of age to mothers of child-bearing age, that is, 15 –49 years of age.
“As I am speaking at this ceremony, since 1994 to date there have been no single day when a vaccine is out of stock”. She added that all drugs imported into the country are recommended by UNICEF and WHO, and that “all these vaccines are quality stocks”. Vaccines for the programme are all ordered though UNICEF to ensure quality stocks, she further noted.
Citing some of the achievements, Mrs. Jallow said that for the past five years, the county ha achieved 85 percent coverage on vaccines. “We have switched from kerosene to solar refrigerators in 1988, attainment of polio free status in 2004, attainment of NNT elimination status in 2002, no laboratory confirmed measles cases since 2003 and no laboratory confirmed yellow fever cases since 1979.
On some of the challenges, she revealed that the maintenance of high immunization coverage, mobilization of adequate resources for EPI and inadequate trained human resources at all level are some of the challenges.
She gave the following recommendations: increase financial resources for EPI, continue training or retraining of staff and strengthen collaboration with partners for improved immunization services.
Receiving the award on behalf of the ministry, Sekou Omar Toure, permanent secretary said that despite the challenges, the Gambia is ranked high under the EPI.
He added that it has always been a core priority of the Health ministry, and that a lot has been done and still more needs to be done in terms of service expansion to the doorsteps of the people.
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