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National Adaptation Plans: Building resilience in a changing climate

Michael Simire
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National Adaptation Plans: Building resilience in a changing climate

National plans to adapt to the escalating impacts of climate change are a necessity for every country. Whether developed or developing, countries worldwide are increasingly recognising the threat posed by rising temperatures and extreme weather events and prioritizing climate resilience to safeguard lives, livelihoods and economies.

Simon Stiell
UN Climate Change Executive Secretary, Simon Stiell. Photo credit: IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth

Beyond immediate protection, these plans are essential for enabling sustainable, low-inflation growth in a rapidly changing world. The stakes are high: between 1970 and 2021, extreme weather, climate, and water-related events caused 11,778 reported disasters worldwide, resulting in over 2 million deaths and an estimated $4.3 trillion in economic losses, according to the World Meteorological Organisation.

These statistics underscore the urgency of robust adaptation planning, central to which are National Adaptation Plans (NAPs). To date, 64 countries have submitted their NAPs to UN Climate Change, including most recently Azerbaijan, Spain, the United States and Zimbabwe; additionally, Uganda has submitted two sectoral NAPs. In total, 60 developing countries and four developed countries have established their plans to build climate resilience.

“I’m encouraged that 64 countries have already submitted their NAPs,” said UN Climate Change Executive Secretary, Simon Stiell. “This growing list sends a strong global signal: building climate resilience is crucial to save lives, communities and economies, but much more than that – to transform them for the better.”

NAPs serve as crucial roadmaps for building climate resilience – in tandem with national development plans – and achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement and the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA). These plans outline interconnected activities that address adaptation needs at all levels, from local to national and regional, including adaptation finance. For instance: 

  • Azerbaijan aligns its NAP with the Global Goal on Adaptation, integrating the GGA’s seven thematic targets. Overall, the NAP will serve as a means to meet the requirements of the GGA, the Sustainable Development Goals and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. 
  • Spain incorporates a robust monitoring system to track progress and continuously improve adaptation policies. 
  • Uganda adopts a whole-of-government approach in developing the financing frameworks for its sectoral NAPs on agriculture and health. The financing frameworks will help develop bankable projects to attract funding from existing as well as future climate change funding portfolios, particularly from multi-lateral, bilateral and philanthropic institutions. 
  • The United States, through its Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, is investing over USD 50 billion to bolster climate resilience strategies. These initiatives are not only strengthening communities but also spurring private sector innovation and accelerating the implementation of adaptation solutions. 
  • Zimbabwe’s climate change adaptation finance strategy aims to mobilize financial resources from public, private, domestic and international sources, as well as improve access to innovative financing mechanisms. This will help address its adaptation funding gap and support the implementation of priorities identified in its NAP.

Adaptation investments – at the right scale and pace – can be truly transformative. Not only protecting people and economies, but also driving forward much more opportunity, equality and prosperity.

More countries need to submit their National Adaptation Plans by 2025, to quantify their needs within them, and to drive collaboration across all sectors. Effective adaptation requires the engagement of global leaders, as well as the expertise and resources of philanthropic organisations, non-profits, academia, and the private sector.

UN Climate Change is working with the wider UN system to help developing countries design and implement National Adaptation Plans, and to deliver on the commitment of developed countries to at least double adaptation finance from 2019 levels by 2025.

Countries’ NAPs highlight the growing commitment of nations worldwide to prioritize adaptation, demonstrating a collective understanding that building climate resilience is not merely about mitigating risks but about transforming communities and economies for a sustainable future.

See all NAP submissions received from countries.

Australian miner supports call for Fossil Fuel Treaty to deliver Real Zero emissions target

Michael Simire
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Australian miner supports call for Fossil Fuel Treaty to deliver Real Zero emissions target

At the World Economic Forum, the Australian mining company, Fortescue, has formally endorsed the proposal for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, an initiative committed to setting clear deadlines for an equitable phase out of fossil fuels and a just transition globally.

Dr. Andrew Forrest
Fortescue Executive Chairman, Dr. Andrew Forrest

It is the first major industrial business to endorse the proposal – a significant boost to the initiative first spearheaded by Pacific Island nations and now supported by 16 nation-states across four continents.

Fortescue’s Real Zero transition plan was independently assessed against the criteria of the UN High Level Expert Group on Net Zero by Climate Integrity and the University of Technology Sydney. The assessment found alignment or partial alignment for all criteria.

“Fortescue is the first Australian company assessed by Climate Integrity to have a plan to phase out fossil fuels without carbon offsets, setting an industry-leading benchmark for climate ambition,” said Claire Snyder, Director of Climate Integrity.

Fortescue’s decision to become the largest company globally to endorse the proposal follows Fortescue Executive Chairman, Dr. Andrew Forrest’s individual support for Pacific Island nations seeking to negotiate a Fossil Fuel Treaty at COP29 in Azerbaijan in November 2024. 

The announcement from the Australian company comes just weeks after the Albanese government approved four new coal projects, despite the country’s bid to host the COP31 UN climate talks, boosting growing calls from Pacific Island nations for wealthy countries to join them in negotiating a fast and fair fossil fuel phase out plan.

The announcement was made by Dr Forrest at a Fortescue-hosted roundtable at the World Economic Forum. The event, entitled “Leading a Profitable and Rewarding Switch to Green Energy by 2040”, featured executives from some of the world’s heaviest emitters.

Dr Andrew Forrest said: “If Fortescue can achieve Real Zero by 2030, there is no reason the rest of the world can’t follow by 2040. The economics make sense, and the technological solutions exist to phase out fossil fuels. While fossil fuel companies like Exxon bury their heads in the sand and while hellish wildfires cause unimaginable damage to Los Angeles, Fortescue and the growing bloc of countries seeking to negotiate a Fossil Fuel Treaty understand the need for real action to combat climate change. Negotiating aThe Fossil Fuel Treaty presents a unique opportunity to realise Real Zero at a global scale through meaningful government and corporate action. I call on other heavy emitters to endorse the Treaty proposal and commit to a future beyond fossil fuels.”

Tzeporah Berman, Co-Chair and Founder of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, welcomed the endorsement: “Fortescue’s support sets a powerful precedent for others to follow. It signals to the market that the transition to a fossil-free future is not only necessary; it is achievable and economically viable. We invite companies across all sectors to join this growing movement of countries, organisations, individuals and businesses that are pushing for a real zero emissions target, showing that this can only be achieved one way: by phasing out the production and use of fossil fuels, and by putting a decisive end to new investment.

“Together, we can chart a sustainable path that not only protects our planet, our communities and everything we love, but also unlocks new, sustainable and profitable economic opportunities, supporting governments who are charting a truly ambitious course for fossil fuel phase out and a new Treaty.”

The movement to negotiate a Fossil Fuel Treaty is wide and diverse, spearheaded by a bloc of 16 countries across four continents including the majority of Pacific Island nations, and is focused on managing an equitable phase out of fossil fuels and financing a global just transition away from the threat of coal, oil and gas production.

The growing bloc of countries includes Colombia, Timor Leste, Pakistan, and a coalition of small island nations from the Caribbean and the Pacific. The proposal has also the backing of the World Health Organisation, the European Parliament, 3,000 scientists, 101 Nobel Laureates, 123 cities and subnational governments, including the State of California, 3,500+ civil society organisations from 123 countries, 850+ elected officials from over 85 countries, 25 banks and 1 million individuals.

Shettima seeks global partnership on African Atlantic Gas Pipeline

Michael Simire
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Shettima seeks global partnership on African Atlantic Gas Pipeline

Vice-President Kashim Shettima has sought partnership with the World Economic Forum (WEF) on the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline (AAGP) to connect Nigeria to Morocco and other African countries.

WEF
Vice-President Kashim Shettima (right) with President of WEF, Mr. Børge Brende

Shettima spoke during a bilateral meeting with President of WEF, Mr. Børge Brende, on the sidelines of the ongoing annual meeting of WEF in Davos, Switzerland.

He noted that connecting the pipeline would transport natural gas from Nigeria to North Africa and Europe as well as improve energy security and economic growth in the region.

The vice-president also emphasised the need for the recharging of Lake Chad to tackle the global food security crisis and other existential threats.

He also called for collaboration with WEF to foster economic development and growth in the country and on the continent.

Shettima said Nigeria would be in a vantage position to take advantage of the WEF platform to develop the gas project.

He pointed out that the move would address the geopolitical challenges in Europe and the growing demand for energy due to artificial intelligence, data mining and storage.

“We seek your collaboration in fundamental areas. One is on the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline (AAGP) which will connect Nigeria to Morocco and other African countries.

“The pipeline will transport natural gas from Nigeria to North Africa and Europe and is expected to improve energy security and economic growth in the region.

“With the geopolitical challenges in Europe from Russian gas problems and the rising demand for energy because of artificial intelligence, data mining and storage, we will be in a vantage position to take advantage of this opportunity.

“A lot of littoral states in West Africa who have discovered gas are more than willing to plug into the system and feed their gas to other end users.

“We are also exploring the area of undersea passage of the pipelines for it to be a win-win for everyone. We want to use the WEF platform,” he said.

According to Shettima, Nigeria is a country blessed with gas and exploring every option to maximise available opportunities for economic growth and wealth creation for its growing population.

“Nigeria is a gas nation than an oil nation. Because of our population, we either take care of the young men and women, our average is 16.9, or they take care of us in the next 10 or 20 years down the line.

“This is why we are in a hurry to develop in our enlightened self-interest. Gas provides us with the utmost opportunity to generate wealth for our people,” he noted.

On recharging of the Lake Chad, Shettima said apart from addressing the food security crisis, it would also put Nigeria in a vantage position to generate clean energy and combat terrorism.

“There is an incestuous relationship between economy and ecology in the Sahelian region.

“The challenges of Boko Haram and ISWAP might not be disconnected from the realities of existential threats we are facing.

“The Lake Chad hitherto was 25,000 square kilometres but it has shrunk to 2,000 square kilometres.

“There is the issue of the recharging of the Lake Chad from the Congo River basin which is the second largest river basin in the world, and the water is flowing into the Atlantic.

“We want to use your platform to recharge the Lake Chad. This will help us to successfully generate clean energy, a significant amount of hydropower annually, Shettima said.

The vice president said there would be a canal of 2,400 kilometres that would change the agricultural landscape of the sub-region.

This, he added, would address the food security crisis facing the global community.

Shettima also informed the WEF president about the ongoing reforms being undertaken by the Bola Tinubu administration.

He added that President Tinubu had returned Nigeria to the part of sustained economic growth.

“Most importantly, we are talking about the present. My leader and my boss, President Bola Tinubu is someone who also grew up in the finance ecosystem.

“He was a financial controller for ExxonMobil; he was a transformative leader in Lagos State and in Nigeria, he is the most disruptive leader we have had in half a century.

“From the first week in office, he did the right thing – from the subsidy removal to the alignment of the exchange rates, tax reforms and so many ongoing reform efforts.

“Our economy has turned the corner, we have crossed the Rubicon and we’re now on the path to sustained economic growth,” he stated.

The vice-president invited the WEF President to Nigeria to meet with the president while also intimating him of Nigeria’s readiness to host the WEF Africa.

Shettima noted that apart from being the biggest economy in the continent, Nigeria remained the most populous nation in Africa with 250 million people.

By Salisu Sani-Idris

Extreme weather kept nearly 250m kids out of school in 2024 – UNICEF

Michael Simire
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Extreme weather kept nearly 250m kids out of school in 2024 – UNICEF

Extreme weather caused significant disruptions to education worldwide in 2024, with around 242 million students in 85 countries missing lessons due to heatwaves, storms, floods and droughts, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Thursday, January 23, 2025.

Catherine Russell
Catherine Russell, Executive Director of UNICEF

UNICEF’s analysis highlighted the impact of “extreme climate events” on school closures and operational disruptions, identifying heatwaves as the most severe threat to education.

“Last year, severe weather kept one in seven students out of class, threatening their health and safety, and impacting their long-term education,” said UNICEF executive director, Catherine Russell.

Countries most affected by climate-related school interruptions included Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Mozambique, Pakistan, and the Philippines.

According to the analysis, 74 per cent of affected students lived in low- and lower-middle-income countries, although no region was spared from the impact of extreme climate events.

South Asia was the hardest-hit region, with 128 million students affected.

In East Asia and the Pacific region, 50 million students faced disruptions, while Africa endured devastating consequences linked to the El Niño climate phenomenon, including floods in East Africa and severe droughts in parts of southern Africa.

In Europe, torrential rains and floods disrupted lessons for over 900,000 students in Italy in September, while October floods affected 13,000 children and teenagers in Spain, according to UNICEF.

“Education is one of the services most frequently disrupted due to climate hazards.

“Yet it is often overlooked in policy discussions, in spite of its role in preparing children for climate adaptation,” Russell said.

“Children’s futures must be at the forefront of all climate-related plans and actions.” 

$910m needed to support humanitarian efforts in north-east Nigeria in 2025 – UN

Michael Simire
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$910m needed to support humanitarian efforts in north-east Nigeria in 2025 – UN

A total of just over $910 million is required to respond to the humanitarian needs of 3.6 million people in need of life-saving assistance in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe (BAY) states in north-east Nigeria in 2025. A total of 7.8 million people is considered to be in need of humanitarian assistance.

UN Nigeria
UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Malick Fall, opening the launch of the 2025 Humanitarian Needs & Response Plan

The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Malick Fall, stated that the needs are “driven by conflict, climate shocks, and economic instability”, with the compounding effects of flooding, disease outbreaks, food insecurity and malnutrition deepening vulnerabilities.

Mr. Fall was speaking in Abuja at the launch of the 2025 Nigeria Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP), where he was joined by the Federal Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Professor Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, high-level representatives of the diplomatic corps and senior officials from diverse government agencies as well as national and international non-governmental organisations.

Minister Yilwatda highlighted the growing humanitarian needs in north-west and north-central Nigeria. He called for combined humanitarian, development and peacebuilding efforts for that region as well.

“This will enable us to get humanitarian efforts translated into durable solutions that can move people out of poverty and provide livelihoods to reach sustainable development,” he said.

Minister Yilwatda said that the restructured Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction was committed to timely, effective life-saving humanitarian responses and poverty reduction.

“We will continue to coordinate interventions at all levels, ensuring they align with national humanitarian and poverty-reduction priorities,” he said.

In their remarks, the Governor of Borno State, Professor Babagana Zulum, the Governor of Adamawa State, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, and the Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni, reaffirmed their commitment to sustaining collaboration with the UN and partners to address pressing humanitarian needs and foster sustainable development.

Given declining global funding for humanitarian efforts, the 2025 Nigeria HNRP aims at strengthening efficiency in the delivery of aid. This includes acting before disaster strikes, through anticipatory action to events such as floods and disease outbreaks, to mitigate their impact. It also aims to increase direct funding to local partners on the frontline of the response and scaling up multipurpose cash assistance, as well as reducing transaction costs.

In 2025, 33 million people in Nigeria will face acute food insecurity during the lean season* with alarming levels of malnutrition threatening millions of children. In the BAY states, 5.1 million people will be affected.

Urgent funding and resources are required from donors and the Government to ensure that food and nutrition assistance and other urgent support is provided to people in critical need.

NNPCL disobeys court order on cluster establishment, says Rivers community

Michael Simire
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NNPCL disobeys court order on cluster establishment, says Rivers community

The Bukuma community in Rivers State has decried the alleged refusal of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporations Limited (NNPCL) to implement a 2021 court judgement on cluster issue.

Bukuma community
From-L-R-Spokesman of Bukuma community, Chief-Somina-Orlu-Paramount-Ruler-of-the-community-King-Precious-Elekima-and-Steven-Onwukwe-during-an-interview-with-the-NAN-in-Port-Harcout-1536×850

The Paramount Ruler of Bukuma, King Precious Elekima, made this known during an interview in Port Harcourt on Thursday, January 23, 2025.

Bukuma, in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers, is hosting an oil and gas field, housing 10 oil wells.

The oil field was operated by Shell Petroleum and Development Company (SPDC) before Eroton Exploration and Protection Limited took it over but later handed it over to NNPC.

Elekima explained that the cluster arrangement began in 2007 as a resolution mechanism for communal clashes in the area.

“The government and oil companies operating in the area established clusters to address disputes between the warring communities at the time,” he said.

‘’However, Bukuma, the hosting the oil and gas field, was grouped with 16 other communities in the cluster.’’

Elekima alleged that the 16 communities which, he described, as having no valid take in the cluster, bound together to deny Bukuma the benefits it deserved as the host community.

“As a result, the Bukuma people decided to demand their own cluster from Eroton.

“Our community, hosting the oil wellhead and being the most impacted by oil extraction, deserved its own cluster, but Eroton refused,” he stated.

The traditional ruler said that after their request was ignored, the community sought legal redress, and tho court ruled in their favour, mandating the establishment of a cluster for Bukuma.

He said that Eroton did not implement the judgement before NNPC took over and created NNPC Eighteen Operating Limited (NEOL) to oversee the operations of the wells.

“The community met with NNPCL to implement the court order, but the company refused to comply and has remained adamant till this day,” Elekima said.

He urged NNPC not to be engaging with individuals in the community to give the false impression that it had reconciled with Bukuma.

The paramount ruler urged the government to hold NNPC accountable for not allowing the host community to receive its deserved cluster.

“We are being exploited, perhaps because the Bukuma people are a minority group with no influential figures in government or society.

“This neglect has left the community grossly underdeveloped, even though it hosts a major oil field in the Niger Delta that generates significant revenue for the country,” he lamented.

Elekima said that the recent explosion at the wellhead 008, which spilled crude oil into the community, has worsened living conditions in Bukuma.

He reiterated the community’s support of the investigation into the fire incident and expressed confidence that it would identify the perpetrators and bring them to justice.

“Bukuma people support the investigation because we are peaceful and law-abiding and do not engage in sabotage.

“We do not dispute NNPC’s claim that vandals destroyed its wellhead, and we fully support investigations into the fire incident.

“The community sympathises with NNPCL over the incident and assures that we will never encourage any form of illegal bunkering or vandalism of oil facilities,” he stated.

He underscored the importance of the damaged wellhead, describing it as one of the largest oil wells contributing to Federal Government revenue for national development.

“We have always stood with the Federal Government in its fight against oil theft, illegal bunkering, and vandalism.

“Therefore, we should not be held responsible for the destruction of the facility,” he added.

The paramount ruler welcomed the involvement of Tantita Security Services, an independent security outfit, in the investigation, but he cautioned NNPC to be vigilant during the process.

“NNPC should be cautious in investigation, not to allow any individual to exploit the situation to advance personal interests related to chieftaincy, kingship, or land disputes.

“The company should ensure that such individuals do not take advantage of the situation to frame innocent people,” he cautioned.

By Desmond Ejibas

U.S. withdrawal from WHO, threat to global, Nigeria’s health governance – Experts

Michael Simire
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U.S. withdrawal from WHO, threat to global, Nigeria’s health governance – Experts

A General Physician, Dr Tunji Akintade, says Nigeria faces critical health challenges that demand immediate and sustained action to bridge funding gaps amid global aid shrinking.

Mohammed Ali Pate
Prof. Mohammed Ali Pate, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare

Akintade said this in an interview on Thursday, January 23, 2025, in Lagos, while reacting to the withdrawal of the U.S. from the World Health Organisation (WHO).

He noted that Nigeria’s 2025 health budget projection was made based on global funding support, stressing that its effect would soon be evident in local planning and implementation.

Akintade emphasised that Nigeria should explore domestic funding to shore up finances to improve health outcomes and drive socioeconomic development in the year ahead.

The 2025 budget allocates 5.18 per cent of the total N2.48 trillion to health, falling short of the 15 per cent target set by the Abuja Declaration.

According to Akintade, global aid, chiefly from the WHO, had assisted in bridging the gaps through technical guidance and support for strengthening health systems, detecting, preventing and responding to health emergencies, including disease outbreaks.

Akintade, a former Chairman, Association of Nigerian Private Medical Practitioners (ANPMP), said Africa has remained the largest recipient of funding from WHO, with Nigeria being one of the highest beneficiaries on the continent.

Data showed that WHO contributions to Africa have ranged from $90.2 million to $263.8 million annually between 2016 and 2024.

Akintade said the intended withdrawal of U.S. membership would weaken global health governance, noting that its ripple effect would affect access to healthcare in many low-income and middle-income countries, worsening health indices.

He added that the exit would threaten response to disease outbreaks, reduce productivity, increase healthcare costs and negatively impact trade and commerce across the medical supply chain.

“I hope our leaders will see that there is a challenge ahead, even if the impact isn’t felt this year, it will start grinding in another two to three years,” he said.

Similarly, Dr Obafemi Shode, a Health-Economics Analyst, said the U.S. withdrawal from WHO should serve as a warning that its global health interventions to countries, especially Africa and Nigeria, might dwindle during President Donald Trump’s administration.

Shode said the future of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) programme, mostly beneficial to Africans, was uncertain.

He called for improved investment in the nation’s health system, saying it was critical to the delivery of quality, affordable care and attainment of universal health coverage.

Data from the U.S. Embassy showed that the U.S. invested more than $570 million in Nigeria to help prevent illnesses like HIV, tuberculosis, and COVID-19 in 2023.

The U.S. was a founding member of WHO in 1948 and has participated in shaping and governing WHO’s work ever since, alongside 193 other Member States, including through its active participation in the World Health Assembly and Executive Board.

However, on Jan. 20, 2025, President Trump announced the U.S. would withdraw as a member of WHO and halt funding to the organisation.

He cited alleged mismanagement of global health crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic, and also financial disparities, condemning the “unfairly onerous payments” demanded of the U.S. compared to other nations.

In 2020, during the first Trump administration, the U.S. temporarily suspended funding and initiated a process to end membership, actions that were reversed by the Biden administration in 2021.

Historically, the U.S. has been one of the largest funders of WHO. Its contributions have ranged between $163 million and $816 million annually over the last decade.

By Oluwafunke Ishola

Climate change: 90 Parties submit first Biennial Transparency Reports

Michael Simire
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0
Climate change: 90 Parties submit first Biennial Transparency Reports

Ninety Parties to the Paris Agreement have submitted their first Biennial Transparency Reports (BTRs), underscoring the commitment of nations to advancing the goals of the Paris Agreement through the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF). These reports represent a critical effort by governments to establish robust systems for climate data collection and reporting, ensuring transparency in global climate action.

Simon Stiell
Simon Stiell, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary. Phoro credit UN Climate Change / Lucia Vasquez Tumi

Transparent reporting is a vital enabling tool for all governments, providing crucial data to inform decision-making, design stronger climate policies over time and achieve broader development goals.

Special recognition goes to the 57 developing countries that have submitted their BTRs, including 13 Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States. This important effort by the nations that are most vulnerable to climate impacts reflects their commitment to ensuring that the response to the climate crisis is guided by robust, evidence-based insights.

BTRs are central to the climate ambition cycle, tracking progress on national climate plans (known as nationally determined contributions or NDCs), fostering trust among Parties, identifying support needs and preparing countries for the next round of NDCs in 2025.

“Transparency is crucial, not only because it highlights progress in climate action but because it spurs more action: enabling data-driven responses that build resilience and protect vulnerable populations by identifying risks and vulnerabilities, and leading to better resource allocation,” said UN Climate Change Executive Secretary, Simon Stiell, at COP29. “Every submission, every lesson learned, brings us closer to the goals of the Paris Agreement.”

Recognising the critical importance of Biennial Transparency Reports, UN Climate Change urges all Parties that have not yet submitted complete BTRs to do so without delay.

Next steps

BTR submissions undergo independent technical expert reviews, which began last year with reviews of submissions from Andorra and Panama. These reviews involve a thorough assessment of each report, identifying progress towards NDC targets and capacity-building needs, and supporting Parties to improve future reporting.

Following the review of BTRs, the ETF’s multilateral phase – known as Facilitative Multilateral Consideration of Progress (FMCP) – will encourage Parties to share experiences, successes, challenges and insights in implementing the Paris Agreement, driving global cooperation to deliver climate action and support.

Lessons learned from these processes will enhance countries’ long-term capacity to collect and analyse data, inform policy decisions, and implement effective climate action. Additionally, reviews may enable Parties to attract climate finance by assessing market mechanism usage under Article 6 and REDD+ activities.

UN Climate Change plays a crucial role in supporting Parties through extensive training, including of expert reviewers, as well as joint capacity-building initiatives with partner organizations across regions. This enables countries to strengthen their transparency efforts and effectively meet reporting obligations.

WHO certifies Georgia malaria-free

Michael Simire
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0
WHO certifies Georgia malaria-free

Following a nearly century-long effort, Georgia has been certified malaria-free by the World Health Organisation (WHO). With the announcement, made on Thursday, January 23, 2025, Georgia joins the ranks of 45 countries and one territory that have achieved this milestone.

Mikheil Sarjveladze
Georgian Minister of Health, Mikheil Sarjveladze

“Today we congratulate the people of Georgia for their decades of targeted and sustained actions to eliminate malaria, one of the world’s leading killers,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Georgia’s commitment and success gives us hope that a malaria-free world is possible.”

“This is a huge milestone worth marking; with Georgia’s achievement, the WHO European Region is another step closer to initiate certification as the first malaria-free region in the world,” said Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe. “This doesn’t happen in a vacuum, this was made possible thanks to sustained investment, dedication of the health workforce and targeted efforts in prevention, early detection and effective treatment of all malaria cases.”

Certification of malaria elimination is granted by WHO when a country has proven, beyond reasonable doubt, that the chain of indigenous transmission has been interrupted nationwide for at least the previous three consecutive years.

The Minister of Health, Mikheil Sarjveladze, noted that certifying Georgia as malaria-free is a recognition of the sustainability of its healthcare system, “this success means that Georgia can address important health challenges.”

A longstanding challenge

Malaria has plagued Georgia since ancient times. Before the introduction of systematic control efforts in the early 1900s, at least 3 malaria parasite species – P. falciparum, P. malariae and P. vivax – were endemic in the country. In the 1920s, an estimated 30% of the population suffered from malaria caused by the P. vivax malaria species.

By 1940, large-scale mosquito control programmes had helped reduce malaria cases significantly through improved access to diagnostic and treatment facilities. A few years later, however, World War II caused a surge again due to population movement and the strain on health facilities.

In the post-war period, Georgia launched an intensive programme aimed at eliminating malaria, using newer medicines, insecticide spraying and robust entomological surveillance. The campaign successfully interrupted the transmission of P. falciparum by 1953, P. malariae by 1960 and P. vivax by 1970.

Georgia remained malaria-free for 25 years but, by 2002, malaria had reemerged in the country with 474 cases reported.

Renewed commitments to stop the disease

In 2005, together with nine other countries in the WHO European Region, Georgia signed the Tashkent Declaration, reaffirming its pledge to eliminate malaria. The intensified interventions that followed significantly reduced malaria incidence in Georgia, with the last indigenous case recorded in 2009. By 2015, all 53 countries of the WHO European Region, including Georgia, reported zero indigenous cases of malaria.

To prevent further re-establishment of malaria transmission in the region, the original signatories of the Tashkent Declaration issued the Ashgabat Statement in 2017 committing to take all efforts to remain malaria-free. Türkiye is the only country in the WHO European Region remaining to be certified.

In 2024, during the Georgia’s malaria-free certification process, members of the Technical Advisory Group on Malaria Elimination and Certification, an independent WHO advisory body, noted that Georgia has a well-functioning and adequately resourced health system, strong public-private cooperation, and political commitment to maintaining a malaria-free status.

AU Commission decries U.S. withdrawal from WHO

Michael Simire
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0
AU Commission decries U.S. withdrawal from WHO

Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), Moussa Faki, has expressed dismay over announcement by the U.S. to withdraw from the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Moussa Faki
Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), Moussa Faki

The U.S. President, Donald Trump, had earlier on Monday, January 20, 2025, announced that U.S. government would withdraw from the global health body, citing WHO’s mishandling of the COVID-19 outbreak from Wuhan, China and other health crisis.

Faki, the Chief Executive Officer, legal representative of the AU and the Commission’s Chief Accounting Officer, made this known in a statement by the mission on Thursday, January 23, via its website.

Faki said, “The U.S. as a member of WHO was crucial in shaping global WHO instruments and norms on public health, security and well being over the past seven decades.

“In Africa, the U.S. was an early and strong supporter towards the establishment of Africa CDC, the African Union’s technical agency for public health emergencies.

“The agency works with WHO and the global WHO membership to detect, prepare for, respond to and recover from pandemics.

“Today, now more than ever, the world depends on WHO to carry out its mandate to ensure global public health security as a shared common good.

“It is therefore hoped that the U.S. government will reconsider its decision to withdraw from this key global organisation of which it is a founding member,” Faki said.

The Chairperson of the Commission is often elected by the AU General Assembly for a four-year term, renewable once to oversee the administration and finances; promoting and popularising the AU’s objectives.

Also, to enhance the Commission’s performance, consulting and coordinating with Member States, development partners, Regional Economic Communities (RECs), appointing and managing Commission staff, and act as depository for all AU and OAU treaties and legal instruments.

By Fortune Abang

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