“When we talk about accountability, we are not only talking about money, but accurate information for the benefit of citizens especial the local communities.”

He was speaking at media training for Gambian journalists on climate change facts, communication and strategies for adaption at Tendaba Hotel (about 155 km) of the rural Gambia.

Action Aid The Gambia funded the training and been executed by Global Unification The Gambia. The training will runs from 23-25 January, 2012.

He stated that without effective communication, there will be very little accountability, good governance and democracy in the country- The Gambia.

Relating his statement with the responsibility the media, Nyagado pointed out that journalists’ need to expand their span of reporting not only on climate change but the rights of the citizens, he added, “ If not the ordinary people will not forgive us because you (journalists) fail your responsibilities to inform them,” he debunked.

He then advised journalists to write chiefly on accountability and good governance so as to promote democracy in The Gambia.

He pointed out that with good governance, democracy will win through in The Gambia noting that government officials need to be accountable for their performance.

“As journalists, you need to put in the picture the rural communities about accountability, democracy and good governance for them to be well up to date about their rights and responsibilities and how to grip duty bears accountable,” he remarked.

Accountability, Nyagado said is a cross cutting issue, while calling journalists to write more articles about accountability.

Ebrima Dem national coordinator, Global Unification-The Gambia says climate change is the change in the environment and the community.

He stated that climate change is affecting Gambians daily saying the country is facing high sea level, taking the capital city Banjul as an good example.

Baboucarr Ceesay Gambia Press Union first vice president told colleagues to filter their reporting on climate change to the community level.

He says most of the journalists in Africa including Gambian journalists are not specialize in climate change reporting.

He then called on his fellow colleagues to improve their reporting on climate change noting that climate change has become an issue of debate in today’s world.

This was according to a post on Twitter by actress Valerie Concepcion on Sunday, the same day the combined death toll in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan climbed to more than 600.

read more here

As climate talks heat up in the second week, some nations are still uncertain about extending the Kyoto Protocol (KP), which is set to expire at the end of 2012. This treaty – the only treaty ever to commit nations to legally binding targets on greenhouse gas emissions – provides essential stability for continued action on climate change. A void in international agreements could prove fatal for people and communities across the planet. Young people are calling for a second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol to be implemented immediately to provide a bridge to a new, more comprehensive climate treaty by 2015.

Tom Youngman, 18, from Bath, UK said: “A second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol is essential. The leaders of polluting nations have run out of excuses. We are running out of time. We need a legally binding agreement now to ensure a safe future for us and future generations. The Kyoto Protocol isn’t perfect, but it serves as an essential bridge to a new more holistic treaty. Under its watchful eye we’ve seen a transition in the way we live our lives – being ‘green’ is now thoroughly mainstream. It is essential leaders work together today to sign this treaty and protect our future. We stand with the leaders of vulnerable states that struggle to get their voice heard at these conferences when making this statement.”

This week hundreds of young people have flooded the Durban conference centre playing host to COP17, the UN’s annual climate summit, donning t-shirts emblazoned ‘I ? KP’. Even leading negotiators have worn ‘I ? KP’ t-shirts and ties, showing that support for this treaty is widespread. This support was echoed by a negotiator speaking on behalf of the Africa group, speaking in plenary, who stated: “We will not let African soil become the graveyard for the Kyoto Protocol.”

A recent report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) warned that we have five years to prevent irreversible changes in our climate and catastrophic impacts on humanity. Young people echo the report’s findings in stressing the urgency of the situation and the necessity of a second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol in Durban.

“The Maldives are already experiencing adverse impacts of climate change in the form of issues of food security, water scarcity and dengue epidemics. The economy is totally dependent on natural resources. Already the beaches on which we depend are eroding and coral reefs being bleached due to rise in sea surface temperatures.” said Aisha Niyaz, age 29, who has travelled from the Maldives to stand up for her and her community’s survival as part of global youth at the UN climate talks in Durban, South Africa. “The Maldives was the first country to raise the issue of climate change in a UN general assembly. Without new legally binding commitments to act on climate change, our nation is doomed. Its future would be non-existent.”

The omnipresence of the “I <3 KP” slogan is a symbolic call to negotiators to put politics aside and to remember what is at stake – lives and livelihoods of people and communities across the globe. By wearing the shirts throughout the negotiation halls, young people are reminding negotiators of the urgency in passing a fair, ambitious and binding climate treaty in Durban.

For futher information or to request a press advisory on tomorrow’s actions, contact:
Thomas Youngman, United Kingdom Youth Climate Coalition
thomas.youngman@ukycc.org, +27714877389
Follow YOUNGO on twitter @IYCM

Notes to editors:

* YOUNGO is the official name for the Youth Constituency at the United Nations climate talks – the UNFCCC. COP17 is the 7th Conference of the Parties, the annual high-level meeting of the UNFCCC.
* YOUNGO members are members of the International Youth Climate Movement who are accredited as observers at the UNFCCC. At COP15 in Copenhagen over 1,500 youth were present as accredited observers.

While these attributions can’t be dismissed outright; they are also incomplete. It is dangerous to downplay the socio-economic factors that make poor urban communities vulnerable to flooding in the first place. Continue reading http://www.globalnewsreel.com/2011/11/feature-brief-analysis-of-october-2011.html

Continue reading http://www.globalnewsreel.com/2011/11/un-forecasts-better-communities-in.html

The International Ecosystem Management Partnership (IEMP), an initiative of the UNEP and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), will have the core mandate of synthesizing the science of ecosystem management for government decision-makers through monitoring, capacity-building and policy.

Continue reading http://www.globalnewsreel.com/2011/11/un-and-china-launch-joint-initiative-to.html

Mr Jallow added that directly in line with the vision, the AfDB has developed an agricultural sector business plan, improved water storage capacity in Africa annually as well as hydropower generation.

“It is hoped that our contribution will give the impetus necessary for achieving the vision, that is, despite the number of challenges that call for some adjustments, such as climate change and population growth,” he said.
Mr Jallow said the most visible impacts of climate change appear in water-related phenomena, such as droughts and floods, which also show that climate change adds an extra burden to the existing challenges Africa is facing with regard to water resources management.

He said the bank’s climate change approach for water addresses both mitigation and adaptation. “Our mitigation approach is one where we emphasize the capture of methane from waste water treatment plants, increase the use of solar energy to power water pumping systems, and develop hydropower potential, all of which can contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
“As for adaptation, the bank invests in increasing resilience to droughts by improving water storage capacity, with projects such as the construction of large dams and small scale reservoirs, in addition to groundwater recharge and rainwater harvesting,” Mr Jallow said.
“We help countries better manage floods by investing in the improvement of urban drainage systems and water shed management.
“The bank has learned that certainty of water availability during drier days can be greatly improved with the adoption and implementation of a long term water resources management strategy, as well as hydro-meteorological data monitoring and sharing.
Given the high number of shared river basins and aquifer systems in Africa, this is only possible through improved trans-boundary cooperation,” he said.
The bank has therefore been supporting the implementation of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) plans, water efficiency plans in trans-boundary rivers and preparation of trans-boundary water resource infrastructure and services.

In Zambia, the bank group began operations in Zambia in 1971 and has since invested over US$1 billion in all sectors of the country’s economy.
In the water and sanitation sector, the bank has to-date financed 12 operations for about US$ 340 million and has four ongoing projects in Zambia.
Mr Jallow noted that the bank is providing a US$ 23.7 million loan to support the implementation of the National Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Programme (NRWSSP) set up in 2005 to increase access to safe, reliable and convenient quantities of water supply from 37 to 55 percent of the rural population by 2010, and to increase access to proper sanitation from 13 to 33 percent of the rural population by 2010.

In support to the Nkana Water and Sewerage Company, the bank is also involved in a water and sanitation project expected to benefit 474,000 people, many of them considered urban poor of Kitwe, Kalulushi and Chambishi.
The project includes the rehabilitation and extension of their water supply and sanitation systems, and also proposes an awareness campaign on sanitation and hygiene as well as the improvement of service management.
The estimated cost of the project is US$ 61.3 million, to which the bank is contributing USD 55.3 million, covering 90.2 percent of the total project cost.
“The bank is providing financing of US$ 34.8 million for the improvement of the quality and delivery of water supply and sanitation services in eight project centres in Central Province, that is Chibombo, Chisamba, Kabwe, Kapiri-Mposhi, Mkushi, MumbwaNampundwe and Serenje, expected to benefit over 273 000 people,” Mr Jallow said.
“Lastly, the African Water Facility, hosted by the bank, is financing a capacity building and facilitation intervention through a grant of € 719,191, which will directly benefit 5,000 traditional farmers in Mkushi, KapiriMposhi, Masaiti, and Chingola districts.
The project aims at helping farmers use improved water resources management methods and low-cost irrigation technologies, as ways to alleviate poverty and achieve food security,” he said.

“In addition, the project will seek to improve access to affordable irrigation technologies by enhancing the knowledge and capacity of microfinance institutions to provide micro-loans to traditional farmers”.