stand barefoot as they protest against police violence during
recent rallies of opposition supporters, who accuse strongman
Alexander Lukashenko of falsifying the polls in the presidential
election, in Minsk on August 12, 2020. The placard reads “We are
together”. (Photo by Sergei GAPON / AFP)
Police in Belarus said Thursday they had detained 700 more
people during a fourth day of protests over the ex-Soviet country’s
disputed election.
“Some 700 people have been detained for participating in illegal
mass events” on Wednesday, the ministry said in a statement,
bringing the total number of people detained to more than
6,700.
The ministry said it had registered fewer instances of mass
unrest “although the level of aggression towards members of law
enforcement remains high”.
A total of 103 members of law enforcement have been injured with
28 hospitalised since Sunday, the interior ministry said.
of the Belarus diaspora rally in support of Belarusians protesting
vote rigging in the presidential election, at Kiev’s Independence
Square on August 12, 2020. (Photo by Sergei SUPINSKY /
AFP)
In the capital and the town of Baranovichi, southwest of Minsk,
drivers attacked members of traffic police, the ministry said.
“Members of law enforcement used arms to stop the
transgressors,” it said.
Rallies and clashes with riot police erupted in the
authoritarian ex-Soviet country amid claims long-serving leader
Alexander Lukashenko has stolen Sunday’s election from his rival
Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, 37.
outside the Belarusian embassy during a protest against the results
of Belarusian presidential election in Moscow on August 12, 2020.
(Photo by Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP)
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Dozens have been injured in the post-election unrest and two
people died.
Police have acknowledged opening fire on demonstrators and
wounding one in the southwestern city of Brest on the Polish border
on Tuesday night.
the results of Belarusian presidential election outside the
Belarusian embassy in Moscow on August 12, 2020. (Photo by Dimitar
DILKOFF / AFP)
For the second day in a row, dozens of women joined hands in the
capital on Thursday to form human chains, many wearing white and
holding flowers, to denounce the violence.
the results of Belarusian presidential election outside the
Belarusian embassy in Moscow on August 12, 2020. (Photo by Dimitar
DILKOFF / AFP)
A religious procession was set to take place later in the
day.
outside the Belarusian embassy during a protest against the results
of Belarusian presidential election in Moscow on August 12, 2020.
(Photo by Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP)
the results of Belarusian presidential election outside the
Belarusian embassy in Moscow on August 12, 2020. The placard
features an image of Belarus’ President Alexander Lukashenko and
reads “Go away”. (Photo by Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP)
-AFP
Read more https://swordpress.com.ng/2020/08/13/belarus-says-700-more-held-as-women-stage-new-rallies/
FEC approves Gender Action Plan on Climate
Change
Nigeria on Wednesday made history as the Federal Executive
Council (FEC) approved the first ever National Action Plan on
Gender and Climate Change as a road map to mainstream gender into
the Nationally Determined Contributions and incorporate gender
equality and women’s empowerment into Climate Change discourse and
actions.
Speaking after the FEC meeting, the Minister of Environment, Dr.
Muhammad Mahmood Abubakar said that, “the approval today reaffirmed
Nigeria’s commitments as a party to the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement which
President Buhari signed to domesticate the International Gender
Action Plan among member countries to bolster the role of women in
climate action”.
The Action Plan, according to the Minister, presents milestones
for ensuring that in building a climate-resilient Nigeria, the
important and critical roles of women, youth and other vulnerable
groups are carried along in the implementation of relevant national
policies and strategies, including the NDC and the Paris
Agreement.
The priority sectors covered by the plan include Agriculture;
forestry and Land Use; Food Security and Health, Energy and
Transport; Waste Management, Water and Sanitation and covers the
period from 2020-2025 with a midterm review by 2022.
Speaking further, the Minister of State for the Environment,
Chief Sharon Ikeazor said that, “the Federal Ministry of
Environment, through the department of Climate Change, developed
the National Action Plan on Gender and Climate Change that focuses
on effective strategies for integrating gender into the
implementation of the national climate change initiatives,
including the Paris Agreement, the Nationally Determined
Contributions and the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) in
Nigeria”, she stated.
According to ikeazor, Women commonly face higher risks in
responding to natural hazards and greater burden from the impacts
of climate change.
“Although they have intimate local knowledge and are managers of
common natural resources, they are often left out of the picture
when decisions on climate action are made”, she stated.
It is pertinent to mention that Nigeria is one of the few
countries in Africa (including Mozambique, Egypt) that have
developed the Gender Action Plan since it was adopted by COP23 in
Bonn, Germany.
It is expected that the newly approved plan will pave way for
the effective implementation of gender-responsive climate change
initiatives based on an inclusive approach, taking into account the
needs, interests and vulnerabilities of women, men, and youth from
the conceptual phase, through to program design, implementation,
monitoring and evaluation.
Ikeazor applauds the support of Women Environmental Programme
(WEP) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) who led
the process of developing the action plan; Climate Change
Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), the International Livestock
Research Institute (ILRI) and the Global Alliance for Green and
Gender Action (GAGGA) for their technical and financial support.
(END)
Saghir el Mohammed
Director Press
Federal Ministry of Environment