The Kalunga digitally map traditional lands to save Cerrado way of life
The Kalunga represents a grouping of 39 traditional quilombola communities the descendants of runaway slaves living on a territory covering 262,000 hectares (647,000 acres) in Goiás state in central Brazil, within the Cerrado savanna biome.
This territory has been under heavy assault by illegal invaders, including small-scale wildcat gold miners, and large-scale mining operations, as well as land grabbers who have destroyed native vegetation to grow soy and other agribusiness crops.
To defend their lands, the Kalunga received a grant from the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF), supported by Agence Française de Développement, Conservation International, EU, the Global Environment Facility, Japan and the World Bank. With their funding, the Kalunga georeferenced the territory, pinpointing homes, crops, soils, 879 springs, and vital natural resources.
19 February 2021
The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights concluded today its review of the seventh periodic report of Finland on measures taken to implement the provisions of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
Addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, Committee Experts asked the delegation to comment on the impact of the emergency measures on economic, social and cultural rights, notably how they affected minority groups, immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers. What was the practice of Finland to share its resources related to vaccination with other countries that lacked resources? Would Finland support the proposal to waiver intellectual property rights to facilitate the access to vaccines in the Global South?
Félix Tshisekedi, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and 2021 African Union Chair, calls on his peers to learn from HIV and strengthen health systems
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The 34th Ordinary Assembly of the African Union Heads of States and Government was held virtually on 6 and 7 February 2021.
The President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and new Chair of the African Union, Félix Tshisekedi, pictured above, urged Member States not to forget devastating global epidemics, such as malaria and AIDS, and learn from them to strengthen health systems, including the reinforcement of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.