(IRIN) – Thick dust clouds obscure the horizon as the convoy of UN military observers sets off to patrol the oil-rich, yet desperately underdeveloped Unity State in Southern Sudan.

In these borderlands, monitoring a 2005 deal that halted decades of war between north and south is a major undertaking.

“We set up a forward operating base, from where we travel to collect first-hand information on the situation,” said Andrew Wilson, one of four military observers on a patrol of the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS).

This four-day “long-range patrol” is designed to gather information as well as boost confidence by showing a greater UN presence in more remote areas.

Read more – http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=88568

IRIN – Aid workers in volatile eastern Chad are anxiously watching discussions over the possible exit of UN peacekeepers, after the government has said it wants the mission out when its mandate ends on 15 March.

“The principal worry for aid agencies is what would be the impact on the security situation,” said an aid worker in eastern Chad who requested anonymity.

“If the Chadian government can create the conditions in which aid operations can go forward in a secure environment, good. But if not, continuing humanitarian work here will be very difficult.” 

The UN Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT) is charged in part with protecting civilians, including the some 450,000 refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in eastern Chad.

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IRIN – Every year Liberian farmers lose 60 percent of their harvest to birds and vermin or poor storage conditions, contributing to country-wide food insecurity, say UN officials, who are calling on donors to put more funding into pest management and storage.

The Ministry of Agriculture estimates 52,000 tons of rice out of 144,000 produced in 2007 was lost, while 44,027 tons of a 155,293 ton harvest was lost in 2008.

“Our interaction with farmers has shown they lack very basic knowledge of pest control,” said Augustus Flomo, a consultant with local NGO Agency for Economic Development and Empowerment (AEDE), which partners with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Liberia.

Read more – http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=87730

IPS – Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi says Africa must compromise and be flexible towards other countries, if the U.N. Climate Conference ending on Dec. 18, is to reach an agreement.

Speaking to the press in the Danish capital, Zenawi – ostensibly leading the African front on climate change – said the continent would suffer the most should the world fail to seal a deal.

.Read more – http://www.ipsnews.net/africa/nota.asp?idnews=49727

IPS – The U.N. Climate Change Conference enters its final week under a cloud of uncertainty as the Africa Group led a protest of the developing world against a perceived attempt to abandon the Kyoto Protocol.

Monday found long lines of delegates and observers waiting to clear security at the Bella Center’s entrance. The now-familiar invitations to this or that side event in the background, you could hear people discussing the fate of precious clauses over the weekend, and murmurings of trouble brewing in the official process.

Read more – http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=49678

IPS – The world’s poorest countries want two billion dollars from the developed world to replenish the Least Developed Countries Fund.

This is one of the five top priorities put forward by LDCs at the United Nations Conference on Climate Change at a news conference Dec. 11.

Read more – http://www.ipsnews.net/africa/nota.asp?idnews=49649

IPS – Zimbabwe’s ruling political party has been accused of launching a “widespread and systematic campaign of rape and sexual terror” aimed at intimidating opponents and voters in the troubled African nation, according to a new report released here.

“The exceptionally violent rapes, as described by women from every province of Zimbabwe, were often nearly fatal,” says the study released by AIDS-Free World, an international advocacy organisation that promotes effective global responses to HIV/AIDS.

Read more – http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=49626

IPS – The High-level United Nations Conference on South-South Cooperation kicked-off here Tuesday, with U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Asha Rose Migiro calling for practical solutions and reinforced South-South and North-South partnerships to address the demands of our “deeply interconnected world.”

The three-day Conference (Dec. 1-3) is highlighting the growing political and economic ties within the developing world as countries of the South assume leading roles in handling global issues ranging from economic recovery to food security, climate change and pandemic disease.

Read more – http://www.ipsnews.net/africa/nota.asp?idnews=49499

IPS – A special U.N. summit of world leaders, scheduled to take place next year, is expected to make “a final push” to help reach the world body’s widely-touted development goals by the targeted date of 2015.

“We have seen progress, but not enough – especially in Africa,” complains Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who has asked British Prime Minister Gordon Brown to take a lead role in the U.N initiative.

Read more – http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=49361

IPS – The Beijing Platform for Action in 1995 set out an agenda to address gender equality in priority areas, including poverty, education, and health care. It also committed governments to address violence against women, equitable access to economic resources and decision-making power.

“Overall, there has been progress made, but we are not yet there,” said U.N. Under-Secretary General Dr Abdoulie Janneh at the opening of a regional review of progress implementing the Beijing plan.

Read more – http://www.ipsnews.net/africa/nota.asp?idnews=49364