Miriam Mannak
CAPE TOWN, Jul 30 2009 (IPS) – In Sierra Leone, a mother who transmits HIV to her child can be fined, jailed for up to seven years, or both. Human Rights Watch reports that in 2008, several men were arrested in Egypt simply for being HIV positive. New legislation is currently being discussed in Angola that could lead to a three to ten year jail sentence for those who knowingly pass on HIV.
The legislation is inspired by a September 2004 workshop organised by the influential reproductive health organisation Family Health International developed an African Model Law intended to protect those who are infected and exposed to HIV.
But various civil society organisations fear that these legislative measures will hurt more than help the fight against HIV/AIDS.<…
Wambi Michael
ARUSHA, Dec 4 2009 (IPS) – All HIV-positive east Africans could soon access free anti-retroviral treatment even as they move freely from country to country, if a new proposed law comes into effect.
Catherine Mumma led a consultation in the five East African states before the drafting of the new proposed law. Credit: Wambi Michael/IPS
The East African Community (EAC) is currently developin…
Zukiswa Zimela
JOHANNESBURG, Oct 14 2010 (IPS) – Chronic hunger is intensifying in Africa, despite the world s commitment to address this Millennium Development Goal and reduce world hunger by half by 2015.
This is according to the Regional Hunger and Vulnerability Programme (RHVP), which said on Oct. 13 that 75 percent of the world s ultra poor, those living on living on less than 50 cents per day, are in Africa.
World hunger and the progress of various social protection programmes in Africa and across the world were part of the United Nations Development Programme s (UNDP) International Policy for Inclusive Growth dialogue held in Johannesburg from Oct. 11 to 13. The event brought together experts from 28 countries from Africa, Asia and Latin America for the south-s…
The following article is part of a series to commemorate World Environment Day June 5
BONN, Jun 4 2021 (IPS) – You want to breathe fresh air and have access to clean water? I guess you do, just like all of us. As populations in the so-called developed countries, we love to go for holidays in places where on high mountains you get to breathe deeply and enjoy the fresh air, where the oceans or lakes are clean and refreshing. And how do we arrive there? Mostly by airplanes or cars, polluting the air whilst travelling to the desired destinations, causing harm to people and the planet. Interestingly, many people today, calculate their flight’s CO2 footprint and pay a certain amount of money to invest in renewable energy projects, in order to feel better about their travelling and to rec…
Photovoltaic panels on St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Of the trillions of dollars set aside for COVID-19 recovery, a small percentage has been used in green recovery initiatives according to a United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report. Credit: Kenton X. Chance/IPS
UNITED NATIONS, Mar 11 2021 (IPS) – Last year, only $368 billion of a $14.6tn budget geared towards COVID-19 recovery …