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world news Diahuebs 28 Juli 2022

African nations talk climate ahead of major UN meeting

(AP) — African nations
opened climate talks in
the Mozambican capital
Maputo on Wednesday to
identify their priorities
and come up with a com-
mon position ahead of the
United Nations climate
summit in Egypt in No-
vember, known as COP27.

The talks come as the conti-
nent grapples with devastat-
ing cyclones in the south and
a debilitating drought across
the east and Horn of Africa.
The continent of 1.2 billion
people, which represents said Anna Tjärvar, a Swedish The U.N. estimates that Af- Adam, the head of climate talks in November.
17% of the world’s popula- diplomat speaking at the fo- rican nations already spend at the United Nations Eco-
tion, contributes less than rum, adding that adapting to between 2% and 9% of their nomic Commission for Af- The meeting is jointly orga-
4% of global greenhouse gas climate change should be a national income on natural rica. nized by the United Nations,
emissions but suffers might- priority for the continent. disasters linked to climate African Union, African De-
ily from extreme weather change. Indigenous voices will play a velopment Bank and the civil
events, which scientists have Officials are expected to de- critical role in the talks, add- society organization, the Pan
warned will become more cide whether to ask develop- The forum will focus on us- ed James Murombedzi, the African Climate Justice Alli-
frequent due to climate ing nations for reparations ing Indigenous knowledge head of the African Climate ance. The talks include policy
change. for environmental damage and land practices for con- Policy Centre. He said that makers and regional insti-
in Africa, known in climate servation and adaption ef- their experiences will help tutions as well as grassroots
“Africa ... is a vulnerability circles as loss and damage. forts, rather than relying on strengthen Africa’s standing activists and representatives
hotspot for climate change,” external help, said Jean-Paul at the international climate from private sector.

USAID chief calls on China to restructure Sri Lanka’s debt

(AP) — The head of the for International Develop- “The biggest question of all is earlier this month to spot-
U.S. government aid ment, contrasted India’s whether Beijing will restruc- “It is really essential that Bei- light the hunger crisis in the
agency called on China “critical” measures to aid Sri ture debt to the same extent jing participate in debt relief region where more than 50
on Wednesday to help Sri Lanka during its worst eco- as other bilateral creditors,” transparently and on equi- million people are expected
Lanka and other nations nomic crisis with the two she said during a visit to In- table terms with all other to face acute food insecurity
that had borrowed heavily decades during which China dia, warning that the crisis creditors,” Power said. this year. She said that mil-
from Beijing with debt re- offered “opaque loan deals in Sri Lanka, albeit a result lions of tons of grain and oil,
structuring, not just with at higher interest rates than of different factors, wasn’t Sri Lanka is bankrupt and has crucial for bringing down
lines of credit and emer- other lenders” and financed unique. Several countries in suspended repayment on its global food prices, were
gency loans. infrastructure projects that Africa and Asia were similar- $51 billion foreign loans. The blocked in Ukrainian sea-
often served little practical ly hoping that their calls for crisis has led to severe short- ports because of Russia’s Feb.
Samantha Power, the admin- use. restructuring debt would be ages of fuel, cooking gas and 24 invasion.
istrator for the U.S. Agency answered. medicine and long lines for
essential supplies, which led She said that “India’s voice
to massive protests and the and its diplomacy” was cru-
ouster of President Gotabaya cial in brokering the deal to
Rajapaksa. clear the way for the grain to
be exported from Ukraine.
The government is in the But with Russian missiles
process of preparing a debt hitting Ukraine’s Black Sea
restructuring plan, a condi- port of Odess hours after it
tion for a rescue package it was inked, she admitted that
is negotiating with the In- the deal was “very much
ternational Monetary Fund. hanging in the balance.”
China, which accounts for
10% of Sri Lanka’s debt, has At a news conference after
resisted offering a debt cut. her speech, Power said that
the fact that Russia agreed
With climate shocks wal- to a deal was a “better cir-
loping the economies of na- cumstance” than the alterna-
tions already battered by the tive, but added that the only
pandemic and the war in way those grains could reach
Ukraine compounding glob- global markets was if Russia
al food and fuel shortages, allows them to be transport-
Power pointed to the protests ed without attacking them.
related to food and fuel prices
in over a dozen countries as “So far what we’ve seen from
inflation soars. the Russian Federation is
a string of lies and broken
“If history is any guide, we promises,” she said, and add-
know that Sri Lanka’s gov- ed that it was crucial for all
ernment will likely not be the countries, not just the U.S.
last to fall,” she said. or India, to hold Russia to the
terms of the deal.
Power traveled in East Africa