Region: East Africa
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No need for GMOs: Uganda’s rich biodiversity already provides solutions to the country’s food problems
The Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) Bill puts the future of Uganda under threat: Slow Food offers a different way forward. “In Uganda, Slow Food continues to embrace, implement and disseminate agroecological practices as the legitimate solution to the problems of the current food system; it works on initiatives that defend the non-renewable wealth of food biodiversity…
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Kabarole District in Uganda moves to boost food production and improve nutrition
The second People’s Summit on Food was held on November 30 and December 1, 2017. It was hosted by Uganda’s Fort Portal Municipality, in cooperation with Kabarole Research and Resource Centre (KRC), IIED and Hivos, and brought together politicians, farmers, street vendors, civil society, church leaders, nutritionists and youth. Conversations at the Summit focused on how to change…
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Workplace policies that promote gender equality and fight HIV/AIDS
Through the Women @ Work programme, Hivos and our local partners work together to improve the labour conditions for women working at international farms in Sub-Saharan Africa. Within this programme, we pay special attention to preventing gender-based violence and HIV and AIDS at the workplace as a means to increase women’s socioeconomic empowerment and wellbeing…
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Closing the energy gap by 2030
The COP23 in Bonn ended nearly two weeks ago, and during the event a number of commitments were made and initiatives sparked. Among them was the launch of the People-Centered Accelerator on the 14th of November, announced by Rachel Kyte of Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) alongside ENERGIA’s Sheila Oparaocha and Frontier Markets’ Ajaita Shah.…
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“Transparency means nothing without active citizens and independent media”
On 28 November 2017, Edwin Huizing, executive director of Hivos, opened the Open Contracting Global Summit together with Gavin Hayman, director of the Open Contracting Partnership, María Zuleta, vice chair of the Open Contracting Partnership’s advisory board, and Hans Docter, director of Sustainable Economic Development at the Dutch foreign ministry. He welcomed the attendees with…
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Championing transparency by following the money
Update 30 November 2017: At the end of the Open Contracting Global Summit on 29 November, Transparency International and its partners Hivos, CoST – the Infrastructure Transparency Initiative, Open Contracting Partnership (OCP) and Article19, launched the Clean Contracting Manifesto. The aim is to implement the whole lifecycle of public procurement in keeping with the highest possible standards of transparency, accountability and efficiency to safeguard…
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Kenya’s first National Fashion Council
Kenya’s creative sector has often been referred to as a sleeping giant. While the country’s economy is the biggest in Eastern Africa, its growing fashion and creative industry continues to face serious challenges in regional and global expansion. The Kenya fashion sector is currently disjointed with different value chain players participating in their own silos…
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Ending impunity against journalists in East Africa
Defending the rights of journalists, enabling freedom of the press and protecting freedom of expression are crucial building blocks of democracy. However, press freedom is increasingly under siege around the world, with ever more journalists facing threats of violence or imprisonment for carrying out their duties. In Kenya, the situation is not any different. The…
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Co-creating solutions for dealing with sexual harassment
By Fauzia Mohammed The question as to whether it is a permissive society, a blind eye by the community, an ill-bred culture or weak policies at institution level that has prompted sexual harassment incidences to sky rocketing numbers remains unanswered. Regrettably, sexually inappropriate remarks towards women at work places, educational centers and society at large…
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Istanbul 10 released, Hivos very relieved
On Wednesday evening, after a twelve-hour plus hearing, the Turkish judge ruled that two human rights trainers and six human rights activists belonging to the so-called Istanbul 10* may await their trial in freedom. Hivos is relieved that the trainers Ali Gharavi and Peter Steudtner and the others can return home to their families after…
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Revival of traditional foods dominates food celebrations in Kabarole
The call for the revival of indigenous traditional foods dominated the World Food Day celebrations in Kabarole district, Uganda. The celebrations, organised by Hivos and Kabarole Research and Resource Centre, were held under the theme ‘Reviving the production and consumption of traditional and indigenous food varieties for better health, food security and rural development’. Local…
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A new era for bio-digester technology in Africa
Declaration of Ouagadougou endorsed by 11 West and Central African Countries The International Conference on Biodigester Technology concluded on 12 October 2017 in Ouagadougou with the President of Burkina Faso, His Excellency Roch Marc Christian Kaboré presiding over the public reading of the “Declaration of Ouagadougou” concerning the promotion and dissemination of biodigester technologies in…
