Uche Isieke Profile

E- Learning Consultant


Organization : United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)

Category: News Work & Volunteer Job vacancies 

Country: Germany Language: English ,French or Spanish 

Publication date: 17 January 2020 

Application date: 06 February 2020 

Start date: 01 March 2020 

End date: 31 May 2020 


Description


Capacity building and development play a major role in efforts to realize the objectives of the UNCCD.

Under the direct supervision of the Head of the UNCCD Capacity Development and Innovations Office, and working collaboratively with all staff, the incumbent shall perform the following main duties:

Review and update the UNCCD e-learning course on: The role of the UNCCD National Focal Point;

The Committee on Science and Technology;

The Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention.

Finalize and support the launching of the e-learning course for youths on land and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals;

Develop and support the launching of a general e-learning course on drought and the mitigation of it effects;

All other pertinent duties relating to this consultancy.

All applicants should possess at least a master’s degree in an area related to sustainable development, environment, land management, forestry or drought. Download application form here:https://knowledge.unccd.int/cbm/e-learning-consultant

Over the past few months, the world has watched in grief as bushfires have ravaged almost every state in Australia, the worst hit being New South Wales. The damage so far has been devastating to say the least with about 24 persons dead, over 2000 homes destroyed, 7.3 million hectares of land affected and an estimated 1 billion animals killed by the blazing inferno. Support in both human and capital capacities have been pouring in from all over the world, most of which are geared towards fighting the fire. People have sacrificed their time, resources, energy and even their lives to ensure that this epidemic is quenched.

It is no secret that climate change is the underlying cause of the bushfires and the major driver of the climate change in Australia is industrial pollution most of which is from coal mining. Australia is the world's second largest exporter of coal power and has avoided recession since 1991 by exporting coal mainly to her East-Asian neighbors. However, coal is a carbon-rich fuel and its mining will involve pumping large volumes of carbon compounds (carbonmonoxide, carbondioxide and in a lesser amount, methane) into the atmosphere. These compounds are well-known contributors to climate change and Australia can testify to that. The Land Down Under has faced severe drought and consequently wildfires for most part of the 21st century. The issue of climate change in Australia also presents grave ecological concerns as it has already wiped off billions of terrestrial and marine organisms. Australia's Great Barrier Reef (which provide shelter for many marine organisms, provides nitrogen and other essential nutrients for marine food chains and provides $1.5bn annually to the Australian economy from fishing and tourism) has come under serious threat. From 2016 to 2018, half of all coral in the reef died as a result of oceanic heatwaves.

Policy makers both at national and international levels will have to sit down to put an end to coal burning. This is the real war to be fought. A deliberate effort has to be targeted at the cause of the problem not just the effect. Given the huge economic benefits Australia have been reaping from coal, it is naive and unrealistic to think that there can be a rapid abandonment of coal burning. The government has not been able to pass any major climate change policy despite the impending disaster.

Drought and wildfires cannot be solved by wishful thinking or a few hour of rainfall. If the Australian government and other international bodies do not figure out an immediate way to stop coal burning and conserve the environment, this might just be the beginning of a series of climate wars that Australia cannot win.


Edited by Chris Ohuaka

Complied by Chris Ohuaka


The United Nations (UN) have raised alarm at the depreciating food reserves in Zimbabwe. The country's food reserve which feeds millions of its citizens will vanish next month.

For a country ridden with political unrest, economic instability, violence, corruption and hunger, 2020 does not seem to bring any comfort as the near future spells doom.
The South African nation has been ripped apart by devastating drought for over a year now. This environmental hazard coupled with bad governance has seen the prices of food skyrocket significantly.

Maize farmers in 2019 harvested just half of what was harvested in 2018 which has seen the price of maize tripled, bread now costs 20 times more than it did in 2018, livestock have also not been spared as output have been diminished due to the drought. Half the population of Zimbabwe (about 8 million people) now face food insecurity.

The spiral effect of the drought has been utterly devastating. Victoria Falls, once the world's largest water fall, have almost dried up hence major hydro-electric plants have shutdown resulting to power blackouts. The power blackouts in turn will have made businesses that depend of electricity to thrive to either fold or lay off workers.
The deepening crisis have forced families to eat less, students now dropout of schools at an alarming rate and girls turn to prostitution all in a desperate attempt to survive.

Deputy country director of the World Food Programme (WFP) - Niels Balzer, has beckoned on other world bodies and the international community to come to Zimbabwe's rescue. The country is in dire need of donations estimated to be about $211m to help combat the threat of drought and hunger.

“As things stand, we will run out of food by end of February, coinciding with the peak of the hunger season – when needs are at their highest. Firm pledges are urgently needed as it can take up to three months for funding commitments to become food on people’s tables,”

“While WFP now has the staff, partners, trucking and logistics capacity in place for a major surge in Zimbabwe, it is essential that we receive the funding to be able to fully deliver. The lives of so many depend on this.”

OVERVIEW

Professional Development Grants (PDGs) provide support for mid-career conservationists to pursue short-term, non-degree training to upgrade their knowledge and skills. These trainings can include short courses, certificate trainings, or conferences among other training opportunities.

PDGs support training-related costs, including registration fees and tuition, meals and accommodations, books and materials, international travel, visa fees, and local transportation. Training may take place anywhere in the world and applicants can request up to $6,500.

See below for grant guidelines or click here for a printable version.

Russell E. Train Education for Nature© WWF
ELIGIBLE COUNTRIES
Individuals from the following countries are eligible to apply. Please note that within the eligible countries EFN gives preference to applicants working in WWF priority regions.

Belize
Bhutan
Bolivia
Cambodia
Cameroon
Central African Republic
Colombia
Dem. Republic of Congo
Ecuador
Fiji
French Guiana
Gabon
Guatemala
Guyana
Honduras
Indonesia
Kenya
Laos
Madagascar
Malaysia
Mozambique
Myanmar
Namibia
Nepal
Papua New Guinea
Paraguay
Peru
Republic of Congo
Solomon Islands
Suriname
Uganda
Vietnam
Zambia

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
Applicants must meet all of the following eligibility criteria to be considered for a grant.

You must be a citizen of an eligible country.
You must currently be living and working in your home country.
You must have at least three years of paid work experience in a conservation-related field in your home country.
You must have applied to or already be accepted to participate in the proposed training at the time you submit your application.
Your current work and proposed training must help advance conservation in your home country.
You must not be enrolled in an academic degree program.
You must have approval from your employer to participate in the proposed training and the promise of continued employment.
You must have a bank account in your own name that can receive US dollars and international wire transfers.
You must not have received funding from EFN in the past. Previous PDG recipients may be eligible for Alumni Grants.
The proposed training must take place at least 90 days after the application deadline.
You must submit all required documents by the application deadline.

APPLICATION PROCESS
All applicants must complete an application by one of the deadlines noted below. The proposed training must take place at least 90 days after the application deadline to allow EFN time for review, selection and processing of the grant.

November 1, 2019
February 1, 2020
May 1, 2020
August 1, 2020
Individuals may submit an online application at any time. Completed applications will be reviewed on the dates noted above, and applicants will be notified of the results within one month after the application deadline. Please note: PDGs are highly competitive. Meeting the minimum eligibility requirements does not guarantee you will receive a grant.


EFN requires employer approval for all Professional Development Grant applicants. Applicants will put the email address of their supervisor in their application. After the applicant submits their completed application, their supervisor will receive an automatic email requesting an employer approval document to be uploaded. This document’s responses will be used during the review process.

Employers can use this template for ease of filling out the required information. They will then need to save the completed document and click the upload link in the email they received. Please note: Applications will not be considered complete until after the employer approval form is uploaded.

Click HERE https://wwf.submittable.com/submit/145555/alumni-and-professional-development-grant-application  to access the application.


FOR MORE INFORMATION
For more information on Professional Development Grants please review the frequently asked questions document. For other questions, please e-mail us at efn@wwfus.org.

Living the  hard truths of #climate #change! People now watch helplessly, parts of their home vanish in flames.

It is #ClimateEmergency!  We must behave in a way that allow us to defeat climate change. Achieving  the ambitious  #Climate neutral world by 2050 is herculean but realizable if we pledge and put our tools to work for one planet, one life; one feature. Countries should do more by  investing  in climate education which is key;such awareness to drive climate action; right the wrong and create opportunities. A robust and inclusive climate framework would  carter for the poor and vulnerable groups; build a climate resilient infrastructures for rural dwellers, to enhance mitigation and adaptation processes.

 Investment in green businesses by countries would further accelerate  NDCs and reduce emissions to the global permissible benchmark of  2.5°C  by 2030. 

 In the energy sector, the use of renewable energy,particularly in a decentralized form would contribute to emissions reduction. Other options such as setting up multi- cycle power stations; scalable power stations of at least 20- 50MW; use of natural gas rather than liquid fuels etc.
Agriculture: adoption of climate smart agriculture would help restore degraded landscapes and boost agricultural yields.

Transport: there has to an efficient transport system both for urban and rural dwellers with improved road network; provide light and high speed rail across cities and encourage moving of freights ( cargo) to rail. An investment towards the use of CNG is advisable as well.

Benchmarking against international best practices for industrial energy usage and adoption of green technology in industry. Increase taxes on industries and countries whose  products or activities impact negatively on human health and environment. Here the adoption of standard for imported equipment will be considered, particularly in the field of refrigeration and air conditioning where there is a risk of dumping equipment that are being phased out in OECD countries.

The best way to go is making sure that we plant as much trees as possible for a greener and cleaner ecosystems.

 The year 2020 can bring a CHANGE with our collective resolve to accelerate action for climate change. It is no longer a story that's being told in scientific books,now we all can feel the climate reality. It is here with us. Our failure in tackling the global menace would bring about catastrophes which  we can't afford!  It is action beyond rhetorics! Let's #Act #Now. #ActOnClimate #ClimateAction #ClimateReality #ClimateCrisis

Climate change is affecting global food systems in such a way that those who already suffer from hunger and undernutrition are also the most vulnerable to the added threats from climate change. 

The Gambia, one of Africa's poorest nations, is a poignant example of such realities. With over 30 per cent of its population suffering from severe poverty, and with most of the country dependent on agriculture for a living, the predicted increase in annual temperatures could have devastating effects.

The fast rate of warming, a reduction in precipitations, and an increase in water evaporation will cause springs and streams to dry up – a trend that has already been observed over the past 40 years. The sea level is also expected to rise between four to seven centimeters during this century, replacing large areas of freshwater swamps with saltpans and salt-water marshes. The combined threat to local agriculture and to the people that depend on it is very high.

To help protect rural households, IFAD has been funding the National Agricultural Land and Water Management Development project through its Adaptation for Smallholder Agriculture Programme (ASAP). It aims to increase the climate resilience of smallholder farmers and improve local climate change management.

Amongst its successes, the project has established 33 community gardens across The Gambia, helping rural people cope with droughts, erratic rainfall and limited access to water through suitable water management systems. With another 17 gardens under construction, the project will benefit more than 10,000 people - most of them women.


The IFAD media team spoke  to Fatima Seckan, one of the beneficiaries of the project, about the impact her village’s local community garden is having on her daily life. Fatima is a 24-year-old smallholder farmer who lives with her parents and five siblings in Darsilameh village, in the interior region of the country. Since last year, she has worked in the local community garden where she is responsible for trading the vegetables produced by all 267 members of the garden’s association.



When the garden was established with IFAD’s support in 2018, the farmers needed someone to promote their production and gain access to intermediaries and consumers. Fatima was chosen by the other farmers for this role – “because of my hard work”, she says while laughing.

Since then, Fatima has a very busy routine. She wakes up at 4am every day, gets help loading over 700 kilograms of vegetables onto public transportation and travels for about 30 minutes to Brikama street market. There she gets help unloading the cases and sells the products to two women vendors. At 9am, Fatima makes her way back home and rests for two hours. Then she goes to the garden and spends the rest of the day tending her own crops – sweet pepper, okra, onions and tomatoes. Fatima is also attending a nine-month IT course at a local institute, hence twice a week she has classes from 12pm to 2pm. Although she does not have a computer, this visionary young professional would like to acquire one for improving her association’s business: “I would use it for managing the ladies’ accounting”.

Thanks to IFAD-sponsored training on farming techniques like soil fertilization and transplanting, Fatima grows more than five times what she produced at her family’s garden before IFAD’s intervention, with yields reaching over 100 kilograms of different vegetables per week and making record revenues. With her increased income, she is able to pay for her IT course and for her younger sister’s secondary studies. “I save half of my income for my tomorrow”.

Community gardens have become a model of sustainable small-scale agriculture in The Gambia, representing an effective method to manage droughts and limited water availability. The gardens’ irrigation systems are often powered by low-emission renewable energy technologies, such as solar panels, as it is in the case of Darsilameh’s garden.