Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!
26 February 2020
Post No. 132
The Week’s Contents
• African Children’s Climate and Sustainable Development Goals (Generation Global Goals Project): Competitive Data Disadvantage
• Week beginning 24/02/2020: Ecosystems and Biodiversity Notes
• CENFACS 2020 Poverty Reduction Tools Box: Tools 5 & 7
… and much more!
Key Messages
~ The African Children’s Climate and Sustainable Development Goals (ACCSDGs) or Generation Global Goals Project (3G) – Reduction of Data Poverty: Competitive Data Disadvantage
The ACCSDGs campaign is still moving forward as this week we are looking at competitive disadvantage about data that African organisations may produce or access. Disadvantage in terms of data can be seen as a sign of poverty in data in itself.
Like any organisations working with development issues, African organisations do produce primary data and can access secondary data. However, for various reasons they may or may not have upper hand or advantage on data like other organisations or institutions. They have a disadvantage on this matter compared to organisations operating in other regions of the world.
Having a disadvantage is one thing. However, when that data disadvantage denies one the opportunity to compete, then there is a problem. Competitive disadvantage in data is about having unfavourable conditions to get or access data. There are factors that explain this disadvantage, factors on which we are working this week.
So, as part of our work on the reduction of data poverty this week, we are dealing with ways of reducing or mitigating data disadvantage conducible to data poverty. This work has to be placed within the context of the ACCSDGs campaign.
For further details about the reduction of data poverty and data competitive disadvantage, please contact CENFACS.
~ Week beginning 24/02/2020: Ecosystems and Biodiversity Notes
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 15 is about sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, halt biodiversity (or briefly, the goal is about Life on land). Within this goal, there is a target (target 9) which is related to Ecosystems and Biodiversity.
This week, we are looking at this target and its progress in terms of integration of ecosystems and biodiversity values into poverty reduction strategies and accounts. We are doing it via ecosystems and biodiversity notes. Under the Main Development section of this post, there are more details about these notes.
~ CENFACS 2020 Poverty Reduction (PR) Tools Box: Tools 5 & 7
Integrating Energy Transition into CRPCC (Consume to Reduce Poverty and Climate Change) Initiative
Since we opened our 2020 PR Tools Box, we continue to use the available tools to support those in need. This week, we are implementing Tools 5 and 7.
Tool 5 is about advocating for social e-commerce and digital trade, while tool 7 is our reformed services. Let us look at what these tools can do for those in need.
=> Advocacy for social e-commerce and digital trade (tool 5)
In order to support Africa-based Sister Organisations (ASOs), we are using tool 5 to advocate with them for social e-commerce and digital trade. As part of this advocacy, we are dealing with market intelligence techniques they need to take on board in order to effectively trade via e-commerce and digitally.
Market intelligence will enable them to gather information they need for their markets in terms of trends, competition, users, beneficiaries, funders, volunteers, etc. With this information they can analyse and make strategic decisions to penetrate and grab market opportunities offered by social e-commerce and digital trade.
As the classical theory of intelligence marketing solutions suggests, the technique will help them to lever out user and beneficiary data while anticipating their next move and improve their journey.
ASOs that are interested in the tool 5 and the techniques related to this tool, they can contact CENFACS so that we can work together to see what we can do in terms of their e-commerce and digital trade goals.
=> Reformed services (tool 7): Integrating Energy Transition into CRPCC (Consume to Reduce Poverty and Climate Change) Initiative
In order to take into account the realities of today’s life, climate economy and the development landscape of the 2020s, we have reformed our services by integrating energy transition into our CRPCC Initiative.
Energy transition is a process of structurally changing from fossil-based to zero-carbon or renewable energy. In practical terms, those of our users who want to move from products/produce using fossil-based energy to those having zero-carbon or renewable contents, can work with CENFACS or ask for advice on energy transition.
Taking the zero-carbon path could also mean that those who want to progressively replace the composition of their consumption budget products and services to those produced through renewable energy, they are free to enquire to us as well. We are ready to assist them in their transition process.
For those who are interested in this, we can work out with them a basic energy transition plan or strategy. By working with us on this matter, they can gradually transition to renewable consumption or mix consumption. So, reformed services are designed to campaign and help people move from fossil-based to neutral carbon energy and economy should they wish to do so.
Need support with your energy and consumption transition, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.
Extra Messages
~ EcoBio Days: 24 to 29 February 2020
As part of the last week of our Sustainable Development month, we are running EcoBio (Ecological and biological) Days from 24 to 29 February 2020.
What EcoBio Days are about
EcoBio Days are the days of works about the interrelationships between organisms (e.g. animals, plants, etc.) and their environment.
They are as well the days of study about living organisms.
The days are about how we deal with living things and their environment in order to meet our own needs and goals without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs.
They are the days of humans with their environment as well as humans with things and living organisms.
To enquire and or support EcoBio days, please contact CENFACS.
~ Making Zero Hunger Africa Campaign (MZHAC)
The aim of MZHAC is to raise awareness on sustainable food consumption and production in order to end hunger and malnutrition amongst those who are food deprived, particularly in Africa where the number of hungry people and families is still on the rise. It is as well a campaigning response to the challenge of rise in hunger that Africa will face in the forseeable future.
The contents of MZHAC are: End Hunger & Malnutrition Goal, Support Small-Scale Food Producers in Africa, Actions to Support the Food Industry in Africa, Meeting Vulnerable People’s Nutritional Needs, Actions for Sustainable Food Production Systems, etc.
As one of the UN Zero Hunger Goal (Goal 2) target (target 5) is due to be reached by 2020; we will be approaching our MZHA campaign from this perspective; that is how our Africa-based Sister Organisations (ASOs) are working to reduce and end hunger through this target 5.
The UN SDG 2 is about ending hunger, achieving food security and improving nutrition and promoting sustainable agriculture. Target 5 of this goal is:
By 2020, maintain the genetic diversity of seeds, cultivated plants and farmed and domesticated animals and their related wild species, including through soundly managed and diversified seed and plant banks at the national, regional and international levels, and promote access to and fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge, as internationally agreed.
So, we are working with our ASOs on the efforts they are making to achieve this target and the needs of their users. Briefly, we will be looking at how they are trying to deal with the following: the genetic diversity of seeds, plants, animals and wild species.
To support and or enquire about MZHAC, contact CENFACS.
~ Covid-19 and Poverty Reduction in Africa
How prepared are Africa-based Sister Organisations to deal with Covid-19 Threats and Risks? How to avoid the mistakes of the past.
Most of our Africa-based Sister Organisations (ASOs) work with very vulnerable and deprived people and communities in societies with fragile health systems and infrastructures. These people and communities are already suffering from many lacks such as education, health, income, renewable energy, protection, housing, sanitation, justice, etc.
Given the threats and risks that Covid-19 is globally posing, it would wise for ASOs to keep the momentum in their preparation to protect their users and the wider community.
The need for an effective awareness health campaign
Because many of these organisations are under resourced and under funded to cope with the challenge and magnitude of Covid-19, it would be wise to step up an effective awareness heath campaign from the health advice received at all levels: community, local, national, pan-african and global. Such awareness health campaign needs to include cultural elements to avoid mistakes of the past like the ones we saw with other diseases or viruses.
Not to repeat the mistakes of the past
One of the mistakes is the belief in the mystique where people and communities neglect basic health advice and precaution and get refuge in the cultural belief of mystiques to protect them. The belief that you get a disease because you have been hunted down by witches. Without undermining the place of mystiques in the African societies, it is life-saving strategy to inform the population as much as possible on Covid-19 and its general impacts on human health and poverty reduction particularly.
Take action
It is expected that those who have been informed about the dangerous impacts of Covid-19 would also act upon the advice received to get the expected outcomes from the advice. As we all know from the basic theory of advocacy or campaigning, it is not enough for people to know about the problem or disease; they need to take action from the information and knowledge received to stop the problem (here Covid-19).
The Covid-19 thoughts continue…
Main Development
• Week beginning 24/02/2020: Ecosystems and Biodiversity Notes
By 2020, integrate ecosystems and biodiversity values into national and local planning development processes, poverty reduction strategies and accounts (Goal 15; Target 9).
Ecosystems and biodiversity notes provide us with the opportunity to look at progress made so far about the UNSDG 15 and its target 9. The notes also give some indication about the gap that needs to be filled in terms the initial deadline of 2020.
In 2019, the United Nations (1) assessment of the SDG15 recognized that it is off track. The UN argued this:
The 2020 targets of Sustainable Development Goal 15 are unlikely to be met, land degradation continues, biodiversity loss is occurring at an alarming rate, and invasive species and the illicit poaching and trafficking of wildlife continue to thwart efforts to protect and restore vital ecosystems and species.
Despite this pessimistic view from the UN, let us still deal this SDG15 and Target 9. We are approaching Target 9 from the perspective of the efforts that ASOs are making or would make to realise this target. In other words, we are looking at the way in which they are striving to integrate ecosystems and biodiversity values into their poverty reduction strategies and accounts. To do that, we are going to deal first with ASOs and ecosystems; and secondly with ASOs and biodiversity.
=> ASOs and the integration of ecosystems
How are ASOs dealing with natural system of living organisms and their environment in order to meet target 9 of SDG 15?
In practical terms, this question helps to find out how they are dealing with or integrating vegetation, atmosphere, animals, soil, carbon emission, waste, etc.; organisms that make ecosystems into their development work, poverty reduction strategies and accounts.
By poverty reduction strategy, we mean a plan of action to achieve the long term goal of poverty reduction, while poverty reduction accounts being the financial statements of these ASOs that record financial transactions (expenditure and receipts) for a particular period related to any of their efforts designed to decrease the state in which their beneficiaries are experienced in terms of not having money or having little money and few or no material possession.
So, this note is about how ASOs are doing to carry out this integration. It is about how they are valuating ecosystem and running the natural capital accounting for the nature-based projects. In other words, it is about getting the measurement and valuation in monetary and non-monetary terms of the ecosystem in the service they provide.
Although we have not provided in these notes some experiences of our ASOs and the ways in which they are handling this integration, we would like to ask to those who want further details to get in touch with us on this matter.
=> ASOs and the integration of biodiversity values
What is said about ASOs and the integration of ecosystems can also be said about ASOs and the integration of biodiversity values. This second note is about how ASOs are integrating the variety of plants and animal species into their plans, development work, poverty reduction strategies and accounts to meet the UNSDG 15 and its target 9.
In the real world, it is about getting the extent to which our ASOs are making this integration happened since there are reports on the on-going extinction of plants and animals. It also means carrying out natural accounting for biodiversity conservation through measuring the stocks of natural resources (both renewable and non-renewable) and the flows of benefits they provide.
To find out how our ASOs are working on this integration, please contact CENFACS.
Briefly, these notes are about how ASOs are making progress in getting SDG15 and target 9 to be reached by 2020, although the UN’s last year assessment was a pessimistic one.
The week is also of a reminder for ASOs in setting up SMART (i.e. specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound) goals and targets achievable within the life span scheduled in project planning and development work, poverty reduction strategies and accounts.
To enquire and or support our month of Sustainable Development and this week’s notes, please contact CENFACS.
(1) https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdg15
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With many thanks.
