Pope Francis receives indigenous leaders who call for climate justice - NaijaAgtoNet

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The head of the Catholic Church, the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State, Pope Francis, has met some 40 indigenous leaders in a private audience, report NaijaAgroNet.

The leaders also used the opportunity to raise their concerns about the toll that extractive and exploitive industries fueling the global economy were having on growing inequality, preventing access to basic human rights and hindering environmental sustainability.

Pope Francis warns, says real priorities relegated due to nuclear spending

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The Catholic Pontiff, Pope Francis has warned that the real priorities facing humankind, are relegated to second place as a result of the expenses incurred by nations in the escalation of the arms race, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Addressing audience at the global event on atomic disarmament included 11 Nobel Peace Laureates, some of whom are part of FAO's Nobel Peace Laureates Alliance, the Pope listed some of the real priorities that needed to be tackled to include the fight against poverty, the promotion of peace, the undertaking of educational, ecological and healthcare projects, and the development of human rights.

"Weapons of mass destruction, particularly nuclear weapons, create nothing but a false sense of security. They cannot constitute the basis for peaceful coexistence between members of the human family, which must rather be inspired by an ethics of solidarity," the pontiff told participants  of the International Symposium on Disarmament Prospects for a World Free of Nuclear Weapons and for Integral Disarmament.

The FAO's Nobel Peace Laureates Alliance, NaijaAgroNet gathered is a group aimed at tackling the twin problems of hunger and violence in the agency's ongoing work to promote sustainable development and resilience across the world. It includes Nobel laureates Oscar Arias Sánchez, Tawakkol Karman, Betty Williams and Muhammad Yunus.

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Food security: Pope Francis donates to FAO

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The Catholic pontiff, Pope Francis, in an unprecedented move, has symbolically donated €25,000 to the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO's) efforts supporting people facing food insecurity and famine in East Africa, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Pope Francis said the funds are "a symbolic contribution to an FAO programme that provides seeds to rural families in areas affected by the combined effects of conflicts and drought."

The pontiff's remarks were contained in a letter to FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva by Monsignor Fernando Chica Arellano, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the UN food agencies in Rome.

Pope Francis' gesture stemmed from a pledge he made in a message to FAO's Conference on 3 July 2017 and was "inspired also by the desire to encourage Governments," Monsignor Chica wrote in the letter.

Famine was declared in parts of South Sudan in February and while the situation has eased after a significant scaling up in the humanitarian response, some 6 million people in the country are still struggling to find enough food every day.

Meanwhile the number of people in need of humanitarian assistance in five other East African countries - Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda - is currently estimated at about 16 million, which marks an increase of about 30 percent since late 2016.

Pope Francis, who has made solidarity a major theme of his pontificate, is set to visit FAO's headquarters on 16 October to mark World Food Day. This year the event is being held under the slogan: "Change the future of migration. Invest in food security and rural development".

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Pope Francis urges government to develop indigenous cultures, relationship to earth

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The Catholic pontiff, Pope Francis has urged the government to reconcile development, both social and cultural, with the protection of indigenous peoples and their territories, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Pope Francis made this call in Rome, Italy while in audience with the representatives of IFAD's Global Meeting of the Indigenous Peoples’ Forum, which focused on economic empowerment of indigenous peoples, particularly women and youth.

This call has become vital especially when planning economic activities that may interfere with their cultures and their ancestral relationship to the earth.

The 36-member delegation, which included representatives from the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), were in Rome to take part in the Third Global Meeting of the Indigenous People Forum of IFAD.

During the morning meeting, the Pope emphasized the need for governments to pay attention to indigenous identity, and to generate guidelines and development approaches that include young people and women.

“For governments this means recognizing that indigenous communities are a part of the population to be appreciated and consulted, and whose full participation should be promoted at the local and national level,” he said.

Mirna Cunningham, President of the Center for Indigenous Peoples’ Autonomy and Development (CADPI), headed the delegation.

"I think the Pope's words are important," she said. "He went straight to the point. We have to remember that technological and economic development is not progress in itself and IFAD can play a very big role with technical and financial support to ensure that these measure are considered with indigenous peoples."

Antonella Cordone, Coordinator for Indigenous and Tribal Issues Policy and Technical Advisory Division at IFAD, said that “recognizing and institutionalizing indigenous peoples’ rights is essential, but we also have to work to set self-implementation strategies to support local economies. Otherwise we risk that indigenous peoples’ societies will disappear.”

Members of the delegation brought gifts to illustrate the work of indigenous peoples around the world, including an alpaca coat from Bolivian Andes, a blanket from the Igorot people in the Philippine Cordillera, and a bible translated into Miskitu from Nicaragua.

NaijaAgroNet recalled that between 10th and 13th February, IFAD hosted the Third Global Meeting of the Indigenous Peoples Forum, bringing together representatives of indigenous peoples organizations and leaders of partner organizations to discuss the ongoing challenges faced by these communities.

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What Pope Francis told FAO

NaijaAgroNet:

The Catholic pontiff, Pope Francis, has told the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) his desire over its role in the new Mediterranean migration initiative to save 2,500 people food insecurity, reports NaijaAgroNet.

The Holy Father in a meeting with FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva commended the agency's efforts to address migration in the Mediterranean region as well as its work to promote the strong links between peace and food security, climate change and sustainable development.

Graziano da Silva while briefing the pontiff on FAO's Blue Hope Initiative said it seeks to transform Southern Mediterranean coastal zone communities into engines of stability and growth, in particular by supporting the activities of small-scale fisheries.

"Migration is an issue which is very close to Pope Francis' heart. Much more needs to be done to tackle what is happening in the Mediterranean where more than 2,500 people are estimated to have died so far this year in attempts to reach Europe by sea," the FAO Director-General said after today's meeting.

The pontiff and Graziano da Silva also discussed the current peace efforts underway in Colombia and in the Central African Republic and the hope that lasting solutions will be found for the conflict in the two countries.

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SDG: Shakira, Angélique Kidjo, Malala add voices to Pope Francis in support of children

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The Grammy Award-winning singers, Shakira and Angélique Kidjo both UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors, Friday’s celebrated adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals with powerful performances before an audience at the United Nations General Assembly that included over 130 heads of state and government, reports NaijaAgroNet.

This follows an address from His Holiness Pope Francis, with Shakira taking to the stage to sing “Imagine”, John Lennon’s iconic anthem of love and peace.

“We live in a world in which many who are born poor will die poor. It is up to us to be the first society to eradicate poverty and bring justice and equality to the most disenfranchised people on earth,” Shakira, a passionate advocate of children’s rights, told the assembled world leaders before her performance. “Our children have the right to equal opportunities; to thrive, to be happy, healthy, and safe.”

Angélique Kidjo, who has been a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 2002, sang a moving version of ‘Afirika’ – her hymn to the continent she calls home.

“Africa and its children have the most to gain from the Sustainable Development Goals, but they also have the most to lose if our leaders do not fully commit to this new agenda for peace and prosperity,” Kidjo said. “As an artist I want to use my voice to make sure that people around the world understand the new global goals and why they matter, so that they can hold their leaders accountable for their success or failure.”

Flanked by a group of young people from across the world, Malala Yousafzai then delivered a message of hope for today’s children before the SDGs were ratified by world leaders.

The Sustainable Development Goals represent an ambitious plan of action that aims to eliminate extreme poverty and hunger, provide quality lifelong education for all, protect the planet and promote peaceful and inclusive societies.

These new global goals offer a historic opportunity to provide children with the fair start in life they deserve, UNICEF said, cautioning that this opportunity will be wasted if the world does not focus efforts and investments on the most disadvantaged and vulnerable children.

Video and photos are available for download

here.
 

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