RivExcel, Neuro Spinal enter strategic partnership - NaijaAgroNet

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Leading international medical tourism facilitator, RivExcel Health, has entered a strategic partnership with Neuro Spinal Hospital (NSH), a renowned healthcare institution with advanced services in comprehensive oncology, orthopedics, neurology, neurosurgery, and spinal surgery.

RivExcel in a statement circulated to media houses said, “This collaboration aims to expand and enhance the medical tourism services provided by RivExcel Health, further solidifying their commitment to offering high-quality medical solutions to patients from Africa seeking treatment in Dubai.”

EU, FAO agree to deepen strategic alliance, halve food waste

NaijaAgroNet:

The European Union (EU) Commissioner of Health and Food Safety Vytenis Andriukaitis and FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva have agreed to ratchet up collaboration between the two organizations to address food waste, food safety, and antimicrobial resistance in supply chains, reports NaijaAgroNet.

In a new letter of intent signed between, FAO and the EU, both pledged to work closely together to halve per capita food waste by 2030, a goal established under the new Sustainable Development Goals global agenda. It also commits them to intensified cooperation on tackling the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) on farms and in food systems.

Speaking at a signing ceremony at FAO's Rome headquarters, Commissioner Andriukaitis said: "Food loss and waste represent an unacceptable, unethical and immoral squandering of scarce resources and increase food insecurity, while AMR marks a grave societal and economic burden," adding: "We are becoming more united, more efficient and more strategic in how we tackle these issues, and as such, this agreement should be celebrated."

Calling AMR growing global concern, Graziano da Silva said: "Unfortunately the use of antibiotics, including their use to promote growth, is already widespread."

He described FAO's vision that antibiotics and other antimicrobials should be only used to cure diseases and, in certain circumstances, to prevent epidemics. They should not be used for growth promotion, he said.    

Noting that food loss and waste is linked to many aspects of sustainable development, Graziano da Silva cited the importance of strong partnerships like that between the FAO and the EU in addressing the problem.

Isaac Oyimah/GEE
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SUN Movement Strategic roadmap 2020 for launch in September

NaijaAgroNet:

The Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement has advanced plans to launch its strategic roadmap 2020 in the month of September, reports NaijaAgroNet.

The launch, NaijaAgroNet gathered would form part of the inauguration of the SUN Movement’s new Lead Group at the UN General Assembly in New York on Assembly in New York on 22 September, 2016.

Disclosing this, the interim coordinator, SUN Movement, Mr. Tom Arnold, told NaijaAgroNet, pointed out that it would be a moment members strive to connect all every member to join the event and engage with the Lead Group via webinar.

According to him, the SUN Business Network, for instance, is also organising an event in New York on August 20 to highlight business commitments to nutrition.

This meeting, he revealed will be a prelude to Ministers of Finance from partnering countries, presenting their scale up plans to accelerate actions on early child development and stunting reduction will be held during the Annual Meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund in Washington in October.

Arnold further said that the SUN Movement Lead Group, Networks and Secretariat will support SUN country stakeholders in efforts to engage with Ministries of Finance ahead of this important meeting and in follow-up initiatives focusing on resource mobilization.

Just as he said, the 43rd session of the Committee for World Food Security will take place in Rome between October 17 and 21 with a focus on “Making a difference in Food Security and Nutrition.”

All SUN Countries and SUN Stakeholders, he said, are encouraged to participate to share their experience and to contribute to defining policy guidance which promotes convergence for food security and nutrition.

The Micronutrient Forum, Arnold said will be held in Cancun during the month of October from 24 through 28, where there will be an opportunity to convene SUN stakeholders, especially those from Latin America, for experience sharing.

With the SUN Movement Secretariat, we are dedicated to ensuring that you and your countries can make the most of these significant opportunities to bring political attention to nutrition, and galvanise finance for effective action.

“Given this busy agenda for nutrition actors across the Movement, in order to maximise attendance at the SUN Movement Global Gathering and offer an innovative and content rich opportunity for sharing and learning, the SUN Movement Secretariat will organise the Global Gathering in late February 2017,” he submitted, assuring that information to this effect will follow shortly on its location and logistical aspects of the event.

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Africa launches Climate Smart-Agriculture Alliance Forum

 NajiaAgroNet

The Africa’s first Climate Smart-Agriculture Alliance Forum, an Africa’s strategic approach for food security and nutrition in the face of climate change has been slated to hold in Addis  Ababa, Ethiopia,  NajiaAgroNet reports.

The launch of the Africa CSA Alliance Forum which will hold at Capital Hotel and Spa, NajiaAgroNet gathered, was formulated to foster harmonisation across various programmes being undertaken by African countries in climate change and agriculture. It is also a critical milestone in facilitating the sharing and learning on the various Climate Smart-Agriculture initiatives.

According to the information made available to  NajiaAgroNet, the Africa CSA Alliance Forum will specifically  agree on the general Africa-specific guiding principles and standards in domesticating the CSA definition into local/country and farming systems specific circumstances; validate the Africa CSA Vision 25x25 toolbox, an important tool for continental benchmarking and measuring CSA adoption for the “25 million targeted farming households by 2025”;  facilitate sharing across the various CSA initiatives at various levels.

It will also foster alignment in regional efforts in supporting and contributing to delivering on the “Africa CSA Vision 25x25” (based on ecosystems potential and related political economy issues).

 NajiaAgroNet also learnt that the Africa Climate-Smart Alliance Forum will be attended by: H.E Ato Sileshi Gutahun, Ethiopian State Minister for Agriculture; H.E Rhoda Peace Tumusiime – African Union Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, H.E Yasmine Foaud – Assistant Minister for Sustainable Development and External Affairs, Ministry of Environment, Arab Republic of Egypt. H.E Andreas Gaarder - Norwegian Ambassador to Ethiopia 

Also in attendance will be representatives and participants from Governments, Regional Economic Communities, Farmers’ Organisations, Private Sector, Civil Society, specialised agencies and development partners.

Cyriacus Nnaji/ ED,OPs

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