Agrégateur de flux

EU governments can do little but monitor the situation

La population classée comme étant dans une situation « de crise ou pire » a « presque doublé » en un an, après deux saisons des pluies marquées par l’insuffisance des précipitations.

The UAE defence ministry is scrambling to reassure its population which has unwittingly found itself on the front line of [...]

For investors, there is real potential – but also real risk.

Talks around a potential suspension puts crucial investment at risk, commissioner Wopke Hoekstra says

Luther Bois Anukur, Regional Director of IUCN ESARO, interviewed at the IUCN Regional Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. Credit: Isaiah Esipisu/IP

By Isaiah Esipisu
NAIROBI, Mar 3 2026 (IPS)

As the global community marks 2026 World Wildlife Day today (March 3), this year’s focus is on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants: Conserving Health, Heritage and Livelihoods. However, beneath these celebrations, a difficult question emerges: who will bear the cost of conservation when traditional donor funding becomes uncertain and in the face of climate change?

With geopolitical shifts causing traditional funders to tighten their budgets, conservation across Africa has reached a critical juncture.

In an exclusive interview with Luther Bois Anukur, the Regional Director for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Eastern and Southern Africa, we explore how governments must now go further by creating space for community-led biodiversity conservation initiatives to evolve into sustainable enterprises. We discuss why protecting biodiversity matters as much as maintaining roads or power grids and why national budgets should consider it a priority.

IPS: With conservation donors tightening their budget, how serious is this funding shift for Africa, and what risks does it create for biodiversity protection?

Anukur: Overall, there has been a shrinking of financing for biodiversity conservation, especially with the closing of USAID, which was a big financier for biodiversity work in Africa. This came as a shock and certainly slowed down the work of biodiversity conservation in Africa because some organisations have gone under, and some projects have closed altogether.

However, having said that, there is a huge opportunity for Africa to relook at biodiversity financing models. Indeed, relying on donor funding is not the right way to finance biodiversity conservation. Biodiversity is not a charitable cause. It is actually part of the sovereign natural assets, and so we need to look at ways in which countries can link their economies to biodiversity conservation.

For example, you’ll find that what underpins our economies in Africa is fresh water, agriculture, tourism, and energy, and all these form the backbone of biodiversity conservation.

IPS: African communities often live with wildlife and bear the costs of conservation. How possibly can this be turned into community-led initiatives that can evolve into sustainable enterprises?

Anukur: First and foremost, people in Africa have lived alongside wildlife for many years. However, the cost of living with wildlife has been very high, because you find there’s crop loss, there’s loss of livestock, and even loss of lives. Yet, we have not seen benefits go to communities in a proportional manner.

To change this, there is certainly a need to rethink and redesign our conservation efforts so that communities can be right at the centre. We need to see benefits going to communities in an equitable manner that is commensurate to the services and the sacrifices they provide by living alongside wildlife.

We need to stop seeing communities as beneficiaries but as leaders of conservation efforts. And when we do that, then we will go a long way in conserving wildlife.

IPS: Why should finance ministries in Africa treat conservation as a core national investment rather than an environmental afterthought

Anukur: In many cases, ministers of finance look at risks, they look at assets, and they look at returns. That is what they usually understand. But very clearly, nature is Africa’s largest asset. And so investing in our environment basically means that we are supporting our water systems, our agriculture, our fisheries, and our ecosystems. That basically means that we are strengthening our economies.

The reverse is true. If we do not support that, we will face disasters. We are going to have a higher impact from climate change, and we are going to get into food imports. When you balance the books, investing in conservation makes sense, as it will ultimately affect national economies. So investing in natural assets will greatly support the GDPs of our countries and the livelihoods of our people.

IPS: Can you share examples of models that governments should be using to support protection of biodiversity as well as community-led conservation initiatives?

Anukur: There have been good examples in Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Kenya, among other countries, which have been able to demonstrate that community-led conservation can generate not only ecological recoveries but also economic returns.

But the key thing with these models is that you need to secure the land rights, make sure that there is accountable governance, and that revenue flows directly to communities. There is also a need to have partnerships with multi-stakeholders, especially the ethical private sector.

IPS: Tools like the IUCN Red List and Green List provide data on species and protected areas. How can governments better use these frameworks to move beyond reactive conservation decisions toward long-term, evidence-based policies?

Anukur: IUCN has got quite a number of tools; we have the red list of species, which basically looks at extinction risk, but we also have the green list, which looks at how effectively we manage our ecosystems. Governments have extensively used these tools as reference documents.

However, we would want to see these tools being used to build evidence for planning. This is because when you plan well, then you are able to avert risks. For instance, you need these tools to plan roads, infrastructure, agriculture, and mining.

IPS: Many African governments face pressure to expand infrastructure, agriculture, and extractive industries. What strategies can realistically balance economic development with ecosystem protection, especially for communities living closest to nature?

Anukur: There has been a big debate for a very long time about whether Africa should prioritise development or whether it should be conservation. But that debate is now very old. What we are focusing on is moving from extractive growth to generative growth. We also need to balance everything. For example, you can do agriculture but ensure that you have healthy soils. You can do energy transition in a manner that is not degrading to the environment. Or even create infrastructure that avoids critical ecosystems.

The most important thing is that there should be cross-sectoral collaboration. We have seen environmental and conservation issues treated as an afterthought. We would want the environment to be right at the centre of budget projections, as well; communities should also be brought to the centre for people to benefit from natural assets.

IPS: As we celebrate World Wildlife Day, what message would you give to African governments regarding the conservation of biodiversity?

Anukur: This time is an opportune moment when the world is changing. At the moment we have a lot of geopolitical change. We also do have a lot of geo-economic change. If Africa is to look at itself, the biggest asset is already what we have. The continent is viewed as poor, but the truth is that Africa is not poor. All we need is to connect with our natural assets and use them for development.

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

Follow @IPSNewsUNBureau
!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');  

Excerpt:

Relying on donor funding is not the right way to finance biodiversity conservation. Biodiversity is not a charitable cause. It is actually part of the sovereign natural assets, and so we need to look at ways in which countries can link their economies to biodiversity conservation. - Luther Bois Anukur, IUCN Eastern and Southern Africa

Many Sri Lankans see recent shootings as violence due to underworld rivalry rather than an existential threat to the state.

Le Président, Félix Tshisekedi, a lancé ce lundi  mars à Kinshasa, le Forum national des Affaires coutumières, placé sous le thème : « Le renforcement de l'autorité coutumière, gage de la stabilité, du développement, de la sécurité et de la cohésion des communautés en RDC ».

Depuis le lancement de l’opération américaine «Fureur épique», le 28 février, les pays du golfe Persique sont visés par des attaques, parfois massives, de missiles et de drones lancés par le régime iranien. Mais pas seulement. En effet, via un communiqué publié le 2 mars, le ministère qatarien de la Défense a fait savoir, sans...

Cet article Les Rafale du 1/7 Provence mènent des «opérations de sécurisation du ciel» aux Émirats arabes unis est apparu en premier sur Zone Militaire.

Mounting financial fraud, cuts for health campaigners, and the dangers of flexibility

Two months after the US operation in Venezuela, CIA director John Ratcliffe was once again in the spotlight this weekend [...]

DRAFT REPORT on the 2025 Commission report on Ukraine
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Michael Gahler

Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

DRAFT REPORT on the 2025 Commission report on Ukraine
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Michael Gahler

Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

Le Centre d'accompagnement psycho-social de Musimba, localité située entre Butembo et Lubero au Nord-Kivu, fait face à une forte pression. En février 2026, plus de 100 patients souffrant de troubles mentaux, majoritairement des déplacés internes fuyant l'insécurité ont été reçus, rapportent les responsables de cette structure sanitaire ce mardi 3 mars 2026.

• In the contemporary environment, economic diplomacy encompasses four key dimensions: a) trade/investment diplomacy, b) the diplomacy of international rules and agreements, c) development cooperation, and d) economic security diplomacy.
• In Greece, the system of economic diplomacy is organised around the General Secretariat of International Economic Relations and Openness of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. At the same time, other ministries and government services also play an important role, creating a complex institutional ecosystem in which coordination is necessary in order to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the relevant actions.
• Although the importance of economic diplomacy is recognised and relevant initiatives have been undertaken in the right direction, both at the level of organisation and at the level of actions, the main challenges that Greek economic diplomacy continues to face are: a) the absence of a holistic approach and strategy, b) the tackling of bureaucracy and business barriers, c) limited resources, and d) insufficient recognition of its value.
• International practices, such as the Team Finland network, the French model of special representatives for economic diplomacy, as well as the national strategies of the Netherlands and the United Kingdom for the creation of a national economic identity, constitute some good practices followed in Europe and may, under certain conditions and with appropriate adjustments, inform relevant Greek initiatives.
  • The policy recommendations are structured on the basis of three categories:
  • Structure and organisation:
    • Strengthening Enterprise Greece,
    • Reorganisation of the recruitment and training system for officials of the Offices of Economic and Commercial Affairs (OEY).
  • Operations and adaptability:
    • Enhancing relations with local and sectoral chambers of commerce,
    • Establishing a formal consultation mechanism for direct interaction with the “users” of economic diplomacy,
    • Modernising procedures, following a detailed mapping of the needs and obstacles faced by the stakeholders involved,
    • Providing tailored services by Offices of Economic and Commercial Affairs based on the size, and therefore the needs, of businesses,
    • Better utilising the Greek diaspora and Greek communities abroad.
  • Formulation of a strategy for economic diplomacy:
    • National dimension:
      • Creation of a National Strategy for Economic Diplomacy with a horizon beyond 2030, with a central role given to the geoeconomic dimensions of economic diplomacy,
      • Raising the visibility of a unified Greek “brand name”.

• European Dimension:
  • Promoting the idea of establishing a European Export Credit Agency, while recognising the relevant reservations expressed by our partners in the EU – the Greek Presidency of the Council of Ministers in 2027 could provide an opportunity to further explore this idea,
  • Achieving a positive “pillar assessment”, in order for Greek institutions to become eligible for the financing of actions in third countries,
  • Promoting and implementing, particularly during the Greek Presidency of the Council of the EU in 2027, measures aimed at completing the Single Market, on the basis of the Draghi and Letta reports,
  • Increasing the number of Greeks serving in key positions in European institutions, as well as hosting new European agencies in cities across Greece.

Read here in pdf the Policy paper by Spyros Blavoukos, Professor, Athens University of Economics & Business; Senior Research Fellow and Head of the ‘Ariane Condellis’ European Programme, ELIAMEP; Panos Politis Lamprou, Research Fellow, European Institutions & Policies, ELIAMEP; Panagiota Pagoni, Research Assistant Trainee (January–September 2025).

La coalition Amani Kwa Wote {NDLR :  Paix pour tous}, active dans le Sud-Kivu, applaudit ce mardi 3 mars, les sanctions américaines visant quatre officiers de l'armée rwandaise. Dans un communiqué signé par son modérateur Jean-Chrysostome et rendu public ce jour, la coalition y voit une reconnaissance internationale des souffrances des populations du Nord et Sud-Kivu.

The fighter jet project by Germany, France and Spain is currently on the brink of collapse

Le pays d’Afrique australe est devenu un acteur mondial du lithium, élément-clé dans la fabrication des batteries électriques. Harare semble vouloir lutter contre les exportations illégales, mais aussi favoriser la transformation locale.

The conflict would also be "negative for economic activity", the ECB's chief economist said