VOA: UN Chief Urges International Support for Somalia’s Security and Stability – United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is “urging the international community to bolster security in Somalia as the country moves from its current transitional government.” At a conference in Turkey with representatives from 54 countries, the goal is to help Somalia establish a stable government and elect a new president by August 20. Mr. Ban explained that “Somali women and youth can transform the country, but partners must step up and do their part . . . to break the cycle of emergencies.”
The Atlantic: The Rock-Mining Children of Sierra Leone Have Not Found Peace – Ten years after the end of the civil war in Sierra Leone, children as young as three years old still work in its mines, hoping to earn enough wages for food in a country still wracked by extreme poverty. While conditions in Sierra Leone have improved markedly in the past decade, “most of the population still lives without power, clean water, affordable education or competent medical facilities,” and the IMF reports that 60 percent of the population is surviving on less than $2 a day. There is very little to show for the “government’s attempted to revive its economy and harness its natural resources for the benefit of its citizens.” (Greg Campbell)
Bloomberg: Africa Nations Warned on Bond Risks as Europe Slumps – The African Development Bank reports that “African nations that plan to sell a record amount of Eurobonds in the next two years risk higher debt costs as the European debt crisis worsens, threatening economic stability.” The current debt crisis in Europe is “undermining economic growth and trade in Africa at a time when governments have less fiscal room to stimulate demand.” (Andres R. Martinez and David Malingha)
Devex: 19th International AIDS Conference: A preview – This year’s International AIDS Conference will be held in Washington, D.C. from July 22-27 with the theme “Turning the Tide.” The conference will tackle the challenges to ending the epidemic, the transmission of the disease, and its relation to other global health diseases. Meanwhile, the U.S. launched a five-year $70 million HIV prevention program in Ethiopia on Friday with funding from the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. (Jenny Lei Ravelo)
