President Rupiah Banda has called on developed countries in the world to lead the way in agreeing on ambitious and legally binding green house gas emission reduction targets in accordance with scientific advice.

In his pre-recorded message posted on the internet to the United Nations Climate Change Summit held in New York yesterday, Mr. Banda said climate change has threatened sustainable development of all countries in the world hence the need to have find measures to address this menace.

He said like many other developing countries, Zambia was already experiencing adverse effects of climate change, noting that this trend must be reversed through finding an effective adaptation framework to reduce the risks posed to humanity.

“However, an adaptation framework will not be enough if we do not address the root cause of green house gas emissions. It is therefore important that developed countries take the lead in agreeing upon ambitious legally binding emission reduction targets, consistent with scientific advice, while developing countries will require support from the global community to adopt appropriate actions,” he said.

President Banda further pointed out that countries all around the world should act pragmatically to reverse the negative impact of climate change, adding that huge amounts of financial support should be provided to the most vulnerable developing countries to finance their adaptation and mitigation programmes.

“These funds must be additional to the Official Development Assistance (ODA). In addition, a transparent financial mechanism should be put in place so that deserving vulnerable countries can easily access the funds,” he added.

The UN climate change summit, which was convened by the UN Secretary General yesterday, is a huge step towards the big climate change summit to be held in Copenhagen, Denmark in December this year.

The Copenhagen summit will produce a new treaty to replace the 1997 Kyoto protocol which expires in 2012.

President Banda said this support should also include capacity building to enable local communities, who are at high risk of effects of climate change, to learn new ways of responding to the challenges.

“This December, we have to make a choice. To act responsibly as a united global community and provide a firm ground to safeguard our common good or stick to traditional positions and negotiating tactics and consign our future and that of our children to doom,” he concluded.
He was among over one hundred heads of state and government that attended the summit at the 64th General Assembly of the United Nations (UN).

Meanwhile, UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon has urged heads of state and government attending the General Assembly to accelerate their action against global warming and preserve the planet for future generations.

Mr. Ki-Moon said when he officially opened the summit that world leaders should now stop dragging negotiations towards coming up with a new agreement to curb greenhouse emissions that would go into 2012 when the Kyoto protocol’s first commitment period expires.

“Climate change is the pre-eminent geopolitical and economic issues of the 21st century. It rewrites the global equation for development, peace and security,” he said.

He noted that although countering effects of climate change would require huge financial costs, further delays to come up with effective mitigation measures would make countries in the world pay an unacceptable price.

He stresses that developed countries should take first steps in acting to reverse the impact of climate change while developing countries should also follow.

“All countries must do more now,” he said, adding that “not sealing the deal in Copenhagen would be morally inexcusable, economically shortsighted and politically unwise”.

And United States President, Barack Obama, who was one of the speakers during the official opening of a one day summit on climate change, said all countries must unite in fighting the effects of climate change because the fates of this hazard were intertwined.

Mr. Obama, who received a huge applause when he stepped on stage to address the summit, said no nation, big or small, can stand along to fight the impact of climate change.

He called on the countries in the world to actively get involved in addressing the causes and effects of climate change.

After the official opening of the summit, the heads of state and government that included President Banda went into interactive high level roundtable discussions on climate change.

Other key issues that would be discussed during the 64th General Assembly will be the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), world financial and economic crises and its impact on development, disarmament, UN reforms, including Security Council reform and revitalisation of the General Assembly.

It will also review the peace building commission and the Human Rights Council as well as consider issues relating to system wide coherence, sustainable development and HIV/AIDS.

The theme of the General Assembly is “Effective responses to global crises, strengthening multilaterism and dialogue among civilisations for international peace, security and development”.

The General Assembly, which was established in 1945 under the UN Charter, is a chief deliberative, policymaking and representative organ of the UN and is a unique forum for multilateral discussions of full spectrum of international issues.

ZANIS

The Zambia Consumer Association (ZACA) has advised companies producing small alcohol sachets to distribute their products only to licensed alcohol dealers to avoid abuse of the substance.

Association Executive Director Muyunda Ililonga says there is need for companies to ensure that they supply their products to traders who are licensed to sale alcoholic beverages.

Mr Ililonga told ZANIS in an interview in Lusaka today that restriction of the distribution of the sachets to licensed traders will go along way in reducing the abusive consumption of the beverage.

He expressed concern that the current trend were unlicensed agents are allowed to sale the alcoholic substances is worrying adding that it is contributing to alcohol abuse in the country

He explained that the decision by the Lusaka City Council (LCC) to grant operation licenses to the company is not an indication that people in the country to continue abusing the product.

He has also cautioned consumers against consuming the said alcohol without diluting as the trend has a serious impact on health.

The ZACA Executive Director further expressed concern that if the sachets continue to be sold by unlicensed dealers many more people will continue abusing the substance.

Mr Ililonga was reacting to the decision by the LCC to grant back an operation license to the company that produces the small alcoholic sachets commonly unknown as “Tujilijili”saying the company has met the regulation standards under the Zambia Bureau of standards.

ZANIS

The District Health management Team in Kasempa has given Mukinge Girls Secondary School an ultimatum of three weeks to improve sanitary conditions at the learning institution.

According to a report obtained by ZANIS in Kasempa District, the school has been operating under severe unsanitary conditions which have the potential to cause illness.

The move follows reports of more than 20 pupils being admitted to the hospital after complaining of flues and diarrhea diseases since the schools re-opened.

The report states that the school has breached the Public Health Act 295 and the Food and Drug Act Cap 303 of the laws of Zambia by not adhering to the highest standards of cleanliness.

The findings are that the school has been preparing food under extreme unhealthy conditions.

The school is also said to have inadequate sanitary accommodation due to the closure of one of the ablution blocks causing the 540 pupils to share two wash blocks.

And Kasempa District Commissioner Henry Shantolo said the condition at the school is not pleasing and has since urged the school administration to improve the situation as soon as possible.

Mr. Shantolo, however said his office has not received any report about any outbreak of diseases at the school.

And a check by ZANIS at Mukinge Mission Hospital revealed that some pupils complained of chest and abdominal pains.

Meanwhile school Acting Head teacher Dickson Mtonga said the situation was alarming as it was the first time to have a number of pupils faling ill at the same period.

He said the school faces many challenges in providing a better sanitary environment for the pupils and that at present the school only has two sanitary officers to clean the wash block and the kitchen.

ZANIS

The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Zambia chapter has urged media houses in the country to come up with sexual harassment policies to protect women from being sexually harassed.

MISA Zambia Chairperson Henry Kabwe says it is evident enough that sexual harassment against women exists in media houses hence the need for media houses to come up with a policy.

Mr Kabwe was speaking in Lusaka today at the launch of the Zambian report dubbed “Glass Ceiling” Women and Men in the Southern African Media Houses.

Meanwhile, Mr. Kabwe has congratulated the Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS) for being the only media house in the country that has a sexual harassment policy in place.

He appealed to all national and community media houses to pursue, adopt and implement the sexual harassment policy to protect vulnerable women from being sexually harassed.

He said if all media houses adopt and implement the policy, a lot of people would understand the seriousness of sexual harassment of women in media houses.

ZANIS