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World: Global Weather Hazards Summary, February 13-19, 2015

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Source: Famine Early Warning System Network
Country: World, Afghanistan, Angola, Botswana, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Kazakhstan, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nicaragua, South Africa, Tajikistan, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Flooding risks continue over Madagascar and northern Mozambique

Africa Weather Hazards

  1. Since mid-December, consistent and significantly heavy rain has fallen over southeastern Africa. In parts of southern Malawi and central and northern Mozambique, these rains have resulted in widespread flooding, extensive damage to crops, livestock, and infrastructure, displacement of thousands of people, and fatalities. This excess rainfall also has increased the risk for river flooding downstream along the Shire, Licungo, Zambezi, Mazoe, Pungue, and Save Rivers. 2 Several consecutive weeks of poorly distributed, belowaverage rainfall has resulted in mid-season dryness across parts of eastern Botswana, northern South Africa, and central and southern Mozambique, with the largest moisture deficits in southern Zimbabwe. Continued dryness is forecast in early February, which may inhibit crop development.

  2. Since late-December, a sharp reduction in seasonal rainfall has resulted in mid-seasonal dryness across several parts of southern Angola, northern Namibia, and the Caprivi Strip. The continuation of below-average rainfall is expected to inhibit crop development.

  3. While much of South Africa has received adequate rainfall since the beginning of the Southern African monsoon, the eastern parts of the country have accumulated rainfall deficits, affecting agricultural conditions in the region.

  4. Heavy rainfall is forecast during the next week across Madagascar, where flooding has damaged crops and infrastructure and increased the risk for water-borne disease outbreaks. Heavy rains during the next week will further increase flooding concerns.


World: Global Weather Hazards Summary, February 20-26, 2015

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Source: Famine Early Warning System Network
Country: World, Afghanistan, Angola, Botswana, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Kazakhstan, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nicaragua, South Africa, Tajikistan, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Rainfall deficits expected to worsen in South Africa

Africa Weather Hazards

  1. Since mid-December, consistent and significantly heavy rain in parts of southern Malawi and central and northern Mozambique have resulted in widespread flooding, extensive damage to crops, livestock, and infrastructure, displacement of thousands of people, and fatalities. This excess rainfall also has increased the risk for river flooding downstream along several rivers in the region. Above-average rain forecast for the next week will keep flooding risks elevated. 2 An extended period of poorly distributed rainfall has resulted in mid-season dryness across eastern Botswana, northern South Africa, and central and southern Mozambique. Continued dryness is forecast for some areas and may result in poor cropping conditions and wilting crops in the region.

  2. Since late December, a sharp reduction in seasonal rainfall has led to mid-season dryness across southern Angola, northern Namibia, the Caprivi Strip, and Ghanzi and Ngamiland Districts in Botswana. Continued below-average rainfall is expected to inhibit crop development.

  3. A prolonged dry spell has led to 30-day rainfall totals below the 15th percentile over central South Africa and bordering areas in southern Botswana. The lack of rain could negatively impact crops in Free State and North West Provinces of South Africa.
    With little rain forecast for the next week, dryness is expected to worsen.

  4. Above-average and tropical disturbances during the past 30 days have resulted in widespread flooding across Madagascar, which has damaged crops and infrastructure, displaced tens of thousands of people and increased the risk for water-borne disease outbreaks, especially in the capital of Antananarivo. Heavy rains are forecast for the next week, which will keep flooding risks elevated.

World: Global Weather Hazards Summary, February 27-March 5, 2015

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Source: Famine Early Warning System Network
Country: World, Afghanistan, Angola, Belize, Botswana, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nicaragua, South Africa, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, United Republic of Tanzania, Uzbekistan, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Dryness continues across much of southern Africa, flooding risks remain over Mozambique, Malawi and Madagascar

Africa Weather Hazards

  1. Since mid-December, consistently heavy rainfall has occurred over southern Malawi and central/ northern Mozambique. Above-average rain forecast for the next week will keep flooding risks elevated. 2 Poorly distributed rainfall has resulted in mid-season dryness across eastern Botswana, northern South Africa, central/southern Mozambique, and central/southern Zimbabwe. Dryness is forecast to continue next week.

  2. Since late December, a sharp reduction in rainfall has led to mid-season dryness across southern Angola, western Zambia, northern Namibia, the Caprivi Strip, and Ghanzi and Ngamiland Districts in Botswana. Continued belowaverage rainfall is expected during the next week.

  3. A prolonged dry spell has led to 30-day rainfall totals below the 15th percentile over central South Africa and bordering areas in southern Botswana. With little rain forecast for the next week, dryness is expected to worsen.

  4. Above-average rainfall over the past 30 days has resulted in widespread flooding in Madagascar. Heavy rains forecast for the next week will keep flooding risks elevated.

  5. Extended dry spells and 30-day rainfall below the 10th percentile have led to poor cropping conditions across central/ southern Tanzania. Heavy rain is forecast to provide relief to southern Tanzania, but dry conditions are expected to continue in central Tanzania.

  6. Erratically distributed rainfall has led to below-average vegetative conditions in parts of the KwaZulu-Natal and eastern Free State Provinces of South Africa. Moderate rain forecast for the next week should provide some relief.

World: Global Weather Hazards Summary, March 6-12, 2015

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Source: Famine Early Warning System Network
Country: Afghanistan, Angola, Belize, Botswana, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nicaragua, South Africa, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, United Republic of Tanzania, Uzbekistan, World, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Heavy rainfall continues in Malawi, Madagascar; seasonal rainfall slow to start in southwestern Ethiopia

Africa Weather Hazards

  1. Since mid-December, consistently heavy rainfall has occurred over southern Malawi and central/ northern Mozambique. Above-average rain forecast for the next week will keep flooding risks elevated.

  2. Poorly-distributed rainfall since January has resulted in abnormal dryness in southern Zimbabwe, southern Mozambique, northern South Africa, southeastern Botswana, and Free State, North West, and KwaZulu-Natal Provinces of South Africa. The forecast little to no rainfall during the next week could worsen ground conditions.

  3. Since late December, a sharp reduction in rainfall has led to mid-season dryness across southern Angola, western Zambia, northern Namibia, the Caprivi Strip, and Ghanzi and Ngamiland Districts in Botswana. Little to no rainfall is expected during the next week.

  4. Extended dry spells since January have led to large rainfall deficits in northeastern Namibia. With the rainy season approaching to an end, recovery is unlikely.

  5. Above-average rainfall over the past 30 days has resulted in widespread flooding in Madagascar. Heavy rains forecast for the next week will keep flooding risks elevated.

  6. Extended dry spells and 30-day rainfall below the 10th percentile have led to poor cropping conditions across central/ southern Tanzania. Heavy rain is forecast to provide relief to southern Tanzania, but dry conditions are expected to continue in central Tanzania.

  7. Below-average rainfall since February has resulted in rainfall deficits in southwestern Ethiopia. Below-average rainfall forecast during the next week may worsen conditions.

World: Global Weather Hazards Summary, March 13-19, 2015

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Source: Famine Early Warning System Network
Country: Afghanistan, Angola, Belize, Botswana, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Kazakhstan, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nicaragua, South Africa, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, United Republic of Tanzania, Uzbekistan, World, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Abnormal dryness continues in much of southern Africa

Africa Weather Hazards

  1. Below-average rainfall since February has resulted in rainfall deficits in southwestern Ethiopia. Dry weather is expected to continue during the next week, which is likely to increase moisture deficits in the region.

  2. Despite recent increases in rainfall acros southern Tanzania, eastern and central parts of the country have received below-average rainfall, which has inhibited crop growth. The little to no rainfall forecast during the next week may worsen agricultural conditions.

  3. Frequent and above-average rainfall over the past several weeks has led to large moisture surpluses in northern Mozambique. During the next week, heavy rainfall is forecast to continue, which could trigger new flooding.

  4. Since late December, a sharp reduction in rainfall has led to mid-season dryness across southern Angola, western Zambia, northern Namibia, the Caprivi Strip, and Ghanzi and Ngamiland Districts in Botswana. Continued below average rainfall is expected during the next week.

  5. Extended dry spells since January have led to large rainfall deficits in northeastern Namibia. With the end of the rainy season approaching, recovery is unlikely.

  6. Poorly-distributed rainfall since January has resulted in abnormal dryness in southern Zimbabwe, southern Mozambique, northern South Africa, southeastern Botswana, and Free State, North West, and KwaZulu-Natal Provinces of South Africa.
    Conditions may improve as light to moderate rains are forecast during the next week.

World: Global Food Security Update, Issue 17 - March 2015

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Source: World Food Programme
Country: Afghanistan, Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Djibouti, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Honduras, Iraq, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, occupied Palestinian territory, Pakistan, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Vanuatu, World, Zimbabwe

Tracking food security trends in vulnerable countries

The Global Food Security Update provides a quarterly overview of key food security trends in vulnerable countries. Information is provided by WFP VAM field teams and partners.

In focus

  • Conflict in Iraq has disrupted food markets, leading to price hikes in Anbar, Salah Al-Din and Kirkuk. According to the 2014-2015 Strategic Response Plan, around 5.2 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, and over 2.5 million people are currently displaced.

  • In Syria, 9.8 million people require food, agriculture and livelihoods-related assistance, according to the Food Security and Livelihoods sector analysis. Of these, around 6.8 million people live in high priority districts and need critical food assistance.

  • In South Sudan, 2.5 million people are facing Crisis (IPC Phase 3) or Emergency (IPC Phase 4) levels of food insecurity because conflict has displaced the population, reduced food production and disrupted markets. Phase 4 Emergency conditions now prevail in parts of Jonglei and Unity.

  • Floods have displaced 230,000 people in Malawi, 50,000 in Mozambique and 39,000 in Madagascar, in locations already vulnerable to food and nutrition security.

  • The Ebola epidemic in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone has disrupted markets and trade and led to increasing food insecurity. According to the Cadre Harmonisé, as of March, 1.2 million people are in Crisis (IPC Phase 3), a figure that is expected to rise to 2.2 million in June.

  • Conflict in northern Nigeria is leading to massive population displacement, disrupted markets and insecurity in bordering areas of Cameroon, Chad and Niger.

  • The ‘short rains’ (‘Deyr’) season of late 2014 has performed poorly across East Africa. North-east Kenya and southern Somalia have been affected by persistently drier than average conditions. This compounds the effect of significant rainfall deficits during previous seasons, resulting in extended longterm dryness affecting pastoralist resources.

  • South Africa’s first maize production forecast estimates the 2015 harvest to be the worst in 8 years, with a drop of 21 percent relative to the five-year average and 32 percent less than last year’s bumper crop.

  • Drought in Central America has left 2.1 million people food insecure. The affected people will require more food assistance than usual until the next harvest in August.

  • Tropical Cyclone Pam made landfall on March 13 near the islands of Vanuatu with sustained wind speeds of 270 km/h. Initial estimates of humanitarian impact suggest large devastation, with about 170,000 people, of which 20,000 were identified as poor, being affected.

World: Global Weather Hazards Summary March 27 - April 2, 2015

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Source: Famine Early Warning System Network
Country: Afghanistan, Angola, Botswana, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nicaragua, South Africa, Tajikistan, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, World, Zimbabwe

Late season dryness spreads across much of Southern Africa

  1. Below-average rainfall since February has resulted in rainfall deficits in southwestern Ethiopia.
    Rainfall forecast during the next week should help alleviate deficits.

  2. Below-average rainfall over bi-modal northern Tanzania during the past several weeks has increased rainfall deficits and affected crop conditions. A significant increase in rainfall is expected across Tanzania and neighboring countries in late March.

  3. Heavy rainfall triggered flooding in Benguela Province of western Angola during the past week. Heavy downpours are forecast to continue during the next week, which may lead to additional flooding.

  4. Since late December, below-average and poorly distributed rainfall has led to abnormal dryness across a broad portion of southern Africa, which will likely negatively affect crop production in parts of southern Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, and South Africa.

  5. Extended dry spells since January have led to large rainfall deficits in northeastern Namibia. With the end of the rainy season approaching, recovery is unlikely

World: Price Watch March 2015 Prices

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Source: Famine Early Warning System Network
Country: Afghanistan, Benin, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Honduras, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tajikistan, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, World, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Key Messages

In West Africa, market availability was adequate in February, with supplies from recent 2014/15 harvests and international rice and wheat imports. Staple food prices were stable or declining, except in areas directly and indirectly affected by the conflict in northeastern Nigeria. The recent opening of borders among Ebola-affected countries contributed to improved trade flows in some areas, following disruptions over the second half of 2014.

In East Africa, maize markets were well-supplies decline in Tanzania, Kenya, Somalia, and surplus-producing areas of Ethiopia with recent harvests and regional trade flows. Markets were likewise well supplied with in Somalia, Sudan, and Ethiopia. Staple food prices were high and variable in the Greater Upper Nile States of South Sudan. Conflict and insecurity continued to disrupt markets in parts of South Sudan, Somalia, and the Darfur and South Kordofan States in Sudan.

In Southern Africa, regional staple food stocks continued to tighten in February, but availability remains higher than previous years. Harvests from the 2013/14 production year were well-above average in the region’s surplus-producing countries. Food availability improved in flood-affected southern Malawi as road conditions improved and with increased food assistance.

Locally produced staple food prices increased progressively throughout Central America and Caribbean as market supplies from the below-average Otoño harvest in Haiti and Postrera harvest in Central America decreased earlier than normal. Imported wheat, yellow maize, and rice availability and prices were stable region-wide.

In Central Asia, wheat availability remained good in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Prices stabilized in Kazakhstan and Tajikistan after increasing over the last quarter of 2014.

International maize, rice, and soybean prices were stable while wheat prices declined slightly in February, and all were below February 2014 levels due very well supplied global markets from record or near record global production in 2014. Crude oil prices increased slightly in February, but remained below average.


World: Global Weather Hazards Summary April 3-9, 2015

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Source: Famine Early Warning System Network
Country: Afghanistan, Angola, Belize, Botswana, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mozambique, Namibia, Nicaragua, Panama, South Africa, Tajikistan, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, World, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Abnormal dryness continues to develop in central Ethiopia and bi-modal Tanzania

Africa Weather Hazards

  1. Despite an increase in rainfall during the last week, ground moisture remains below average parts of southwestern and east-central Ethiopia. Moderate to heavy rains are forecast in southern and western Ethiopia, while below-average rainfall is expected in the central parts of the country during the next week.

  2. Below-average rainfall over bi-modal northern Tanzania during the past several weeks has increased rainfall deficits and affected crop conditions. An increase in rainfall is expected across Tanzania and neighboring countries during the next week.

  3. Since late December, below-average and poorly distributed rainfall has led to abnormal dryness across a broad portion of southern Africa. Below average seasonal rainfall and untimely dry spells are likely to lead to reductions in crop production in parts of southern Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe,
    Lesotho, and South Africa.

  4. Extended dry spells since January have led to large rainfall deficits in northeastern Namibia. With the end of the rainy season approaching, recovery is unlikely

World: Global Weather Hazards Summary April 10-16, 2015

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Source: Famine Early Warning System Network
Country: Afghanistan, Angola, Botswana, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Lesotho, Namibia, Nicaragua, Panama, Somalia, South Africa, Turkmenistan, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Uzbekistan, World, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Abnormal dryness persists in central Ethiopia and bi-modal Tanzania

Africa Weather Hazards

  1. Despite an increase in rainfall during the last week, ground moisture remains below average parts of southwestern and east-central Ethiopia. Moderate to heavy rains are forecast in southern and western Ethiopia, while below-average rainfall is expected in the central parts of the country during the next week.

  2. Below-average rainfall over bi-modal northern Tanzania during the past several weeks has increased rainfall deficits and affected crop conditions. An increase in rainfall is expected across Tanzania and neighboring countries during the next week.

  3. Since late December, below-average and poorly distributed rainfall has led to abnormal dryness across a broad portion of southern Africa. Below average seasonal rainfall and untimely dry spells are likely to lead to reductions in crop production in parts of southern Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, and South Africa.

  4. Extended dry spells since January have led to large rainfall deficits in northeastern Namibia. With the end of the rainy season approaching, recovery is unlikely

World: Global Weather Hazards Summary April 17-23, 2015

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Source: Famine Early Warning System Network
Country: Afghanistan, Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Uzbekistan, World, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Belg rainfall remains delayed in Ethiopia, dryness worsens in Malawi and Mozambique

Africa Weather Hazards

  1. Rainfall continues to be below-average across several local areas of southwestern and east-central Ethiopia. Further delay of rainfall during April is likely to adversely affect cropping activities for several Belgproducing areas.

  2. Torrential rainfall since early April has triggered localized flooding, livestock losses, displacement of thousands of people, and fatalities in parts of southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. Average to above-average rains forecast for the next week may worsen ground conditions.

  3. Below-average rainfall over bi-modal northern Tanzania during the past several weeks has increased rainfall deficits and affected crop conditions. Increased rains over northwestern Tanzania have helped to alleviate short-term moisture deficits.

  4. Rapidly developing moisture deficits associated with an early cessation of the southern Africa monsoon has negatively affected cropping conditions for parts of northern Malawi and northern Mozambique.

  5. Since late December, below-average and poorly distributed rainfall has led to abnormal dryness across a broad portion of southern Africa. Below average seasonal rainfall and untimely dry spells are likely to lead to reductions in crop production in parts of southern Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Zambia, and South Africa.

  6. Poorly distributed rainfall and extended dry spells since January have led to large rainfall deficits and below-average vegetation growth in southern Angola and northern Namibia.

World: Global Weather Hazards Summary April 24-30, 2015

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Source: Famine Early Warning System Network
Country: Afghanistan, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Honduras, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Somalia, South Africa, Tajikistan, Togo, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, World, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Little rainfall expected over atypically dry areas of northern Ethiopia

  1. Erratic, below-average rainfall in February and early March, followed by four consecutive weeks of little to no rainfall since mid-March has led to large moisture deficits and rapidly deteriorating ground conditions in Ethiopia. The absence of mid-season rainfall is likely to adversely affect cropping activities in Belg-producing areas of the country.

  2. Below-average rainfall since March has affected crop conditions over bi-modal northern Tanzania. Increased rains over northwestern Tanzania have helped to alleviate short-term moisture deficits.

  3. Late season moisture deficits associated with an early end to the Southern Africa monsoon has negatively affected cropping conditions in northern Malawi and northern Mozambique.

  4. Since late December, below-average and poorly distributed rainfall has led to abnormal dryness across a broad portion of southern Africa. Below average seasonal rainfall and untimely dry spells are likely to lead to reductions in crop production in parts of southern Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho,
    Zambia, and South Africa.

  5. Poorly distributed rainfall and extended dry spells since January have led to large rainfall deficits and below-average vegetation growth in southern Angola and northern Namibia.

World: Global Weather Hazards Summary May 1-7, 2015

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Source: Famine Early Warning System Network
Country: Afghanistan, Angola, Botswana, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Haiti, Honduras, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nicaragua, Somalia, South Africa, Tajikistan, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, World, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Drought continues in central and northern Ethiopia, with abnormal dryness in Djibouti and Eritrea

Africa Weather Hazards

  1. Very poor rainfall since February, combined with five consecutive weeks of virtually no rainfall since mid March, has led to large moisture deficits and rapidly deteriorating ground conditions in Ethiopia, Djibouti, and eastern Eritrea.

  2. Seasonally above-average rainfall, combined with heavy rainfall forecast across eastern Ethiopia and Somalia, is expected to increase the risk for localized flooding along the Jubba and Shabelle River basins in Somalia.

  3. Torrential rainfall triggered flooding across Nyanza and Nairobi Provinces of southern Kenya during the last week. Above-average rainfall is forecast for the next week.

  4. Below-average rainfall since March has affected crop conditions over bi-modal northern Tanzania.

  5. Untimely rains and prolonged dry spells have resulted in crop failure in unimodal areas in the Dodoma, Singida, Shinyanga, Tabora, and Kigoma Regions of central Tanzania.

  6. Late season moisture deficits associated with an early end of the Southern Africa monsoon has negatively affect cropping conditions for parts of northern Malawi and northern Mozambique.

  7. Poorly distributed rainfall and extended dry spells since January have led to large rainfall deficits and below-average vegetation cover in southern Angola and northern Namibia.

  8. Since late December, below-average and poorly distributed rainfall has led to abnormal dryness across a broad portion of southern Africa. Below-average seasonal rainfall and untimely dry spells are likely to lead to reductions in crop production in parts of southern Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Zambia, and South Africa.

World: Global Weather Hazards Summary May 8-14, 2015

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Source: Famine Early Warning System Network
Country: Afghanistan, Angola, Botswana, Costa Rica, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nicaragua, Somalia, South Africa, Tajikistan, United Republic of Tanzania, World, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Africa Weather Hazards

  1. Very poor rainfall since February, combined with five consecutive weeks of virtually no rainfall since midMarch, has led to large moisture deficits and rapidly deteriorating ground conditions in Ethiopia, Djibouti, and eastern Eritrea.

  2. Seasonally above-average rainfall, combined with heavy rainfall forecast across eastern Ethiopia and Somalia, is expected to increasethe risk for localized flooding along the Jubba and Shabelle River basins in Somalia.

  3. Torrential rainfall triggered flooding across Nyanza and Nairobi Provinces of southern Kenya during the last week. Above-average rainfall is forecast for the next week.

  4. Below-average rainfall since March has affected crop conditions over bi-modal northern Tanzania.

  5. Untimely rains and prolonged dry spells have resulted in crop failure in unimodal areas in the Dodoma, Singida, Shinyanga, Tabora, and Kigoma Regions of central Tanzania.

  6. Late-season moisture deficits associated with an early end of the Southern Africa monsoon has negatively affect cropping conditions for parts of northern Malawi and northern Mozambique.

  7. Poorly distributed rainfall and extended dry spells since January have led to large rainfall deficits and below-average vegetation cover in southern Angola and northern Namibia.

  8. Since late December, below-average and poorly distributed rainfall has led to abnormal dryness across a broad portion of southern Africa. Below-average seasonal rainfall and untimely dry spells are likely to lead to reductions in crop production in parts of southern Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Zambia, and South Africa.

World: UN-SPIDER April 2015 Updates

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Source: UN Office for Outer Space Affairs
Country: Algeria, Bangladesh, China, Colombia, Honduras, Nepal, South Africa, United Republic of Tanzania, World

In this issue:

UN-SPIDER at a glance

UN-SPIDER compiles list of satellite resources in response to Nepal earthquake
UN-SPIDER holds training course for Bhutan officials
UN-SPIDER concludes training workshop in Bangladesh
Regional Centre for Space Science and Technology Education in Asia and the Pacific: Successful first training
UN-SPIDER experts publishes article on space-based information and ecosystems
UN-SPIDER participates in Engage2015 Conference
News from our Regional Support Offices

ICIMOD: Contribution to International Space Apps Challenge 2015
Nepal: Raising awareness to fight fires through satellite imagery
RCMRD launched land potential knowledge system
News from our Community

DigitalGlobe: First complete satellite imagery base map for Africa now available
First satellite for Turkmenistan in space
China: Launch of new-generation BeiDou navigation satellite
Mapping global forests in unprecedented detail
Algeria: Alsat-2A satellite imagery shows vegetation recovering after forest fires
Tanzania: New agency for disaster risk reduction
South Africa plans to launch Earth observation satellite in 2019
Honduras and Colombia share knowledge to reduce disaster risks
NOAA: Interactive storm surge map for flood risks
Study to test smartphones as earthquake early warning
Website relaunch: Geospatial crop data for food policy
Copernicus Master competition now accepting submissions
Bangladesh: Satellite helps to forecast floods
FAO and Norway to help developing countries monitor their forest through Earth observation
International Charter activated three times in April 2015

Upcoming events

26-28 May 2015, Bonn, Germany: United Nations/ Germany International Conference on Earth Observation
1-5 June 2015, Hangzhou, China: East Asia Summit (EAS) workshop on Application of Space Information Technology in Major Natural Disaster Monitoring and Assessment and 2nd ASEAN workshop on “Development of mechanisms for acquisition and utilisation of space-based information during emergency response”
9-10 June, Beijing, China: International Workshop on Supporting Future Earth with Global Geo-Information
Apply now! 7-10 September, Graz, Austria: United Nations/Austria Symposium for Integrated Space Technology Applications for Climate Change
Apply now! 14-16 September 2015, Beijing, China: United Nations International Conference on Spacebased Technologies for Disaster Management - “A consolidating role in the implementation of the Sendai Framework on DIsaster Risk Reduction: 2015-2030”


World: Global Weather Hazards Summary May 15-21, 2015

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Source: Famine Early Warning System Network
Country: Afghanistan, Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Chad, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Honduras, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Somalia, South Africa, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, United Republic of Tanzania, Uzbekistan, World, Zimbabwe

Africa Weather Hazards

  1. Very poor rainfall since February, combined with five consecutive weeks of virtually no rainfall since midMarch, has led to large moisture deficits and rapidly deteriorating ground conditions in Ethiopia, Djibouti, and eastern Eritrea.

  2. Seasonally above-average rainfall, combined with heavy rainfall forecast across eastern Ethiopia and Somalia, is expected to increase the risk for localized flooding along the Jubba and Shabelle River basins in Somalia.

  3. Torrential rainfall triggered flooding across Nyanza and Nairobi Provinces of southern Kenya during the last week. Above-average rainfall is forecast for the next week.

  4. Below-average rainfall since March has affected crop conditions over bi-modal northern Tanzania.

  5. Untimely rains and prolonged dry spells have resulted in crop failure in unimodal areas in the Dodoma, Singida, Shinyanga, Tabora, and Kigoma Regions of central Tanzania.

  6. Late-season moisture deficits associated with an early end of the Southern Africa monsoon has negatively affected cropping conditions for parts of northern Malawi and northern Mozambique.

  7. Poorly distributed rainfall and extended dry spells since January have led to large rainfall deficits and below-average vegetation cover in southern Angola and northern Namibia.

  8. Since late December, below-average and poorly distributed rainfall has led to abnormal dryness across several local areas in southern Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, and South Africa.

World: Global Weather Hazards Summary May 22 -28, 2015

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Source: Famine Early Warning System Network
Country: Afghanistan, Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Chad, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Honduras, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Somalia, South Africa, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, United Republic of Tanzania, Uzbekistan, World, Zimbabwe

Abnormal dryness continues to affect parts of Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Haiti

Africa Weather Hazards

  1. Very poor rainfall since February, combined with six consecutive weeks of virtually no rainfall since midMarch, has led to large moisture deficits and rapidly deteriorating ground conditions in Ethiopia, Djibouti, and eastern Eritrea. The extended mid-season absence of rainfall is likely to adversely affect cropping activities for Belg-producing areas of Ethiopia.

  2. Torrential rainfall triggered flooding near Lake Victoria in Western Kenya and Nairobi. Above-average rainfall is forecast in the region during the next week.

  3. Untimely rains and prolonged dry spells have resulted in crop failure in unimodal areas in the Dodoma, Singida,
    Shinyanga, Tabora, and Kigoma Regions of central Tanzania.

  4. Late-season moisture deficits associated with an early end of the Southern Africa monsoon has negatively affected cropping conditions for parts of northern Malawi and northern Mozambique.

  5. Poorly distributed rainfall and extended dry spells since January have led to large rainfall deficits and below-average vegetation cover in southern Angola and northern Namibia.

  6. Since late December, below-average and poorly distributed rainfall has led to abnormal dryness across several local areas in southern Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, and South Africa.

World: Global Weather Hazards Summary May 29-June 4, 2015

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Source: Famine Early Warning System Network, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Country: Afghanistan, Benin, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Honduras, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Malawi, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tajikistan, Togo, Turkmenistan, United Republic of Tanzania, Uzbekistan, World, Zimbabwe

Rainfall deficits persist in areas of Ethiopia, West Africa, and Central America

Africa Weather Hazards

  1. Very poor rainfall since February, combined with extremely sporadic rainfall since mid-March, has led to large moisture deficits and very poor ground conditions in Ethiopia, Djibouti and eastern Eritrea. The extended absence of precipitation through the season has likely adversely affected cropping activities for several “Belg” producing areas of Ethiopia.
  2. Untimely rains and prolonged dry spells have resulted in crop failure in unimodal areas in the Dodoma, Singida, Shinyanga, Tabora, and Kigoma provinces of central Tanzania.

World: Stop TB Launches Online Consultation for Global Plan

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Source: The Global Fund
Country: Honduras, Philippines, South Africa, World

The Stop TB Partnership launched an online consultation process today to engage a wide group of stakeholders in developing the Global Plan to Stop TB 2016-2020. The development of the Global Plan seeks to be as inclusive as possible, and the online consultation (http://stoptbplan2020.org/) aims to reflect a diverse range of input, including the voices of people, professional groups and TB constituencies who may not have been reached previously. The consultation process will run from 10 June to 10 August 2015. Participants are encouraged to provide comments based on top line questions.

Since its creation, the Stop TB Partnership has issued five and ten-year Global Plans for concerted global advocacy actions, and to provide an estimate for the resources needed to reach the WHO End TB Strategy goals by 2035. The current Global Plan provides a ‘business case’ for the period 2016-2020. It is meant as an instrument for those working with TB and those allocating funding.

The Stop TB Partnership said that to achieve WHO’s End TB Strategy goals, significant changes need to be made in the way most countries organize and run their TB interventions and programmes. An acceleration in research and development of new drugs, diagnostics tools and a vaccine is also imperative, it said.

In addition to the online consultation, the Global Plan to Stop TB 2016-2020 will be informed by the outcomes of four regional consultation meetings. The Global Plan will be launched at the end of the year in Cape Town, South Africa, during the 46th Union World Conference on Lung Health.

New Effort to Expand Viral Load Testing

Viral load testing is the best way to know if a child is HIV positive. It’s also a powerful tool to determine if HIV drugs are working. The problem is that until now, the tests were often prohibitively expensive and contract terms varied.

New agreements struck between the Global Fund and seven diagnostic manufacturers aim to change that. After a year of in-depth negotiation and intense study of the market, the Global Fund sourcing team believes it’s found a route to affordable and stable prices, better contracting, and hopefully, expanded testing.

The manufacturers have agreed to provide the test components at a stable and competitive all-inclusive price as low as US$15 per test, which includes the cost of testing equipment. Today, tests can cost as much as US$85.

A more competitive price is welcome, but Christopher Game, the Global Fund Procurement head, explained that it’s not the only benefit of the agreement.

“What we were really after was transparency and reliability,” Game said. “So yes, the price reduction is great, because it will free up money to do more testing. But just as importantly, we now have transparency around the various components of that price, such as transport and machine maintenance.”

The machines required for the tests don’t come cheap, selling for around US$150,000. By stabilizing the other elements required to test, Game and his team expect to see an expansion in the number of tests done.

The agreement should deliver net savings of at least US$30 million over three years to the Global Fund, and potentially much more. Seven manufacturers have been through a technical and commercial evaluation before being added to the panel of suppliers. The framework agreements last at least three years. Other public health funders and agencies will also be able to enter into agreements based on the benchmark prices and contracting negotiated.

Strategy Review

An independent group of health and development experts has presented its preliminary findings and initial recommendations of the Strategic Review 2015, the document that will provide valuable input into the Global Fund partnership’s next five-year strategy, for 2017-2021. After conducting 16 country case studies and assessing impact in another 27, the Technical Evaluation and Reference Group, known as TERG, focused the Strategic Review on key areas including resilient health systems, sustainability, human rights and gender, partnerships, differentiation and national capacity building. The findings will be presented to the Strategy, Investment and Impact Committee meeting next week. A final report is due by mid-August. The Global Fund Board will receive the full report in November. The Strategic Review has two main objectives: One is to review progress in strategy implementation to date of the 2012-2016 Strategy; the second is to assess impact against the three diseases over the past 10 to 14 years.

Tracing TB patients in South Africa

On a rainy morning in Mitchell’s Plain, a township near Cape Town, Community Care Worker Songezwa Matrose sets out to check on a client she’s been assigned— a former prisoner with TB, released the day before from Pollsmoor Detention Center’s Juvenile section. Her first challenge is just to find his house. Names of lanes and passageways here are few, and houses are numbered arbitrarily, if at all.

“Sometimes it takes hours just to find my client,” says Songezwa, who is from Mitchell’s Plain herself, and began doing contact tracing for TB patients more than a year ago, under a program managed by the South African NGO TB/ HIV Care.

Men and women held in South Africa’s overcrowded prisons have been pinpointed as a group at high risk of tuberculosis, because of the densely populated communities they often come from, as well as the close quarters within prisons. Risk of infection with TB increases exponentially as air-borne bacteria can be passed on by a mere cough in a crowded room. In the past, many who were diagnosed with TB were lost to follow-up or never told their test results because of the processing time for a test, and the difficulty of follow-up once they left prison.

In collaboration with the Ministry of Health and TB/ HIV Care, Pollsmoor Detention Center’s Health System is working to tackle this problem head on, both while prisoners are inside, and through follow-up after they are released. TB HIV Care workers within the hospital screen and test detainees, with results available in two hours since state of the art GeneExpert machines were installed in 2013. Their colleagues on the outside - Community Care Workers like Songezwa - receive contact information for TB-infected prisoners as they are released so they can facilitate adherence to treatment.

They have a critical role to play: On this day her client, Abonga Mfanta had returned home to his grandfather, mother, girlfriend and brothers and sisters—eight in all under one roof. Abonga was started on DOTS treatment for TB during his six weeks in prison, and to continue with the treatment, it’s essential that he goes to the clinic where he’s been referred.

“I did get stressed at that time,” says Abonga about the moment he heard his diagnosis from a TB HIV Care volunteer inside the prison. “I told myself ‘I’m here in prison, now I’ve got TB… I was afraid, but they tell me I’m going to be OK.”

During the 45 minutes that Songezwa spends with the family, she verifies whether anyone else in the household is showing symptoms of infection. She talks with Abonga about the next steps for his DOTS treatment, and provides him a referral to the Town 2 Clinic, a 5-minute walk from his home. With evident relief Abonga agrees that he’ll go the following day, having been given only a few days’ supply of TB treatment by the prison upon his release. He’s been advised that failure to adhere could have dire consequences—failure to be cured, developing drug resistant TB, even dying of the disease.

For Songezwa, Abonga is one of up to 40 homes she’s visiting at any given time in the community. She'll continue her visits at least once a week up to the six month treatment completion date, where with ‘normal’ TB he should be fully cured. Her attention to the family is not only a plus because of her knowledge about TB; it’s also the calm and winning smile, the in-charge manner and her dedication to the community that shines through.

By the Numbers

Honduras is on track to achieving zero new cases of P. falciparum -- the deadliest form of malaria -- by 2017. Thanks to projects with a strong involvement of local communities, malaria cases dropped 78 percent between 2000 and 2011.

The Philippines is also edging closer to elimination, with confirmed cases of malaria down by 90 percent from more than 48,000 in 2003 to 4,900 in 2014. Malaria deaths fell from 162 to 8. The National Plan targets elimination by 2030.

World: Global Food Security Update, Issue 18 April-June 2015

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Source: World Food Programme
Country: Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Honduras, Iraq, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Swaziland, Syrian Arab Republic, Uganda, Ukraine, United Republic of Tanzania, World, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Tracking food security trends in vulnerable countries

The Global Food Security Update provides a quarterly overview of key food security trends in vulnerable countries. Information is provided by WFP VAM field teams and partners.

In focus

• Conflict in Yemen is causing increasing food insecurity.
As of June, at least 6 million people are facing Emergency (IPC Phase 4) food insecurity. Millions more could easily fall into the emergency conditions unless a political solution is found quickly.

• The protracted conflict in Syria has caused 50 percent of the population to flee their homes, leaving 7.6 million people internally displaced and more than 3.8 million taking refuge in neighbouring countries. In Syria, 9.8 million people are estimated to be in need of various levels of food, agricultural and livelihood assistance.

• Since January 2014, 2.9 million people in Iraq have fled their homes. Some 8.2 million, nearly a quarter of the population, currently require some form of immediate humanitarian support. Around 4.4 million people require urgent food assistance – a staggering 57 percent increase on the 2014 estimate. WFP monitoring suggests that food security has deteriorated in areas that are directly affected by conflict, where nearly one in ten households is consuming a borderline or inadequate diet.

• In West Africa, the Cadre Harmonisé analysis estimates that up to 7.3 million people will face Crisis and Emergency levels of food insecurity through August 2015. In the coming months, food security could deteriorate because of population movements in the north of Mali and in the Lake Chad basin, the continuing Ebola epidemic, and poor pasture and crop production in the Sahelian strip.

• South Sudan’s latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis identified increasing needs, with 4.6 million people projected to face severe food insecurity (IPC Phases 3 and 4) during the lean period of May–July 2015.

• The Nepal earthquake has significantly impacted food security, with an estimated 1.4 million people in need of food assistance (excluding the urban Kathmandu Valley area). The majority of these live in the most heavily affected areas along the seismic belt and in the mountains, with the rest living in the less severely damaged but densely populated southern areas.

• The food security situation in Ukraine has deteriorated since October 2014. Thirty percent of the population in conflict-affected areas are consuming an inadequate diet.

• In Southern Africa, regional crop production is expected to decrease as a result of uncharacteristic and erratic 2014/15 rainfall.

• Across central Ethiopia, early season dryness worsened in April, creating large rainfall deficits that damaged crop production and pasture development. Belowaverage Belg season crop production is expected.

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