ROME, Apr 12 (IPS) - Nearly 50 per cent of all emergency multilateral food assistance to Africa is due to natural disasters, with advancing droughts significantly threatening both livelihoods and economic growth, warns the African Union through its ground-breaking extreme weather insurance mechanism designed to help the continent's countries resist and recover from the ravages of drought.

MONGU, Zambia, Apr 12 (IPS) - Ivy Nyambe Inonge, 35, is the treasurer of Mbeta Island Integrated Fish Farm in Senanga district. Her group won the first prize in Zambia under the Cultivate Africa's Future (CultiAF)  Expanding Business Opportunities for African Youth in Agricultural Value Chains in Southern Africa. She is excited at the prospect of what 5,000 dollars can do for her group, and ultimately, the whole community of Mbeta Island.

UNITED NATIONS, Apr 11 (IPS) - When António Guterres was chosen by the United Nations Security Council in October to become the next leader of the UN, neither he nor anyone else could have predicted precisely who would be commanding the Oval Office of the White House in January 2017, just as Guterres's term opened.

LA HIGUERA, Chile, Apr 11 (IPS) - In Punta de Choros, a hidden cove on Chile's Pacific coast, some 900 fishers do not yet dare celebrate the decision by regional authorities to deny the Dominga port mining project a permit due to environmental reasons.

UNITED NATIONS, Apr 11 (IPS) - The Group of 77 has pointed out that the Ebola crisis of 2014-2015 proved that "no country is immune from a disease outbreak, no matter where it emerges"

UNITED NATIONS, Apr 11 (IPS) - The Group of 77 is calling for the creation of a new and dedicated Trust Fund for the implementation of the UN's strategic plan on forests for the period 2017-2030.

ROME, Apr 11 (IPS) - Food assistance is a priority and the only way to prevent the crisis from worsening in the Lake Chad Basin, is to support food production according to José Graziano da Silva, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

SYDNEY and KUALA LUMPUR, Apr 11 (IPS) - More than eight years after the global financial crisis exploded in late 2008, economic growth remains generally tepid, while ostensible recovery measures appear to have exacerbated income and other inequalities. Yet, despite the G-20 group of the world's largest economies raising the level, frequency and profile of its meetings, effective multilateral cooperation and coordination remains a distant dream.

SYDNEY, Apr 11 (IPS) - Science and medicine were not subjects of dinnertime conversations in the Norton household in Christchurch, New Zealand, but Professor Robyn Norton grew up observing her parents' commitment to equity and social justice in improving people's lives. It left an indelible impression on her young mind.

UNITED NATIONS, Apr 10 (IPS) - Pakistani education activist Malala Yousafzai has become the youngest UN Messenger of Peace with a special focus on girls' education.