European Union

The Danish EU Presidency presents a timely opportunity to elevate water resilience on the agenda and capitalise on it as a competitive advantage

“By delaying our 2040 target, the EU puts global climate ambition at risk,” the green lawmaker Lena Schilling said

The director general of the EU executive’s financial services division told MEPs that the proposed “reparation loan” to Ukraine would “mobilise” frozen Russian assets without affecting their “ownership” – and would thus fall short of confiscation

The European Defence Agency (EDA), NATO and the Portuguese Navy co-organised the 15th Robotic Experimentation and Prototyping using Maritime Unmanned Systems (REPMUS), the world’s largest event for testing unmanned maritime systems, held off the coast of Portugal. 

Running from 1 to 26 September in the waters south of Lisbon, the Portuguese-led exercise brought together 24 nations and tested some 300 uncrewed platforms across sea, air, and land domains.

It also marked the first time NATO’s military exercise ‘Dynamic Messenger’ was linked with REPMUS, combining operational training with experimental testing.

REPMUS/Dynamic Messenger 25 gave both militaries and industry the chance to trial robotics and artificial intelligence in real-world scenarios, including electronic jamming and dummy underwater mines.

“This was an opportunity to experiment on unmanned vehicles across all domains and in a real environment,” said Captain Nuno Palmeiro Ribeiro, Director of the Portuguese Navy Operational Experimentation Centre (CEOM). “What’s special about this zone is that we can do experimentation that is not possible elsewhere.”

Swarms, standards

Scenarios included Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) in coastal zones, electronic warfare in GPS-denied environments, and amphibious landings supported by robotic scouts and logistics drones. One highlight saw multiple uncrewed aerial vehicles performing ‘swarm’ operations, demonstrating the ability to operate autonomously in coordinated missions.

EDA, the EU agency tasked with strengthening defence cooperation among Member States, hosted seminars to highlight the importance of interoperability and ensuring allied and partner nations’ systems can work together. “Unmanned underwater vessels have different batteries, different chargers. We need to develop standards to improve interoperability and even interchangeability,” said Juergen Scraback, Head of EDA’s Maritime Domain Unit.

EDA is also establishing best practices. To address the lack of common regulations and safety procedures, the Agency is leading the Safety and Regulations for European Unmanned Maritime Systems (SARUMS) which provides a safety framework and guidance for design, operations, and legal compliance.

EDA has also supported a project to develop a swarm of biomimetic underwater vehicles for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (SABUVIS). EDA’s leadership in such projects emphasises its aim to accelerate Europe’s use of tested, mission-ready autonomous technologies in NATO and EU operations. 

 

Several start-ups supported by NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) used the event to test technologies for communications resilience, protecting undersea infrastructure and improving mine countermeasures. The Faculty of Engineering at the University of Porto and NATO’s Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation were also contributors.

Undersea warfare

The addition this year of Dynamic Messenger, led by NATO’s Allied Command Transformation and Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM), added a more operational dimension. While REPMUS focused on experimentation and integration, Dynamic Messenger provided a live operational framework, showing how new technologies can be deployed with NATO fleets.

More than 2,000 participants from 22 NATO nations took part, alongside observers from 13 other countries including Australia, Brazil, and South Korea. Ships from Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 also joined, highlighting the alliance’s focus on maritime readiness.

Unmanned systems are not intended to replace crewed forces, but to support them, taking on tasks such as high-risk reconnaissance or supply runs in contested environments.

With EDA now firmly embedded as a co-organiser in REPMUS, officials expect the annual event to continue serving not only as NATO’s largest unmanned systems exercise, but also as a platform for closer EU-NATO cooperation in defence technology. 

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Quelle : © Europäische Union, 2025 - EP

NADA Austria and Others
Principles of Community law
Advocate General Spielmann: the publication on the internet of the name of any professional athlete who has infringed the anti-doping rules is contrary to EU law

Willkommen bei Rapporteur – vormals Europa Kompakt. Jeden Tag liefern wir Ihnen die wichtigsten Nachrichten und Hintergründe aus der EU- und Europapolitik. Das müssen Sie wissen: Kommission: Ursula von der Leyen sagt, die NATO solle russische Jets abschießen. Gaza: Ehemaliger palästinensischer Premierminister äußert Zweifel am Plan der „Gebergruppe“ der EU Zunächst befassen wir uns der […]

There is a modest global decline in hunger since 2022. While progress is seen in Asia and South America, hunger is rising in Africa and Western Asia. Credit: Joyce Chimbi/IPS

By Joyce Chimbi
NAIROBI, Sep 25 2025 (IPS)

The 2025 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report shows a modest global decline in hunger since 2022, with 673 million people facing hunger in 2024, indicating a decrease of 22 million compared to 2022. While progress is seen in Asia and South America, hunger is rising in Africa and Western Asia.

This progress is nonetheless undermined by persistent food price inflation, particularly in low-income countries who were hit hardest by rising food prices, threatening vulnerable populations. The report emphasizes the need for stable markets, open trade and stronger policy coordination to secure healthy diets and reach the UN’s 2030 goals.

Isabel de la Peña, the country director for Cuba, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic for the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) spoke to IPS about the 2025 report and, the agriculture sector, rural populations, food and nutrition security in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region and the complex interplay of milestones and setbacks.

“The Latin America and the Caribbean region has reduced the incidence of hunger and food insecurity in the past four consecutive years and this is an important achievement. Hunger fell to 5.1 percent of the population in 2024, down from 6.1 percent in 2020,” she explained.

“And if you look at the past 20 years,” she continued, “Hunger had been steadily declining in LAC from 2005 to 2019. Then it peaked in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, hunger has been steadily declining and now it’s below pre-pandemic levels. Also, if you look at food insecurity, globally, LAC has experienced the greatest reduction in the prevalence of food insecurity in recent years.”

In 2024, hunger affected about 307 million people in Africa, 323 million in Asia and 34 million in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC)—20.2, 6.7, and 5.1 percent of the population, respectively. Food insecurity has remained consistently higher in rural areas than in urban areas since 2022, with notable improvements in urban areas in Asia and across urban, peri-urban and rural areas in LAC.

Although the gender gap narrowed at the global level from 2021 to 2023, it increased slightly in 2024, with the prevalence of food insecurity remaining consistently higher among women than men, globally and across all regions. “LAC has the largest gender gap in prevalence of food insecurity as food insecurity among women is 5.3 percentage points higher than among men,” Peña said.

Further speaking about the paradox of food insecurity in rural areas where it is produced as food insecurity affects 28 percent in rural areas versus 23 percent in urban settings. IFAD invests in rural people to enable them to overcome poverty and achieve food security. Peña said approximately 33.6 million people suffer from hunger in LAC and that rural populations, rural areas and women are still the furthest left behind.

“This is an unacceptable reality,” she continued. “LAC has enormous agricultural production potential, and it’s also a net exporter of food. Even though the number of people affected by food insecurity this region fell by 9 million between 2023 and 2024, one in four people in the region is still affected by food insecurity.”

Globally, LAC has the highest cost of a healthy diet and approximately 182 million people in LAC cannot afford a healthy diet. In designing sustainable solutions, she emphasized the need to be alive to the disparities in the region.

She said the Dominican Republic faces a significant double burden of malnutrition as undernutrition coexists with high rates of overweight and obesity and, over 63 percent of the adult population is overweight or obese.

Cuba has traditionally maintained low levels of undernourishment of below 2.5 percent and, a low prevalence of stunting or chronic child malnutrition. Peña attributes the milestone to “universal social protection and food distribution systems. But in the last five years, there’s been a drastic reduction in the production of staple foods, and also a decreased availability and resources to import food. Families are now receiving fewer state rations.”

“Guatemala is one of the countries in the region with the worst food security and nutrition situation as one in two people are food insecure, and chronic child malnutrition or stunting affects 44.6 percent of children under five. This is the highest rate in the region and one of the highest in the world and it’s even higher when we look at indigenous peoples and rural populations,” she said.

Cautioning that chronic child malnutrition or stunting has long-lasting lifelong consequences as it can impair brain development, reduce school performance, productive capacity and ability to earn an income and ultimately limit a child’s future contribution to the social and economic development of their country.

“The Dominican Republic is a success story in terms of reducing hunger, as prevalence has fallen below 3.6 percent. It used to be almost 22 percent 20 years ago. Still, 18 percent of the population is food insecure, and 23 percent cannot afford a healthy diet,” she emphasized.

All the same, agricultural challenges in the Dominican Republic include a lack of proper irrigation due to poorly maintained irrigation systems, blocked waterways and declining groundwater levels. Further afield in the Island nation of Cuba, there is an over-dependence on imports, as the country imports 60 to 70 percent of its food requirements.

Overall, she stated that climate change is an increasing threat, disrupting food systems, agricultural productivity, and supply chains, further exacerbating “food insecurity and malnutrition as LAC is the second most exposed region in the world to climate change.”

“These extreme weather events and climate variability really reduce agricultural productivity. They affect yields, they damage crops, they can also disrupt supply chains, leading to food prices rise and healthy diets becoming less accessible,” she said.

Further highlighting the urgent need to invest in climate change adaptation, she spoke of the droughts induced by La Niña in between 2020 and 2023 in Argentina that resulted in a 35 percent drop in wheat production and a dramatic fall in exports leading to international wheat price spikes as Argentina is a major wheat exporter.

Peña emphasised that this backdrop is particularly concerning for IFAD and heightens the need to work with “small-scale farmers and poor households, because those are the ones that are more vulnerable to high food prices. And, poor households spend a larger share of the income on food, so they are more vulnerable to these fluctuations.”

Stressing that for small-scale producers, any kind of rise in food prices outweigh the potential gains that that they can obtain from selling their produce. Overall, other prevailing challenges in LAC are linked to low agricultural productivity, limited access to financial services, low technology adoption and the aging of rural populations as the youth migrate to urban settings.

“We need to redouble our efforts and focus on investments in the populations that are being left behind such as rural areas and women and this is really at the core of what IFAD does in LAC. We have over 26 projects in the region with an investment of USD2.5 billion between IFAD resources and co-financing,” she emphasised.

These projects aim at promoting food and agricultural production and tackling climate change with a special focus on rural populations, small-scale producers, women, and indigenous communities who are still the furthest left behind in the journey towards zero hunger.

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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• Race Against Time as Hunger, Poverty Rise Amid Growing Global Uncertainties
• IFAD’s Record-Breaking Pledges: Lifeline for Rural Communities Cornered by Climate, Hunger

The president-elect of the southern African nation has a long and controversial political career.

Dauer des Videos : 135'

Haftungsausschluss : Die Verdolmetschung der Debatten soll die Kommunikation erleichtern, sie stellt jedoch keine authentische Aufzeichnung der Debatten dar. Authentisch sind nur die Originalfassungen der Reden bzw. ihre überprüften schriftlichen Übersetzungen.
Quelle : © Europäische Union, 2025 - EP

The Agriculture and Rural Development Committee adopted its position on Wednesday on a proposal to simplify the current EU common agricultural policy.
Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

The Agriculture and Rural Development Committee adopted its position on Wednesday on a proposal to simplify the current EU common agricultural policy.
Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

A powerful 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan late on 31 August 2025, with its epicenter near Jalalabad in Nangarhar province. A shortage of female doctors left women untreated as the quake’s toll mounted. Credit: UNICEF/Amin Meerzad

By External Source
KABUL, Sep 24 2025 (IPS)

In normal times, women in Afghanistan face dire living conditions relative to their counterparts in other parts of the world, given the iron grip of Taliban repression. However, the powerful 6.0-magnitude earthquake that struck the eastern Afghan provinces of Kunar, Nangarhar, and Laghman at the end of August was out of the ordinary.

It was the deadliest quake to hit earthquake-prone Afghanistan in decades, and humanitarian efforts to reach the most vulnerable – usually women, children, and the elderly – were overwhelmed.

In the affected areas, a serious shortage of female doctors led to a higher toll among women because male doctors did not have easy access to female victims due to gender segregation

Nearly 700,000 homes and 500 hectares of farmland were damaged in Kunar alone, according to Afghan authorities.

But the only factor that was not a force of nature is the gender-based restrictions instituted by the Taliban, which aggravated the crisis for Afghan women.

In the affected areas, a serious shortage of female doctors led to a higher toll among women because male doctors did not have easy access to female victims due to gender segregation.

“Taliban edicts bar women from moving freely without a male guardian, ban them from many forms of work and strictly limit access to healthcare,” according to a report by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.

In the aftermath of the deadly quake, residents from Kunar and Jalalabad told us that women in these areas faced shortages of safe shelter and drinking water, while also battling women’s health issues.

The condition of women and children in other areas such as Kunar, Nangarhar, and Laghman was equally poor.

The total death toll from the earthquake is estimated at 2,200 people. The exact number of women casualties remains unclear, but health workers in the affected areas have reported high death tolls among women and children.

Sharifa Aziz (a pseudonym), a member of the UNICEF relief team who spent three days in various parts of Kunar province, told us over the phone: “The situation is extremely dire. When we first arrived, women cried tears of joy at seeing us. They said, ‘God’s angels have come to us.’” Their jubilation was understandable.

There were insufficient female workers to serve women’s needs, stemming from the Taliban’s overall clampdown on women’s participation in the labour market. Their participation in international humanitarian organizations’ work is also strictly limited.

As the earthquake was still unfolding, Susan Ferguson, the UN Women Special Representative in Afghanistan, put out a statement: “Women and girls will again bear the brunt of this disaster, so we must ensure their needs are at the heart of the response and recovery,” she warned.

According to her, after the major earthquake that hit Herat in 2023, “nearly six out of 10 of those who lost their lives were women, and nearly two-thirds of those injured were women.”

After the quake struck, local news sources began reporting that the majority of the victims were women and children.

In some households, as many as five or six children lost their lives, and the death toll among women and the elderly was alarmingly high.

The Taliban eventually dispatched a team of mobile health workers to Kunar only after images from social media circulated on local television showing a shortage of female doctors in the affected area, according to Abdulqadeem Abrar, spokesperson for the Afghan Red Crescent Society.

However, residents say that with the rising number of injured people, they continue to face a shortage of female medical staff.

“After the severe earthquake in our area, we came to the hospital and brought in patients here. There is a serious shortage of female doctors. If there were more female doctors here, we would not have had to transfer our patients elsewhere,” complained Chenar Gul, a resident of Kunar.

As Tajudeen Oyewale, UNICEF’s representative in Afghanistan, pointed out in a posting on X, the role of female doctors is critical in responding to disasters such as earthquakes.

He added that female doctors treat children and women as well as men affected by the earthquake in these provinces. However, in humanitarian agencies without female staff, or where access is restricted, it is feared that women can be left untreated for several hours.

The growing concerns over the shortage of female doctors and healthcare workers—a contributory factor to the high toll exacted on women—should have brought home to the Taliban the negative impact of their policy. But in recent remarks, Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban leader, described the issue of girls’ education as “minor.”

For the fourth consecutive year, the Taliban have kept all universities, institutions, and medical training centers for girls and women closed, including specialized nursing and medical technology centers.

The scale of destruction caused by the 6.0-magnitude earthquake was exacerbated by poor infrastructure and a fragile healthcare system—a legacy of a country emerging from decades of military conflict—which explains the unacceptably high number of casualties.

However, it is within human capability to mitigate the severe impact of such recurring events on women. All it takes is for the international community to stand in solidarity with Afghan women by bringing relentless pressure on the Taliban government.

Excerpt:

The author is an Afghanistan-based female journalist, trained with Finnish support before the Taliban take-over. Her identity is withheld for security reasons

Stellungnahme zu dem Gesamthaushaltsplan der Europäischen Union für das Haushaltsjahr 2026 – alle Einzelpläne
Ausschuss für Sicherheit und Verteidigung
Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann

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Haftungsausschluss : Die Verdolmetschung der Debatten soll die Kommunikation erleichtern, sie stellt jedoch keine authentische Aufzeichnung der Debatten dar. Authentisch sind nur die Originalfassungen der Reden bzw. ihre überprüften schriftlichen Übersetzungen.
Quelle : © Europäische Union, 2025 - EP

It is time to shine a spotlight on small island nations in different parts of the world, argues James Alix Michel, former President Republic of Seychelles.

By James Alix Michel
VICTORIA, Sep 24 2025 (IPS)

Like so many problems besetting the world, the existential threats facing small island states are all too obvious. Island nations are surrounded by the sea, and they depend on it for their livelihood and for their security. The sheer power of the sea can never be tamed but islanders have learnt to work with it and in doing so, there has always been a productive balance. But this balance, however, has been cast aside – the relationship has broken down. Our mighty ocean is in poor shape.

The Ocean has been wilfully exploited by the world, in the name of ‘progress’. And it is now hitting back. We are all too familiar with related issues of rising sea levels, overfishing, the polluting effects of shipping, seabed mining, acidification and the destruction of marine ecosystems. And the list goes on. The question now is what can be done about it. Or is it too late?

The world’s superpowers are more preoccupied in their own competition for primacy, middle-ranking powers scrambling to catch up with those above them and small island states, who are not blameless, with all too many examples of harmful development.

James Alix Michel

Sadly, we are running out of options. Various international institutions responsible for driving solutions have become overly bureaucratic and subject to partisan interests, which in turn slows down progress in conservation and sustainability efforts. The United Nations—once everyone’s hope in averting international crisis—is in many ways failing to deliver. There is no magic wand to be waved in that forum. But some people do care, and young people especially. If a top-down approach has not worked, can we even now do more to activate change from the bottom up? This is probably our best hope of reversing the downward trend. So how would we do it?

Firstly, at the individual and community level, focus on promoting sustainable practices that reduces pollution, reduces carbon footprints, restores habitats and increases ocean literacy. These grassroots actions will drive change from the ground-up, opening doors to influence policy.

Secondly, grow local action. There are already some wonderful initiatives around the world. And they really do make a difference – protecting marine breeding grounds, restoring coral reefs, replanting mangrove and coastal coconut plantations, creating green coastal defences. But these are not enough. Multiply the number of projects not by measly single figures but by a hundred!

Thirdly, make our political systems more responsive. Leaders are too often elected with manifestos that are quickly forgotten. Lest we forget that leaders must prioritize the ocean because it is fundamental to human health, planetary stability, and economic prosperity. Ignoring ocean health would worsen, if not trigger, severe climate impacts leading to economic instability, making its protection a matter of human survival and sustainable development.

Next, use the media effectively to shine a spotlight on small island nations in different parts of the world. Show the state of the ocean now but also show what is being done locally to stop the rot. Point out that tourists can themselves act as a force for change by supporting local economies, raising awareness for marine health, reducing their own impact and directly participating in conservation actions. When done right, marine tourism can become one of the most powerful tools for ocean conservation and restoration.

Lastly, a high-profile competition in which all small island states present their own bottom-up plans. This would be not only a matter of status and prestige but also material benefit in attracting further investment. It would soon become evident which are doing the most to save the ocean and which are not. Those in the latter category would then be encouraged to adopt some of the winning ways.

Notably, Sustainable Development Goal 14, which focuses on life below water, remains the least funded among all SDGs due to Ocean health being seen as a less immediate or tangible priority compared to other issues, despite its critical role in supporting life on Earth. Yet, high profile events such as The Monaco Ocean Protection Challenge and other high profile initiatives are continuously encouraging creative expression from the youth and attracting political and industry leaders to support innovative and powerful solutions to save the Ocean.

The fact is that it would be all too easy to throw in the towel. Things have deteriorated so much, but it is never too late to fight back. The stakes in this case are too high to dismiss. Saving the ocean should not be a mere slogan. We need to be able to see its manifestation in the sea. Act now!

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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Excerpt:

James Alix Michel, Former President of the Republic of Seychelles, argues that the key to saving the ocean may be found in a bottom-up approach—sustainable practices, growing local action and making elected officials accountable.

ÄNDERUNGSANTRÄGE 1 - 188 - Entwurf eines Berichts Europäische Verteidigung – Bereitschaft 2030: Bedarfsermittlung
Ausschuss für Sicherheit und Verteidigung
Christophe Gomart

Quelle : © Europäische Union, 2025 - EP

ÄNDERUNGSANTRÄGE 1 - 172 - Entwurf eines Berichts Bekämpfung der Straflosigkeit mittels EU-Sanktionen, auch mittels der globalen Sanktionsregelung der EU im Bereich der Menschenrechte (sogenannte Magnitski-Verordnung der EU)
Ausschuss für auswärtige Angelegenheiten
Antonio López-Istúriz White

Quelle : © Europäische Union, 2025 - EP

Willkommen bei Rapporteur – vormals Europa Kompakt. Jeden Tag liefern wir Ihnen die wichtigsten Nachrichten und Hintergründe aus der EU- und Europapolitik. Das müssen Sie wissen: Umwelt: Der EU wird vorgeworfen, ein Anti-Abholzungsgesetz zu verzögern, um die USA zu beschwichtigen Kunst: Das belgische Molenbeek bewirbt sich um den Titel „Kulturhauptstadt 2030“ Justiz: Acht Kandidaten bewerben […]

A throng of people at the Kariakoo business hub in Dar es Salaam, where air pollution is rampant. Credit: Kizito Makoye Shigela/IPS

By Kizito Makoye
DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania , Sep 24 2025 (IPS)

On a hot afternoon in Kariakoo, Dar es Salaam’s bustling commercial hub, the air is a swirling mix of diesel exhaust, charcoal smoke and dust kicked up by the shuffle of feet. Traders tie handkerchiefs over their noses to deter haze from drifting into their throats and lungs.

“There are just too many cars—the toxic smoke makes it hard to breathe,” says Abdul Hassan, a vegetable vendor who has worked in the market for 19 years.

A new study by the Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology and the Stockholm Environment Institute, published in Clean Air Journal, has confirmed what many city dwellers already know: the air is toxic. Real-time data collected from 14 monitoring stations across Dar es Salaam between May 2021 and February 2022 showed concentrations of particulate matter—PM2.5 and PM10 — consistently exceeded World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. At their peak, daily PM2.5 levels reached 130 µg/m³, more than eight times the WHO’s recommended limit.

These findings place Dar es Salaam firmly within the global air pollution crisis, underscoring the urgent need to deliver on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 3.9.1, which calls for a substantial reduction in deaths and illnesses from hazardous air.

“Air pollution is not an invisible issue—you can smell it and feel it in your lungs,” said Neema John, a street cook who works near Kariakoo market. “My children cough all night when the smoke from burning dumps drifts into our house.”

A Silent Killer

The study shows that people living near dumpsites, busy roads, and industrial zones face the greatest risks. At the Pugu Dampo landfill, particulate concentrations reached staggering levels—up to 2,762 µg/m³ for PM10—during months of uncontrolled waste burning. In Ilala and Kinondoni, home to factories and major intersections, daily averages were consistently above safe limits.

Health experts warn that such exposure is linked to asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart failure, and premature deaths. In Tanzania, respiratory infections are a leading cause of hospital visits and child mortality.

“This is a public health emergency hiding in plain sight,” said Linus Chuwa, a Dar es Salaam–based public health specialist.

“When PM2.5 levels exceed WHO standards by such margins, they potentially inflict long-term damage to people’s health.”

Energy Poverty and Dirty Fuels

But the problem does not only stem from traffic and industry. According to the study, Dar es Salaam consumes nearly half of Tanzania’s total charcoal each year. With only 34 percent of the country’s electricity generated from clean hydropower, most households rely on charcoal and firewood.

This reliance on dirty fuels undermines SDG target 7.1.2, which aims to ensure access to clean energy for cooking and heating.

“For families, charcoal is cheaper and more accessible, but the smoke fills homes with toxic particles,” said Fatma Suleiman, who lives in the densely populated suburb of Mbagala. “We know it’s dangerous, but it is the only cheaper alternative?”

The Urban Sustainability Challenge

Dar es Salaam is one of Africa’s fastest-growing cities, its population now above six million. Its rapid sprawl, unregulated industries, and congested roads make it a typical example of the challenges captured under SDG target 11.6.2: reducing the environmental impact of cities by improving air quality.

The study found that during peak hours—6 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.—air pollution levels in traffic and industrial zones spiked sharply. Conversely, concentrations dropped during holidays, highlighting how transport and industrial activities drive emissions.

Policy efforts exist: the Bus Rapid Transit system and Standard Gauge Railway aim to reduce vehicle emissions, while Tanzania has signed onto regional and global clean air initiatives. Yet enforcement of air quality standards remains weak. The 2007 Air Quality Regulations are rarely applied, and monitoring remains limited.

A Boiling Cauldron

The warnings resonate most on Kongo Street, Kariakoo’s most notorious artery. Here, thousands push through a maze of wooden stalls while hawkers bellow prices, competing with the roar of motorbikes and rattling carts.

“You breathe smoke, dust, and even the stench from garbage that never seems to get collected,” said Mwanaidi Salum, a mother of three. “When I blow my nose, it’s black from dust and smoke.”

Although the study has identified other hotspots for  air pollution, the combination of heavy traffic, open-air cooking fires, and uncollected waste makes it a microcosm of the city’s pollution crisis.

Navigating Chaos, Swallowing Fumes

Cars and motorbikes lurch forward, horns blaring, leaving behind thick plumes of exhaust. Pedestrians leap aside, clutching bags to their chests. Wooden carts piled high with rice, bananas, and bales of used clothing block every path.

Researchers warn that children, street vendors, and the elderly are especially vulnerable to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.

Jacqueline Senyagwa, a research fellow at the Stockholm Environment Institute, said the findings from Dar es Salaam expose risks that are far from abstract.

“While our study did not collect medical data, the air quality records we obtained from 14 monitoring stations clearly showed very high concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10—several times above the World Health Organization’s safe limits,” she explained. “Globally, long-term exposure to such particles is linked to respiratory and cardiovascular conditions, particularly among children and the elderly. We are talking about asthma, lung diseases, heart failure, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.”

She noted that air pollution has become one of the biggest drivers of non-communicable diseases worldwide. “According to the WHO, it is the second-highest cause of non-communicable diseases globally. That should be a wake-up call for Tanzania.”

Yet despite these dangers, Senyagwa said Tanzania still lacks a robust national framework for air quality monitoring. “There are several reasons. First, there is limited awareness of the health impacts of air pollution among the public, policymakers, and regulators,” she said. “Solid waste is visible, and people demand action. But air pollution is invisible, and its effects take years to show, so action is often delayed.”

Technical capacity and resources are also a challenge.

“There are very few air quality experts in Tanzania, and most monitoring equipment has to be imported,” she noted. “Institutions like the Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology have only recently started fabricating local monitors. On top of that, the mandates of public agencies are fragmented. NEMC, for example, is responsible for regulating air quality, but with limited human and financial resources, enforcement has been minimal.”

According to Senyagwa, even the data itself is scarce. “The 14 stations we installed represent some of the very first ambient air monitoring efforts in the country,” she said. “Without reliable data, many decision-makers underestimate the scale of the problem.”

Her team identified clear hotspots. “At the Pugu Dampo dumpsite, the main source is open waste burning, which produces dangerously high levels of particulates,” she said. “In Vingunguti, the pollution largely comes from industries and road traffic. And in Magomeni and other crowded residential areas, vehicle emissions are the biggest culprit.”

Still, she pointed out that practical interventions do exist.

“The government’s investment in the Bus Rapid Transit system is a positive step because reducing traffic will cut emissions,” she said. “We’ve also carried out awareness campaigns with local communities—from advising waste pickers at Pugu to wear masks and stop random fires to working with schoolchildren in Vingunguti alongside partners like Save the Children Tanzania and Muhimbili College of Health Sciences.”

Dar es Salaam’s air quality crisis, she stressed, is not unique. “When we compare our results with Kampala, Nairobi, and Addis Ababa, the pattern is very similar. PM2.5 and PM10 levels across these cities also exceed WHO limits,” Senyagwa said.

Still, Tanzania can learn from regional peers. “Nairobi has gone further by passing a County Air Quality Act in 2022 and rolling out low-cost sensors across the city,” she said. “In Uganda, Kampala University has started fabricating its own sensors, while the Kampala Capital City Authority has already developed a clean air action plan. Addis Ababa is moving towards tougher vehicle emission standards.”

“These examples show that solutions are possible,” Senyagwa added. “But Tanzania must first recognize air pollution as a major public health threat—and act with the urgency it deserves.”

Plan of Action

The authors recommend a robust national monitoring framework, stronger enforcement of emission standards, and investment in waste recycling and composting to reduce open burning. Public awareness campaigns on air pollution’s health risks, they argue, are equally vital.

For the city’s dwellers, however, the need is urgent and personal. “We can’t keep raising children in an environment where every breath is dangerous,” said Hassan.

Unless Tanzania addresses dirty energy and unchecked urban pollution, its economic gains risk being overshadowed by rising health costs and declining quality of life.

Yet despite the looming health risks, life goes on at Kariakoo, even as the air grows harder to breathe.

Note: This article is brought to you by IPS Noram in collaboration with INPS Japan and Soka Gakkai International in consultative status with ECOSOC.

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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