THE HAGUE Rodney Stuckey Pacers Jersey , Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders urged countries to cooperate in dealing with the impacts of climate change on security during his opening speech at the first annual Planetary Security Conference in The Hague on Monday.

 

""I hope this conference is the start of something that happens more often and regularly,"" Koenders said. ""Climate and peace are intimately linked. Climate change forms a grave threat to security, especially in countries that are already fragile. That's why nowadays diplomats also need to view their work through a climate lens.""

 

Around 300 policy makers and experts from over 70 countries gathered at the Peace Palace to discuss the effects of climate change on international security. A large part of the two-day conference will be devoted to consultations in 12 working groups, focusing on the impact of climate change on food security, migration, Arctic security and sea level.

 

""We need to work together and help each other, because we face a massive challenge Reggie Miller Pacers Jersey ,"" Koenders added. ""In today's world, changes to the climate and the environment are overwhelmingly man-made. And those changes continue to affect peace and security.""

 

""Climate change will put pressure on the world's economic, social and political systems,"" he continued. ""The most serious risks will emerge when the impacts of climate change overburden weak states.""

 

By the end of this month the world will meet again in Paris at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 21), from Nov. 30 to Dec. 11, in which a new international agreement on climate change is set to be signed.

 

""One month before the world meets in Paris, we are reminding ourselves what is at stake Paul George Pacers Jersey ,"" Koenders said. ""We hope and trust we will reach an agreement that is ambitious and meets the world's expectations.""

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UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- The UN humanitarian chief, Stephen O'Brien, on Thursday released 17 million U.S. dollars from the Central Emergency Response Fund to support people affected by the worst drought in Ethiopia in decades, a UN spokesman told reporters here.

 

""The El Nino global climactic event has wreaked havoc on Ethiopia's summer rains,"" UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a daily news briefing here. ""This comes on the heels of failed spring rains, and has driven food insecurity Myles Turner Pacers Jersey , malnutrition and water shortages in affected areas of the country.""

 

O'Brien said that ""a timely response to the emergency is critical, and that if we don't act today, we face an even graver situation tomorrow, with more immense needs in 2016.""

 

The number of people who need food assistance in East Africa is forecast to increase to more than 22 million at the start of next year, with 15 million of those in Ethiopia alone.

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KHARTOUM, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Wooden boats in Sudan are still favored today as a means to cross the Nile River, particularly during seasonal flooding of the Nile Monta Ellis Pacers Jersey , when levels of the river rise as a natural cycle since ancient times.

 

The islanders and fishermen heavily depend on these traditional boats to transport their goods and personal belongings across the river, as the region is entering a season of Nile flooding.

 

Wooden boats building is still enduring in Sudan, namely on the shores of the Nile at Abu Raouf area of Omdurman city.

 

The wooden boats, locally known as "Marakib," has a long history in Sudan, where they used to be the only means to cross the Nile, and transport passengers and commodities Mark Jackson Pacers Jersey , not to mention their use in fishing.

 

"I have been building wooden boats since 1955. These boats constitute a heritage for Sudan and their industry is still popular despite emergence of modern steel boats," said Al-Haj Hussein Nasr Mohamed, a Sudanese builder of wooden boats, who believes the wooden boats "will never end" in Sudan despite the spreading of modern transportation.

 

"Steel boats cannot compete with wooden boats because the latter is cheaper. Additionally, wooden boats can endure the factors of nature and do not rust because they are made of wood," he noted.

 

The wooden boats are flexible with the ability to withstand the wind and fluctuation of the weather, pointing out that the price of a wooden boat is less than 2 Joseph Young Pacers Jersey ,000 Sudanese pounds (around 100 U.S. dollars).

 

He added that "Islanders and fishermen are greatly connected to wooden boats because they have remained their means to transport their commodities during this time each year."

 

The wooden boats are built of al-Sunnut, or acacia wood, which is brought from areas of the White Nile in South Sudan, Al-Haj Mohamed said, adding that the building of a boat could take a month.

 

"It is not an easy task, where we begin with preparing the wood into forms of plates, then we make the general structure of the boat which is composed of the floor Jeff Teague Pacers Jersey , the front, locally known as al-Muqadima, and the rear, locally known as al-Daraga (the shield) and finally the wooden plates are plastered to complete the body of the boat," he said.

 

He explained that boats are built as required in terms of length, width, height Chase Budinger Pacers Jersey , size and purpose, noting that the builder must have an accumulative experience to complete the work with accuracy.

 

"Fishing boats are usually five to six meters in length, passenger boats 10 to 12 meters and commodity boats 15 to 20 meters," he said.

 

"We build wooden boats for all areas of Sudan. We have boats that sail to the far north of Sudan and the White Nile areas in central Sudan. We even have boats that are now present in South Sudan," he said.

 

Scientific ship Kexue starts to explore west of Pacific Ocean

 

Torrential rain sweeps parts of Guangxi, S China

 

"Comfort women" statues installed on buses in Seoul

 

Never stop trying, Usain Bolt tells younger generation

 

Weekly choices of Xinhua photo (Aug. 5 - Aug. 11)

 

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