Ecological progress vital for future generation
CHINA’S environment policy in light of rising concerns about climate change and greater awareness of the need to preserve nature, even in a period of rapid industrial growth, carries significance.
A major review of the ecological progress of the Asian giant will show that it has made considerable headway in its actions as well as advocacy of ecological progress.
Under President Xi Jinping, China has improved ecological environment management and governance, and also freely shared its experience with other nations.
The change in weather patterns in recent years that has been experienced in Zimbabwe — prolonged droughts and floods — has resulted in a negative impact on the environment and has led to threats to human security.
It is thus imperative for Zimbabwe to learn from its all-weather friends, as it is now widely known that the world is significantly under siege from a wide array of environmental challenges.
For the country to prosper, the green economy paradigm is necessary to overcome challenges of sustainability that the world is facing today.
President Xi and his administration have put great importance to incorporating China’s ecological progress into every facet of social, political, economic and cultural development.
In this regard, the Chinese government has brought into effect several major policies that have produced significant results and this could be beneficial for present and future generations of Zimbabwe.
The theories applicable to ecological progress, newly refined and expressed in plain language, have raised public ecological awareness.
It is pointed out, for example, that a healthy ecology nurtures a prosperous civilisation, that green hills and clean water are China’s gold and silver mines, and that the ecological environment is a productive force.
In his book, “The Governance of China 1”, President Xi said efforts for ecological conversation and environmental protection will benefit future generations.
He said nations must take responsible attitude towards the people and future generations, be resolute in controlling environmental pollution, strive to usher in a new era of ecological progress and improve the environment for the people to live and work in.
“Ecological progress is of vital importance to the future of the nation and well-being of its people,” he wrote.
“The 18th National Congress of the of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) listed ecological progress along with economic, political, cultural and social progress as the five goals in the overall plan for the cause of Chinese socialism, vowing to promote ecological progress to build a beautiful China and achieve lasting and sustainable development of the Chinese nation.
“We must raise awareness of the need to respect, protect and accommodate ourselves to nature, follow the basic state policy of resource conversation and environmental protection and give high priority to conserving resources, protecting the environment and promoting its natural restoration.
“We must dedicate ourselves to raising our ecological awareness, enhancing relevant systems, safeguarding ecological security, and improving the environment. We must preserve our geographical space and streamline our industrial structure, our mode of production, and our way of life in the interest of resource conservation and environmental protection.
“We must strike a balance between economic growth and environmental protection, and bear in mind that protecting the environment equates to developing productivity.
“We will be more conscientious in promoting green, circular and low-carbon development. We will never again seek economic growth at the cost of the environment.”
Promoting ecological progress should be Zimbabwe’s inevitable choice in reflecting the country’s sense of responsibility for global sustainable development.
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LAST week, news that 6 700 girls dropped out of Zimbabwe’s schools in 2018 after they fell pregnant or entered into unintended marriages, broke out. Of concern is that of those drop-outs, 367 were from primary schools, while 6 419 were from secondary schools.
In Zimbabwe, girls usually complete their primary school education between 12 and 13 years, a time when their bodies are not fully developed to carry a pregnancy, moreover go into labour.
Such girls are at higher risk of birth complications that include obstetric fistula — a hole between the birth canal and rectum or bladder, that is caused by prolonged obstructed labour, leaving a woman incontinent of urine or faeces or both.
Many other complications that may lead to death during or after giving birth have stalked the pregnant teens.
Young girls engaging in early and unprotected sex are not just exposed to unintended pregnancies, but are also at higher risk of HIV infection and sexually transmitted diseases.
In the SADC region, countries like South Africa, Namibia and Mozambique are also battling with unplanned teen pregnancies.
In South Africa, for example, 3 000 girl children aged between 10 and 14 became mothers in 2017.
According to IOL, the Recorded Live Births report, which is commissioned by Statistics South Africa, showed that a total of 3 261 girl children aged between 10 and 14 were registered as mothers in South Africa in 2018.
The report also revealed that there were more than 100 000 teenagers who gave birth in 2016 in South Africa.
Namibia also faced the challenge of teen pregnancies, with the Khomas Region recording 89 school pregnancies in the first term of 2019, while 1 002 learners fell pregnant between 2015 and 2018, according to the Namibian Sun
level of adolescent pregnancy. It is estimated at 101 births per 1 000 woman.
newspaper.
In Mozambique, child marriage and teen pregnancy rates are among the highest in the world.
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef): “Mozambique, the country has one of the highest rates of child marriage in the world, affecting almost one in every two girls, and has the second highest rate in the eastern and southern African sub-region.
“Some 48 percent of women in Mozambique aged between 20 and 24 were first married or in a union before the age of 18, and 14 percent before the age of 15 (DHS, 2011).”
According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) every day in developing countries, 20 000 young girls under 18 give birth. This amounts to 7,3 million births a year. Southern Africa has the highest level of adolescent pregnancy. It is estimated at 101 births per 1 000 woman.
The worrying statistics on teen pregnancies in the SADC region come just a few weeks before the world gathers in Nairobi, Kenya between November 12 and 14, 2019 for the 25th Anniversary of the Implementation of ICPD Programme of Action which was adopted in Cairo, Egypt in 1994.
The watershed Cairo agreement has been the cornerstone of the global reproductive rights movement for the past 25 years.
At the Cairo meeting, Zimbabwe was one of the 179 governments that adopted a revolutionary Programme of Action (POA) and called for women’s reproductive health and rights to take centre stage in national and global development efforts.
In an interview with The Herald, UNFPA Zimbabwe Country Representative Dr Esther Muia said sexual reproductive health remained central.
She said because of poverty and economic issues, transactional sex has taken a major position in young girls’ lives, exposing them to HIV and also unintended teen pregnancies.
“More efforts need to be driven towards this group,” said Dr Muia.
“If we do not specifically target this group, we are going to get another generation of an epidemic that may be difficult to erase because of the large proportion of young people in the population.”
To capture this group, she said, it is important to be innovative and target deliberate programmes that address needs of teenage girls.
“The economic aspect is critical, if these girls are economically empowered, then they do not have to look for transactional sex to survive in academic institutions and also outside,” said Dr Muia.
“The other part is early marriages. I’m happy to say that one of the progress here in Zimbabwe is that there are favourable Bills now in Parliament awaiting to be moved forward like the Marriages Bill. Consent for marriage. What is the legal age for marriage? It used to be 16, now the Bill has recommended 18 and it’s on its way to be accepted,” she explained.
“In the past when girls got pregnant, they didn’t get back to school. The return-to-school policy now allows girls to go back to school after they have had babies.
“When they have a baby and do not get back to school, the likelihood that they will continue is still there.
“But, now if they go back to school and they are counselled and there’s guidance, it will reduce the number of girls that will become vulnerable to either getting infected or unintended pregnancy, dropping out of school and the vicious poverty cycle.”
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