OTTAWA, Canada, July 24, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Today, on behalf of the Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, Nina Grewal, Member of Parliament for Fleetwood-Port Kells, announced humanitarian assistance funding to support the efforts of UNICEF in Somalia. The support will help improve the health, well-being and protection of children, women and their families.“In light of the continuing humanitarian crisis in Somalia, Canada is answering the call to provide additional help,” said MP Grewal. “Canada’s support to UNICEF will help ensure that Somali families get what they need to survive, including access to safe…
Author: apofeed
OTTAWA, Canada, July 24, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Check Against DeliveryGood morning/afternoon. Thank you for coming.It is a pleasure for me to be able to talk to the people of Surrey about the wonderful work that Canada is doing to help the people of developing countries affected by humanitarian crises.Sitting in our safe homes in Canada, with enough food to eat and clean water to drink, with ready access to medical care, most of us lead lives in which the situation faced by people in conflict zones is remote from our experience and frankly, unimaginable.It was shocking for me…
LAGOS, Nigeria, July 24, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — There is no disguising the challenges that Nigeria is facing. The world is well aware of the concerns around terrorism and Nigeria’s ongoing struggle with poverty. However, there is another side to the Nigeria story that has been overshadowed both by the recent headlines and the persistence of outdated beliefs and assumptions about Nigeria’s economy. A new report from the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) (http://www.mckinsey.com/mgi) and McKinsey’s Nigeria office (http://www.mckinsey.com), Nigeria’s renewal: Delivering inclusive growth in Africa’s largest economy, examines the country’s economic potential and finds that with the right reforms…
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, July 24, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The African Union Commission of Inquiry on South sudan (AUCISS), led by H.E. Chairperson, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, on Sunday, 20 July 2014 in continuation of the fact finding work which African Head of State and Government tasked the Commission to carry out as a means of reaching sustained peace and stability in South Sudan.The visit is the third by the Commission to South sudan and the second to be led by the Chairperson of the Commission of Inquiry on South Sudan. During…
LONDON, United-Kingdom, July 24, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Mark Simmonds welcomes release of Meriam Ibrahim and calls on Government of sudan to guarantee religious freedom for all.Commenting after Meriam Ibrahim, who had previously been sentenced to death for apostasy, boarded a plane leaving sudan with her family, Minister for Africa Mark Simmonds said:”I am delighted that Meriam Ibrahim has been able to leave the country safely with her family.”I welcome last month’s decision by the appeal court to overturn the barbaric sentence handed down in May. Freedom of religion or belief is a fundamental human right enshrined in both…
OTTAWA, Canada, July 24, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Check Against DeliveryGood morning/afternoon.Thank you for joining us. We are here today to discuss a global initiative that came together under Canada’s leadership.In 2010, Canada hosted the G-8 where the Prime Minister launched the Muskoka Initiative.This initiative put maternal, newborn and child health at the forefront of global development efforts.It received global support and leveraged $7.8 billion from governments, as well as NGOs.It also mobilized Canadians.As a country, we stood up and decided that we cannot stand idly by while women and children around the world suffer and die from largely…
NEW YORK, July 24, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Eugène-Richard Gasana (Rwanda):The members of the Security Council welcomed the announcement of the final results of Libya’s parliamentary elections held on 25 June. They commended the Libyan people and the efforts of the High National Electoral Commission in ensuring their success, despite ongoing security challenges.The members of the Security Council urged the expeditious seating of the Council of Representatives to begin the important work of building political consensus among the Libyan people, agreeing upon a government and urgently seeking…
GENEVA, Switzerland, July 23, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) has called for greater efforts to protect MPs in Somalia after the assassination of Saado Ali Warsame, the fourth parliamentarian killed this year by militants in the African country.Warsame was also a popular singer of Somali folk music. She and her driver were ambushed on Wednesday by gunmen as they were heading to a hotel in Mogadishu.Somalia’s Al Shabaab, which immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, had earlier this year reportedly threatened to kill the country’s parliamentarians “one by one”.IPU condemns this reprehensible attack, the latest in…
MOGADISHU, Somalia, July 23, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Somalia (SRSG), Nicholas Kay, condemned the assassination of Saado Ali Warsame, a female Member of the Somali Federal Parliament, and expressed his deep concern about the continued attacks targeting parliamentarians in the capital. Ms Warsame and her driver were shot and killed as they travelled in a vehicle in Mogadishu today. In addition to being a parliamentarian, Ms Warsame was a well known singer whose loss will be felt across Somalia. “I condemn the assassination of Saado Ali Warsame in the strongest terms…
GENEVA, Switzerland, July 23, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — With the rainy season nearly at its peak in South Sudan, cholera continues to spread in the war-torn country. The South sudan Red Cross is working hard to prevent further spread of the epidemic in Eastern Equatoria and Upper Nile states, supported by its Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement partners. Inadequate sanitation conditions and a lack of safe drinking water put thousands already affected by violence at further risk. “With thousands of people affected and nearly 100 deaths reported already, the cholera epidemic that begun mid-June has rapidly spread. The…
OTTAWA, Canada, July 23, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Ms. Cathy McLeod, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Labour and for Western Economic Diversification, will host a round table meeting on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH). She will be joined by Ms. Joyce Bateman, Member of Parliament for Winnipeg South Centre.During the round table, PS McLeod will make an announcement on behalf of the Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, on additional humanitarian assistance to meet the needs of children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.Date: Thursday, July 24, 2014Time: 12 p.m.Place: Fort Rouge…
NEW YORK, July 23, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — On 21 July 2014, the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 2127 (2013) concerning the Central African Republic drew attention to the recommendation contained in paragraph 113 (b) of the interim report of the Panel of Experts on the Central African Republic dated 1 July 2014 (document S/2014/452), which is available on the Committee’s website: http://www.un.org/sc/committees/2127/panelofexperts.shtml.Paragraph 113 [page 26] The Panel recommends that:“(b) The Committee urge all parties, including countries of the Central African region, INTERPOL and regional and subregional organizations, to enhance information-sharing and joint action to investigate and…
OTTAWA, Canada, July 23, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Ted Opitz, Member of Parliament (Etobicoke Centre), on behalf of the Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, will deliver remarks at an event in Etobicoke, Ontario.During the remarks, MP Opitz will make an announcement regarding Canadian humanitarian assistance in Somalia.Date: Thursday, July 24, 2014Time: 6:45 p.m.Place: St. Philip’s Lutheran Church61 West Deane Park DriveEtobicoke, ON
WASHINGTON, July 23, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — RemarksJohn KerrySecretary of StatePresidential PalaceCairo, EgyptJuly 22, 2014FOREIGN Minister SHOUKRY: (Via interpreter) Good morning. It’s my pleasure to welcome U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry here in Cairo. This visit comes at a very critical time and in the midst of intensified Egyptian efforts to broker a cease-fire agreement on the basis of the plan it has proposed and in the midst of intensified contacts between the various Palestinian factions and the Palestinian Authority and Israel.I would also – Mr. John Kerry met today with our president and we held bilateral meetings…
STUTTGART, Germany, July 22, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Marines and sailors from Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Africa 14 completed a partnership exercise in Gabon, June 28.The team of 15 Marines and sailors trained with their Gabonese counterparts from the Agence Nationale des Parcs Nationaux and the Gabonese military and Gendarmerie to demonstrate tactics that could then be applied to combat all types of illicit activities, to include narcotics trafficking.The Americans and Gabonese focused on marksmanship, combat life saver and casualty evacuation, tactical site exploitations, mission planning, basic infantry skills, and patrolling tactics.At the conclusion of the engagement, the…
GENEVA, Switzerland, July 22, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — To facilitate an effective response to protecting, assisting and referring victims of trafficking, especially children, IOM Tanzania, in collaboration with Tanzania’s Anti-Trafficking Secretariat, is this week convening a stakeholders meeting to develop Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).The three-day event, which began yesterday, is taking place today at the Stella Maris Hotel in Bagamoyo and attendees include Secretary of the Anti-Trafficking Committee from the Ministry of Home Affairs Seperatus Fella.The fight against human trafficking is one of the core activities of IOM in Tanzania, which is a source, transit and destination country for…
BRUSSELS, Kingdom of Belgium, July 22, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Council today extended the mandate of EUCAP Sahel Niger, the EU CSDP mission in Niger, until 15 July 2016. EUCAP Sahel Niger, embedded in the EU strategy for security and development in the Sahel, provides advice and training to support the Nigerien authorities in strengthening their capacities for combating terrorism and organised crime. The mission works to promote the interoperability of Nigerien security forces, to develop criminal investigation capacities, to facilitate coordination in the fight against terrorism and organised crime as well as to improve the sustainability of…
LAGOS, Nigeria, July 22, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Christopher Bell, Interactive Intelligence’s Channel Manager for Africa (http://www.inin.com), has recently called for the creation of a call centre association for Nigeria and other African countries as a way of promoting a standard for call centres. He mentions that such associations have already been set up in Zambia and Zimbabwe, and plans are underway to set one up in Kenya.Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/interactiveintelligence.jpgPhoto 1: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/index.php?level=picture&id=1252Photo 2: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/index.php?level=picture&id=1253“Call centres are helping African governments to provide efficient and effective services to citizens”, says Rod Jones, contact centre consultant. Speaking in Lagos, Nigeria ahead of an…
MOGADISHU, Somalia, July 22, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) protests the sudden approval of Puntland Media law by Puntland parliament, and criticized the proposed legislation as a “blow to press freedom”.Puntland Parliament passed today the draft media law, which was resubmitted to the parliament on Saturday, 19 July 2014 after the parliament returned the same text to the Ministry of Information on 16 July. This media law specifies penalties, fines, and suspension of journalists from work. It legalizes closure of media houses and restrains editorial independence of media outlets. The draft law gives…
GENEVA, Switzerland, July 22, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Almost 10,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) have moved into a new UN Protection of Civilians (PoC) site in Malakal in South Sudan’s Upper Nile State, constructed by IOM and partners, and funded by the European Union’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection Department (ECHO).In April, with the rainy season looming, ECHO and IOM raced to bring site preparation equipment to Malakal to improve shelter, security and access to water, sanitation and health services for more than 20,000 IDPs seeking protection in the existing Malakal PoC site.The heavy machinery, including tractors, trucks and…