NEW YORK, December 12, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — United Nations Secretary-General BAN Ki-moon announced today the appointment of Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed of Mauritania as his new Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER), at the Under-Secretary-Level. In his role as Special Representative, Mr. Ould Cheikh Ahmed will work closely with the Special Envoy on Ebola, Dr. David Nabarro, and with the governments in the region and other partners. Mr. Ould Cheikh Ahmed succeeds Anthony Banbury of the United States, who will return to New York in early January 2015. The Secretary-General…
Author: apofeed
KINSHASA, Dem. Rep. of Congo (DRC) December 12, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — A technical team from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) headed by Norbert Toé visited Kinshasa during December 3–10, 2014. The team reviewed recent economic developments and short-term prospects, updated the macroeconomic framework, and discussed possible themes for the 2015 Article IV Consultation with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). At the end of the mission, Mr. Toé issued the following statement:“Despite a challenging external and domestic environment, the DRC’s economy continues to show resilience with positive trends in key macroeconomic indicators. However, it remains highly dependent…
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, December 12, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Merck (http://www.merckgroup.com), a leading company for innovative and top-quality, high-tech products in the pharmaceutical, chemical and life science sectors, today announced that Ethiopia will receive around 13 million praziquantel tablets in 2015. Merck supports the World Health Organization (WHO) to fight the parasitic worm disease schistosomiasis in Africa. Praziquantel is the most effective treatment for schistosomiasis. Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/merck_logo.jpgAccording to WHO, Ethiopia is one of the most endemic countries for schistosomiasis in the world. It is estimated that around 22 million people, which is more than 20% of the entire population,…
GENEVA, Switzerland, December 12, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — IOM this week conducted a training course, funded by the European Union (EU), for ten police officers from Puntland State in Somalia at the Africa Capacity Building Centre (ACBC) in Moshi in Tanzania. IOM is supporting the capacity building of the Puntland State and its civil society to address human trafficking. The training at the ACBC aims to increase the understanding of law enforcement personnel in human trafficking, often confused with smuggling, and improve their skills in case management, with a particular focus on child trafficking. Since 2013 when IOM started…
PARIS, France, December 11, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Medecins Sans Frontieres / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has been notified that four individuals, including three former MSF patients, have filed suit against five health organisations, including MSF, in Kenya. In particular, the former patients allege that they were either sterilised without their consent at third-party Kenyan health structures or felt pressured by staff at MSF’s former Mathare HIV care project to undergo surgical sterilisation to avoid losing access to medical treatment or nutritional support. “MSF takes these allegations extremely seriously and is reviewing them carefully,” said Dr. Alexandra Vandenbulcke, MSF’s…
KIGALI, Rwanda, December 11, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — On December 8, 2014 the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund completed the second review of Rwanda’s economic performance under the program supported by the Policy Support Instrument (PSI)1 and also concluded the 2014 Article IV consultation2 with Rwanda.The PSI for Rwanda was approved on December 2, 2013 (see Press Release No.13/483).Following the Board discussion, Mr. Naoyuki Shinohara, Deputy Managing Director and Acting Chair, made the following statement:“The Rwandan authorities are to be commended for their strong implementation of the economic program supported by the Policy Support Instrument, carried out…
KAMPALA, Uganda, December 11, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund today completed the third review of Uganda’s economic performance under the program supported by the Policy Support Instrument (PSI).1 The Board’s decision was taken on a lapse of time basis.2The PSI for Uganda was approved by the Executive Board on June 28, 2013 (see Press Release No: 13/239).Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth was lower than expected at the time of the second PSI review in fiscal year (FY) 2013/14, reflecting under-execution of externally-financed public investment and adverse impact on exports of slower…
NEW YORK, December 11, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The members of the Security Council have taken note of Saturday’s parliamentary vote of no confidence in the Prime Minister of the Federal Government of Somalia, and recent political instability in the country. The members of the Security Council recalled their visit to Somalia, and that of the Secretary-General, during which both underlined the vital importance of a united political leadership in Somalia. The members of the Security Council expressed their concern at the recent political instability in Somalia, and its impact on peace and stability. The members of the Security…
NEW YORK, December 12, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Mahamat Zene Cherif (Chad): On 8 December, the United Nations Security Council was briefed by Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hervé Ladsous, Head of the United Nations Office to the African Union and Special Representative to the African Union Haile Menkerios, and Acting UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) Force Commander Major-General Halefom Moges on the situation in sudan and South sudan under resolution 2046 (2012) and the situation in Abyei. The members of the Security Council welcomed the…
LIMA, Peru, December 11, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Secretary-General met today with H.E. Ms. Edna Molewa, Minister of Environmental Affairs of South Africa, on the margins of the United Nations Climate Change Conference.The Secretary-General welcomed that South Africa will be the Chair of the G77 and China in 2015, urging the country to continue its contributions towards reaching a meaningful, universal agreement.He spotlighted the leadership role of South Africa in working with developing and developing countries in the months before the next session of the Conference of Parties in Paris in 2015.