diplomacy&development

The US Vice President Kamala Harris spoke yesterday 26 February 2021 with President Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  The US Vice President congratulated President Tshisekedi on assuming the African Union Chairmanship. They discussed COVID-19, the recent Ebola outbreaks, and economic opportunity. They committed to work together to strengthen health security, increase regional trade and investment, promote human rights and good governance, and to address the challenges of climate change. The Vice President committed to working with the DRC government to advance girls’ education and to bolster economic opportunities for all Congolese.  The Vice President emphasized the serious concern of the United States about reports of significant human rights violations and a deteriorating humanitarian crisis in the Tigray region of Ethiopia.  They agreed to collaborate to reduce conflict, support dialogue, and secure peace in eastern DRC and the region. Cassien Tribu...

Le président de la République Démocratique du Congo Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi et le  Président de la FIFA, Gianni Infantino Le président Tshisekedi se passionne pour le football, et je suis très heureux de travailler à ses côtés pour faire en sorte d'apporter une note d’espoir aux enfants africains grâce au football. Suite à une rencontre à Kinshasa entre le Président de la FIFA (www.FIFA.com) Gianni Infantino et le président de la République Démocratique du Congo Félix Tshisekedi, qui occupe également les fonctions de président de l’Union africaine (UA), la FIFA et l’Union africaine se sont entendues pour organiser conjointement une compétition de football scolaire. Après une première série d’échanges par visioconférence la semaine dernière, les deux présidents se sont retrouvés au Palais de la Nation dans la capitale de la RD Congo, afin de poursuivre leur discussion. Les débats ont notamment porté sur la nécessité d’utiliser le football pour améliorer le quotidien des Africains e...

The President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo and the  FIFA President Gianni Infantino Through football, you can teach respect for adversaries and rules, learning how to play as a team, how to win and lose. FIFA (FIFA.com) and the African Union have agreed to launch a schools football competition following a meeting in Kinshasa between FIFA President Gianni Infantino and the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Félix Tshisekedi, who is also the current Chairperson of the African Union (AU). The two presidents, who had initiated discussions last week by videoconference, met at the Palais de la Nation in the DRC’s capital to further their productive talks of the previous days, and central to their exchange was the need to use the power of football to improve lives and to harness the possibilities it offers to instil positive values in young people. On this subject, both the FIFA President and the AU Chairperson agreed to u...

• The ACT Accelerator partnership welcomes over US$ 4.3 billion of new investments from the USA, Germany, the European Commission, Japan, and Canada to fund the development and equitable rollout of the tests, treatments and vaccines needed to end the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. • Today’s commitments bring the amount committed to date to US$ 10.3 billion, leaving a funding gap of US$ 22.9 billion to fully fund the ACT Accelerator’s work in 2021. • The UK’s commitment to share vaccine surplus with developing countries is also welcomed and joins similar commitments made by Canada, France, Norway and the European Union.  • Global Health leaders reiterated, however, that without further significant financial commitments, access to COVID-19 tools would be delayed, risking further mutations and prolonging the pandemic everywhere.  Commitments made at today’s Virtual G7 leaders meeting hosted by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and at the Munich Security Conference later in ...

Bank The number of MSMEs has almost doubled from 360 in 2015 to 719, in 2016 on an initial target of 540 MSMEs. The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Development Program (https://bit.ly/3dr8Cgj) whose implementation was completed in June 2020, enabled 716 Seychelles MSMEs to access financing, indicates the project completion report published by the African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org/fr) on February 4, 2021.  This program, launched in 2014, was funded to the tune of US $ 1.2 million by the African Development Bank’s Technical Assistance Fund for the Private Sector in Africa (FAPA). It removed two obstacles to the development of MSMEs in the 115-island Indian Ocean archipelago: difficulties in accessing finance and the lack of entrepreneurial skills.  Thanks to its implementation, the number of MSMEs has almost doubled, from 360 in 2015 to 719, in 2016 on an initial target of 540 MSMEs. Loan recovery also improved, from 10% to 30% in 2015, to 90% in 2017. Seychelles...

TNT’s NBA All-Star coverage will begin at 5 p.m. ET with TNT NBA Tip-Off presented by CarMax. NBA (www.NBA.com) All-Star Game and Skills Competitions to Take Place on One Night for First Time, With Oncourt Action Beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET on TNT;  NBA and NBPA to Commit More Than $2.5 Million to Support HBCUs and Communities Impacted by COVID-19; NBA and NBPA Establish Health and Safety Protocols for NBA All-Star 2021. The National Basketball Association (NBA) announced today that NBA All-Star 2021 will be held on Sunday, March 7 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, home of the Atlanta Hawks, where the league’s annual global celebration of the game will take place on one night for the first time, with oncourt action beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET on TNT.  As part of this year’s events, the NBA and National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) announced that they will commit more than $2.5 million in funds and resources toward Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and sup...

The Chamber’s Regulatory Committee took into account how difficult it is for investors, but also for governments to adapt to the new normal. The African Energy Chamber’s Regulatory Affairs Committee (EnergyChamber.org) held its first meeting of the year to discuss regulatory matters that impede the African energy sectors growth and to make proposals on progressive regulation fit for the post COVID recovery. The purpose of a regulatory committee is to identify and track global regulatory trends and make propositions to African regulators on how these could be adopted and adapted to improve the operating environment in Africa’s energy sector. Through its work, the Regulatory Committee was able to assist the Chamber in crafting propositions that led to some changes in regulations on how to soften the impact of COVID-19 on energy companies in a number of countries at the start of the pandemic in 2020. The Chamber’s Regulatory Committee took into account how difficult it is for investors, b...

Health authorities in Guinea today declared an outbreak of Ebola in the rural community of Gouéké in N’Zerekore prefecture after three Ebola cases were confirmed by the national laboratory, marking the first time the disease has been reported in the country since an outbreak ended in 2016. Initial investigations found that a nurse from the local health facility died on the 28 January 2021. Following her burial, six people who attended the funeral reported Ebola-like symptoms and two of them have died, while the other four have been hospitalized. Guinea was one of the three most-affected countries in the 2014–2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak which was the largest since the virus was first discovered in 1976.  “It’s a huge concern to see the resurgence of Ebola in Guinea, a country which has already suffered so much from the disease. However, banking on the expertise and experience built during the previous outbreak, health teams in Guinea are on the move to quickly trace the path of ...

The Ambassador of France in the DRC, François Pujolas accompanied by the Congolese Minister of Public Health, Eteni Longondo as well as other officials This ceremony to launch the FM grant in the DRC must be placed in its context, that of an unprecedented mobilization of the international community on global health issues.  France is a founding member of the Global Fund and remains the second historic donor (after the United States) with a financial commitment of 6.34 billion € (7.9 billion USD) since its creation.  On October 10, 2019, we celebrated together in Kinshasa, the unprecedented success of the 6th replenishment conference of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, organized in Lyon, under the leadership of President Emmanuel Macron.  As a reminder, this 6th conference raised more than $ 14 billion for the 2021-2023 funding cycle, the highest amount ever raised for a multilateral health organization. On this occasion, the contributions of the Eu...

L'Ambassadeur de France en RDC, François Pujolas accompagné du Ministre Congolais de la santé publique, Eteni Longondo ainsi que des autres officiels Cette cérémonie de lancement de la subvention du FM en RDC doit être replacée dans son contexte, celui d’une mobilisation sans précédent de la communauté internationale sur les enjeux de santé mondiale. La France est membre fondateur du Fonds mondial et demeure le deuxième donateur historique (après les Etats-Unis) avec un engagement financier de 6.34 milliards € (7.9 milliards USD) depuis sa création. Le 10 octobre 2019, nous avions célébré ensemble à Kinshasa, le succès sans précédent de la 6ème conférence de reconstitution des ressources du Fonds mondial de lutte contre le Sida, la tuberculose et le paludisme, organisée à Lyon, sous le leadership du président Emmanuel Macron. Pour rappel, cette 6ème conférence a permis de recueillir plus de 14 milliards de dollars pour le cycle de financement 2021-2023, le montant le plus élevé jam...

Debora Kayembe,  the new rector of the University of Edinburgh Debora Kayembe fled  her home in the Democratic Republic of Congo  16 years ago,  after learning that a gun-running militia group that she had helped to expose wanted to kill her. Since then, Kayembe sought asylum in Britain, started a family and settled in Edinburgh, where she worked as a human rights lawyer and political activist. Despite a life filled with hardship and achievement, she said nothing could have prepared her for the message she received on the afternoon of February 1. The previous November, she was asked if she would consider accepting a nomination to be the new rector of the University of Edinburgh, which was founded in the 16th century. If she was appointed, she would be the university's first-ever black rector. She accepted the offer, believing she stood little chance. When the message came that she had been confirmed for the role -- 162 years after William Gladstone was made the first...

The Humanitarian Coordinator of the United Nations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo expresses his support to the authorities and the populations of the affected areas Kinshasa. Almost eight months after the end of the 10th epidemic outbreak, the Ebola virus disease resurfaced in Butembo in North Kivu. Two people have already died from the disease in recent days. The Humanitarian Coordinator in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Mr. David McLachlan-Karr expresses concern over this resurgence of the Ebola virus disease and encourages the commitment of the humanitarian community to support the Congolese authorities and the populations of the affected areas . "I express all my support and all my confidence in the Congolese authorities, and call on them to take swift and decisive action to protect all contact persons in order to prevent the spread of the virus" declared Mr. McLachlan- Karr.  In support of the authorities, WHO and other partners have mobilized to la...

The WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) has issued interim recommendations for use of the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine (AZD1222).  Here’s a brief summary; you may access the guidance document here.  Who should be vaccinated first? While vaccine supplies are limited, it is recommended that priority be given to health workers at high risk of exposure and older people, including those aged 65 or older. Countries can refer to the WHO Prioritization Roadmap and the WHO Values Framework as guidance for their prioritization of target groups. Who else can take the vaccine? Vaccination is recommended for persons with comorbidities that have been identified as increasing the risk of severe COVID-19, including obesity, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease and diabetes.  Although further studies are required for persons living with HIV or auto-immune conditions or who are immunocompromised, people in this category who are part of a group recom...

L'initiative UNITLIFE et la Fondation Ecobank travaillent pour prévenir la malnutrition chronique chez les enfants en Afrique et protéger son capital humain Lancement de la campagne panafricaine « Make the Connection ».  L'initiative des Nations Unies dédiée à la lutte contre la malnutrition chronique par l'innovation, et la Fondation du Groupe Ecobank (www.EcobankFoundation.org), le groupe bancaire panafricain présent dans 33 pays à travers le continent, annoncent le lancement de la campagne « Make the Connection ». Cette campagne vise à sensibiliser et à mobiliser des fonds pour prévenir la malnutrition chronique en Afrique. 144 millions d'enfants de moins de 5 ans souffrent de malnutrition chronique dans le monde. La prévalence est la plus élevée en Afrique où, dans 24 pays, plus de 30 % des enfants sont atteints par cette maladie. En d'autres termes, 1 enfant africain sur 3 ne reçoit pas les apports nutritionnels dont il a besoin pendant les 1 000 premiers jours...

UN initiative UNITLIFE and Ecobank Foundation work to prevent chronic malnutrition amongst children in Africa and protect its human capital  Launch of ‘’Make the Connection’’, a pan African Campaign UNITLIFE, the United Nations initiative dedicated to fighting chronic malnutrition through innovation  and the Ecobank Group’s Foundation (EcobankFoundation.org) - the pan-African banking group with operations in 33 countries across the continent-announce the launch of the “Make the Connection” campaign, which aims to raise awareness and funds to prevent chronic malnutrition in Africa. 144 million children under the age of 5 suffer from chronic malnutrition worldwide. The prevalence is highest in Africa, where as many as 24 African countries have rates above 30%. In other words, 1 in 3 African children do not eat a diet that meets their nutrient needs during the first 1,000 days of their lives. As a result, they face life-long consequences affecting their physical growth, cognitive...

As the world marked Safer Internet Day, UN human rights experts urged this 10 February 2021 the European Union to reach agreement on temporary legislation to allow for the continued use of technological tools to tackle online child sexual abuse. Reports prepared by tech companies using these tools have become key elements in law enforcement agency investigations, helping identify, locate and rescue victims, as well as bringing perpetrators to justice. The implementation of the European Electronic Communication Code (EECC) on 21 December 2020 extended the EU’s communications regulatory framework to effectively ban the use of these tools. The experts are deeply concerned by the impact on reports of child sexual abuse online. “This is not a hypothetical problem. This impasse is already having a serious impact on reporting,” said the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Violence Against Children, Najat Maalla M’jid. “We know that with fewer reports, there will be fewer investig...

UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, Chair of the Board of the UN Global Compact, announced last 19 January 2021 a new three-year strategic plan to increase and accelerate corporate sustainability and principled business. "The United Nations Global Compact is uniquely positioned to support companies on their journey to align their practices to a sustainable and inclusive future. The Ten Principles on human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption offer a blueprint for businesses seeking to be part of the collective effort to build back stronger from the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said. “Now is the time to scale up the global business community’s contributions to the 2030 Agenda and the implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change. That is the overarching goal of the Global Compact’s strategic plan for 2021 through 2023.” Sanda Ojiambo, CEO & Executive Director, UN Global Compact said: “More must be done by businesses globally to accelerate corporate sustai...