diplomacy&development

The DRC Minister of Posts, Telecommunications and New Information and Communication Technologies of the DRC, Augustin Kibassa Maliba took part last Monday June 28, in the official opening of MWC Barcelona 2021, at FIRA GRAN VIA, Barcelona.  Coming to represent the DRC at the invitation of the GSMA (The Association of Mobile Phone Operators of the World), Kibassa Maliba attended the ministerial program of the MWC Mobile Phone Congress centered on the theme: "Impact of connectivity".  A closed-door round table of Ministerial program of the World Telephony Congress with Telecommunication sector ministers and regulators to find solutions for the imminent effective deployment of 5th generation 5G mobile technology. To do this, harmonization and management of the high and middle frequency spectrum are essential. Hence the interest for Africa in general and the DRC in particular to get involved in the discussions and arrangements of the different regions of the International Telecom...

Hu Peng, Head, Economic and Commercial attaché to the China Embassy in DRC handing over the china's donation to the Pharmaceutical Advisor  to the DRC Minister of Public Health ,  Thierry MONGA KAYEMBE   The People's Republic of China has made a donation of drugs and medical equipment to the Ministry of Public Health, Hygiene and Prevention t hrough its Embassy in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This donation offered by the People's Republic of China to the Minister of Public Health, Hygiene and Prevention was received on Tuesday, June 29, 2021, at the diplomatic residence of China in Kinshasa by a delegation from the cabinet of Minister Jean-Jacques MBUNGANI , led by the Pharmaceutical Advisor, Mr. MONGA KAYEMBE Thierry in the presence of the head of the Ministry's stewardship service, John EFAMBE. Hu Peng, Head, Economic and Commercial attaché to the China Embassy in DRC with the Pharmaceutical Advisor  to the DRC Minister of Public Health , ThierryMONGA KAY...

The virtual event includes five full days of business appointments and three exclusive days of conference programme. All conference sessions are available on-demand for a month Exhibitors can expect a number of virtual benefits and some new perksHeld in conjunction with MICE Show Asia as well as Travel Tech Asia. Asia’s Largest Travel Trade Show, ITB Asia 2021, will be an all-virtual event with the physical show postponed to 2022. Messe Berlin (Singapore) announces the complete digitalisation of ITB Asia, set to go virtual from 25 – 29 October 2021. After close observations of international developments of the COVID-19 pandemic and extensive conversations with local authorities and partners, the show organisers made the difficult decision to move the show completely virtual. The decision is made as Singapore moves to Phase 3 (heightened alert) [1] where the current limit for MICE events is set at 250 attendees. In addition, the recent surge in COVID-19 infections in the Asia-Pacific re...

The World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Special Programme HRP and the United Nations University International Institute for Global Health (UNU-IIGH) in partnership with the British Medical Journal (BMJ), have today released a special series of papers on “Women’s Health and Gender Inequalities.” The series celebrates and interrogates collective progress towards making the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action on Women a reality for all women and girls everywhere, in all their diversity. It launches the week of the Generation Equality Forum’s closing meeting, the largest global feminist gathering in more than 25 years. There are 13 articles, written by 40 authors working together across institutions from 15 countries, at different stages of their career. As well as analyzing past successes and evidence-based strategies to advance women’s health and gender equality, the series reflects on new and emerging threats. This includes COVID-19, which has exacerbated ex...

States must bring their national laws in line with human rights standards if they are to effectively prevent and combat impunity for rape, Dubravka Šimonović, the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women, said today. “States must address widespread impunity for perpetrators of rape and lack of justice for victims, and must harmonize their criminal laws with international human rights, criminal and humanitarian law,” she said in presenting to the Human Rights Council a report that reviewed laws in 105 countries. Rape is recognized under international law as a human rights violation and a manifestation of gender-based violence against women and girls that could amount to torture, and States have obligations to enact legislation criminalizing it and to ensure that perpetrators are prosecuted, she said. “While all States reviewed in my report criminalize rape, the vast majority of them do it in a way that is not harmonized with human rights standards and international law,” she adde...

Adesina also pledged that the Bank would strengthen support to African countries as they tackle the pandemic’s economic and health impacts. The African Development Bank Group’s (www.AfDB.org) shareholders have shown strong support for the Bank’s proposals to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic, and this as the continent faces the possibility of a third wave of infection amid poor vaccine access. This emerged from the 56th Annual Meetings of the Bank Group. The three-day event, which ended on Friday, included the 47th meeting of the Governors of the African Development Fund, the Bank’s concessional lending arm. Part of the proposal is that the Bank, the continent’s only development finance institution with a AAA credit rating, act as a conduit for International Monetary Fund (IMF) special drawing rights, which it would then on-lend to African countries. African Development Bank Group President Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina proposed an African stability mechanism, modeled on a European one, to act as...

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on Monday issued an urgent call for States to adopt a “transformative agenda” to uproot systemic racism, as she published a report casting a spotlight on the litany of violations of economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights suffered by people of African descent – on a daily basis and across different States and jurisdictions. The report states that the worldwide mobilization of people calling for racial justice has forced a long-delayed reckoning with racism and shifted debates towards a focus on the systemic nature of racism and the institutions that perpetrate it. “The status quo is untenable,” High Commissioner Bachelet said. “Systemic racism needs a systemic response. There needs to be a comprehensive rather than a piecemeal approach to dismantling systems entrenched in centuries of discrimination and violence. We need a transformative approach that tackles the interconnected areas that drive racism, and lead to r...

  The President of the Republic, Felix Tshisekedi and his counterpart from Rwanda Paul Kagame visiting Goma The President of the Republic, Felix Tshisekedi and his counterpart from Rwanda Paul Kagame visited Goma, this Saturday, June 26, 2021 in the afternoon and signed several bilateral cooperation agreements among others the promotion and protection of investments between the two country; the convention between the DRC and Rwanda to avoid double taxation and tax evasion with regard to income taxes, in particular a memorandum of understanding on the exploitation of gold between the Congolese company SAKIMA and a Rwandan company of private law. These signed agreements are part of their membership of the East African Community. On Friday, June 25, the Head of State, Félix Tshisekedi, received in Goma a delegation from the East African Community led by its Secretary General, Dr Peter Mathuki. This Saturday, in fact, before the signing of these bilateral cooperation agreements, the tw...

The Head of the Democratic Republic of Congo, F. Tshisekedi received in audience, in the early evening this Friday, June 25, 2021, the Special Envoy of the United States for the Horn of Africa, Mr. Jeff Feltman accompanied by Mr. Mike Hammer, US Ambassador to the DRC. The interview focused on the case of the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). It was noted that the discussions between the different parties are taking place in a peaceful atmosphere with a view to a peaceful and just resolution. The US special envoy praised the positive role played by the current Chairman of the African Union. Cassien Tribunal Aungane, Editor

The first WHO World Local Production Forum ended yesterday after five days of discussions centered on promoting quality and sustainable local production to improve access to medicines and other health technologies. Delegates from over 100 countries, international partners, civil society groups, industry associations, and major investors joined WHO, WTO, UNIDO, UNICEF and UNCTAD to highlight the challenges facing local production and the steps required to address them, as well as the range of opportunities for the sector.  Looking ahead, the Forum will provide a platform to drive forward efforts to support and enhance local production of health products in low- and middle-income countries. Forum conclusions, recommendations and next steps Increasing manufacturing capacity for global security - The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of local manufacturing as a key component of pandemic response by reducing reliance on global markets and imported products. Vaccine produc...

The President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Félix-Tshisekedi Tshilombo and his counter part Paul Kagame, the President of Rwanda in discussion The President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Félix-Tshisekedi Tshilombo and his counter part Paul Kagame, the President of Rwanda had a meeting of nearly two hours, this Friday. Upon his arrival in Rwanda this afternoon, the DRC Head of State was greeted at the Corniche de Rubavu by President Paul Kagame. In the city center, a large crack in the ground destroyed several residential houses and some public buildings. No statement was made to the press after this interview. The two heads of state will meet again for a second bilateral meeting, this time on Congolese soil, in Goma. On Saturday, 26 June 2021, President Kagame will reciprocate the working visit where he will be received by President Tshisekedi in DRC’s City of Goma. The two Heads of State will visit areas damaged by the Nyiragongo volcanic eruption on the Congole...

Africa is facing a fast-surging third wave of COVID-19 pandemic, with cases spreading more rapidly and projected to soon overtake the peak of the second wave the continent witnessed at the start of 2021. COVID-19 cases have risen for five consecutive weeks since the onset of the third wave on 3 May 2021. As of 20 June—day 48 into the new wave—Africa had recorded around 474 000 new cases—a 21% increase compared with the first 48 days of the second wave. At the current rate of infections, the ongoing surge is set to surpass the previous one by early July. The pandemic is resurging in 12 African countries. A combination of factors including weak observance of public health measures, increased social interaction and movement as well as the spread of variants are powering the new surge. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda that are experiencing COVID-19 resurgence, the Delta variant has been detected in most samples sequenced in the past month. Across Africa, the variant—first...

President of Senegal Macky Sall Senegal is pioneering a diversified energy mix that prioritizes the co-development of natural gas and renewable resources. The Minister of Petroleum and Energy, PETROSEN and Cos-Petrogaz held high level talks with the African Energy Chamber’s (AEC) (EnergyChamber.org) leadership to discuss the sector’s promotion and competitiveness, the national gas strategy and the energy transition; Senegal is pioneering a diversified energy mix that prioritizes the co-development of natural gas and renewable resources; the country’s strategy has favoured rural electrification and industrialisation as catalysts of economic growth. The Minister of Petroleum and Energy of Senegal, H.E. Aïssatou Sophie Gladima, as well as leading figures of national oil company PETROSEN and the strategic organizational committee COS-Petrogaz met over the weekend with the leadership of the African Energy Chamber, the continent’s foremost energy sector advocate, for high-level talks. Conver...

  • Les Ambassadrices de la Fondation Merck « Plus Qu'une Mère », les Premières Dames Africaines d'Angola, du Botswana, du Burkina Faso, du Burundi, de la République Centrafricaine, de la République Démocratique du Congo, du Ghana, de la Guinée Conakry, du Libéria, du Malawi, du Mozambique et la Namibie ont activement participé à la 8ème édition de Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary qui a été co-présidée par la Première Dame de Zambie, SE ESTHER LUNGU et Merck Foundation CEO, Sénatrice, Dr. Rasha Kelej.  La Fondation Merck, la branche philanthropique de Merck KgaA, a organisé la 8ème édition de « Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary » 2021, par le biais d'une vidéoconférence en ligne.  La conférence a été inaugurée par le Président de la République de Zambie, S.E. Dr. EDGAR CHAGWA LUNGU et Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp Président du Directoire de E.Merck KG et Président du Conseil d'Administration de la Fondation Merck. Au cours du Luminary, Merck Foundation ...