diplomacy&development

• Merck foundation “More than a Mother” Ambassadors, African First Ladies of Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Guinea Conakry, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, and Namibia actively participated in the 8th edition of Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary which was co-chaired by Zambia First Lady, H.E. ESTHER LUNGU and Merck Foundation CEO, Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej. Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck KgaA, conducted the 8th Edition of “Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary” 2021, through an online videoconference.  The conference was inaugurated by the President of the Republic of Zambia, H.E. Dr. EDGAR CHAGWA LUNGU and Prof. Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp Chairman of both of Executive Board of E.Merck KG and Merck Foundation Board of Trustees. During the Luminary, Merck Foundation CEO & President of Merck Foundation More Than a Mother, Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej emphasized, “ “I am very proud to have ...

Less Shame and More Sharing? Throughout history people have viewed infertility as shameful and demeaning.  Usually the woman was thought to be at fault if a couple had problems trying to conceive.  Women were usually blamed—or blame themselves—for miscarriages.  People didn’t tell others they were undergoing fertility treatment, or only told their closest family members.  Not being able to have a baby made both women and men feel inadequate, like they were failing.  Losing a pregnancy meant you had to mourn in silence. Some ethnic groups feel the shame and stigma more strongly than others.  In a study both African-American and Hispanic women felt a higher degree of stigma due to infertility than other ethnic groups.  But recent events point toward a change in how infertility is perceived.  Are we moving toward more acceptance and less stigma? Michelle Obama Speaks Out Michelle Obama has gone public about her struggles with miscarriage, in her new ...

• La Fondation Merck et La Première Dame du Zimbabwe annoncent également 6 nouveaux prix pour la fraternité des médias, de la mode, du cinéma et de la musique dans le but de briser la stigmatisation liée à l'infertilité et de soutenir l'éducation des filles. La Fondation Merck, la branche philanthropique de Merck KGaA Allemagne, en partenariat avec La Première Dame de la République du Zimbabwe et l'Ambassadrice de la Fondation Merck Plus Qu’une Mère, S.E. AUXILLIA MNANGAGWA ont remis plus de 30 000 livres d'histoires pour enfants au Ministère de l'Enseignement Primaire et Secondaire pour les écoliers du Zimbabwe.  Les livres d'histoires sont intitulés : « L'histoire de Tudu », « L'histoire Éduquer Rujeko » et « Faite Le Bon Choix ». Sénatrice Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation et Présidente de la Fondation Merck Plus Qu’une Mère a déclarée : « Je suis très heureuse et fière de notre partenaire de longue date, S.E. AUXILLIA MNANGAGWA, La Première Da...

• Merck Foundation together with Zimbabwe First Lady also announce 6 new Awards for Media, Fashion, Film, and Music fraternity with the aim to break infertility stigma and support girl education. Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, in partnership with  The First Lady of the Republic of Zimbabwe and Ambassador of Merck Foundation More than a Mother, H.E. AUXILLIA MNANGAGWA handed over 30,000 children storybooks to the Ministry of Primary & Secondary Education for the school students of Zimbabwe.   The storybooks are titled: “Tudu's Story”, “Educating Rujeko Story” and “Make the Right Choice Story”. Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation & President, Merck Foundation More Than A Mother expressed, “I am very happy and proud of our long term partner H.E. AUXILLIA MNANGAGWA, The First Lady of Zimbabwe and Ambassador of Merck Foundation More Than a Mother. Donating 30,000 storybooks to young readers, school students of Zimbabwe which wer...

Mankitla Lydia Felix,  Customer Success Manager at  APO Group sales division as, based in Johannesburg, South Africa Mankitla Lydia Felix has joined the APO Group sales division as Customer Success Manager, based in Johannesburg, South Africa. A global citizen, Mankitla has had the privilege of living in various parts of the world, including Egypt, Switzerland, Germany and has visited France, Italy, USA, Brazil, Mauritius and Tanzania to name a few. She was born in #Lesotho and raised primarily in the cold climes of Europe before she moved to #SouthAfrica in 2004 where she pursued her university studies at University of Cape Town, Tshwane University of Technology, and Cape Peninsula University of Technology. She worked and consulted in various African jurisdictions for over 8 years..  Her career trajectory has been mainly focused on #BusinessDevelopment, #sales, lead generation and execution. This has been in multinational NGOs, cargo, and the automotive sector in several...

Eneyah Botoman Phiri (EBP),  Account Manager at  APO Group PR & Media Relations team based in Lusaka, Zambia Eneyah Botoman Phiri (EBP) has joined the APO Group PR & Media Relations team as Account Manager based in Lusaka, Zambia. Eneyah is a seasoned international #PR and Communications Specialist with over a decade’s experience in strategic communications, Public Relations, media relations, advocacy and brand management across Africa and Europe. Having been involved extensively in commercial and nonprofit communications, a big part of his work is bringing inspiring stories of hardworking Africans to life.  Eneyah is deeply inspired and completely enthralled by these realities and driven to explore solutions that achieve the highest potential for Africa. Although I live in Zambia, he call Malawi and Texas, USA (where his family lives) as home. He is thoroughly results-oriented. Nature and the outdoors are its kryptonite. Cassien Tribunal Aungane, Editor

  Mr Karim Asad Ahmad Khan QC taking his solemn oath as ICC Prosecutor Yesterday, 16 June 2021, Mr Karim Asad Ahmad Khan QC gave his solemn undertaking and formally took office as the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (“ICC” or the “Court”) during a ceremony held at the Seat of the Court in The Hague, The Netherlands. Mr Khan, a national of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, was elected as ICC Prosecutor on 12 February 2021, for a nine-year term, at the second resumed nineteenth session of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute ("ASP") in New York. In accordance with article 45 of the Rome Statute, founding treaty of the ICC, the ceremony was held in open court. The ceremony was presided over by ICC President, Judge Piotr Hofmański. Reflecting on the critical role of the Prosecutor in the Court’s work in his remarks, President Hofmański stated: “While Judges are the ones who ultimately decide on the verdict in each case, it is a...