diplomacy&development

Elinor Hammarskjöld appointed United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and Legal Counsel UN Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Elinor Hammarskjöld as Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and Legal Counsel. Ms Hammarskjöld currently serves as Director-General for Legal Affairs and Head of the Directorate-General for Legal Affairs at the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. “We are very proud of Elinor Hammarskjöld’s appointment. It is among the highest offices a Swede has held in the UN. This enhances Sweden’s representation in the UN and shows that we have a great deal to offer as regards knowledge of international law. This is good for Sweden. At the same time, we are losing a valued key employee here at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs,” says Minister for Foreign Affairs Maria Malmer Stenergard.  Ms Hammarskjöld has more than 30 years’ experience working in foreign and security policy, public international law and human rights. She is currently...

Rising on the site of the current headquarters, the new building will showcase architectural innovation through its energy-efficient design and advanced security features, marking a new chapter in the African Development Bank Group’s presence in Abidjan The executive directors unanimously approved the proposal, stating it was important for the Bank to maintain its strong presence in Abidjan and to invest in a work environment that supports the well-being of its staff. The African Development Bank Group’s ( www.AfDB.org ) Boards of Directors have approved yesterday the proposal by the Bank’s Management to construct a modern, state-of-the-art building to host its headquarters in Côte d’Ivoire’s commercial capital, Abidjan. The executive directors unanimously approved the proposal, stating it was important for the Bank to maintain its strong presence in Abidjan and to invest in a work environment that supports the well-being of its staff. The President of the African Development Bank Grou...

  L’Ambassadeur de France en République Démocratique du Congo, M. Rémi Maréchaux, a accueilli le jeudi 12 décembre 2024, une soirée à la Résidence de France en l’honneur des entrepreneurs congolais participant au projet « Le Succès des Repat ». Cette initiative, conduite par l’Ambassade de France en partenariat avec RFI, offre une tribune aux talents de la diaspora congolaise à travers une rubrique diffusée dans l’émission « 8 milliards de voisins ». Ces portraits mettent en avant les parcours de ces entrepreneurs, appelés repats, qui partagent les défis surmontés liés au retour à leur pays d’origine pour mener à bien un projet entrepreneurial. Célébration des talents congolais : un modèle de réussite pour la coopération franco-congolais La soirée a été marquée par la présence des cinq entrepreneurs congolais ayant pris part au projet : - Tisya Mukuna de la marque de café La Kinoise - Christelle Nkento Mabungu - Ursula Ndombele de la plateforme Hoja - Marie-Ange Lub...

Lors du Kobo Art Festival, Kobo Hub et l’Ambassade de France en RDC ont annoncé le lancement de l’Institut Régional de la Mode - Kobo Art Fashion, un hub dédié à la mode en RDC et dans le bassin du Congo. L’inauguration officielle est prévue pour mai 2025.  Ce projet, soutenu par le Ministère de l’Europe et des Affaires étrangères français et l’Ambassade de France, a pour objectif de promouvoir l’industrie de la mode en RDC et de mettre en valeur le talent créatif local.  Un Hub Unique pour Créateurs et Passionnés  Kobo Fashion se structure autour de trois composantes majeures:  1. Programme d’Incubation et de Formation  En partenariat avec Nadine Gonzalez, fondatrice de ModaFusion et des écoles de mode CASA 93, ce programme accompagnera les talents créatifs en RDC ainsi que ceux provenant d’autres pays du Bassin du Congo (Cameroun, Gabon, République Centrafricaine, République du Congo). Des formations sur l’entrepreneuriat dans la mode seront proposées afin de ...

The Swedish Government has decided to contribute funds to the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).  Over the next three years, Sweden will provide SEK 615 million to IFAD, a UN agency that promotes food security and creates livelihood opportunities for women and men living in poverty in rural areas of developing countries. Through low-interest loans and donations, IFAD supports people in poor and disadvantaged rural areas, such as women smallholder farmers and vulnerable groups. The increasing food insecurity in the world requires renewed efforts to reduce poverty and strengthen the resilience of the people affected. IFAD’s projects help boost production capacity and enhance livelihood opportunities, enable people living in poverty to access markets for their products, and enhance environmental sustainability and resilience to climate change in rural areas. In 2025–2027, IFAD’s activities will prioritise measures for climate change adaptation and enhanced biodive...

The company has introduced 16 unique digital solutions and built robust end-to-end eVisa platforms for 12 sovereign governments. • Last 100 million applications have come in the past 5 years – despite pandemic- driven travel slow-down of 2020-2022 • Trusted partner of 69 governments; working with 25 of them for over 15 years VFS Global ( www.VFSGlobal.com ), the world’s leading outsourcing and technology service specialist for governments and diplomatic missions worldwide, has crossed the 300 million applications milestone. It is notable that the last 100 million applications have been achieved in the past 5 years despite the pandemic-driven travel slow-down of 2020-2022. In 2023 alone, the company processed 24.1 million applications, 35% more than 2022. (Source: ISR 2023) ( http://apo-opa.co/3ZMmkSO ), and between January to May 2024, it has processed approximately 100,000 applications a day. Zubin Karkaria, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, VFS Global Group, said, “We are very ple...

Lauréat du MAC 2024_Theodore-Ohene Botchway La grande finale de MAC 2024 a marqué le point culminant de la compétition, qui a célébré les solutions agro-technologiques innovantes à l'origine du changement en Afrique de l'Ouest. L'école de Technologie Meltwater Entrepreneurial  (MEST Africa) ( www.Meltwater.org ) a annoncé SAYeTECH ( https://apo-opa.co/4imJ3Mq ) comme lauréat du concours MEST Africa Challenge (MAC) 2024. La grande finale de MAC 2024 a marqué le point culminant de la compétition, qui a célébré les solutions agro-technologiques innovantes à l'origine du changement en Afrique de l'Ouest. Organisé en partenariat avec l'ambassade de Norvège à Accra, le thème de cette année, « Find Your Soil », était axé sur l'innovation agro-technologique dans la région.  Le MAC 2024 a attiré des candidats de pays importants de la région de l'Afrique de l'Ouest, notamment le Bénin, le Cap-Vert, la Côte d'Ivoire, la Gambie, le Ghana, la Guinée, la Guiné...