Author: Database of Press Releases related to Africa

WASHINGTON, April 30, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Remarks

Anne C. Richard

Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration

Center for Strategic and International Studies

Washington, DC

April 23, 2014

Let me start by thanking you for organizing this event.

And thank you for preparing this video. It is inspiring to see how enlightened family planning policies can transform the lives of women like Mihret who was a child bride and young mother and is now proudly helping others make their own choices about when to bear children.

I would also like to thank CSIS and Janet Fleischman and Alisha Kramer for producing this excellent report. The fact that it grew out of a bipartisan trip is encouraging. So is your astute analysis of what Ethiopia is attempting to do in the area of reproductive health, the strategies that have worked, the obstacles to be overcome, and what donors and governments, including our own can do to help.

And finally I would like to thank many of you in the audience who have dedicated your careers and lives to bringing family planning services to women who desperately need them. As Assistant Secretary, I have had the chance to witness first-hand how important this work is, and what it means to those who benefit from it. This past fall I attended the Third International Family Conference in Addis. On this trip, I toured our implementing partners’ facilities, including projects run by Pathfinder and Marie Stopes International.

I visited the home of a family involved in Pathfinder’s “model families” effort. In this program, families are encouraged to adopt 16 measures to improve the overall health of the household, such as using family planning, vaccinating children, sleeping under mosquito bed nets and building hygienic latrines. These families are then celebrated as “trendsetters” for the community so that others will copy their behavior. I also visited a Marie Stopes “Blue Star” franchise effort where pharmacists receive special training in the use of long-term contraception and sexual and reproductive health services. They then agree to provide high quality longer-term family planning methods like implants and IUDs at affordable prices, and they get to use the Blue Star logo on their clinic or pharmacy. This brings customers to them who end up also using their other services.

Ethiopia’s enlightened health policies and quest for sustainable development are incredibly important – not just for Ethiopia but as an example to other nations grappling with similar problems.

Today, we share the planet with seven billion people. We added a billion in just the past twelve years. And by 2050 there could be nine or even ten billion of us. Virtually all of this growth will occur in developing countries. Birthrates elsewhere have plummeted, but in some of the world’s poorest nations they are rising.

It would be one thing if women were simply choosing to have large families. But we know that many become pregnant as early and as often as they do because they have no means to prevent it. Globally, surveys indicate that hundreds of millions of women want to avoid getting pregnant but have no access to modern methods of contraception. The gap between what is needed and what is available is widest in sub-Saharan Africa, where according to the Guttmacher Institute, 28 percent of married women aged 15 to 49 lack access to modern and effective forms of birth control.

Young girls face the most acute unmet need. Like Mihret in the video we’ve seen, many are expected, even compelled to marry and bear children when they are still in their teens. Every year, more than 60 million girls get married before they turn 19. Throughout the developing world, less than one-third of married adolescents are using modern contraceptives, although many more want to avoid or delay pregnancy. More than two thirds of the married adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa aged 15-19 want modern contraception and do not have it.

And, I find this particularly shocking –around the world two million girls aged 10-14 give birth every year, and over 90% of these girls are married. These marriages and pregnancies can have devastating, life-long consequences. We see them as a form of gender based violence and an abuse of these girls’ human rights.

But adult women who cannot access modern contraceptives or adequate healthcare also can experience life-threatening problems. One in 22 women in sub-Saharan Africa dies during pregnancy or childbirth. That’s compared to roughly one in 6000 in wealthy countries. Babies face heightened risk as well. When mothers have babies spaced closely together, survival rates fall. These are preventable deaths.

In addition to saving lives, sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights can promote human rights, gender equality and health, economic empowerment and prosperity. Ethiopian government and health officials spoke forcefully and eloquently about this in the video. And we in the U.S. Government could not agree more.

The evidence is overwhelming. Women’s equality, empowerment, and human rights are inexorably tied to their ability to control when they bear children. And empowering women to make these decisions is one of the best ways to fight poverty. Girls who can delay pregnancies can become educated, productive, healthy adults, and raise more educated, productive, healthy children. This virtuous cycle can propel families and whole nations out of poverty. Research has provided compelling, concrete examples of how family planning unleashes economic growth. Falling fertility rates in parts of East Asia and Latin America have raised the share of the population in the workforce, driven up output, and created a so-called “demographic dividend.” A UN study has also documented the opposite: when early pregnancy truncates girls’ educations, it derails their careers, reduces their lifelong earnings and hampers their ability to invest in their children. The researchers estimate that the United States loses one percent of GDP due to adolescent pregnancy. Uganda loses 30 percent. The countries that pay the steepest price for these early pregnancies are the countries that can least afford it.

Finally, I was recently surprised to learn that simply providing family planning services to all women who want them would cut global carbon emissions by between 8 and 15 percent. That is the same reduction we would achieve by stopping all deforestation or by multiplying the world’s use of wind power by forty fold…more proof that voluntary family planning can fuel sustainable development.

Against this backdrop, what Ethiopia is attempting is all the more impressive and urgent. Ethiopia is the second most populous nation in Africa, with a high birthrate and 65 percent of its population is under the age of 30. It faces the same array of challenges that many of its neighbors do: child, early, and forced marriage and maternal mortality are far too prevalent, and the vast majority of the population is rural and poor and hard to reach. Yet Ethiopia has placed family planning at the center of its development agenda, has pioneered an effective health extension program and dedicated funds to pay health extension workers. In fact, I met one of these impressive women during my visit. It is a potent combination. In the past decade years, Ethiopia has quadrupled the use of modern contraception. Today in Ethiopia contraceptive prevalence is 28.6 percent; the government aims to more than double contraceptive prevalence to 66 percent by 2015.

And in a span of five years, Ethiopia has cut the mortality rate for children under five in half. At the same time, it has nearly doubled literacy rates, approached nearly universal primary school enrollment and strengthened education for women and girls.

Together with other these measures intended to spur entrepreneurship and improve fiscal and labor policies Ethiopia has begun to reap its own “demographic dividend.”

How is Ethiopia succeeding in this regard where others have failed? As your report notes, changing attitudes toward contraception has been key. Engaging traditional and religious leaders as allies is good. I commend the government’s willingness to invest real resources, including providing contraceptive services for free. And I also credit the government’s partnerships with organizations such as those represented in the room today. The question is whether these achievements can be replicated. Will other developing countries that face daunting immediate needs make the same critical investments and choices?

We, in the U.S. Government are committed to doing what we can to help. The United States, through the US Agency for International Development, is the largest bilateral provider of family planning assistance, providing approximately $610 million in 2013. As a global leader in support of family planning and sexual and reproductive health for nearly 50 years, the United States government has provided over $3 billion in family planning assistance and support since 2009.

With expert colleagues, the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration also works in international fora to highlight the links between family planning services and development. In planning meetings that will shape the post-2015 Development Agenda, the United States is making the case that sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights are essential to empowering women, eradicating extreme poverty and fostering sustainable development.

During the recent UN Commission on Population and Development (CPD) our Population team led by Margaret Pollack called on delegates to fulfill the commitments made back in Cairo in 1994 under the ICPD Program of Action: namely universal access to quality, comprehensive sexual and reproductive health information, education and services. Governments promised to promote and protect reproductive rights; reduce infant, child, and maternal mortality; and achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls so that all individuals, and all nations, have the opportunity to realize their full potential.

Our delegation pointed out that we are not there yet. We called for an end to the scourge of violence against women and girls and to practices like as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation and cutting, and for integrated, quality sexual and reproductive health services. We stated that these should include maternal health care and access to a broad range of safe and effective modern forms of contraception. We also called for services to prevent and treat sexually transmitted infections, including HIV and AIDS and provide access to safe abortion.

We also drew attention to the special needs of the largest-ever generation of adolescents and youth. The majority of these young people live in developing countries, have limited access to sexual and reproductive health services and crave information. They need it to help them make wise decisions about their health, now and in future.

Another priority for us is the plight of people affected by conflicts and crises. Reproductive health needs do not disappear when people are driven from their communities by conflicts or natural disasters. In fact the can become more acute. Displacement can heighten the need for contraception while raising barriers to access – both for women who cannot care for or protect newborns, and adolescents who may be torn away from family and social support structures and exposed to sexual violence and coercion.

Comprehensive family planning programs should begin as soon as a situation allows. This involves training staff, offering community education, establishing client follow-up, providing a wide range of methods, and maintaining a contraceptive supply chain system. We will continue to actively support the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and many other development and humanitarian organizations to respond to the challenges of providing predictable access to reproductive health services in crisis settings.

We also recognize that we have more to learn about what it is that women want and need from sexual and reproductive health services. To that end, we applaud Family Planning 2020’s research going beyond numbers and metrics so collectively we can improve our understanding of why some women stop using particular types of birth control. These efforts will help us to better provide the range of modern contraceptive methods individual women want, and empower them to understand, ask for and receive specific products that suit their needs. The objective is to enable an additional 120 million women and adolescent girls in the world’s poorest countries to access and use voluntary family planning information, contraceptives and services by 2020.

In closing, we know that being able to plan one’s family is pivotal. It can spell the difference between life and death, opportunity and helplessness, hope and despair. And, as Ethiopia’s government has recognized, it is one of the best weapons against poverty.

So keep doing what you’re doing. You make the case every day for why it is so important. It’s you and your organizations that are in the field who can tell the most compelling stories of people whose lives have been directly affected by our joint initiatives and programs. These stories remind us of why consistent U.S. government support for sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights are so vital.

Your continued support and commitment is essential to fighting for a sustainable future – one that empowers children to grow up healthy and pursue their dreams, and help their communities and nations thrive.

Thank you.

DURBAN, South Africa, April 30, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The African Union Commission (AUC) convened a High-Level Retreat on 28-29 April 2014 in Durban, South Africa, on the theme Silencing Guns in Africa: Building a Roadmap to a Conflict-Free Continent, with the intention of exploring concrete options towards silencing guns in Africa. The overarching objective of the Retreat was to lay a foundation for the subsequent elaboration of a Roadmap towards a conflict-free Africa.

This Retreat was convened in the spirit of the 50th Anniversary Solemn Declaration, adopted on 25 May 2013 by the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government. The Retreat took place in the aftermath of the recently concluded Open Session of the AU Peace and Security Council, which addressed itself to the same issue. Thus, this Retreat constituted part of an on-going process to coordinate efforts towards concretely living up to the commitments of the AU Assembly.

The Retreat was conducted under the leadership of the Chairperson of the AUC, H.E. Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. In her opening remarks, the Chairperson called upon the Experts in attendance to engage in frank and open discussions in order to develop concrete and innovative ideas towards silencing guns in Africa. The Chairperson noted that, “unless we silence the guns and bury the machetes, the AU vision of building an integrated, prosperous and conflict-free Africa will remain an abstract goal.”

The AU Commissioner for Peace and Security, Ambassador Smail Chergui, provided the context of the Retreat, as well as its expected outcome. He stressed the need for participants to bear in mind the necessity of identifying elements that will constitute the Roadmap for silencing guns in Africa.

The deliberations of the High-Level Retreat were indicative of the overarching nature of the tasks required towards building a concrete roadmap. In this context, Experts reflected on the current and on-going efforts to consolidate the growing positive trends in areas of democracy and governance, the continent’s ability to rapidly respond to conflicts and crises, as well as efforts to enhance Africa’s engagements with the rest of the world in order to derive maximum possible socio-economic benefits for all Africans. Further, the participants underlined emerging trends concerning the continent’s changing demographic profiles, broader socio-economic and environmental conditions, and their subsequent impacts on ensuring sustainable peace and ending all wars.

The participants agreed that the deliberations emerging from this High-Level Retreat should constitute the building blocks within the framework of the AUC’s ongoing efforts towards the elaboration of a concrete roadmap towards silencing all guns in Africa.

The AUC expressed its appreciation to the participation of African experts, drawn from the Regional Economic Communities, including the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), as well as from African think-tanks and civil society organizations, and representatives from multilateral partners and international organizations.

The AUC expressed its gratitude to the Government and People of South Africa for the hospitality provided, as well as to the African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD) for its support in facilitating the Retreat.

BANGUI, Central African Republic, April 30, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — On 26 April, armed groups attacked the localities of Nanga-Boguila and Bodjomo, Prefecture of Ouham-Pende. This attack killed 22 people, including three staff members of the NGO Doctors without Borders (MSF), injured many others and destroyed many houses. On 28 April, a convoy of displaced persons heading to the North of the CAR was also attacked in the area of Dikissou, Prefecture of Nana Grebizi, and two civilians were killed. The areas from which they departed were also looted and pillaged.

The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) condemns these unacceptable attacks against civilians. The perpetrators, individuals or armed groups, must stop immediately this unacceptable violence which exacerbates the suffering of the population, increases instability and undermines efforts for peace and reconciliation.

“The Central African Republic (CAR) is once again facing increased violence”, said Special Representative of the Secretary-General Babacar Gaye. “MINUSCA urges the Government to conduct an investigation in order to bring the perpetrators of these acts to justice. We also calls on all political, religious and community leaders, as well as the media, to increase their efforts to promote peaceful coexistence among communities, and to refrain from inciting violence. It also encourages the Central Africans to work, in the spirit of peace and tolerance, for a unified Central African Republic.”

WASHINGTON, April 29, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Remarks

John Kerry

Secretary of State

Treaty Room

Washington, DC

April 29, 2014

SECRETARY KERRY: Good morning, everybody. I am pleased to welcome the Foreign Minister of Egypt, Nabil Fahmy, who is no stranger in Washington. He spent many years in the United States. Actually, he was born in New York. I think he spoke English before Arabic, (inaudible). (Laughter.) And he and I have been in constant touch in recent months by telephone, so it’s good to have a chance to catch up. We’ve seen each other at a couple of conferences, but today we obviously have very important issues to discuss.

Egypt, for a long time, has been a very important strategic partner of the United States, and we do share common interests, particularly the stability of the region, counterterrorism, peace with Israel, and other concerns. Egypt is a very important country. It is one quarter of the Arab world, and historically Egypt has always played a central role in the region and in our efforts to maintain the peace process, as well as the stability of the region itself.

Clearly, Egypt has been going through a very difficult transitional process. What happens in the next weeks and months is very, very important to all of us. We want the interim government to be successful. We are hopeful and look for a political process of inclusivity, a constitution implemented which brings people politically to the table, and broadens the democratic base of Egypt. Egypt’s constitution is a positive step forward. It has taken steps, and they are moving now to an election. But even as these positive steps have been taken, we all know there have been disturbing decisions within the judicial process – the court system – that have raised serious challenges for all of us.

We will discuss these issues today very candidly and forthrightly, and we do so in a spirit that wants to find a way for Egypt to be able to make it through this transition and share a full democracy with its people and be able to take the steps that create the stability and strength that is necessary from a country like Egypt where everybody looks to the potential of Egypt’s reemergence on the global stage as a major partner in our strategic concerns.

So we are hopeful for that. We look to work very closely in that effort. But as I’ve mentioned to the foreign minister a number of times, we really are looking for certain things to happen that will give people the sense of confidence about this road ahead. It’s actions, not words, that will make the difference, and that’s really the discussion that we look forward to have this morning.

So Mr. Foreign Minister, I really welcome you here.

FOREIGN MINISTER FAHMY: Thank you.

SECRETARY KERRY: You’ve given us a lot of insight as to what is happening. I know you yourself are pushing for – in many of these things – and we look forward to a good discussion.

FOREIGN MINISTER FAHMY: Thank you, John. Thank you very much for inviting me back to Washington. It’s been – the State Department has been a frequent visit for me in the past in my previous capacity. And this venue, in particular this hall, was an event – an area for many events that I attended. But the American-Egyptian relationship is something that’s extremely important to me personally and to Egypt, as well as as a nation.

All of the strategic elements that the Secretary mentioned regarding our common goals, I don’t want to repeat because I completely agree with him on those issues. What’s different in my visit this time than in my previous capacity is I come now representing people that want democracy, they want to be stakeholders in the future, they want to build a better country, that are going through a transformation that is societal, not simply changing one president for the other. I believe we are moving forward. Again, as the Secretary said, the constitution in particular was a very constructive step. We’re going forward with the election for president in a few weeks and then hopefully soon after that for parliament.

As we do that, we need to deal with the challenges that we face without disturbing institutional relationships. The Secretary mentioned some of the challenges within the judicial system. They are completely independent from the government, but of course, they’re part of what Egypt is all about. I can’t comment on the content of the decisions themselves, but I’m confident that due process is allowed – that due process is allowed, and that the legal system will ultimately end up with proper decisions in each of these cases. And we will build a democracy based on the rule of law, and the rule of law means applying laws that are consistent with the constitution through a legal system that’s independent and credible to us all – most of all, to the Egyptian people.

And that’s a commitment that I make not to you here in Washington, but to my own people. So I’m glad to say it here as well at the same time. We’re going to have an interesting discussion on a number of the regional issues, on our bilaterals, and of course, I’ll be happy to explain what’s happening in Egypt domestically as well. Thank you, John, for having me here.

SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you, Nabil. I appreciate it. Thank you very much. Thanks.

PRETORIA, South-Africa, April 29, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — To mark this year’s World Refugee Day the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), jointly with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), invites all young writers between the ages of 16 to 30, residing in South Africa, to enter a writing competition telling a refugee/migrant story. The contest titled “Shared Wishes, Shared Dreams” aims to promote the positive contributions of refugees and migrants in South African communities.

Participants are invited to write a short story (max. 500 words) either fiction or non-fiction, that will address some of the negative perceptions about refugees/migrants in South Africa who are more often seen as a problem to be solved rather than as potentially exceptional people who can be entrepreneurs and innovators. The competition is open for submissions until 30 May 2014.

“Despite living lives of desperation and struggle, many refugees in South Africa have managed to triumph over adversity and rebuild their lives. This year we’re putting the limelight not on where refugees come from, but on what they bring, including diverse skills and their determination and courage that helped them succeed when they were forced to leave their homes in the first place. Their positive contributions are often overlooked in our national conversations,” says Tina Ghelli, UNHCR’s spokesperson for Southern Africa.

“Today we live in a global world. We trade with each other. We do business with each other. We make friends and even marry across borders.

We eat each other’s food and even learn each other’s language. This does not just make the world a more interesting place. It also brings a spread of economic, social and cultural benefits,” adds Gaone Dixon, IOM South Africa Communications Officer.

Submissions should be original, attention-grabbing and thought-provoking in order to ignite dialogue on the positive contributions of migrants in South Africa, as well as promote social cohesion and tolerance of refugees and migrants.

One contest winner and two runners-up will be selected and announced on World Refugee Day, 20 June 2014. The competition winner will receive an Apple MacBook AIR in recognition of achievement while the first and second runners-up will receive a LENOVO Laptop and a SONY Digital Camera respectively.

Interested contestants can visit www.iamamigrant.co.za for a detailed competition brief as well as rules and regulations. Alternatively they can follow updates on our Facebook pages at www.facebook.com/UNHCRSouthernAfrica or www.facebook.com/IOMSouthAfrica

To submit your work please fill out the “Shared Wishes, Shared Dreams” entry form and either email it with your submissions to nmahlangu@iom.int or hand deliver it to IOM’s offices in Pretoria; Sanlam Building 3rd Floor 353 Festival Street, Hatfield.

EL FASHER (DARFUR), Sudan, April 29, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The eighth meeting of the Implementation and Follow-up Commission (IFC) of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD) was held on 28 April in El Fasher, North Darfur. The commission discussed the progress made and the challenges faced since its last meeting which was held on 16 December 2013.

The meeting was chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister of the State of Qatar, H.E. Ahmed bin Abdullah Al Mahmoud. The Government of Sudan was represented by Minister of State Dr. Amin Hassan Omer, while the Chairperson of the Darfur Regional Authority (DRA), Dr. El Tigani Seisi, and Mr. Altoum Suliman, represented the Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM) and Justice and Equality Movement-Sudan, respectively. Also present were the representatives of the African Union, the European Union, the League of Arab States, Canada, Chad, China, Burkina Faso, Egypt, France, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, the AU-UN Joint Special Representative and Joint Chief Mediator hosted the event at UNAMID’s headquarters.

Speaking to the media at the conclusion of the meeting, the JSR, commended the spirit of cooperation demonstrated by all parties to the DDPD, “I urge the parties to continue to accommodate each other in this process” he said.

Deputy Prime Minister Al Mahmoud reiterated Qatar’s commitment to the development of Darfur and support to early recovery projects for the region. “Development and reconstruction projects should go alongside the peace processes so that Darfuri people can make use of it and achieve peaceful coexistence and stability not only for Darfur, but across the region” he stated.

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, April 29, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — In the AU year of Food Security and Agriculture, African farmers and civil society organizations have come together for a Continental Conference on “Moving from Rhetoric to Action”

Journalists are invited to attend a press conference by African farmers and civil society organizations:

When: Wednesday, 30 April 2014

Where: AU New Conference Center, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Briefing Room 1

Time: 4pm

In July 2003, African Heads of State and Government committed in Maputo to reduce hunger and poverty by investing at least 10% of their national budgets in agriculture. African farmers and African civil societies welcomed this commitment with a lot of hope.

But, 10 years later, only 8 countries (Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Malawi, Mali, Niger and Senegal) have kept this promise.

The African Union declared 2014 the year of Agriculture and Food Security. We take this opportunity to remind African leaders to renew their 2003 Maputo commitment and invest more in agriculture to ensure food security and improve the future of millions of African citizens.

African Ministers of Agriculture, Fisheries and Livestock are meeting in Addis Ababa this week. As part of this, Non-State actors are holding a Continental Conference in collaboration with the African Union Commission to address the desire for a people-driven, people-centred engagement in delivering improved agriculture in the next decade. What is essential, however, is to turn rhetoric into action. During the press conference, African Farmers and Non State Actors from a range of countries will present TEN KEY STEPS that make up their call for action.

JUBA, South Sudan, April 29, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — “I call on all parties to the conflict in South Sudan to observe one month of tranquility this May; to stop the violence and to provide a safe environment for civilians caught by the conflict at this most crucial time of the year.

I am calling for one month of tranquility for two reasons.

First, stopping the fighting and ensuring one month of tranquility will enable people to be safer and move freely, without fear of violence. The citizens of South Sudan have a right to move around their country whether to tend to their livestock or for other reasons, or even to seek asylum in neighbouring countries if they so wish. The conflict currently compromises their ability to do so.

Second, one month without violence will allow people to plant and cultivate. The conflict which broke out in mid-December has put a staggering 7 million people are at risk of food insecurity across the country. April and May are the time to plant. April is behind us; only May is left to enable people to prepare their fields and try to ensure that they have a harvest at the end of 2014.

While the only way to reverse this crisis and its grave humanitarian consequences is to find a political resolution to the conflict, one month of tranquility this May is a tangible step that will have an immediate impact on the lives of millions of people.”

PORT-LOUIS, Mauritius, April 29, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Africa Regional Technical Assistance Center South (AFRITAC South) held a workshop on “Improving Cash Management in Developing Countries” in Mauritius, during April 21-25, 2014. Twenty eight officials from finance ministries and central banks representing twelve AFRITAC South member countries (Botswana, Comoros, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe) attended the seminar.

IMF staff and experts explored with participants how effective cash management systems and practices can contribute to the smooth implementation of general government transactions, and achievement of the operational targets of fiscal policy, public debt management strategy, and monetary policy. The exchanges allowed participants to discuss regional perspectives and good practices in strengthening cash management.

Addressing the participants, Mr. Dev Manraj, the Financial Secretary of the Mauritius Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, noted that cash management is an area that has been gaining greater prominence among policy makers in the region, as poor cash management exerts a cost on public finances and on monetary policy. He emphasized the importance of an effective cash management for ensuring that adequate cash is available to pay for expenditures when they are due; for minimizing net government borrowing costs; and for facilitating monetary policy implementation.

At the conclusion of the workshop, Mr. Jean Luc Helis and Mr. McCarthy Phiri, AFRITAC South public financial management resident advisors, said that the seminar presented a good opportunity to engage officials from the AFRITAC South member countries in the peer-to-peer exchange of ideas on how to make cash management more efficient. The seminar also provided useful inputs into the on-going AFRITAC South technical assistance projects on cash management to its member counties.

GENEVA, Switzerland, April 29, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — IPU has kick-started its priority support to Egypt in its efforts to establish democracy by providing advice and expertise on the drafting on a new electoral law. The law would have to be in place before parliamentary elections can take place, the last step in a series of planned political processes on Egypt’s roadmap to democracy.

An IPU delegation currently in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, is working with relevant authorities, including the committee responsible for drafting the new electoral law, on how women and other under-represented Egyptians can participate and be better represented in a new parliament. Although Egypt’s new Constitution acknowledges the principles of equality and non-discrimination, there are no specific measures in place to ensure the political participation of women and minority groups.

IPU, which signed an agreement with Egypt last month on how it can support the Arab country to develop a fully functioning and representative parliament, has also established an office in Cairo to facilitate its work.

The Organization is focusing on four priority areas aimed at ensuring a new parliament is functioning effectively. In addition to providing support on the draft electoral law, IPU will initially work on a curriculum for parliamentary staff training, ICT and research facilities for the new parliament.

It has also begun working with Egyptian authorities on developing a strategic vision for how Egypt’s new parliament will develop in the years to come. This will be particularly key if the new parliament has no party in majority.

With no parliament since July 2013 and no dates set for new parliamentary elections, the establishment of a legislative body that is fully representative and effective in its oversight and accountability role is critical to meeting the democratic aspirations of the Egyptian people.

“IPU calls on all parties in Egypt to come together and fully support the political process underway. There can be no place for violence of any kind. It would be a betrayal of the Egyptian people,” says IPU President Abdelwahad Radi.