Category: APO-OPA

BRUSSELS, Kingdom of Belgium, August 8, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The European Commission will provide additional funding for the Airport Communication Project (AIRCOP) to disrupt the illegal networks that are disseminating drugs and other illicit products through smarter, more effective, well-connected and intelligence led counter-narcotic activities of participating airports. Its purpose is to strengthen detection, interdiction and intelligence capacities in several countries in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.

European Commissioner for Development, Andris Piebalgs, said: “Organised crime, drug trafficking and the damage that they bring are a global problem that requires a strong and coordinated response. Criminal organisations are responding to the success of coordinated law-enforcement agency efforts, with new smuggling methods. Therefore it is important to continue our collective efforts to counter drug trafficking and protect people in the European Union and countries where illicit products are produced and transported.”

The AIRCOP programme has established Joint Airport Interdiction Task Forces (JAITF) in participating international airports and connected them to international law enforcement databases and communication networks to promote intelligence and information sharing between services at national and international level. This includes encouraging real time transmission of information when illicit shipments are intercepted, as well as an intelligence-led approach to countering drug trafficking. The project also organises national and regional trainings as well as joint operations.

So far, thanks to the AIRCOP project more than 355 kg of cocaine were seized, as well as 127 kg of methamphetamine, 1120 kg of cannabis, around 4 kg of heroin, around 1400 kg of counterfeit drugs and 450 kg of ivory; 112 people were arrested.

Trafficking in drugs is one of the major sources of revenue of organised crime. Not only is it a threat to public health, but it also poses a serious threat to peace and stability, undermines economic and social development, and contributes to crime and insecurity.

Along the so-called Cocaine Route, from the countries in the Andes through the transit countries in Central America, the Caribbean, West, South and North Africa, to Europe, the drug trade feeds into and supports organised crime in all its aspects; exacerbating extreme violence, instability and the chronic weakening of state institutions.

The AIRCOP project was launched in 2010 and so far the European Commission has contributed almost €8 million. The newly announced funding of €3 million is for the third phase of the project, which will last until the end of 2016.

The programme is implemented by The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the World Customs Organization (WCO) and the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL).

The countries currently participating are:

Africa: Benin, Cameroun, Cape Verde, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, the Gambia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Togo and Senegal

Latin America and Caribbean : Dominican Republic, and Panama

Background

Since 2009, under the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace (IcSP; formerly known as the Instrument for Stability), the European Union has committed almost €35 million over 38 countries along the cocaine route through the flagship Cocaine Route Programme in efforts to fight against both organised crime and drugs trafficking.

The Cocaine Route Programme was the first of its kind to think strategically about the flow of drug trafficking and to provide support, technical advice, building capacities and encourage coordination between the states situated along the entire route.

The Cocaine Route Programme is at the centre of EU external, security and development strategies. By supporting partner countries’ capacities, it is carrying out activities in three main domains, notably the interception of illicit flows of drugs, fight against money laundering and improve information sharing. It therefore comprehensively addresses the multi-faceted challenges posed by organised crime and drug trafficking through a number of complementing projects.

Valuable results in the interdiction of illicit flows have been achieved also under other components of the Cocaine Route Programme, such as the AMERIPOL-EU project.

AMERIPOL-EU, which works on enhancing the capacity for law enforcement and judicial cooperation in tackling transnational organised crime networks, by also supporting the AMERIPOL Police Community in Latin America, has shown impressive results since it started in 2010. For example, cooperation between the law enforcement agencies of Ecuador and Colombia under the project’s aegis contributed to the seizure of 11 tons of coca in 2012. Another AMERIPOL-EU operation that involved Venezuela, Spain, Brazil and Argentina led to 13 arrests in 2013 and the seizure of 11 luxury cars, six yachts and cash related to drug trafficking.

GENEVA, Switzerland, August 8, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Somalia faces major human resource gaps as it attempts to move forward and achieve the reconstruction and peace-building objectives set out in its Vision 2016 initiative.

The Somali diaspora present a unique reserve of experts with skills and professional experience combined with local knowledge of their country of origin. But mobilizing Somali diaspora resources to strengthen the institutional capacities of government agencies represents a challenge.

The IOM’s Migration for Development (MIDA) Somalia programme, implemented in collaboration with the Somali authorities, allows for skills transfers to take place through short-term assignments of diaspora professionals in Somalia and to date has placed over 300 experts.

“Our mission is to contribute to the on-going process of stabilization and state-building in Somalia by developing the capacities of key government institutions through the mobilization of Somali diaspora resources,” says programme manager Frantz Celestin.

The UK is host to one of the largest and longest established Somali communities in Europe, with an estimated population of around 90,000. To inform the community about the programme and opportunities to participate, the IOM office in the UK this week organized an outreach event, in collaboration with the Worldwide Somali Student and Professionals (WSSP).

WSSP, a London-based NGO established at University College, London in 2010, aims to recruit Somali students and professionals working in the fields of engineering, healthcare, education and agriculture, and to enlist their services in Somalia’s ongoing post-conflict reconstruction process.

WSSP currently hosts the largest global Somali professional network and has already facilitated capacity building assignments for over 70 Somali professionals from around the world as part of its Operation Restore Home programme, which began in 2011.

GENEVA, Switzerland, August 8, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — IOM has donated 3,300 solar lanterns to reach 20,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Somalia. The recipients are now at less risk of gender-based violence (GBV), their children will be able to do homework after school, and they may be able to generate more income if their shops and small businesses can operate at night.

Displaced families benefiting from the solar lantern distribution are those particularly vulnerable to GBV living in 35 IDP settlements in Burao, Somaliland, Garowe, Puntland and Mogadishu.

The distribution, which took place in late July, was coordinated by IOM, in close collaboration with Somalia’s Ministries of Health, Women, Development and Family Affairs, Human Rights, Labour and Social Affairs, local municipality authorities, local District Commissioners, the Somali Women Development Centre (SWDC), the Timely Integrated Development Services for Somalia (TIDES), the Community Centre for Research and Training (CCRT), and local community leaders.

Thirty-year-old Farhiya (name changed) has lived with her seven daughters in a makeshift shelter for 15 years at the Kosaar IDP settlement in Burao, Somaliland. “I used to have a solar light at home until it broke. The new one is lighter and I can use it to charge my mobile phone. I can carry it around the house and I feel much safer moving around the settlement at night,” she says.

The prevalence of GBV in Somalia, including rape, is reported to be one of the highest in the world. IDPs and migrants are particularly vulnerable due to lack of protection and the insecure environment in which they live.

In June 2012, IOM Somalia conducted a rapid assessment in two IDP settlements in Somalia where GBV prevalence was reportedly very high. The study concluded that many of the cases took place at night, when the settlements are plunged into darkness.

Although lighting is widely recognized to prevent GBV, no scientific study on the subject has ever been conducted in Somalia. IOM is therefore conducting baseline and post-intervention studies to establish a proven link between solar lanterns and prevalence of GBV in the areas of distribution and to assess how cost-effective solar lanterns are in reducing the incidence of GBV. The studies will also shed light on other ways that solar lanterns may change the lives of IDPs.

To date IOM has distributed over 4,500 solar lanterns in IDP settlements throughout Somalia. It has also promoted community social mobilization to empower women against GBV. The programme is funded by the Government of Japan.

GENEVA, Switzerland, August 8, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Since the crisis began in South Sudan in December 2013, over 1.1 million people have been displaced from their homes. Over 95,000 of them are sheltering in UN Protection of Civilian (PoC) sites throughout the country, where they are provided with humanitarian assistance.

The IOM Displacement Tracking and Monitoring (DTM) team has been involved in the monitoring and registration of internally displaced persons (IDPs) countrywide since the New Year and on 6th August it launched a new biometric registration exercise for IDPs sheltering in Juba PoCs.

IOM and its partners are now collecting statistics in over 80 of the country’s 240 known IDP locations, but the agency is only targeting PoCs with biometric registration. Despite the challenges presented by the rainy season and a lack of road access, it is working with select state focal points to gather relevant information using smart phone technology and is engaging partners to participate in data collection.

“The DTM is a tool to provide a clear understanding of the changing location, vulnerabilities and needs of affected populations throughout a crisis. As information is captured and analyzed, it is shared with humanitarian actors to help determine the necessary response,” says IOM South Sudan’s DTM coordinator Ester Ruiz de Azua.

In Juba, biometric registration of heads of households began in early May at the UN House PoC site. More recently biometric registration has been rolled out for all family members in the relocation pipeline. To date, 5,112 individuals have been biometrically registered and subsequently relocated to UN House PoC 3, where they can receive better assistance.

Another registration of foreign nationals was completed on Saturday, August 3rd. Some 578 nationals from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia and Sudan were fingerprinted and issued with new registration cards.

The current number of IDPs in Juba is estimated to be over 30,000, all of whom IOM plans to have biometrically registered by the end of August.

GENEVA, Switzerland, August 8, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — United Nations human rights expert Bahame Tom Nyanduga urges the international community to act now to avert a looming humanitarian disaster in Somalia. The new Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Somalia calls on donors to respond to the humanitarian appeal launched by the UN and partners in collaboration with the Somali Government,which currently has a funding gap of US$ 663 million.

“The food shortage situation in Somalia is deteriorating rapidly.

An ongoing conflict, the lower than usual rains in the agricultural parts of the country, the hiking of food prices, and the limited access by humanitarian agencies to deliver much needed assistance in some parts of the country due to the conflict, are pushing Somalia closer and closer to an impending worrisome food insecurity and malnutrition situation.

Unfortunately, in spite of the early warning indicators, there appears to be inadequate response to a potential catastrophe, which could erode some of the gains of the Federal Government of Somalia to safeguard and guarantee the rights to life and the right to food for considerable number of Somali citizens.

International agencies have warned that only US$ 270 million, equivalent to 29% of the Somalia Strategic Response Plan of US$ 933 million requirement, had been received so far, leaving a funding gap of US$ 663 million.

The Government of Somalia has declared drought in seven regions, namely, Gedo, Bakool, Hiiraan, Galgaduud, Bay, Middle Shabelle and Lower Shabelle and have warned that, if urgent measures are not taken there would be a repeat of the 2011 famine, when more than 250,000 people died, half of them children. They called in the international community and the UN to assist.

According to an alert released in early July by the Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit (FSNAU) of the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), the food security situation in Somalia is expected to deteriorate in the months ahead due to reduced crop production resulting from poor seasonal Gu rains (April to June), a surge in prices of basic commodities and reduced livestock production.

Around 203,000 children under the age of five are acutely malnourished while about 2.9 million people in Somalia need urgent life-saving and livelihoods support, a situation which is likely to worsen, according to FSNAU.

A repeat of the famine will likely see a loss of life to many Somali people in particular, women children, internally displaced persons and other vulnerable people, whose survival is necessary and important for a sustainable rebuilding the Federal Republic of Somalia. There is approximately 1.1 million internally displaced in Somalia, according to UNHCR.

I call on the donor community, and the public and private sector to urgently heed the multiple early warnings by the international community and address pressing humanitarian needs as outlined in the Strategic Response Plan for Somalia that has a funding gap of US$ 663 million in order to avert a humanitarian disaster in Somalia.

The world must act now.”

DUBAI, UAE, August 8, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ —

• This acquisition makes Gemalto the reference in cloud data, software and transaction security adding core network data protection technologies to its authentication offerings that protect the edge of the network

• The purchase price of US$890 million will be financed by available cash and existing credit facilities

• Closing is expected to occur in Q4 2014

• Gemalto 2017 profit from operation objective of €600 million is expected to be surpassed by around +10%

Gemalto (Euronext NL0000400653 – GTO) (http://www.gemalto.com), the world leader in digital security, today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire 100% of the share capital of SafeNet, a worldwide leader in data protection and software monetization, from Vector Capital for US$890 million on a debt free/cash free basis.

Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/gemalto.jpg

Photo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/index.php?level=picture&id=1285

Headquartered in Belcamp, Maryland, USA, and presently located in 27 countries, SafeNet is one of the largest dedicated digital information security companies in the world, trusted to protect, control the access to, and manage the world’s most sensitive data and high value software applications. As an example, SafeNet technology protects over 80% of world’s intra-bank fund transfers and its 1,500+ employees, including 550 cryptographic engineers, serve more than 25,000 customers, both corporations and government agencies, in over 100 countries. Customers utilizing SafeNet solutions include Banamex, Bank of America, Cisco, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Kaiser Permanente, Netflix, Starbucks and many more of the world’s best known companies. In 2013, SafeNet recorded revenues of US$337 million and profit from operations of US$35 million and expects revenues of US$370 million and profit from operations of US$51 million for 2014.

As Gemalto enters into its 2014-2017 multi-year development plan, the digital world enters a period in which proper control over sensitive information is paramount. Nearly 400 million digital data records have been lost or stolen already in 2014, prompting a significant rise in global awareness regarding the effective protection of data. With this acquisition, Gemalto and SafeNet combine the best technologies, expertise and services available for securing a complete infrastructure: network, users, data, software, at the core and at the edge.

SafeNet provides an extensive portfolio of data protection solutions including HSM1 advanced cryptographic key management systems, encryption technologies for civilian applications, authentication servers and authentication as a service, as well as sophisticated software license management and monetization solutions. As an example, HSMs are the essential cloud-based secure elements generating and protecting the fundamental cryptographic keys and processing units used by digital authentication, encryption and signature mechanisms within computer networks and the Internet. All of these will perfectly complement Gemalto’s offering of embedded software and portable secure elements, which are used globally at the other end of the network security chain, i.e. in the users’ pockets and inside the network-connected terminals.

Once the acquisition is completed, SafeNet will significantly reinforce Gemalto’s Identity and Access Management business. It will become part of Gemalto’s Payment & Identity segment, and its Platforms & Services activity, that account respectively for €1,329 million and €715 million of the 2013 pro forma revenue.

The purchase price of US$890 million is self-funded with US$440 million from available cash, and US$450 million drawn from existing long-term credit facilities. Depending on market conditions, Gemalto may refinance the credit facilities through a bond issuance or other means at a later date. The closing of the transaction is expected to occur in Q4 2014, after approval from the relevant regulatory and antitrust authorities. After the acquisition is completed, Gemalto will retain a strong financial structure with a net debt/EBITDA ratio 1. The transaction will be accretive to adjusted EPS (Earnings Per Share) before purchase price allocation upon completion.

As a result of the acquired business’s anticipated profitability, growth and synergies, Gemalto expects to surpass its 2017 profit from operations2 objective of €600 million by approximately +10%.

“The opportunity to acquire SafeNet has come at exactly the right time, as we have just entered into our new multi-year development plan and there is a perfect fit between Gemalto’s “security at the edge” and SafeNet’s “security at the core” capabilities. This will enable us to further accelerate the deployment of strong security solutions in the Enterprise sector, and expand our technologies and growth opportunities in protecting online access. Overall, our global leadership in digital security will be reinforced”, said Olivier Piou, Gemalto CEO.

“We are very excited for the opportunity to join Gemalto, which is recognized internationally for leadership in the digital security domain. Our products and routes to market are perfectly complementary and our visions for the future naturally intertwined,” said Prakash Panjwani, SafeNet President and Chief Executive Officer. “The combination of our portfolios will allow customers to have access to world’s leading security products for mobile and cloud, delivering best-in-class protection of data and identities. This transaction will accelerate the delivery of Gemalto’s security solutions to the Enterprise while also making SafeNet’s data protection solutions accessible to the Banking and Telecom sectors – truly a win-win for everyone involved.”

1 Hardware Security Modules

2 Profit from operations is a non-GAAP measure defined as the IFRS operating result adjusted for the amortization and depreciation of intangibles resulting from acquisitions, for share-based compensation charges, and for restructuring and acquisition-related expenses.

Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of Gemalto.

About Gemalto

Gemalto (Euronext NL0000400653 GTO) (http://www.gemalto.com) is the world leader in digital security (http://www.gemalto.com/companyinfo/digital_security.html) with 2013 annual revenues of €2.4 billion and more than 12,000 employees operating out of 85 offices and 25 research and software development centers, located in 44 countries.

We are at the heart of the rapidly evolving digital society. Billions of people worldwide increasingly want the freedom to communicate, travel, shop, bank, entertain and work – anytime, everywhere – in ways that are enjoyable and safe. Gemalto delivers on their expanding needs for personal mobile services, payment security, authenticated cloud access, identity and privacy protection, eHealthcare and eGovernment efficiency, convenient ticketing and dependable machine-to-machine (M2M) applications. We develop secure embedded software and secure products which we design and personalize. Our platforms and services manage these products, the confidential data they contain and the trusted end-user services made possible.

Our innovations enable our clients to offer trusted and convenient digital services to billions of individuals. Gemalto thrives with the growing number of people using its solutions to interact with the digital and wireless world.For more information visit http://www.gemalto.com, http://www.justaskgemalto.com, http://blog.gemalto.com, or follow @gemalto (http://twitter.com/gemalto) on Twitter.

About SafeNet, Inc.

Founded in 1983, SafeNet, Inc. is one of the largest information security companies in the world, and is trusted to protect the most sensitive data for market-leading organizations around the globe. SafeNet’s data-centric approach focuses on the protection of high-value information throughout its lifecycle, from the data center to the cloud. More than 25,000 customers across commercial enterprises and government agencies trust SafeNet to protect and control access to sensitive data, manage risk, ensure compliance, and secure virtual and cloud environments. Learn more about SafeNet on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, and Google+.

About Vector Capital

Vector Capital is a leading global private equity firm specializing in transformational investments in established technology businesses. Vector identifies and pursues these investments in both the private and public markets. Vector actively partners with management teams to devise and execute new financial and business strategies that materially improve the competitive standing of these businesses and enhance their value for employees, customers, and shareholders. Among Vector’s notable investments are Aladdin Knowledge Systems, Allegro Development Corporation, Cambium Networks, Certara, CollabNet, Corel, IPVALUE Management, LANDesk Software, Niku, Gerber Scientific, RAE Systems, Register.com, SafeNet, Technicolor, Teletrac, Tidel, WatchGuard Technologies, and WinZip.

GENEVA, Switzerland, August 8, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The first meeting of the Emergency Committee convened by the Director-General under the International Health Regulations (2005) [IHR (2005)] regarding the 2014 Ebola Virus Disease (EVD, or “Ebola”) outbreak in West Africa was held by teleconference on Wednesday, 6 August 2014 from 13:00 to 17:30 and on Thursday, 7 August 2014 from 13:00 to 18:30 Geneva time (CET).

Members and advisors of the Emergency Committee met by teleconference on both days of the meeting[1]. The following IHR (2005) States Parties participated in the informational session of the meeting on Wednesday, 6 August 2014: Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria.

During the informational session, the WHO Secretariat provided an update on and assessment of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. The above-referenced States Parties presented on recent developments in their countries, including measures taken to implement rapid control strategies, and existing gaps and challenges in the outbreak response.

After discussion and deliberation on the information provided, the Committee advised that:

• the Ebola outbreak in West Africa constitutes an ‘extraordinary event’ and a public health risk to other States;

• the possible consequences of further international spread are particularly serious in view of the virulence of the virus, the intensive community and health facility transmission patterns, and the weak health systems in the currently affected and most at-risk countries.

• a coordinated international response is deemed essential to stop and reverse the international spread of Ebola;

It was the unanimous view of the Committee that the conditions for a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) have been met.

The current EVD outbreak began in Guinea in December 2013. This outbreak now involves transmission in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone. As of 4 August 2014, countries have reported 1 711 cases (1 070 confirmed, 436 probable, 205 suspect), including 932 deaths. This is currently the largest EVD outbreak ever recorded. In response to the outbreak, a number of unaffected countries have made a range of travel related advice or recommendations.

In light of States Parties’ presentations and subsequent Committee discussions, several challenges were noted for the affected countries:

• their health systems are fragile with significant deficits in human, financial and material resources, resulting in compromised ability to mount an adequate Ebola outbreak control response;

• inexperience in dealing with Ebola outbreaks; misperceptions of the disease, including how the disease is transmitted, are common and continue to be a major challenge in some communities;

• high mobility of populations and several instances of cross-border movement of travellers with infection;

• several generations of transmission have occurred in the three capital cities of Conakry (Guinea); Monrovia (Liberia); and Freetown (Sierra Leone); and

• a high number of infections have been identified among health-care workers, highlighting inadequate infection control practices in many facilities.

The Committee provided the following advice to the Director-General for her consideration to address the Ebola outbreak in accordance with IHR (2005).

States with Ebola Transmission

• The Head of State should declare a national emergency; personally address the nation to provide information on the situation, the steps being taken to address the outbreak and the critical role of the community in ensuring its rapid control; provide immediate access to emergency financing to initiate and sustain response operations; and ensure all necessary measures are taken to mobilize and remunerate the necessary health care workforce.

• Health Ministers and other health leaders should assume a prominent leadership role in coordinating and implementing emergency Ebola response measures, a fundamental aspect of which should be to meet regularly with affected communities and to make site visits to treatment centres.

• States should activate their national disaster/emergency management mechanisms and establish an emergency operation centre, under the authority of the Head of State, to coordinate support across all partners, and across the information, security, finance and other relevant sectors, to ensure efficient and effective implementation and monitoring of comprehensive Ebola control measures. These measures must include infection prevention and control (IPC), community awareness, surveillance, accurate laboratory diagnostic testing, contact tracing and monitoring, case management, and communication of timely and accurate information among countries. For all infected and high risks areas, similar mechanisms should be established at the state/province and local levels to ensure close coordination across all levels.

• States should ensure that there is a large-scale and sustained effort to fully engage the community – through local, religious and traditional leaders and healers – so communities play a central role in case identification, contact tracing and risk education; the population should be made fully aware of the benefits of early treatment.

• It is essential that a strong supply pipeline be established to ensure that sufficient medical commodities, especially personal protective equipment (PPE), are available to those who appropriately need them, including health care workers, laboratory technicians, cleaning staff, burial personnel and others that may come in contact with infected persons or contaminated materials.

• In areas of intense transmission (e.g. the cross border area of Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia), the provision of quality clinical care, and material and psychosocial support for the affected populations should be used as the primary basis for reducing the movement of people, but extraordinary supplemental measures such as quarantine should be used as considered necessary.

• States should ensure health care workers receive: adequate security measures for their safety and protection; timely payment of salaries and, as appropriate, hazard pay; and appropriate education and training on IPC, including the proper use of PPEs.

• States should ensure that: treatment centres and reliable diagnostic laboratories are situated as closely as possible to areas of transmission; that these facilities have adequate numbers of trained staff, and sufficient equipment and supplies relative to the caseload; that sufficient security is provided to ensure both the safety of staff and to minimize the risk of premature removal of patients from treatment centres; and that staff are regularly reminded and monitored to ensure compliance with IPC.

• States should conduct exit screening of all persons at international airports, seaports and major land crossings, for unexplained febrile illness consistent with potential Ebola infection. The exit screening should consist of, at a minimum, a questionnaire, a temperature measurement and, if there is a fever, an assessment of the risk that the fever is caused by EVD. Any person with an illness consistent with EVD should not be allowed to travel unless the travel is part of an appropriate medical evacuation.

• There should be no international travel of Ebola contacts or cases, unless the travel is part of an appropriate medical evacuation. To minimize the risk of international spread of EVD:

o Confirmed Cases should immediately be isolated and treated in an Ebola Treatment Centre with no national or international travel until 2 Ebola-specific diagnostic tests conducted at least 48 hours apart are negative;

o Contacts (which do not include properly protected health workers and laboratory staff who have had no unprotected exposure) should be monitored daily, with restricted national travel and no international travel until 21 days after exposure;

o Probable and suspect cases should immediately be isolated and their travel should be restricted in accordance with their classification as either a confirmed case or contact.

• States should ensure funerals and burials are conducted by well-trained personnel, with provision made for the presence of the family and cultural practices, and in accordance with national health regulations, to reduce the risk of Ebola infection. The cross-border movement of the human remains of deceased suspect, probable or confirmed EVD cases should be prohibited unless authorized in accordance with recognized international biosafety provisions.

• States should ensure that appropriate medical care is available for the crews and staff of airlines operating in the country, and work with the airlines to facilitate and harmonize communications and management regarding symptomatic passengers under the IHR (2005), mechanisms for contact tracing if required and the use of passenger locator records where appropriate.

• States with EVD transmission should consider postponing mass gatherings until EVD transmission is interrupted.

States with a potential or confirmed Ebola Case, and unaffected States with land borders with affected States

• Unaffected States with land borders adjoining States with Ebola transmission should urgently establish surveillance for clusters of unexplained fever or deaths due to febrile illness; establish access to a qualified diagnostic laboratory for EVD; ensure that health workers are aware of and trained in appropriate IPC procedures; and establish rapid response teams with the capacity to investigate and manage EVD cases and their contacts.

• Any State newly detecting a suspect or confirmed Ebola case or contact, or clusters of unexplained deaths due to febrile illness, should treat this as a health emergency, take immediate steps in the first 24 hours to investigate and stop a potential Ebola outbreak by instituting case management, establishing a definitive diagnosis, and undertaking contact tracing and monitoring.

• If Ebola transmission is confirmed to be occurring in the State, the full recommendations for States with Ebola Transmission should be implemented, on either a national or subnational level, depending on the epidemiologic and risk context.

All States

• There should be no general ban on international travel or trade; restrictions outlined in these recommendations regarding the travel of EVD cases and contacts should be implemented.

• States should provide travelers to Ebola affected and at-risk areas with relevant information on risks, measures to minimize those risks, and advice for managing a potential exposure.

• States should be prepared to detect, investigate, and manage Ebola cases; this should include assured access to a qualified diagnostic laboratory for EVD and, where appropriate, the capacity to manage travelers originating from known Ebola-infected areas who arrive at international airports or major land crossing points with unexplained febrile illness.

• The general public should be provided with accurate and relevant information on the Ebola outbreak and measures to reduce the risk of exposure.

• States should be prepared to facilitate the evacuation and repatriation of nationals (e.g. health workers) who have been exposed to Ebola.

The Committee emphasized the importance of continued support by WHO and other national and international partners towards the effective implementation and monitoring of these recommendations.

Based on this advice, the reports made by affected States Parties and the currently available information, the Director-General accepted the Committee’s assessment and on 8 August 2014 declared the Ebola outbreak in West Africa a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). The Director-General endorsed the Committee’s advice and issued them as Temporary Recommendations under IHR (2005) to reduce the international spread of Ebola, effective 8 August 2014. The Director-General thanked the Committee Members and Advisors for their advice and requested their reassessment of this situation within 3 months.

WASHINGTON, August 8, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Press Statement

John Kerry

Secretary of State

Washington, DC

August 7, 2014

Today marks the 16th anniversary of the cowardly terrorist attacks on the U.S. Embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, that killed over 200 and wounded thousands more. We commemorate those who were lost that day, honor the lives they lived, and extend our condolences to the loved ones they left behind.

Today’s anniversary is a somber reminder of the continued terrorist threat that we face on the African continent and around the world, and an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to partner with our allies to confront it. At the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit that concluded yesterday, the United States and leaders from across Africa confirmed our shared commitment to the continent’s security and recommitted our resolve to address threats—in East Africa and more broadly—so that we and our partners can enjoy peace and security.

WASHINGTON, August 8, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Press Statement

Marie Harf

Deputy Department Spokesperson, Office of the Spokesperson

Washington, DC

August 7, 2014

At the recommendation of the U.S. Embassy in Liberia, the State Department today ordered the departure from Monrovia of all eligible family members (EFMs) not employed by post in the coming days. The Embassy recommended this step out of an abundance of caution, following the determination by the Department’s Medical Office that there is a lack of options for routine health care services at major medical facilities due to the Ebola outbreak. We are reconfiguring the Embassy staff to be more responsive to the current situation. Our entire effort is currently focused on assisting U.S. citizens in the country, the Government of Liberia, international health organizations, local non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and the Liberian people to deal with this unprecedented Ebola outbreak.

We remain deeply committed to supporting Liberia and regional and international efforts to strengthen the capacity of the Liberian health care infrastructure and system – specifically, their capacity to contain and control the transmission of the Ebola virus, and deliver health care. Additional staff from various government agencies including 12 disease prevention specialists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and a 13-member Disaster Assistance Response Team from USAID are deploying to Liberia to assist the Liberian Government in addressing the Ebola outbreak.

OTTAWA, Canada, August 8, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Today Lois Brown, Parliamentary Secretary to the Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, hosted a round table along with Peter Braid, Member of Parliament for Kitchener-Waterloo and Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure and Communities, as well as with local stakeholders, to discuss the way forward to continue to improve the lives of mothers and their children in the developing world. This meeting was part of the consultations announced by Prime Minister Stephen Harper at the Saving Every Woman, Every Child: Within Arm’s Reach Summit which took place in Toronto last May.

PS Brown is holding a series of MNCH round tables in Ontario, British Columbia and Saskatchewan during the month of August. PS Brown took the opportunity to announce support to the Clinton Health Access Initiative to improve maternal, newborn and child health in Nigeria.

“Nigeria is a valued development partner, and I am pleased to reaffirm Canada’s commitment to assisting the Government of Nigeria to advance its health system,” said PS Brown. “The project announced today, which will be implemented by the Clinton Health Access Initiative, aims to improve the delivery of maternal, newborn and child health, Canada’s top development priority.”

The round table focused on how to ensure that global commitments deliver real results to those in need while remaining accountable to Canadian taxpayers. Canada is committed to scaling up interventions that will have the greatest impact, in the areas of strengthening health systems, improving nutrition, and reducing the burden of leading diseases.

“The support announced today to the Clinton Health Access Initiative will help save the lives of children in Nigeria,” added Minister Paradis. “Diarrhea is a leading cause of infant mortality, and the project announced today will help put a simple and low-cost treatment into the hands of Nigerian parents. We must continue to encourage proven and reliable solutions, and continue our work to ensure that maternal, newborn and child health remains a global priority.”

In 2010, Prime Minister Stephen Harper launched the Muskoka Initiative, which put maternal, newborn and child health at the forefront of global development efforts. Thanks to Canadian leadership and subsequent global action, maternal mortality rates are declining and millions more children are celebrating their fifth birthday. Recognizing there is much more work to be done, Prime Minister Harper hosted the Saving Every Woman, Every Child: Within Arm’s Reach Summit in Toronto in 2014. At the summit, Canada committed an additional $3.5 billion to continue support through to 2020, and issued the Toronto Statement, which reaffirms global consensus on a shared commitment to end the preventable deaths of mothers, newborns and children under the age of five within one generation.

Quick Facts

• Canada supports Nigeria and other countries’ efforts to improve maternal, newborn and child health. Canada’s support to Nigeria is focused on strengthening health care delivery at the community level, and preventing and treating illnesses that lead to a high number of deaths of women and children. Nigeria is also a country of focus under the MNCH initiative.

• From May 28 to 30, 2014, in Toronto, the Prime Minister hosted the Saving Every Woman, Every Child: Within Arm’s Reach Summit. At the summit, Canada committed $3.5 billion in support for the period of 2015–2020 and renewed global momentum to advance maternal, newborn and child health as a global priority beyond 2015.

• Canada’s contribution will continue to target the most effective ways to reduce maternal and child deaths by prioritizing three programmatic areas: strengthening of health systems, improving nutrition, and reducing the burden of leading diseases.

• Solid international progress is being made to address maternal, newborn and child health. The number of women who die each year during pregnancy or childbirth has dropped substantially—from 523,000 deaths in 1990 to 289,000 in 2013.

• The global number of deaths of children under the age of five has dropped significantly as well, from nearly 12 million in 1990 to 6.6 million in 2012.