Category: APO-OPA

PARIS, France, May 22, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Following on from the success of the past three years, today Orange (http://www.orange.com) is launching the 2014 edition of the Orange African Social Venture Prize. A new category has been introduced for the fourth edition: the “Orange Partner” award will recognize the best project that integrates an Orange application.

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 Encouraging innovation and the use of ICT for development

The Orange African Social Venture Prize once again rewards entrepreneurs developing products or services that use ICT in an innovative way to meet the needs of Africans in fields such as health, agriculture, education, energy, industry or trade.

Over the past three years, more than 1,500 projects have been submitted for the Orange African Social Venture Prize reflecting the dynamism of African entrepreneurs and the potential of the telecommunications sector.

 Supporting social entrepreneurship to accelerate development in Africa

Operating in 18 countries in Africa, Orange serves close to 100 million customers. Given the impact that digital services can have on peoples’ daily lives, this presence means that the Group plays an important role in the continent’s economy and its future development. As a result, one of Orange’s main priorities is to improve connectivity, particularly in rural areas, and to introduce innovative mobile-based services.

To achieve this, the Group supports entrepreneurs, small and middle-sized firms by facilitating access to finance, supporting structures for incubation and giving access to tools for digital development. Since 2010, Orange is a partner of the CTIC Dakar incubator, a reference in Western Africa in terms of ICT development. In April 2014, the CIPME Niger incubator, initiated by Orange, opened its doors to start-ups in the fields of ICT, renewable energy and the environment.

 The 2014 edition of the Orange African Social Venture Prize evolves with a special “Orange Partner” prize

The prize will recognize four projects: three projects with grants of 10,000 EUR, 15,000 EUR and 25,000 EUR, and a new special prize of 10,000 EUR will be awarded to the finalist who presents a project using an Orange API.

In addition, the four winners will benefit from a six-month support package from entrepreneurship and ICT experts and, the first prize will be offered a patent submission in the country of the project’s deployment.

Once again this year, internet users can vote online for their favorite project on Orange’s entertainment portal in Africa, http://www.starafrica.com. The winner of the “favorite project” will have its project submitted to the jury along with the others finalists shortlisted by the experts and will therefore have the maximum possible chance of being among the top four winners for 2014.

 Who can enter?

Any entrepreneur (aged 21 or over) or legal entity that has been in existence for fewer than three years at the time of the competition may participate at no cost and with no restriction on nationality. Submitted projects must be designed to be deployed in at least one of the African countries in which Orange operates and must use information and communications technology in an innovative way to help improve the living conditions of the populations in these countries.

Applications are accepted from 22 May to 19 September 2014 on Orange’s pan-African web portal, http://www.starafrica.com.

See the presentation of the competition and the video presentation of the Orange African Social Venture Prize on http://www.starafrica.com.

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

Press contacts: +33 1 44 44 93 93

Tom Wright, tom.wright@orange.com

Mylène Blin, mylene.blin@orange.com

about StarAfrica

StarAfrica.com is Orange’s entertainment portal in Africa that aggregates content from all countries. With more than 1.2 million visitors in October 2013, available in French, English and Arabic, StarAfrica.com is the reference portal for youth in Africa with its flagship channels: football, music and education. StarAfrica.com offers 9 channels: news, football, more sports, music, education, jobs, classifieds, entrepreneurship and diaspora shop.

Find StarAfrica on internet

http://www.StarAfrica.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/starafrica

Twitter: https://twitter.com/star_africa

about Orange

Orange (http://www.orange.com) is one of the world’s leading telecommunications operators with sales of 41 billion euros in 2013 and has 164,000 employees worldwide at 31 March 2014, including 101,000 employees in France. Present in 30 countries, the Group has a total customer base of more than 239 million customers at 31 March 2014, including 182 million mobile customers and 16 million fixed broadband customers worldwide. Orange is also a leading provider of global IT and telecommunication services to multinational companies, under the brand Orange Business Services.

Orange is listed on the NYSE Euronext Paris (symbol ORA) and on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol ORAN).

For more information on the internet and on your mobile: www.orange.com, www.orange-business.com, www.livetv.orange.com or to follow us on Twitter: @orangegrouppr.

Orange and any other Orange product or service names included in this material are trademarks of Orange or Orange Brand Services Limited.

LUSAKA, Zambia, May 22, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — IBM (NYSE:IBM) (http://www.ibm.com) today announced a collaboration with the Zambian Ministry of Health to provide citizens with improved access to 200 lifesaving drugs. Supported by the World Bank, the Department for International Development, UNICEF and London Business School, Zambia’s Medical Stores Limited (MSL) will deploy a new medical supply chain pilot project using sophisticated analytics and mobile technologies to better manage medicine inventory and delivery.

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Photo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/index.php?level=picture&id=1101 (A mother and child in Zambia. The Ministry of Health has tapped IBM to provide 2 190 clinics with easier access to 200 life saving drugs. Photo Credit – UNICEF Zambia)

The public health sector in Zambia registers 100,000 deaths annually due to preventable and treatable diseases. The goal of the medicine supply chain management project is to save more lives by making medicine widely available when and where it’s needed.

The Ministry of Health is introducing innovative technology to manage a scalable supply chain and control the usage, supply, availability and access to essential medicine within the Zambian health sector. The solution will provide a real-time view of drug usage and stock while analyzing data to identify trends and forecasts to prevent gaps in the medical supply chain.

“With help from our partners, we have already introduced simple improvements in the medical supply chain that will save the lives of thousands of children across our country by 2015,”said Dr. Bonface Fundafunda, CEO at MSL. “To build on these gains, we’re working with IBM to replace our paper-based inventory system with cutting-edge technology that can pinpoint the exact locations where stocks of essential medicines are running dangerously low.”

Using the IBM SPSS medicine supply forecast model, which takes into account local conditions such as the local rainy season, lead time and differences in each district’s demographics, MSL will be able to determine optimized distribution of drugs across an initial 2190 health centers.

“Zambia is taking strong action to prevent avoidable deaths by testing and deploying new methods to get drugs to people on time,” said John Makumba, operations officer, Africa Health Unit at the World Bank. “Supply chains are invisible and low profile, but when they don’t work, there are terrible consequences.”

The IBM Analytics capabilities will be integrated with the IBM MobileFirst application development portfolio, enabling staff at health facilities in three Zambian districts to use mobile devices with barcode scanners to record and transmit stock and utilization details to a central inventory control system. This will ensure continued access to vital medication and enhanced understanding of the usage patterns of vital medication.

To achieve the best availability of medicine in the health centers, the program will leverage IBM’s ILOG optimization technology to calculate the ideal composition of drug shipments based on available inventory, resources and historical usage. The transparency of the system means that each district will have a real time view of drug stock levels at the clinics and the ability to coordinate the transfer of supplies from one facility to another if required.

“The Zambian pilot is designed to be sustainable and locally owned,” said Peter Ward, solution manager, IBM. “Our unique analytics technology can help save lives by ensuring access to safe and effective medicines where they are needed most. IBM’s work to create smarter healthcare systems around the world is optimized around the patient, helping countries develop new patient-centric care models, and connecting health information through analytics.”

IBM was recently involved in a similar project to combat the number of deaths from malaria in Tanzania. Called “SMS for Life”, the solution was successfully piloted in 135 villages in remote areas and has now been rolled out across the whole of Tanzania.

“Besides potential lives saved, a digital system based on timely data could have related benefits such as lower costs, better management of scarce resources, better procurement decisions, and improved accountability throughout the supply chain,” said Jérémie Gallien, Associate Professor of Management and Operations, London Business School, who led the academic research.

The 12-month pilot project begins this month and will free up health facility staff from providing detailed paper stock inventories, allowing them to provide meaningful health care.

IBM has established the world’s deepest portfolio of Big Data and Analytics technologies and solutions, spanning services, software, research and hardware. Today, more than 400 IBM mathematicians and 6,000 industry solution business partners are helping clients use big data to transform their organizations. Additionally, IBM secured 1,500 Big Data and Analytics-related patents in 2013 alone, and continues to engage and build solutions and skills across a broad community of 1,000 university partnerships, 135,000 Big Data University enrollments and a worldwide network of nine Analytic Solutions Centers.

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

For more information please contact:

Vera Rosauer

IBM External Relations

Email: veraros@ke.ibm.com

Tel: +254-710-537-030

For more information about IBM Big Data & Analytics, visit http://ibm.co/bigdataanalytics and http://www.ibmbigdatahub.com/, Follow IBM Big Data & Analytics on Twitter @IBMbigdata and @IBMAnalytics. For more insights on Big Data & Analytics, visit IBM’s Smarter Planet blog (http://www.asmarterplanet.com).

For more information on IBM MobileFirst, visit the press kit (http://www.ibm.com/press/mobilefirst) or http://www.ibm.com/mobilefirst. Follow @IBMmobile (http://www.twitter.com/ibmmobile) on Twitter, and see IBM MobileFirst on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/ibmmobileenterprise), Tumblr (http://ibmmobilefirst.tumblr.com) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/ibmmobile?fref=ts).

JUBA, South Sudan, May 22, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) is concerned about a number of incidents that have recently occurred, disrupting the Mission’s operations and exposing its personnel to serious security risks.

On 6 May, during a meeting between H.E. President Salva Kiir Mayardit and the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the President reiterated the Government’s commitment to cooperate fully with UNMISS, and indicated that he had conveyed clear instructions to this effect to all security institutions and State Governors in the country.

The Mission deplores the fact that in the last weeks, notwithstanding this commitment, some security forces and local authorities have assaulted and illegally detained two UNMISS’ staff members in Juba; and – despite clearances – there has been several incidents of restricted or denied access for UNMISS patrols in Unity and other states. Also among opposition forces we have experienced similar unacceptable impediments.

These acts are in clear violation of the mutually agreed legal framework for the UN’s work in South Sudan, the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA). As per article 48 of the SOFA, the Government of South Sudan must take measures to ensure the safety, security and freedom of movement of UNMISS personnel.

The Mission calls on the Government of South Sudan to immediately investigate these violations and bring the perpetrators to justice. The Mission also demands that all parties ensure unhindered freedom of movement to the United Nations, and safety for the staff. This is of utmost importance for the operations of the Mission.

CAPE-TOWN, South-Africa, May 22, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — APO (African Press Organization) (http://www.apo-opa.com), the sole press release newswire in Africa and the global leader in media relations relating to Africa, today announced its renewed and extended contract as exclusive supplier for press release wire distribution in Africa with DHL (http://www.dhl.com), the global market leader in the logistics industry with activities in 51 markets in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Commenting today, Megan Collinicos, Head of Advertising & Public Relations for DHL Express Sub-Saharan Africa, stated:

“I would like to commend the APO team on their superior customer service and quality of their media monitoring. We see our partnership with APO as a strategic one and their full service offering, right from translations, through to dissemination and compilation of the online coverage report is effortless. The coverage received is not only impressive in terms of volume, but also the number of markets it touches. DHL Express Sub-Saharan Africa serves 51 countries and territories in Africa, and traditionally, it was challenging to gain coverage in a number of markets. We have a great partnership with APO which complements our extensive Pan-African presence. We have recently extended our partnership with APO, which is testament to their professionalism and ultimately, their superior service delivery”.

Download the infographic about APO media reach: http://www.apo-mail.org/apo-media-reach.pdf

APO logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/apo-african-press-organization-small.png

Photo : http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/index.php?level=picture&id=782 (Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard, Founder and CEO of APO (African Press Organization)

DHL’s press releases are distributed via Africa Wire®, the newswire service for press release distribution and monitoring in Africa. This reaches over 50,000 journalists, bloggers and social networks, and redistributes content to more than 50 African websites, as well as to Bloomberg Terminal, Thomson Reuters, Lexis Nexis, Dow Jones Factiva, 250 million mobile subscribers in 30 countries, and more.

Used by some of the world’s largest companies, PR agencies, institutions and organisations, APO Africa Wire® has a potential reach of 600 million and guarantees the most extensive outreach in Africa, acting as a channel that allows APO’s clients to target audiences in all parts of the continent and also the world.

APO Africa Wire® includes:

– UNLIMITED wording in English.

– UNLIMITED multimedia content at no charge.

– TRANSLATION in all languages spoken in Africa.

– TARGETED emailing to the 54 states of Africa for a Pan-African distribution. Your press release is distributed to APO database of journalists from each country covering general news.

– TARGETED emailing to all African and international journalists reporting on the industry or subject highlighted in your release.

– WEB REACH. The release is posted verbatim on APO’s 50 official news website partners and more.

– SOCIAL MEDIA REACH on Twitter, Google+, Facebook, LinkedIn, Scoop.it!, RebelMouse and Repost.

– INTERNATIONAL REACH via APO’s partnership with Bloomberg Professional® service (Bloomberg Terminal), Thomson Reuters professional platforms, Dow Jones Factiva, LexisNexis, Acquire Media, ProQuest, and more. The APO technology platform enhances the value of your Press releases by adding Metadata Taxonomies for News (NewsCodes used by the news industry).

– MOBILE REACH. The release is made available to 250 million mobile users in Africa.

– GLOBAL FINANCIAL COMMUNITY REACH. APO is NASDAQ GlobeNewswire Authorized Agency for Africa offering unique access to 1.5 Million financial media outlets in North America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and more.

– Various online media monitoring options in 5 working days following distribution.

“APO continues to support small and large organizations to expand their presence in all 54 economies of Africa. In fact, this is the reason why our new services have evolved proving that we are always anticipating our clients needs in Africa”, comments Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard, APO Founder and CEO.

More information about Africa Wire®, the service for press release distribution in Africa, is available at http://www.apo-opa.com/services.php

Contact:

Aïssatou Diallo

bdm@apo-opa.org

+41 22 534 96 97

About APO

APO (African Press Organization) (http://www.apo-opa.com) is the sole press release newswire in Africa and is a global leader in media relations relating to Africa.

With offices in Senegal, Switzerland, Dubai, Hong Kong, India, and Seychelles, APO owns a media database of over 50,000 contacts and is the main online community for Africa-related news.

It offers a complete range of services, including press release distribution and monitoring, online press conferences, interactive webcasts, media interactions, strategic advice, public diplomacy, government relations and events promotion. To find out more, please visit http://www.apo-opa.com.

Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/apo_source

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JOHANNESBURG, South-Africa, May 22, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The outstanding contributions that compliance professionals make every day to securing the future of business in Southern Africa will be celebrated and rewarded at the first-ever ‘Southern Africa Compliance Awards 2014′ (http://africancomplianceawards.com/south-africa) taking place in Johannesburg in November.

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The awards ceremony at La Toscana of Montecasino, on 19th November, is organised by C5 and will represent and reward professionals from across the compliance sector, recognising the very best individuals, teams and initiatives; highlighting the united efforts of this innovative and dynamic sector.

The key highlight of twelve months’ worth of diligence, vision and commitment in helping to keep compliance at the very top of its game, the ‘Southern Africa Compliance Awards 2014′ will be judged by prominent compliance and regulatory professionals from across the spectrum of the corporate, legal and professional services world in Southern Africa.

Awards Director, Brian Reffell, comments: “We are proud to launch the Southern Africa Compliance Awards, the latest edition in the unique global event series that allows us to dynamically support the compliance industry and its professionals in highlighting the vast range and diversity of work that is undertaken by the industry in Southern Africa.

It is especially germane in these challenging times with the increased regulatory and media spotlight on corporate ethics and compliance effectiveness; business in Africa is advancing rapidly, due in no small part to the efforts of the compliance industry. I would particularly like to thank our judges, their support and enthusiasm is demonstrative of the integrity and quality within the profession as it continues to innovate and deliver first-class compliance services.”

The shortlisted finalists that demonstrate the excellence and wealth of talent within the compliance industry will be announced and the winners revealed at the Gala Dinner and Awards Evening in Johannesburg.

The 12 award categories range from Junior Compliance Officer of the Year to Compliance Innovator of the Year and Law Firm of the Year to Inspirational Woman of the Year in Compliance.

Entries will be judged by a panel of prominent compliance specialists from across the corporate, legal and professional services world in Southern Africa, including:

 Alexandra Wrage, President, TRACE International

 Philippe Montigny, President, ETHIC Intelligence

 Roy Waligora, Director and Partner, KPMG Services (Pty) Ltd

 David Lewis, Executive Director, Corruption Watch (RF) NPC

 Adela Fortune, Company Secretary, Old Mutual Emerging Markets Limited

 Justin Warren, Head of Compliance, African Minerals

 Ferdi Bayliss, Vice President: Group Compliance, Gold Fields

 David Loxton, Co-head of Forensics, ENS Africa

 Yvette Lingom, Division Manager- Legal, C5 Communications (UK) Ltd

 Bapsy Dastur, General Counsel – Head Legal & Integrity IMA, ABB

 Don Hughes, Vice President and General Counsel EMEA, Hitachi Data Systems

 Hugh Bigwood, Global Head of Compliance, Rio Tinto Group

 Andrew Legg, Partner, Eversheds LLP

Commenting on the launch of the Awards Alexandra Wrage, Founder and President of TRACE International said:

“Compliance professionals often find themselves in a thankless role. In the most extreme cases, they’re seen as an obstacle to business, looking where they shouldn’t to uncover things people don’t really want to see! Management rarely applauds the absence of problems, so the best many can hope for is the quiet confidence that they’re protecting the company’s reputation and shareholder value. These awards are enormously important because they provide the spotlight and accolade that talented compliance officers deserve, but so rarely receive. Compliance professionals have had far too few opportunities for recognition of this kind prior to this timely initiative and I am delighted to be a part of it.”

Ferdi Bayliss, Vice President, Group Compliance at Gold Fields shared Alexandra’s view:

“Congratulations on this excellent initiative and career advancing pathway for compliance officers. I am a firm believer and prophet of recognition, something that has been neglected in the SA’s compliance officer industry. I am honoured to be a judge at the Southern Africa Compliance Awards”

Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of the Southern Africa Compliance Awards.

For further editorial information and/or images, please contact Jessica Horner Marketing & PR Manager

C5 Communications

Tel: +44 (0)20 7878 6950

Or email j.horner@c5-online.com

To find out more about the inaugural ‘Southern Africa Compliance Awards 2014′, visit http://africancomplianceawards.com/south-africa/ or follow the conversation on Twitter @AC_Awards #SACA2014 or get in touch with our team at awards@c5-online.com

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/groups?mostRecent=&gid=6669332&trk=my_groups-tile-flipgrp

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/africancomplianceawards

Notes to the editor:

The Southern Africa Compliance Awards (http://africancomplianceawards.com/south-africa) celebrate the achievements of compliance professionals in Southern Africa, recognising and rewarding the outstanding and essential contribution that compliance professionals make for business in the region. The awards embody the very best initiatives, individuals and teams, bringing into sharp focus the united efforts of this innovative and dynamic sector and business enabler.

Designed to empower, inspire and motivate the awards are exceptional in recognising the achievements of the compliance industry, they are a highpoint in twelve months’ worth of diligence, vision and commitment in helping to keep business at the very top of its game; winners being recognised on the 19th November 2014 at the Dinner & Awards Evening at Montecasino, Johannesburg, South Africa.

DAKAR, Senegal, May 22, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa, Mr. Said Djinnit, expresses his profo und outrage at, and condemns in the strongest terms, the double bombin! g atta…

OTTAWA, Canada, May 22, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — “Canada is deeply concerned by the alarming spate of terrorist incidents that has been unleashed in various parts of Nigeria.

“Brutal acts of violence, such as today’s deadly attacks on two villages in northeast Nigeria and yesterday’s double bombing in the central city of Jos cannot go unpunished. Those responsible must be held accountable for their actions.

“On behalf of all Canadians, I offer our sincere condolences to the families and friends of those killed and wish a speedy recovery to those who were injured.

“Canada condemns in the strongest possible terms all forms of terrorism, and we stand firmly with the Nigerian people in the face of such threats.”

HARARE, Zimbabwe, May 22, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Climate change occasioned by severe weather and extreme climate events is exacerbating multiple stresses such as food insecurity and spread of diseases in Africa. In 2012 alone, an estimated 37.3 million Africans were negatively affected by hydro meteorological hazards; a 43.3% increase in annual average over the last decade.

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Photo 1: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/photos/140521.png

Photo 2: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/photos/1405211.png

The African Ministerial Conference on Meteorology (AMCOMET) (http://www.wmo.int/amcomet) is, therefore, intensifying efforts to integrate weather and climate services in national and sub-regional development frameworks to save lives and improve the livelihoods of communities. A transformative approach is required to introduce innovative adaptation measures that build the resilience of communities to cope with adverse impacts of climate change.

“Every African country should be involved in the transformative development of the continent”, says African Union Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, H.E Rhoda Peace Tumusiime, adding that, “supporting weather and climate services is critical in strengthening Africa’s resilience in the context of Africa Agenda 2063 on the Africa We Want”.

From 26 to 30 May 2014, “the Task Force and Bureau Meeting of AMCOMET” to be hosted by Zimbabwe in Harare will refine the draft Implementation Plan of the Integrated African Strategy on Meteorology (Weather and Climate Services) for the period spanning 2014 – 2018. The Ministers will also discuss resource mobilisation for priority investments to build climate related disaster resilience, including the development of a pan-African Space Policy.

“This landmark strategy is designed to maximize the contribution of meteorological services to sustainable development by gearing the necessary resources and recognition from governments,” said Hon Saviour Kasukuwere, Minister of Environment, Water and Climate of Zimbabwe and the Chair of AMCOMET.

Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of the African Ministerial Conference on Meteorology (AMCOMET).

For all media enquiries (radio, TV interviews and photos) please email:

Ms. Josiane Uwantege: juwantege(at)wmo.int or phone: +263 772 726 264 / +41 78 664 41 82

Ms. Clare Nullis: cnullis(at)wmo.int or phone +41 22 730 8478 / 41 79 709 1397

Ms. Carol Jilombo: Jilomboc(at)africa-union.org

Notes to Editors

AMCOMET (http://www.wmo.int/amcomet) was established during the first meeting of Ministers responsible for Meteorology in Africa, co-organized by WMO and AUC, hosted in Nairobi, Kenya in April 2010. As an important outcome of the Nairobi Declaration, AMCOMET was defined as a high-level mechanism for the development of meteorology and its applications in Africa. The Second Session of AMCOMET approved the Integrated African Strategy on Meteorology, which was developed to enhance the cooperation between African countries; and to ensure that National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) have the necessary resources and capacity to fulfil their mandates.

For more information, visit:

• http://www.wmo.int/amcomet/

• https://www.wmo.int

OTTAWA, Canada, May 22, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Canada’s leadership in improving maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) was again evident today as the Honourable Deepak Obhrai, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and for International Human Rights, on behalf of the Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, announced Canada’s contribution to a project that will bring life-saving health services to remote communities of South Sudan. The announcement was made at an event hosted by the Canadian Red Cross, which is implementing the project.

Using primarily mobile health care clinics and community volunteers, this project will bring life-saving services directly to some 350,000 people in more than 600 remote communities in Warrap State, South Sudan. The mobile clinics will provide essential healthcare that would otherwise be unavailable to most mothers and children, including in emergency situations. Volunteers will be trained to provide basic care and promote breastfeeding, better nutrition, and vaccinations in their communities. Micronutrients will be distributed to improve nutrition, and life-saving interventions will be delivered to prevent malaria, diarrhea and pneumonia in young children.

“Tremendous progress has been made, but much more can be done to prevent mothers and children in developing countries from dying of simple, preventable diseases, malnutrition, and the lack of access to healthcare,” said PS Obhrai. “These causes can be addressed with proven, affordable and cost-effective solutions that most Canadians take for granted. With the Canadian Red Cross and other partners, Canada will continue to save lives and improve the health of mothers and children in the developing world.”

Canada’s top development priority is improving the health of mothers, newborns and children and reducing the number of preventable deaths. In 2010, as part of its G-8 presidency, Canada launched a global effort – the Muskoka Initiative – to mobilize global action to reduce maternal and child mortality and improve the health of mothers and children in the world’s poorest countries.

Significant progress has already been made – maternal mortality rates are declining and millions more children are celebrating their fifth birthday – and our common goal is nearer still. That is why the Prime Minister is once again taking action to mobilize the world. From May 28 to 30, 2014, in Toronto, Canada will host Saving Every Women, Every Child: Within Arm’s Reach, an international summit that will build on Canada’s leadership and chart the way forward for the next phase of global efforts.

“We would like to thank the Canadian government for its tremendous support, which will enable the Red Cross to help an unprecedented number of communities in South Sudan, one of the most underserved areas in the world,” said Conrad Sauvé, secretary general and CEO of the Canadian Red Cross. “In partnership with the South Sudan Ministry of Health, the South Sudan Red Cross and local communities, we will work to strengthen local health systems, extend the reach of health services to hard-to-reach communities and bring life-saving treatments to mothers and children in more than 600 remote communities.”

“This project will help to increase the survival rate of mothers, newborns and children in South Sudan’s Warrap State by bringing life-saving health services to remote communities,” said Minister Paradis. “Assisting mothers in giving birth more safely and helping children improve their nutrition and obtain better protection against disease will help families and communities in South Sudan avoid the preventable deaths of many thousands of mothers and children.”

Quick Facts

• On April 28, 2014, the Prime Minister announced that Canada will host Saving Every Woman, Every Child: Within Arm’s Reach, an international Summit on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health issues.

• The Summit, to be held from May 28 to 30, 2014, in Toronto, will build on Canada’s leadership and bring together Canadian and international leaders and experts, Canadian charities, businesses, scientists, developed and developing countries, international organizations and global foundations to ensure that maternal, newborn and child health remains a priority of the global development agenda.

• The causes of maternal and under-five child mortality in developing countries are largely preventable with increased access to affordable and cost-effective solutions that most Canadians take for granted.

• Canada is providing $2.85 billion in funding between 2010 and 2015 under the Muskoka Initiative to save the lives of women and children in developing countries.

• Canada is on track to meeting its Muskoka commitment, with 80 percent of the funding already disbursed.

JOHANNESBURG, South-Africa, May 22, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Gemalto (Euronext NL0000400653 GTO) (http://www.gemalto.com), the world leader in digital security, announces it has been chosen to provide the Algerian governmental agency “Hôtel des Monnaies de la Banque d’Algérie” with its Sealys eCover for ePassports and embedded eTravel software to support the country’s ambitious ePassport program, as well as to increase its production capacity. In this program Gemalto’s technology is reinforced by its advanced production and delivery capabilities that will ensure rapid deployment of ePassports whilst enhancing traveling experience for Algerian citizens.

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Photo 1: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/photos/epassport.jpg

Photo 2: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/index.php?level=picture&id=1095 (A. Bouzbib, Senior Vice President of Government Programs at Gemalto)

The embedded Sealys eTravel software is ICAO Common Criteria certified and achieves industry-leading speeds for both personalization and secure data access. As a result, the Hôtel des Monnaies de la Banque d’Algérie will benefit from improved personalization performance and cost reduction of ePassport issuance. In addition, Gemalto’s Sealys eCovers meet the high durability and quality requirements of the Algerian program, thanks to their excellent wear resistance over the life time of the ePassport.

“We needed a reliable partner to ensure that the ePassports are delivered as quickly as possible to citizens throughout the country,” stated the Hôtel des Monnaies de la Banque d’Algérie. “Gemalto has the global experience and service level, including redundancy production capabilities, to enable us to perform the smooth issuance of the documents in all phases of the program.”

“The worldwide conversion from paper identity documents to eDocuments is continuing and Gemalto expects that over 50% of passports in circulation in 2017 will embed a microprocessor,” said A. Bouzbib, Senior Vice President of Government Programs at Gemalto. “Algeria is following this worldwide trend and Gemalto’s global experience will allow the Algerian authorities to realize their goals within the shortest possible timeframe.”

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

Gemalto Media Contacts:

Peggy Edoire

Europe, Middle East & Africa

+33 4 42 36 45 40

peggy.edoire@gemalto.com

Nicole Williams

North America

+1 512 758 8921

nicole.williams@gemalto.com

Pierre Lelievre

Asia Pacific

+65 6317 3802

pierre.lelievre@gemalto.com

Ernesto Haikewitsch

Latin America

+55 11 5105 9220

ernesto.haikewitsch@gemalto.com

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.