Category: APO-OPA

ROME, Italy, June 9, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva opened a meeting of the world’s only inter-governmental forum on fisheries and aquaculture issues, calling for urgent action to address climate change and other threats to sustainable fisheries and fish stocks.

FAO’s Committee on Fisheries (COFI) opened its 9-13 June session to address a range of issues related to the long-term well-being of marine and inland fisheries and aquaculture and potential action by governments, regional fishery bodies, NGOs, fish workers and other actors in the international community.

Saying that fisheries and aquaculture make a “central contribution to food security and nutrition,” Graziano da Silva added that sustainable development in the world’s island and coastal states was especially dependent on the “vitality of oceans and fish stocks.”

“Overfishing, pollution and climate change are putting this vitality at risk. The impacts are already evident. And the world’s poor, in rural and coastal areas, are among the most affected,” said Graziano da Silva.

“I want to stress the urgency of individual and collective action to address climate change, one of the most pressing challenges the world faces today,” he said, adding that FAO was making it a priority in its work to improve sustainable development through its Blue Growth Initiative.

The Director-General pointed out that fisheries and aquaculture were the sources of 17 percent of the animal protein consumed in the world and up to 50 percent in some Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Asian countries. They were also central to the livelihoods of some of the most vulnerable families in the world.

“The livelihoods of 12 percent of the world’s population depend on this sector. In particular, small-scale fisheries are the source of employment for more than 90 percent of the world’s capture fishers and fish workers, about half of whom are women,” he said.

“At the same time that small-scale fishers supply most of the fish consumed in the developing world, many of their families are food-insecure themselves. This is a paradox that we are working together to overcome,” he said, stressing that small-scale fishers were an integral part of efforts to improve sustainability and food security.

International forum

The Director-General joined Johan Williams, Chairperson of COFI’s 31st Session, in welcoming ministers in charge of fisheries or agriculture and rural development from Algeria, Bangladesh, Brazil, the Republic of Guinea, Indonesia, Mali and Sri Lanka. Participants also included vice-ministers, deputy ministers and state ministers from Azerbaijan, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Maldives, Namibia, Peru, Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

Among other issues, participants were to consider endorsement of two key sets of voluntary guidelines designed to improve sustainability and responsible fisheries conduct, respectively: the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-scale Fisheries and the Voluntary Guidelines for Flag State Performance.

They were also to discuss progress in the implementation of the landmark Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and related instruments for international cooperation on fisheries.

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania, June 9, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Swala Oil and Gas (Tanzania) Plc (http://www.swala-energy.co.tz) today announced the launch of its Initial Public Offer Prospectus (“IPO”) of 9,600,000 ordinary shares. The company will be selling each share at the price of Tanzanian Shillings 500 from June 9th 2014 to 4th July 2014. This announcement comes a week after the company received its official approval from the Tanzanian Capital Markets and Securities Authority (“CMSA”), making it the first of such offering in the Oil and Gas industry in East Africa.

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

Photo 1: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/index.php?level=picture&id=1168 (Swala’s CEO David Mestres Ridge)

Photo 2: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/index.php?level=picture&id=1169

Swala’s CEO David Mestres Ridge said, “We are delighted that today Swala Oil and Gas Tanzania Plc is officially launching its IPO. This is a great step not only for Swala but also for Tanzania and its people. Investing in oil and gas shares is a means for economic diversification for any individual and it allows interested parties to own a stake in a fast growing business”.

Mr Ridge further stated, “We are extremely grateful to the Government of Tanzania, TPDC and the CMSA for allowing us to become East Africa’s first public owned Oil and Gas Company. On behalf of all Swala directors I would like to officially invite the public to invest in Swala Oil and Gas Plc”.

Hon. Abdullah Mwinyi, a Director at Swala Oil and Gas Tanzania Plc added, “There has been a great debate on the need for local content in this booming oil and gas industry; we are delighted that today Swala would become the first oil and gas company to walk the talk. We strongly believe that Tanzanians should be given an opportunity to participate in the oil and gas business; this IPO opening allows them to do just that”.

Application forms and copies of the prospectus will be available online at Nihisa.com, at the offices of all Licensed Dealing Members (LDM) of the Dar Es Salaam Stock Exchange (DSE), branches of CRDB Bank Plc and offices of Arch Financial & Investment Advisory Ltd. The offer is open from 09th June 2014 to 04th July 2014. There is currently no maximum subscription limit, but a minimum subscription of 100 shares per person is required. Electronic prospectus can be found on the company website http://www.swala-energy.co.tz or http://www.nihisa.com.

Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of Swala Oil and Gas Tanzania Plc.

Media contact:

Irene Kiwia

info@frontline.co.tz

+255 658870114

About Swala Oil and Gas Tanzania Plc

Swala (http://www.swala-energy.co.tz) is an affiliated company to Swala Energy Limited, a company in turn listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) with ticker “SWE”. Swala holds assets in the world-class East African Rift System with a total net land package in excess of 17,500km2. New discoveries have been announced by industry participants in a number of licenses along this trend, including Ngamia and Twigga, which extend the multi-billion barrel Albert Graben play so successfully developed by Tullow Oil into the eastern arm of the rift. Swala has an active operational and business development programme to continue to grow its presence in the hydrocarbon provinces of East Africa.

For further information please contact:

Swala Oil and Gas Tanzania Plc

David Mestres Ridge

CEO

david.mestres@swala-energy.com

IPO contact:

ipo@swala-energy.co.tz

+255 765730398

ROME, Italy, June 9, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — PRESS CONFERENCE 12 June 2014

Figures paint a stark picture: 842 million people undernourished; about 45 percent of 6.9 million child deaths linked to malnutrition, obesity on the rise in many countries.

Despite great strides made in some countries since the first international conference on nutrition held in 1992, progress in reducing hunger and improving nutrition has been unacceptably slow. Malnutrition in all its forms (undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies and overnutrition) places an intolerable burden on individuals and communities as well as on the cultural, social, economic and health fabric of nations.

Recognizing that global problems require global solutions, FAO and the World Health Organization (WHO) are jointly organizing a high-level inter-governmental conference on nutrition to be held in Rome 19-21 November 2014.

The overall goal is to improve diets and to raise levels of nutrition globally. From participants, including heads of state and government leaders, it seeks:

• A political commitment for effective action and mobilization of resources for improved nutrition;

• The incorporation of nutrition-enhancing food systems into national policies;

• Coordination among food, agriculture, health and other sectors to improve nutritional outcomes;

• Better international cooperation on nutrition issues;

• Contribution to the post-2015 UN development agenda and the Zero Hunger Challenge.

FAO Director-General, José Graziano da Silva, will give a press conference to launch ICN2 at FAO headquarters in Rome on Thursday 12 June at 10.30 am. A video message by WHO Director-General, Margaret Chan, will also be shown.

WHAT: Launch of Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2)

WITH: FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva,

WHO Director-General Margaret Chan (video message)

WHEN: Thursday, 12 June 2014, 10.30h

WHERE: Sheikh Zayed Media Centre, FAO headquarters

Rome, Italy | Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, corner with Viale Aventino. Metro stop Circo Massimo.

Accreditation will take place at the main FAO visitor’s entry kiosk. A valid press card or letter of assignment on company stationery, plus picture ID, required.

Website: http://www.fao.org/ICN2

Webcast: http://www.fao.org/webcast/

Twitter hashtags: #ICN2

More information: FAO media office, (+39) 06 570 53625, FAO-Newsroom@fao.org

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, June 9, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, has expressed her condolence to the Mbeki family following the death of Ma Epainette Mbeki,a Sou…

MOGADISHU, Somalia, June 9, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Somalia (SRSG), Nicholas Kay welcomed the release today of 11 crew members of the ship MV Albedo, held hostage since November 2010, and called for all remaining captives still being held by Somali pirates to be released.

The 11 survivors of the MV Albedo crew were released to officials from the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC) inside Somalia and are now safely back in Kenya. The crew members from India, Iran, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will be repatriated to their home countries over the coming days.

The MV Albedo had been held by armed Somali pirates since 12 November 2010. The ship sank close to the Somali coast in July 2013 due to mechanical failure and bad weather and the surviving crew had been held on shore by pirates since that time.

“For over three years the crew members and their families have suffered unimaginable distress. The crew underwent the trauma of piracy, their ship sinking and then being held ashore in very difficult conditions. I commend the efforts of UNODC colleagues and the local authorities, who facilitated their safe return today. While we have seen a significant reduction in piracy off the coast of Somalia in recent years, I remain deeply concerned that 38 other crew members are still being held hostage by Somali pirates. I call on those who continue to detain these crew members to release them without further delay so they can rejoin their families and loved ones” SRSG Kay said.

GENEVA, Switzerland, June 7, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — WHO Disease Outbreak News on Ebola virus disease, West Africa – update

Guinea

Between 2 and 3 June 2014, 11 new cases (8 confirmed, 1 probable and 2 suspected) and 3 new deaths were reported from Conakry (7 new cases and 1 death), Gueckedou (2 new cases and 1 death), Telimele (1 new case and 0 deaths), and Boffa (1 new case and 1 death). This brings the cumulative total number of cases and deaths attributable to Ebola virus disease (EVD) in Guinea to 344 (207 confirmed, 81 probable, and 56 suspected cases) including 215 deaths. The geographical distribution of these cases and deaths is as follows: Conakry, 65 cases and 27 deaths; Gueckedou, 193 cases and 143 deaths; Macenta, 44 cases and 26 deaths; Dabola, 4 cases and 4 deaths; Kissidougou, 7 cases and 5 deaths; Dinguiraye, 1 case and 1 death; Telimele, 23 cases and 5 deaths; and Boffa, 7 cases and 4 deaths. In terms of isolation, 31 patients are currently hospitalized – 6 in Conakry, 9 in Gueckedou, 15 in Telimele, and 1 in Boffa. The number of contacts currently being followed-up countrywide is 987 distributed as follows: Conakry, 329 contacts; Gueckedou, 323 contacts; Macenta, 176 contacts; Telimele, 104 contacts; and Boffa, 55 contacts.

Sierra Leone

Between 2 and 5 June 2014, 9 new suspected cases were reported bringing the total number of EVD clinical cases to 81 (31 confirmed, 3 probable, and 47 suspected), including 6 deaths. Kailahun district is the epicentre of the outbreak in Sierra Leone. Eleven cases are currently in isolation at Kenema Hospital. The number of contacts currently being followed-up is 30. Community resistance is hindering the identification and follow-up of contacts.

Liberia

There have been no new confirmed cases since 6 April 2014. Eleven contacts (5 health-care workers and 6 community relatives) are currently being followed-up. These contacts are of the probable case from nearby Kailahun, Sierra Leone who died in Foya, Liberia. The dead body was taken back to Kailahun for burial.

The total number of cases is subject to change due to reclassification, retrospective investigation, consolidation of cases and laboratory data and enhanced surveillance.

WHO response

WHO and partners continue to support the implementation of preventive and control measures in affected countries. Six experts and over 5,000 PPEs have been deployed to Sierra Leone to support the response operations.

WHO also supported Sierra Leone in developing proposals which were submitted to CERF ($238,000) and OCHA Emergency Fund (about $50,000) and DFID (£200,000). A joint WHO/HQ and AFRO mission provided support to Guinea on reviewing the outbreak response operations. The total estimated budget for Sierra Leone’s EVD outbreak response is about US $1.8 million. On 3 June 2014, WHO facilitated a cross-border collaboration meeting between Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. They agreed to reinforce cross-border surveillance and harmonize social mobilization communication tools to address community resistance.

WHO does not recommend any travel or trade restrictions be applied to Guinea, Liberia, or Sierra Leone based on the current information available for this event.

GENEVA, Switzerland, June 7, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — As the cholera outbreak enters its fourth week in Juba, the South Sudanese capital, 29 people have lost their lives and 1,306 people have been treated for the disease.

The medical humanitarian aid agency Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is running three cholera treatment centres (CTCs) and three oral rehydration points (ORPs) in key areas of the city. Its medical teams have already provided cholera treatment to 282 people and are in the midst of building two additional CTCs and further ORPs. MSF is also continuing to provide technical assistance to the Ministry of Health to help reduce the burden on Juba Teaching Hospital. This week MSF sent an additional four staff members there to spray the shoes of all patients and caretakers with chlorinated water that kills cholera bacteria. MSF plans to further scale up water and sanitation support to the hospital to help increase infection control.

Here, MSF Head of Mission for South Sudan, Brian P. Moller, details MSF’s main concerns and activities:

This cholera outbreak is an emergency on top of multiple other emergencies facing an extremely vulnerable population in South Sudan. It comes at a time when a million people are displaced and MSF teams are also seeing worrying levels of malnutrition in several locations, spikes in malaria cases, and other disease outbreaks, such as kala azar.

At least there haven’t been significant surges in the cholera outbreak in Juba over the last weeks. Though cholera patient numbers are rising, the current pattern seems to involve a steady increase of patients across a number of days, followed by subsequent days where the numbers seeking treatment begin to decrease. Right now, we appear to be in one of the lower trough stages. When the outbreak enters a trough phase, people start to relax. However, the peak after each trough is a little higher than the previous peak. So there is no room for complacency, as patient numbers could escalate again.

Efforts to prevent the further spread of cholera must continue, including health promotion and community awareness. This will need to be accompanied by a persistent scale up of treatment facilities in areas where patients are unable to reach specialised care quickly.

More rapid treatment is needed

As cholera causes severe dehydration and even death within a matter of hours, it is essential that people have access to free, quality treatment in the shortest possible time. In addition, the treatment facilities must be open 24 hours a day, as cholera doesn’t stop spreading when the sun goes down.

In a city where many people don’t have enough money to pay for transport, it’s worrying if life-saving care is not close in a cholera outbreak. The Ministry of Health has organized a free-phone system for people to call ambulances that will transfer patients for free to Juba Teaching Hospital, which is an important initiative. However, there is the risk that some people may still not make it on time. For instance, the poorest families often don’t own a mobile phone to make that vital ambulance call. Additionally, it will also take time for knowledge of that free number to fully spread into communities. Finally, the ambulances are trying to cover a large city, crisscrossed by bad, congested roads. All these factors can result in worrying delays in reaching punctual treatment.

MSF is opening two additional CTCs over the next weeks in the eastern and southern parts of Juba to ensure that more people can access closer treatment facilities. The first will be a 20-bed facility in the eastern Gumbo area, separated from the rest of the city by a bridge that spans the River Nile. MSF has already treated 48 patients at its oral rehydration point in this area. When people arrive we provide them with oral rehydration salts to replace fluids lost in diarrhoea or vomiting. We then transfer the most severe cases to a CTC so they can receive fluids through an intravenous drip. Final agreements on the exact location of MSF’s fifth CTC in the Hai Jabel area of the city have just been finalised, so that construction could begin today.

Watching Juba’s water supply

The fact that cholera hasn’t entered Juba’s water supply is a major relief. If the water source became contaminated, this could create a serious spike in the numbers of people requiring urgent treatment. As the rainy season intensifies, it will be essential to remain vigilant.

In particular we are keeping a watchful eye on heavily populated areas, where the disease can rapidly spread. A possible outbreak in the two camps for displaced people in Juba had already been anticipated. Each camp is home to more than 14,000 people, living in dire conditions. The camp population was vaccinated against cholera earlier this year as a precaution. As well as providing treatment in MSF CTCs in each of the camps, our teams are also conducting intensive community mobilization and health promotion activities in both places.

If cholera outbreaks were to start in other parts of the country, it would be a bad development. Earlier this week we were extremely worried to hear of cholera cases in Yei, Juba’s neighbouring county. MSF immediately donated 10 cholera beds to health officials there. At the start of next week a team of three MSF staff will conduct an assessment in Yei to see if we can assist. However, it seems that the situation in Yei is currently under control, and there has not been an increase in suspected cases over the last few days, which is encouraging.

Elsewhere in the country, our teams have treated small numbers of suspected cases in special cholera units they built in existing MSF projects. So far there is no cause for alarm in those areas. We will just have to wait and see how things develop with this outbreak over the coming weeks. As it’s hard to predict, MSF teams will continue to be proactive and prepared to respond.

Table: Cholera patients treated by MSF in Juba

Location Patients treated

Gudele 202

Tomping 9

Juba 3 16

Munuki 4

Nyakuron 3

Gumbo 48

Total 282

ABIDJAN, Côte d’Ivoire, June 7, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) today completed the fifth review of Côte d’Ivoire’s performance under an economic program supported by a three-year Extended Credit Facility (ECF) arrangement. The Board’s decision, which was taken without a formal meeting,1 enables the immediate disbursement of SDR 48.78 million (about US$ 75.2 million), bringing total disbursements under the arrangement to SDR 357.72 million (about US$ 551.4 million).

The Executive Board approved the ECF arrangement for Côte d’Ivoire on November 4, 2011 for SDR 390.24 million (120 percent of the country’s quota in the IMF, see Press Release No. 11/399).

Côte d’Ivoire’s macroeconomic performance was impressive in 2013. Real GDP growth is estimated to have reached 8.7 percent, driven by strong domestic demand and exports. Average annual inflation remained moderate at 2.6 percent, while the fiscal position improved. Higher Foreign Direct Investment inflows and project loans financed the moderate widening of the external current account deficit.

Performance under the ECF-supported program remains good. All performance criteria and all but one indicative targets for end-December 2013 were met. Progress on the structural reform agenda was satisfactory, notably with the adoption of a medium-term wage bill strategy and a time-bound action plan for restructuring public banks. Some steps have also been taken to improve the business climate, and strengthen public financial management and tax administration.

Côte d’Ivoire’s macroeconomic prospects for 2014 remain positive. A broad stabilization of growth at a high level (8½ percent) is projected, supported by sustained strong domestic demand. Average annual inflation is expected to decline to 1.2 percent. The overall fiscal deficit would remain moderate at 2.3 percent, while higher FDI inflows and project loans are projected to finance a widening of the external current account deficit.

The main challenges for Côte d’Ivoire are to sustain the growth momentum and improve its inclusiveness through forceful implementation of the structural reform agenda. Priority areas include further improving the business climate to foster private sector development, implementing the action plan for restructuring public banks and, more generally, developing the financial sector. In addition, there is a need for increasing the transparency and efficiency of public spending, improving cash planning and cash management, further reinforcing the financial situation of the electricity sector while investing to increase energy supply, and strengthening debt management through a prompt reorganization of the debt unit. In the medium term, bringing down the wage bill as a share of tax revenue will help implement the envisaged universal health insurance system in a sustainable manner and, more broadly, create fiscal space for needed development and social spending.

1 The Executive Board takes decisions without a formal meeting when it is agreed by the Board that a proposal can be considered without convening formal discussions.

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, June 6, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The African Union Border Programme (AUBP) today celebrated the African Border Day at the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa. AU Member States, representatives of the European Union, members of the Diplomatic Corps, the Regional Economic Communities (RECs), Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs), Experts on border issues and AUC staff were present.

With the theme ‘Promoting borders as bridges’, the aim of the Celebration is to sensitize all stakeholders about the role and importance of borders in promoting peace, security and stability in Africa.

In his opening remarks, the Acting Commissioner for Peace and Security, Martial De-Paul Ikounga, highlighted the objectives of the AUBP in its efforts to assist Member States to delimit and demarcate their land and maritime borders in order to forestall conflicts and tension. He urged Member States to realize the objectives of the programme, which seeks to make the borders of Africa ‘’a melting pot of conviviality, prosperity and integration for people linked by history, geography and culture. In our hamlets, nomadic camps, cities, schools and universities, the concept of ‘border’ should go hand in hand with peace, development and integration.”

For her part, the German Ambassador to the AU and Ethiopia, Ambassador Lieselore Cyrus, said “Through this programme it can be clearly demonstrated that demarcated borders do not separate people from each other. Instead, undisputed borders are prerequisites for peace, security and stability.”

The highlight of this year’s celebration was the launch of the newly adopted Convention on Cross-border Cooperation, also called Niamey Convention, an innovative document which maps the way forward for the promotion and institutionalisation of cross-border initiatives (formally adopted by the African Ministers of Justice, May 2014). A second highlight was the launch of two new publications of the AUBP guidebook series on border management entitled ‘Installation of a Cross-Border Basic Service Infrastructure – The User’s Guide’ and ‘Delimitation and Demarcation of Boundaries in Africa – General Issues and Case Studies’. Both books formulate best practices and are important tools for AU Member States to engage in border management.

After hearing the live testimonies of two female inhabitants describing their everyday experience of the borderland between Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia, a documentary film titled, ‘African Borders: From Barriers to Bridges’, was screened followed by a photo exhibition showcasing historical documents and images of African borders.

NOTE TO THE EDITORS

About the Establishment of the African Union Border Programme (AUBP)

The African Union Border Programme (AUBP) was established by African leaders in January 2007 at the 8th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of States and Government of the African Union. On 7 June 2007, the declaration on the AUBP was adopted at the first conference of African Ministers in Charge of Border Issues, held at the AU Commission in Addis Ababa. This Declaration was endorsed by the AU Executive Council, at its 11th Ordinary Session held in Accra, Ghana, from 25th to 29th June 2007.

With the numerous border related tensions and disputes, even outright wars, on the African continent since the 1950s-1960s, the creation of the AUBP constitutes a direct response to the need to preserve the principles of state sovereignty and territorial integrity for peace and security on the African continent. At the same time, the AUBP places an emphasis on its pro-active strategy of conflict prevention in order to forestall the necessity of conflict resolution.

The AUBP is therefore the embodiment of African States’ commitment to transforming borders into “bridges” for cooperation, integration and socio-economic development, and to overcome negative perceptions of borders as “barriers” as per the motto of the Programme.

Decisions adopted by the African Ministers in Charge of Border Issues

The African Ministers in Charge of Border Issues adopted the following three Decisions, empowering the AUBP and providing it with useful tools to relate border matters to peace and security issues on the continent:

1. The Declaration on the African Union Border Programme and its Implementation Modalities by the African Ministers in Charge of Border Issues, adopted on 7th June 2007. This Declaration was endorsed by the AU Executive Council, at its 11th Ordinary Session held in Accra, Ghana, from 25th to 29th June 2007

2. The Declaration on the African Union Border Programme and the Modalities for the Pursuit and Acceleration of its Implementation by the African Ministers in Charge of Border lssues in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 25th March 2010 ; and,

3. The Declaration on the AUBP and its status of implementation and the draft convention on cross border cooperation by the African Ministers in Charge of Border Issues in Niamey, Niger, on 17th May 2012

Objective of the AUBP

The object of the AUBP is to prevent and resolve border-related disputes and to promote regional and continental integration, which constitute a tool in the structural prevention of conflicts in Africa. It aims to do this by facilitating and supporting the delimitation and demarcation of African boundaries where such exercise has not yet taken place; reinforcing the integration process, within the framework of the RECs and other large-scale cooperation initiatives; developing, within the framework of the RECs and other regional integration initiatives, local cross-border cooperation; building the capacities of member states in border management, as well as in border studies and research; and advising the Commission and other organs of the African Union on border-related matters.

Achievements of the AUBP

At the instigation of AUBP, several concrete results have been achieved, especially in the area of demarcation. To date, 29,000 km of Africa’s borders representing 35% of the total border length of 83,000 km can be considered as having been delimited and demarcated. About 14,000 km of the boundaries are undergoing re-affirmation works. When completed the goal of demarcating 50% of Africa’s borders will have been achieved.

Niamey Convention on Cross-Border Cooperation

The Convention, which was drafted in Niamey, Niger, in 2012, is a document for mapping the way forward for the promotion and institutionalisation of cross-border initiatives. The African Ministers of Justice, who have recently adopted this Convention, have thus presented a legal framework, which emphasises the high priority of border management and cross-border cooperation in order to achieve unity and integration. The Niamey Convention is a concrete result of the AUBP’s objective to promote cross-border cooperation in areas such as mapping and surveying, infrastructure, communication, socio-economic development and trade, but also in terms of border security.

About the African Border Day

On 25 March 2010, at their second meeting, the African Ministers in charge of Border Issues decided to commemorate every 7 June as the African Border Day for promoting peace and regional and continental integration in Africa. The aim of this celebration is

firstly, to sensitize all stakeholders about the role and importance of borders in promoting peace, security and stability,

secondly, to communicate the efforts of the AUBP towards the achievement of greater African unity and integration at continental, regional and national levels, and

thirdly, to disseminate knowledge and share experiences regarding initiatives and achievements of the AUBP, supported by the German Cooperation within different areas related to border management.

The African Border Day is observed every year by the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa. The day is also celebrated across the African continent. This year’s Border Day celebration was conducted in the context of the 50th anniversary of the Cairo Declaration which, through its Resolution 16(I), consecrates the principle of intangibility of African Borders as they existed upon independence, and forms one of the legal foundations of the implementation of the AUBP.

German support to the AUBP

The German Government has a long history of cooperation with the African Union. Since 2008, Germany has provided the AU overall support of more than 200 Million Euros.

Germany supports Member States in their efforts to delimitate and demarcate their borders and to enhance the AUBP capacities for research and training. The United Kingdom and Denmark have also been assisting the AUBP in its implementation.

The AUBP guidebook series as well as the documentary film and further resources can be found online via: http://aubis.peaceau.org/documents-and-resources-african-borders

BERLIN, Germany, June 6, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — A Federal Foreign Office spokesman issued the following statement on the results of the Egyptian presidential election:
We have taken note of the results of the presidential election …