Category: APO-OPA

CAPE-TOWN, South-Africa, April 29, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — African states are leading the way in developing “home-grown” social protection systems best-suited for their contexts (such as the widespread impact of HIV/Aids), which are not just reducing poverty, but also contributing to positive outcomes in education, health, food, security, nutrition and helping adolescents to make healthier transitions to adulthood.

Over the last decade African countries such as Ethiopia, Kenya, Ghana, Algeria, Malawi, South Africa, Zambia and others have made huge strides in implementing social protection programmes to help children and families realize their rights to basic social services and to an adequate standard of living.

Addressing the participants of the consultation which include experts from African Union member states, UNICEF and other the United Nations and international organisations, and civil society, H.E. Dr. Mustapha Kaloko, Commissioner, of the Department of Social Affairs at the African Union Commission, said that social protection programmes are the basis for transformation and economic inclusion. He highlighted African Union frameworks, policies and programmes that address the welfare of children while enhancing their rights for a bright future, such as the Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, SPIREWORK (which deals with Social Protection for workers in the rural and the informal economy) Cost of Hunger in Africa (COHA), the Campaign for Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa (CARMMA), the Campaign on Harmful Traditional Practices and a new campaign to be launched against child marriage.

The AU expert consultation is hosted by the South African Government in collaboration with the African Union Commission and UNICEF. South Africa has the largest social assistance system on the continent. Over the last two decades, coverage has grown from 2.6 million South Africans in 1994 to an estimated 16 million people.

H.E. Ms. Bathabile Dlamini, Minister of Social Development in South Africa said that in spite of the strong economic growth in Africa and progress registered, the continent still has considerable challenges to overcome to ensure that no African child falls out of the safety net.

The three day meeting seeks to take stock of progress made by African countries in implementing social protection programmes and ways in which these can be scaled up. Recommendations from the meeting will be taken to the AU Conference of Ministers of AU Social Protection Development Ministerial meeting in Addis Ababa at the end of May.

Social protection is a human right and African governments are committed to strengthening social protection because it helps to ensure that children living in poverty today do not continue to live in poverty as adults tomorrow said Jeffrey O’Malley, Director, Division of Policy and Strategy at UNICEF.

GENEVA, Switzerland, April 29, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Since violence erupted in South Sudan in mid December, more than 95,000 people have fled to Gambella, in neighbouring Ethiopia, where they arrive exhausted, sick and in desperate…

GENEVA, Switzerland, April 29, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — In an ecumenical service organized by the Congolese churches and hosted by the Disciples of Christ parish in Lemba, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), shared reflections on the resurrection of Christ which, he said, holds particular significance for the DRC, known by some as a “forgotten country with forgotten problems”.

Tveit, currently in the DRC, is leading a WCC delegation visiting the country from 25 April to 2 May. The delegation is meeting with WCC member churches and ecumenical organizations, and includes representatives from the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) and the Organization of African Instituted Churches (OAIC).

Among other speakers at the Kinshasa ecumenical service, attended by more than two thousand people, Tveit focused on the themes of justice, peace, security and harmony in the DRC, Africa and beyond, sharing reflections on the resurrection of Christ.

“The resurrection of Christ did not happen when things were perfect,” said Tveit.

“Christ rose to meet the vulnerable and suffering who, like him, are victims of injustice, sin and death. It happened in the darkness, when nobody was expecting him,” he said.

Tveit went on to say that this message is received and celebrated in the whole world, and it is a particularly important message for the churches and communities in the DRC.

“Christ is risen for you,” he said.

Tveit continued, “The resurrection shows that injustice, sin and death are not having the last word. There is a word of salvation, justice and peace to be shared. The risen Christ calls us: Go and tell them! This is where our pilgrimage of justice and peace starts.”

In Kinshasa, the WCC delegation met with Bishop Pierre Marini Bodho, national president of the Church of Christ in Congo, Bishop David Yemba Kekumba of the United Methodist Church and president of the National Committee of Churches in the DRC, and representatives of the Church of Christ in Congo and other WCC member churches in the DRC.

The WCC delegation together with representatives from the AACC and the OIAC also visited local churches. Their meetings included encounters with the Church of Jesus Christ on Earth by His Special Envoy, Simon Kimbangu. This meeting led to an agreement establishing a commission of accompaniment which will involve the WCC, the AACC, the OIAC and Congolese member churches of these organizations.

Members of the WCC delegation worshipped with different local congregations in Kinshasa on Sunday, 27 April. The WCC general secretary also preached at the Cathedral of the Centenary.

While in the DRC, the WCC delegation is scheduled to meet with more church representatives, as well as political leaders in the country.

GENEVA, Switzerland, April 29, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — IOM has condemned in the strongest possible terms a grenade attack on a humanitarian convoy in Dissikou in the Central African Republic (CAR) that yesterday left two people dead and seven people injured.

“It was with shock and outrage that I learned about the attack on the convoy. This relocation is a humanitarian initiative to evacuate this community and should be respected by all armed groups in CAR. I condemn this heinous and barbaric act and offer my profound condolences to the loved ones of those killed,” said IOM Director General William Lacy Swing.

The 18-truck convoy, carrying 1,259 civilians from Bangui’s PK12 neighbourhood to Kabo and Moyen-Sido in the northeast of CAR, left Bangui at noon on Sunday (27/4) with a UN-MISCA military escort. It is expected to arrive in Kabo shortly and in Moyen-Sido this evening.

IOM is providing the logistics for the operation, at the request of the UN, and an IOM doctor and nurse travelling with the convoy provided medical assistance to the wounded following the attack.

The UN decision to urgently relocate people trapped in PK12 – an area of less than 1 km2 in northern Bangui – was carried out to save the lives of Muslims and ethnic minorities, unable to leave the area without being attacked and killed. Over 20 people have died in attacks on the community since January.

Many of the people in PK12 were not from the area, but had fled there when violence broke out in Bangui in December and January. The majority of the population are of peul and nomad origin and for many their first language is Arabic.

PK12 community leaders selected the destinations to which they wished to be relocated and the UN arranged pre-movement visits to ensure that they would be welcomed by host communities. The first relocation of 93 people from PK12 to Bambari took place last week.

GENEVA, Switzerland, April 29, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay on Tuesday strongly condemned the shocking imposition of the death penalty on 683 individuals in Egypt yesterday after mass trials that she said clearly breached international human rights law.

“It is outrageous that for the second time in two months, the Sixth Chamber of the Criminal Court in Al-Minya has imposed the death sentence on huge groups of defendants after perfunctory trials,” she said.

“In defiance of worldwide pleas for Egypt to respect its human rights obligations after 529 people were sentenced to death in March by the same court, hundreds now face a similar fate at the hands of a judicial system where international fair trial guarantees appear to be increasingly trampled upon.”

“It is high time that Egypt takes its human rights commitments seriously,” Pillay added, noting in particular that Egypt has ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

According to information received, the 683 defendants were charged with killing a policeman and breaking into the Edwa police station in Al-Minya on 14 August 2013, among other charges. As in the previous cases, the exact charges against each defendant are not clear, given that they were not individually read out in court.

“The presumption of innocence is fundamental to the protection of human rights in a criminal trial,” Pillay said.

“It imposes on the prosecution the burden of proving the charge against each accused and it guarantees that no guilt can be presumed until the charge against him or her has been proved beyond reasonable doubt.”

“Instead of imposing death sentences wholesale, courts must ensure that accused individuals enjoy fair trials, including the benefit of doubt,” Pillay stressed.

Of the 529 people who were sentenced to death by the Sixth Chamber of the Criminal Court in Al-Minya on 24 March for killing a policeman and on various other charges, 37 had their sentences upheld by the court yesterday, while others reportedly received reduced sentences of 25 years, in itself excessive, and were fined EGP 20,000.

“The death penalty can only be applied for the most serious crimes and after the most stringent trial safeguards,” the High Commissioner said. “This has clearly not been the case in these two trials before the Al-Minya criminal court. A mass trial of hundreds of people, rife with procedural irregularities is simply not good enough for imposition of the death penalty. It is also a totally inadequate basis for sentencing 492 individuals to life in prison.

BERLIN, Germany, April 29, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Foreign Minister Steinmeier issued a statement today (28 April) on the death sentences handed down to 683 members of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt:
The hundreds of death sentences …

GENEVA, Switzerland, April 29, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The UN Committee Against Torture is due to review Guinea for the first time on 6 and 7 May in sessions that will be webcast live.

Guinea is one of the 155 States parties to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and is required to undergo regular examinations of its record before the Committee of 10 independent experts.

The Committee will engage in a dialogue with the delegation from the Guinean government and also hear from NGOs. The public sessions, which will take place from 10:00 on 6 May and from 15:00 on 7 May, can be viewed here: http://www.treatybodywebcast.org/.

The Committee will publish its concluding observations here on Friday 23 May:

http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/treatybodyexternal/SessionDetails1.aspx?SessionID=890&Lang=en.

A press conference is tentatively scheduled for Friday 23 May at 14:00 at Palais des Nations when the Committee will discuss its concluding observations on Guinea and the other States being reviewed – Uruguay, Thailand, Sierra Leone, Holy See, Montenegro, Cyprus, and Lithuania.

NAIROBI, Kenya, April 29, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — A cutting-edge technology, named Madingley, has been released by Microsoft Research and United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) which cou…

ABUJA, Nigeria, April 29, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — On Thursday, May 8th 2014, the Africa Progress Panel (http://www.africaprogresspanel.org) will release its annual Africa Progress Report – Grain, Fish, Money – Financing Africa’s Green and Blue revolutions, at the World Economic Forum on Africa held in Abuja, Nigeria.

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Chaired by former UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, last year’s report Equity in Extractives – Stewarding Africa’s Natural Resources for all, made headlines with its analysis of the oil, gas, and minerals industries in Africa.

This year’s report will argue that Africa can and must unleash green and blue revolutions in its agriculture and fisheries. It will highlight the opportunities for Africa of the world’s growing demand for food and the critical importance of agriculture and fisheries for two thirds of people in Africa engaged in these sectors. The report will also recommend related policies, including policies to scale-up Africa’s infrastructure and extend its financial services. The report will also outline the urgent need to stop the plunder of Africa’s timber and fisheries.

The following Panel Members and Members of the Secretariat will be attending WEF on Africa to outline findings shared in the report.

• Kofi Annan, Chair, Africa Progress Panel, and former UN Secretary-General

• Olusegun Obasanjo, Member, Africa Progress Panel, and former President of Nigeria

• Peter Eigen, Member, Africa Progress Panel, Founder of Transparency International, and Founding Chair and Special Representative of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI)

• Bob Geldof, Member, Africa Progress Panel, Musician, Businessman, Founder and Chair of Band Aid, Live Aid and live8, Co-Founder of DATA and ONE Advisor and Advocate

• Caroline Kende-Robb, Executive Director, Africa Progress Panel

• Max Bankole Jarrett, Deputy Executive Director, Africa Progress Panel

Note to editor:

• Caroline Kende-Robb and Max Bankole will both be available for telephonic interviews from Tuesday 29 April until Friday 2 May, in build-up to WEF on Africa and the content expected to be shared during the official introduction of the 2014 report. There is limited interview slots available and email confirmation is required.

• Additional interviews with the panel outline above will be made available during WEF and can be arranged beforehand, again there are limited slots with each panel member and media will accommodated on a first come first served basis.

• The embargoed insights release and 2014 APP report will be sent out on Wednesday 7 May 2014.

Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of the Africa Progress Panel (APP).

For further information, please contact:

Hill+Knowlton Strategies (d) +27 11 463 2198

Victoria Williams (m) +27 72 452 1772

Email: victoria.williams@hkstrategies.co.za

Geraldine Trennery (m) +27 82 677 5201

Email: geraldine.trennery@hkstrategies.co.za

www.africaprogresspanel.org

http://www.facebook.com/africaprogresspanel

@africaprogress

About the Africa Progress Panel

Chaired by Kofi Annan, former Secretary-General of the United Nations, the ten-member Africa Progress Panel (http://www.africaprogresspanel.org) advocates at the highest levels for equitable and sustainable development in Africa. The Panel releases its flagship publication, the Africa Progress Report, every year in May.

EL JADIDA, Morocco, April 29, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Businesses and governments can service the new generation of consumers only if they update their information technology systems. Speaking at the IDC Francophone Summit today, According to Alain Ozan, vice president, technology at Oracle (http://www.oracle.com), a dramatic transition is facing organizations as people are shopping, paying their bills and communicating with each other in a very different way to ten years ago Oracle, but old information technology cannot cope with the new business needs. “The average age of enterprise software is 20 years old, built in the early 1990’s before even the Internet came into common use,” he said.

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Ozan says that mobile technology, social media, and sensor technology all present opportunities to understand their customers better, but they also make companies more vulnerable to negative customer experiences. “Not so long ago in the buyer/seller relationship, the balance of power was with the seller. Companies were able to dictate to the world: ‘This is who we are, here’s what you know about us, here’s how you do business with us.’ Now the balance of power has shifted to the buyer. Ten years ago it was okay to have a 95% customer satisfaction rate. Today, that 5% of dissatisfied customers can bring a business to its knees.”

He maintains that older technologies are too slow, too complex and too expensive to perform this task. “The budget just to maintain these systems needs to increase by 4% every year. To cope with the enormous amounts of data generated through doing business online, analyse it quickly and respond to these needs, businesses need to have a powerful, flexible and above all affordable IT system.”

Oracle has over the past few years release hardware and software systems that have been engineered together. “It’s like buying a car today,” he explains. “You don’t buy the components from different manufacturers and then build your own car, you buy the complete car from one manufacturer and you are assured that everything works as it should. This is the direction in which modern computing is going.”

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

Media contact:

Peter Rae

peter.rae@oracle.com