Category: APO-OPA

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, April 7, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — As part of the implementation of its mandate, the African Union (AU) High-Level Panel for Egypt is undertaking a visit to Cairo from 6 to 9 April 2014. During this visit, which follows the missions undertaken from 27 July to 5 August 2013 and from 28 August to 5 September 2013, the Panel will meet with the relevant Egyptian government officials and other stakeholders.

It should be recalled that the AU High-Level Panel for Egypt was established on 8 July 2013 by the Chairperson of the Commission, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, following the communiqué on the situation in Egypt adopted by the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) on 5 July 2013. It is led by former President Alpha Oumar Konare of Mali and comprises former President Festus Gontebanye Mogae of Botswana and former Djibouti Prime Minister Dileita Mohamed Dileita.

The Panel submitted a progress report to the 416th meeting of the PSC, held on 29 January 2014 in Addis Ababa. The PSC, in turn, adopted a communiqué in which it expressed its full support to the Panel and requested it to actively pursue the implementation of its mandate.

OTTAWA, Canada, April 7, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Honourable Deepak Obhrai, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and for International Human Rights, is visiting Kigali from April 6 to 8 to represent Canada at ceremonies marking the 20th anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda and honouring its victims.

“As we gather to remember all of those who fell victim to this madness 20 years ago, it is important to look back at how Rwanda and the international community could have prevented the tragedy,” said Mr. Obhrai. “Learning these lessons and reflecting on this tragedy may at least help us to prevent similar atrocities in the future.”

The commemoration ceremonies on April 7 will bring together the Rwandan people, foreign dignitaries and members of the Rwandan diaspora. Other events that day will include the lighting of a flame of mourning, a remembrance walk created by young Rwandans as a way to stand against genocide and a candlelight vigil to remember the victims.

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, April 7, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union (AU), Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, welcomes the launching, yesterday, in Addis Ababa, under the chairmanship of Prime Minis…

BRUSSELS, Kingdom of Belgium, April 7, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The European Union joins the Republic of Rwanda and the people of Rwanda in solemn commemoration of the 20thanniversary of the genocide of 1994 and of the horror inflicte…

GENEVA, Switzerland, April 7, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Twenty years after the beginning of the genocide in Rwanda, the horror has not diminished. As a former judge for over eight years on the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), I am still haunted by the testimony I heard from victims and witnesses, of the brutal violence, the killings, rapes and maiming.

The figures are so vast that they are difficult to fathom. More than 800,000 dead and many more injured, scarred, orphaned, widowed and severely traumatised. We must remember, on this day, that each of those individuals experienced unthinkable atrocities – the mothers who saw their children being butchered by their neighbours, the children forced to hide under cover of dead bodies in order to survive.

On this anniversary, we must reflect not only on the massive scale of the killings and other atrocities during those 100 days of genocide, but also on what led to the annihilation of social values, and law and order, which allowed genocide to occur.

As well as examining why the horrific violations took place, we must continue to reflect on our collective failure to stop them. At the ICTR, we made a point of ensuring that our judgements laid out the root causes of the genocide, which were grounded in the manipulation and exploitation of ethnic differences by political and military leaders. It is crucial on this day to reflect on how the ethnic tensions were slowly and steadily stoked by such leaders, as well as media such as Radio Mille Collines, until the country exploded into mass violence.

The ICTR’s judgements also acknowledged many instances when Hutus risked their lives to protect Tutsis from the tide of genocide sweeping across the country. And the question remains, why do some people manage to resist the collective frenzy, and why do so many others fail to do so, or zealously take an active role in it? It is not simply a question of bravery.

We must ensure that we persist with efforts to bring perpetrators to justice, both within Rwanda and outside. Impunity adds insult to the grave injury, physical and emotional, suffered by the victims. It is important to note that shortly after the genocide, the new Government of Rwanda itself prioritised justice and accountability, not least by asking the Security Council to establish an international tribunal. They recognised that justice and accountability are indispensable for long-term stability.

We must support Rwandan efforts to ensure the promotion and protection of human rights for all, and efforts to move towards reconciliation and rehabilitation.

We must also reflect, on this day, upon the adequacy of our efforts to resolve current human rights crises, both in their embryonic and their advanced stages, so that we are not doomed to go on repeating the chronic failures of the past.

MONROVIA, Liberia, April 7, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — A mission from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), led by Ms. Corinne Deléchat, visited Monrovia from March 17 to April 1, 2014 to conduct the third review of the government’s economic program supported by the IMF under an Extended Credit Facility (ECF) arrangement. The mission met with Minister of Finance Amara Konneh, Central Bank Governor Joseph Mills-Jones, and other high-level government officials. The mission also held constructive discussions with members of the donor community and the private sector.

At the end of the visit, Ms. Deléchat issued the following statement:

“Liberia’s economic performance in 2013 was strong and the outlook for 2014 is positive. Real GDP growth is estimated at 8.7 percent in 2013 reflecting increased iron ore production and an acceleration in private and public investment. For 2014, GDP growth is projected to moderate to about 6 percent, as mining output stabilizes.

“Budget implementation through December 2013 has been constrained by revenue shortfalls. The overall fiscal deficit is still projected to reach 3.8 percent of GDP in 2014 (fiscal year), as envisaged at the time of the last review, as the authorities were able to reduce current spending. The authorities are strongly committed to preserving current expenditure savings and to implementing decisive measures to raise revenue collection in the reminder of the fiscal year, including by addressing the backlog of taxes in the concessions sector and collecting fees owed by state entities.

“Addressing significant shortcomings that have emerged in the budget process and expenditure controls will be critical in the coming months. In recent weeks, it has become clear that that a significant number of road contracts were being implemented without corresponding budgetary allocations. The authorities are initiating external audits of the financial and technical aspects of these projects, and are working with relevant stakeholders to ensure commitments outside the budget do not occur again.

“The authorities have taken a number of measures to enhance Liberian dollar liquidity management to help contain exchange rate and inflationary pressures. This includes stepped up coordination between the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank of Liberia to better manage the issuances of T-bills and CBL bills.

“Program performance has improved relative to the last review. Most end-December 2013 quantitative targets were met, and the authorities continue to make good strides in the implementation of their structural reform agenda. In addition, good progress is being made towards the benchmarks for the first half of 2014.

“The next phase of the program focuses on actions to strengthen the budget process and improve public financial management, boost revenue collection, and enhance the monetary and exchange rate policy framework. The authorities and IMF staff will continue discussions on these issues during the IMF-World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington next week with the objective of reaching an agreement, ad referendum, on a package of policies that would pave the way for completing the review. Once agreement is reached, and pending the regular internal review process, the IMF Executive Board consideration of the conclusion of the third review of the ECF-supported program is envisaged for end of June 2014.

“The mission wishes to thank the authorities for their hospitality and the quality of the policy dialogue.”

BANJUL, Gambia, April 7, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — A mission from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), led by Bhaswar Mukhopadhyay, visited Banjul during March 25 – April 4, 2014. The mission assessed the authorities’ progress in implementing policies during the first quarter of 2014 to bring their reform program back on track. The program is supported by an Extended Credit Facility arrangement with the IMF, and had gone off-track mainly because spending significantly exceeded agreed targets following completion of the first review in May 2013.

The mission met with Vice-President Njie Saidy, Secretary General Sabally, Finance Minister Touray, Central Bank Governor Colley, other senior officials, members of parliament, senior officials in public enterprises, the banking sector, and development partners.

At the end of the mission, Mr. Mukhopadhyay issued the following statement:

“Real GDP is estimated to have grown by 6¼ percent in 2013 and is expected to grow by nearly 7½ percent in 2014 on the basis of continued recovery in agriculture and a strong 2013/14 tourism season. The external current account is projected to continue to improve. Inflation, which stood at 6.1 percent in October 2013, has gradually eased to 5.6 percent in February 2014.

“Significant fiscal slippages caused by sharply higher than budgeted levels of spending pushed the fiscal deficit to about 8¾ percent of GDP in 2013. In response, as the monetary policy stance tightened, interest rates rose significantly and the domestic interest bill grew to almost 25 percent of domestic revenue in 2013. The level of public debt rose above 80 percent of GDP at end-2013. The expansionary fiscal stance contributed to increasing pressures on the exchange rate and the balance of payments—the level of gross external reserves fell to about 4 months from 4¾ months of imports by end-2013, and the dalasi depreciated by 10 percent following the lifting of exchange controls in early October 2013.

“To restore macroeconomic stability the authorities embarked on a program of corrective measures over the first quarter of 2014. The government has implemented concrete measures to boost revenue and contain expenditure, and has instituted a cash budgeting scheme to strengthen budget execution. Improved policy implementation has begun to restore confidence, as reflected in the stabilization of the dalasi exchange rate in recent months. The level of gross international reserves is recovering slowly, but remains at the comfortable level of 4 months of import cover.

“The initial policy actions of the government and observed improvements in the macroeconomic outlook this past quarter will require sustained efforts to consolidate. Interest rates on government debt remain high and pressures on the Dalasi could return during the lean season for exports. Continued policy action will provide a sound basis to lower the government’s domestic borrowing, allow interest rates and domestic interest payments to decline from their presently very high levels, and create room for spending on social and development priorities and private credit growth. As economic gains are consolidated we will see a return in international reserves, a vital shock absorber for a small open economy such as The Gambia.

“It will be important to ensure that public enterprises are operated on a sound financial basis and steadily implement reforms, particularly in the energy sector, to minimize emerging pressures on the budget.

“The mission welcomes the determination expressed by the Gambian authorities to contain spending, improve revenues, and macroeconomic stability. The IMF stands ready to support the authorities in their endeavor. Strong policy implementation would serve as the basis for presenting the second review under the ECF for the IMF Executive Board’s consideration in the second half of 2014.

“The mission thanks the authorities for candid and constructive discussions and expresses its appreciation for the excellent cooperation during its visit.”

WASHINGTON, April 7, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — We join with the people of Rwanda in marking twenty years since the beginning of the genocide that took the lives of so many innocents and which shook the conscience of the world. We honor the memory of the more than 800,000 men, women and children who were senselessly slaughtered simply because of who they were or what they believed. We stand in awe of their families, who have summoned the courage to carry on, and the survivors, who have worked through their wounds to rebuild their lives. And we salute the determination of the Rwandans who have made important progress toward healing old wounds, unleashing the economic growth that lifts people from poverty, and contributing to peacekeeping missions around the world to spare others the pain they have known.

At this moment of reflection, we also remember that the Rwandan genocide was neither an accident nor unavoidable. It was a deliberate and systematic effort by human beings to destroy other human beings. The horrific events of those 100 days—when friend turned against friend, and neighbor against neighbor—compel us to resist our worst instincts, just as the courage of those who risked their lives to save others reminds us of our obligations to our fellow man. The genocide we remember today—and the world’s failure to respond more quickly—reminds us that we always have a choice. In the face of hatred, we must remember the humanity we share. In the face of cruelty, we must choose compassion. In the face of intolerance and suffering, we must never be indifferent. Embracing this spirit, as nations and as individuals, is how we can honor all those who were lost two decades ago and build a future worthy of their lives.

CAPE-TOWN, South-Africa, April 7, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — In line with its commitment to Africa’s rapidly growing markets, Sidel (http://www.sidel.com), a global provider of liquid packaging solutions, will participate in Juice Africa 2014 (http://www.juiceafrica.agraevents.com), the continent’s only gathering dedicated solely to Africa’s juice segment. The event, to be held in Cape Town, South Africa from April 8-10, will bring together all stakeholders from across Africa and the globe to analyse what is driving juice consumption around the continent.

Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/sidel.png

“With a population of over 1 billion, Africa represents a huge opportunity for Sidel to enhance and expand its presence in one of the fastest growing markets for our business globally,“ said Terence Hobson, Managing Director, Sidel Packaging Systems, South Africa. “With its promising economic outlook, agressive infrastructure development, population growth and stable political situation, Africa is one of the best places in the world for us to present our innovative solutions which address evolving market needs.“

Hobson, a speaker at the conference, will discuss the potential for African consumers to benefit from innovative packaging solutions in the juice drinks market. Africa is witnessing an emergence of ‘middle-class‘ consumers, with greater expendable income, heightening the demand for more sophisticated products. As a result, many well-known brands are becoming more readily available throughout the continent.

“Africa is presently growing at much faster economic rates than many of the well-established developed countries, offering potential for significant growth in the liquid packaging market. We recognise these trends and aim to engage our experience, global expertise and strong market position, to enable active knowledge transfer and introduce the most innovative solutions for the various stakeholders connected with this line of business,“ Hobson added.

Africa is one of the largest growing zones in the world for Sidel’s business. According to Euromonitor statistics, 64 billion units were sold last year in the Greater Middle East and Africa Zone, among which 19 billion (around 30%) were in PET material. Fruit and Vegetable Juice market is growing in South Africa by over 3%. By the year 2017, this market is forecast to reach 538 million litres.

In recognition of the growing significance of the Middle East and Africa regions, Sidel recently invested in significant structural changes to establish the Greater Middle East and Africa Zone. With its headquarters in Dubai UAE, and an existing branch office in Johannesburg, the GMEA Zone headquarters are now home to over 90 employees including Sales, Customer Service Managers, Project Managers, Layout Designers, Fields Assistants, Planners, Coordination and Site Managers.

Sidel has production sites in 13 countries and 30,000 machines installed in more than 190 countries across the world, making it one of the largest worldwide. With over 5,500 employees worldwide, the company provides optimal PET packaging solutions for water, soft drinks, milk, sensitive products (Juice and Nectars), edible oils and alcoholic beverages including beer. It offers customers flexible and reliable production systems that are easily adaptable to market developments and future technology, supported by value-added services.

Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of Sidel International AG.

For editorial and advertising enquiries, please contact:

Muna Shakour

Sidel GMEA Zone Communications Manager

muna.shakour@sidel.com

Tel: +971 4 429 1805

Lina Ibrahim

Account Manager

GolinHarris

librahim@golinharris.com

M. +971 50 95 74 216

About Sidel

Sidel (http://www.sidel.com) is the leading global provider of PET solutions for liquid packaging. We are committed to being the most innovative, responsive and reliable partner, providing sustainable solutions for the beverage industry.

Headquartered in Switzerland, we have production sites in 13 countries and 30,000 machines installed in more than 190 nations worldwide. With over 5,500 employees worldwide, we provide optimal PET packaging solutions for water, soft drinks, milk, sensitive products, edible oils and alcoholic beverages including beer.

We aim to create value for our customers by giving them A Better Match. This is the tailored solution that caters for their needs exactly. We do this by offering flexible and reliable production systems that are easily adaptable to market developments and future technology, supported by value-added services.

We are Sidel. We are A Better Match.

Find out more at http://www.sidel.com

BASEL, Switzerland, April 7, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ —

• One million antimalarial treatments donated by Novartis, matching one million treatments funded through Malaria No More’s Power of One campaign

• Power of One enables the public to fund malaria tests and treatments for children in Africa through online and mobile technology

• Today marks World Health Day, focusing on vector-borne diseases, of which malaria is the most deadly (1)

Novartis (NVS) (http://www.novartis.com) announced today that two million treatments of its pediatric antimalarial are arriving in Zambia thanks to the ongoing efforts of the company in collaboration with Malaria No More’s Power of One campaign. Zambia is the first beneficiary country of this campaign sponsored by Novartis. One million treatments of Coartem® Dispersible have been funded through public donations and Novartis matched these with a further one million treatments. These antimalarials will reduce the disease burden in Zambia, which accounts for up to 40% of infant mortality in that country (2).

Watch the video: http://youtu.be/_VIrq7xQKQU

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

“Although the incidence of malaria has decreased, the disease still kills a child every minute in Africa,” said Joseph Jimenez, CEO of Novartis. “Our commitment to Power of One reflects our company’s long-term efforts to fight malaria and Novartis remains dedicated to controlling and ultimately eliminating this deadly disease.”

Power of One is a global digital fundraising campaign that enables people around the world to help end child deaths from malaria, a preventable and treatable disease. This fatal disease has been recognized by the World Health Organization as a priority area of public health. This year’s World Health Day focuses on vector-borne diseases, and malaria is the most deadly (3).

The campaign, which launched to the public in September 2013, uses social, mobile, and e-commerce technologies, enabling the public to purchase treatments for children in Zambia. Donors are able to share information with their social networks and encourage friends to donate.

“One and a half million treatments are already on the ground in Zambia thanks to the Power of One campaign, with a further 500,000 anticipated in the coming weeks,” said Martin Edlund, CEO, Malaria No More. “Power of One is resonating with the general public, and their donations will help us ensure that children in Zambia will have access to the treatment they need.”

Novartis is supporting the campaign financially and has pledged to match up to 1 million treatments funded by the public every year through 2015. For more than a decade, the Novartis Malaria Initiative has worked to improve access to treatment, help communities deliver better healthcare and has invested in research and development into the next generation of antimalarials. Since 2009, Novartis has delivered over 600 million treatments, of which more than 200 million were treatments developed specifically for children, without profit to malaria-endemic countries. Never before have so many pediatric treatments been distributed in such a short timeframe to children suffering from malaria.

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

References

1. World Health Organization. World Health Day – 7 April 2014. http://www.who.int/campaigns/world-health-day/2014/event/en/ [last accessed February 2014]

2. Malaria No More. Zambia. https://secure.malarianomore.org/po1#/pages/zambia [last accessed February 2014]

3. Malaria No More. Power of One. https://secure.malarianomore.org/po1#/pages/about-power-of-one [last accessed February 2014]

About Power of One

Malaria No More’s Power of One campaign offers the global public and corporations the opportunity to help end malaria deaths one dollar and one child at a time. Every dollar donated funds a full treatment course for a child diagnosed with malaria in Africa. Malaria No More is grateful for the support and contributions of Power of One partners: Novartis, Alere, the Zambian Government, 21st Century Fox, AGFUND, AHAlife.com, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Causes.com, Havas Worldwide, John Snow, Inc., Newman’s Own Foundation, PATH/MACEPA, Peace Corps, Time Warner, Twitter, the United States President’s Malaria Initiative, Venmo, West, and more. Additional information is available at www.Po1.org.

About the Novartis Malaria Initiative

The Novartis Malaria Initiative is one of the largest access-to-medicine programs in the healthcare industry. Moving forward, Novartis is committed to working towards malaria elimination by driving the development of next-generation antimalarials, with two new classes of drugs currently in clinical development. The most advanced compound is in Phase II clinical trials. For more information, please visit: http://www.malaria.novartis.com

Disclaimer

This press release contains expressed or implied forward-looking statements, including statements that can be identified by terminology such as “expects,” or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements reflect the current views of the Group regarding future events, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from any future results expressed or implied by such statements. These expectations could be affected by, among other things, risks and factors referred to in the Risk Factors section of Novartis AG’s current Form 20-F on file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Novartis is providing the information in this press release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update it in the future.

About Novartis

Novartis (http://www.novartis.com) provides innovative healthcare solutions that address the evolving needs of patients and societies. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis offers a diversified portfolio to best meet these needs: innovative medicines, eye care, cost-saving generic pharmaceuticals, preventive vaccines and diagnostic tools, over-the-counter and animal health products. Novartis is the only global company with leading positions in these areas. In 2013, the Group achieved net sales of USD 57.9 billion, while R&D throughout the Group amounted to approximately USD 9.9 billion (USD 9.6 billion excluding impairment and amortization charges). Novartis Group companies employ approximately 136,000 full-time-equivalent associates and operate in more than 140 countries around the world. For more information, please visit http://www.novartis.com.

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