Category: APO-OPA

EL FASHER (DARFUR), Sudan, January 22, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Joint Special Representative (JSR) of the African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), Mohamed Ibn Chambas, will hold a press conference at the Mission’s …

WASHINGTON, January 22, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Press Statement
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
January 21, 2014

The United States welcomes the selection of Catherine Samba-Panza as Transitional President in the Centra…

MBABANE, Swaziland, January 22, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — A mission of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) led by Mr. Jiro Honda visited the Kingdom of Swaziland during January 13‒21, 2014. The mission discussed macroeconomic developments, the preliminary fiscal framework for 2014/15, and the authorities’ policy priorities, setting the stage for the upcoming 2014 Article IV consultation (scheduled for mid-2014). The mission met with the Prime Minister, Hon. Sibusiso Dlamini; Minister of Finance, Hon. Martin Dlamini; Minister of Economic Planning and Development, Hon. Prince Hlangusemphi; the Governor of the Central Bank of Swaziland, Mr. Majozi Sithole; other senior government officials, as well representatives of the private sector and development partners. The mission would like to express its gratitude to the authorities and their staffs for the highly professional, productive, and open discussions.

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

“Swaziland’s economic performance has improved since the fiscal crisis of 2010‒11, which followed a significant reduction in revenues from the Southern African Customs Union (SACU). Following a decline in 2011, economic activity is estimated to have grown more than two percent in 2013. Inflation, after peaking at 9 percent in late 2012, has declined to 4½ percent in November 2013. Largely owing to higher SACU revenues in the last two years, fiscal and external balances have also improved. For the first time since 2006/07, the country recorded a fiscal surplus in 2012/13, though fiscal deficit of 2 percent of GDP is expected for 2013/14. International reserves exceeded four months of imports by end-2013.

“Swaziland’s challenges, however, remain significant. Economic growth has been weak, compared with other countries at the same income level and in the region. Furthermore, there are risks to Swaziland’s economic prospects, in particular the uncertain global and regional economic outlook that could lower SACU revenues.

“In light of these challenges and the need to safeguard the exchange rate peg, the mission welcomes the authorities’ intentions to implement prudent fiscal policy for 2014/15 (with a fiscal deficit less than 1½ percent of GDP), while protecting spending for critical social and development needs. Such a prudent fiscal policy stance would help to build a sufficient international reserve buffer to better prepare for potential external shocks. The mission also welcomes further efforts to: improve public financial management; enhance tax administration; strengthen financial sector supervision and regulation; and promote private sector development.”

CONAKRY, Guinea, January 22, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — An IMF mission led by Harry Snoek visited Conakry during January 9-17, 2013 to complete discussions on the third review of a program supported by an arrangement under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF),i which was approved by the IMF Executive Board on February 24, 2012 (see Press Release No. 12/57) in the amount of SDR 128.52 million (about US$194.99 million). The mission met with the President of the Republic, Alpha Condé and held working meetings with the State Minister of Economy and Finance, Mr. Kerfalla Yansané, the Minister for Plan, Sékou Traoré, the Minister Delegate for Budget, Mr. Mohammed Diaré, the Governor of the Central Bank of the Republic of Guinea, Mr. Lounceny Nabé, and other members of the government and policymakers. The mission also met with the leadership of the National Assembly, representatives of civil society and the donor community. Discussions focused on the review of measures in the 2014 budget and on the structural reform program.

At the conclusion of the mission Mr. Harry Snoek issued the following statement:

“The Guinean authorities and IMF staff have reached a preliminary agreement on a set of policies that could be supported by IMF management and the Executive Board, leading to the fourth disbursement under the ECF arrangement of SDR 18.36 million (about US$ 27.85 million).

“2013 was a difficult year for Guinea’s economy. Civil unrest in the run-up to legislative elections in September and the slowdown of mining activity caused economic growth to decelerate from 3.8 percent in 2012 to 2.5 percent in 2013.

“Notwithstanding the difficult environment, however, the government has done a valiant job to maintain economic stability. The sharp drop in tax revenue was offset by lower public spending helping contain the overall fiscal deficit. This has allowed the quantitative performance criteria for end-June 2013 to be observed; provisional data also indicate that the end-December 2013 target has been met. Monetary policy has also been conducted prudently, allowing the inflation to decelerate to some 10 percent last month (compared to 12.8 percent at end-2012) against the backdrop of a steady level of reserves and a stable exchange rate of the Guinean franc.

“The government’s ambitious structural reform program has however experienced delays. This partly reflects the difficult social and political situation, but also capacity constraints. This is an area where more focus and political support will be nece3ssary in the coming months.

“Prospects for 2014 are good. Growth is projected to rebound to 4½ percent in 2014, supported by the normalization of the political situation, the gradual resumption of investment in the mining sector, and the acceleration of growth in agriculture. Within the objective of consolidating the recent gains in macroeconomic stability, the 2014 budget aims at further increasing public investment to rebuild Guinea’s infrastructure. Given the ambitious revenue targets for 2014, the mission recommends close monitoring of the revenue agencies to strengthen revenue administration. It will also be important to continue strong efforts to improve the financial position of the electricity company in order to relieve the serious power shortages.

“The government intends to continue its program of structural reforms to support broad-based and inclusive growth and to prepare for a possible mining boom in the coming years. The IMF mission encourages the authorities to continue their efforts to improve the investment climate by clarifying the institutional framework for the agencies and ministries responsible for investment promotion. Quick completion of the implementation regulations of the new mining code would reduce regulatory uncertainty and promote new investment. The mission is also looking forward to full implementation of the new procurement code.

“The IMF team thanks the authorities for their hospitality and for the constructive discussions.”

i The ECF is the IMF’s main tool for medium-term financial support to low-income countries. Financing under the ECF currently carries a zero percent interest rate, with a grace period of 5½ years, and a maturity of 10 years.

PARIS, France, January 22, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — As the populations of the Central African Republic and South Sudan witness the commission of abhorrent atrocities, as those in Mali and Libya experience persistent insecurity and as those in Egypt face increasing restrictions upon their fundamental freedoms, FIDH calls upon the African Union, on the opening of its 22nd Summit in Addis Ababa, to work to ensure protection, security and justice for African populations.

“The African Union must take stock of the challenges posed by the perpetration of serious and massive human rights violations on the continent. The AU must provide a strong and coherent response to combat the rising number of conflicts that degenerate into ethnic or religious war, against the proliferation of terrorism, and against state collapse” declared Karim Lahidji, FIDH President. “Such a response must include the deployment of robust peacekeeping forces, the documentation of violations, the identification and bringing to justice of those responsible, as well as supporting democratic political processes and taking concrete measures to strengthen the rule of law” he added.

In the Central African Republic (CAR), civilians continue to suffer serious abuses throughout the country against a backdrop of political instrumentalisation leading to religious clashes. In the face of this spiraling crisis FIDH calls for the urgent deployment of a UN peacekeeping operation, which presents the only viable means of deploying the human, logistical and budgetary resources required to adequately support the African Union mission in the CAR and guarantee the safety of the civilian population throughout the territory. According to Mathias Morouba, President of the Central African Observatory for Human Rights (OCDH), who is currently conducting an advocacy mission to the African Union together with FIDH, “the worst is at work in the CAR and we fear that the situation will continue to deteriorate if the international community does not intervene accordingly. The chaos we face requires a peacekeeping operation able to ensure our protection and to get our country back on the track of political stability and security”.

In South Sudan, violent clashes that erupted last December between two sides of the political power, within one month took on an ethnic character, led to the killing of thousands of people and forced nearly 400,000 others into internal displacement. FIDH had already alerted the international community to the danger of inter-ethnic violence in South Sudan and had called for the strengthening of the legal and democratic institutional human rights framework in the country. Today FIDH reiterates this call. To prevent further deadly clashes and to strengthen the rule of law in South Sudan, FIDH calls upon the AU to ensure the deployment, without further delay, of an Independent Commission of Inquiry mandated to shed light on the circumstances of the violence, to identify those responsible so that they can be brought before competent courts and to identify political and democratic solutions aimed at promoting sustainable peace in the country.

Despite the restoration of constitutional order in Mali, the security situation, particularly in the north of the country, continues to raise concern. Persistent terrorist attacks and banditry, against a backdrop of stalled peace talks between the Malian authorities and armed groups, requires an urgent strengthening of AU action in this country. The AU must ensure that the parties comply with their previous commitments to secure the return of sustainable peace and security in this region.

In Libya, the security situation has deteriorated considerably in recent months with violence being particularly marked in Benghazi and Tripoli. The government is unable to regain control of armed militias and a genuine process of transitional justice, providing for mediation and disarmament phases, is yet to be implemented. The AU should help accelerate the establishment of a national consultation process on issues related to security and governance and ensure that independent mechanisms are able to document human

rights violations and establish responsibilities.

The AU has also a role to play in ensuring respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, particularly in states experiencing political instability. In Egypt, FIDH is concerned by the fact that the implementation of most of the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution, which has just been approved by referendum, are subject to the adoption of implementing law, whilst Egypt recently adopted restrictive laws. Similarly, serious concerns remain about respect for the freedoms of opinion, expression and association, in a context where over 20 human rights defenders are still arbitrarily detained by the authorities. FIDH calls upon the AU to ensure that effective and independent mechanisms mandated to secure the implementation of constitutional provisions concerning fundamental rights and freedoms are put in place, that restrictive laws are repealed and that human rights defenders are released.

Amina Bouayach, FIDH Secretary General, who is also present in Addis Ababa states: “In all these situations of conflict and crisis, lack of a strong legal and institutional framework for the protection of human rights, rampant impunity, the exclusion of certain communities and the breaking of political dialogue have all been ingredients for the worst situations. The African Union must act out its responsibility to stop the violence and insecurity and to fight against the instability installed in many parts of our continent. ”

As the African Union Peace and Security Council meets on 29 January 2014, enabling Heads of State and Government to discuss the prevailing situations in the CAR, South Sudan and Egypt, FIDH calls upon the PSC to make firm commitments to these three countries and to consider the recommendations of our organisation. FIDH also submits to the Heads of State and Government the following recommendations.

WASHINGTON, January 22, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The White House is pleased to announce that the United States will host the first U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington, DC on August 5 and 6, 2014. President Obama looks forward to…

MOGADISHU, Somalia, January 21, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Somalia (SRSG), Nicholas Kay, has welcomed the endorsement of the Cabinet nominated by Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed following a vote today in the Somali Federal Parliament.

“I congratulate the new Ministers, Deputy and State Ministers of Somalia. The Cabinet has a large task ahead: delivering peace and reconciliation, rule of law and good governance to the Somali people, as well as providing public services and building the economy,” SRSG Kay said. “The United Nations will continue to support the Federal Government of Somalia as it strives to make progress in all these areas in the context of the Somali Compact.”

SRSG Kay encouraged the new Cabinet to work with the Parliament and the Presidency in full respect of the Provisional Federal Constitution.

GENEVA, Switzerland, January 21, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has allocated USD 8 million to IOM to support the organization’s response to the growing displacement crisis in South Sudan.

UN Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos emphasized the urgent need for the funds. “Conditions for the South Sudanese fleeing hostilities in their country are getting worse by the day. With this CERF funding, humanitarian agencies will be better able to meet the needs of people desperately seeking shelter and safety,” she noted.

An estimated 490,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) have been displaced in South Sudan since the outbreak of armed conflict on 15 December. Of these, 67,800 are taking refuge on UN peacekeeping mission bases throughout the country.

Camp management and camp coordination (CCCM) mechanisms have been established at two sites in Juba, benefitting over 32,000 people. Efforts to establish similar structures in other sites are ongoing. The funding from CERF comes at a crucial time to support CCCM partners as they work to address challenges at the IDP sites, including congestion and lack of humanitarian space to effectively plan and manage response efforts.

IOM has been at the forefront of efforts to assist people displaced by the South Sudan crisis. As co-lead of the CCCM cluster, IOM is supporting the overall coordination of humanitarian services at sites for displaced people.

Specific activities undertaken by the CCCM cluster include the development of a strategy to provide services in camp-like settings, the provision of technical support on camp management, IDP registration, site planning and site setup.

IOM has also launched the Camp Management Rapid Response Grant Mechanism, a fund that enables CCCM partners to immediately assume camp management roles in priority IDP sites across the country. This mechanism will ensure that partners have the resources needed to effectively assume roles as camp managers.

The funding from CERF is the largest ever allocated for CCCM activities in the fund’s history, and will directly support the humanitarian response to some of South Sudan’s most urgent needs.

To date, IOM has registered over 50,000 IDPs across South Sudan. The data gathered during the registration process is being shared with humanitarian partners to contribute to the rapid and efficient delivery of aid. IOM is also working with partners to provide essential household items and emergency shelter materials, as well as water, hygiene and sanitation assistance to people affected by the conflict.

GENEVA, Switzerland, January 21, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — IOM is distributing medical and laboratory equipment to different health clinics strategically located in HIV hot-spots in Uganda to tackle the high prevalence of HIV/AIDS along major transport corridors in the country.

“HIV/AIDS is still stigmatized in Uganda and especially in my community, a fishing community,” says Salongo Dennis Lukyamuzi, a fisherman from the village of Kasensero along the shores of Lake Victoria. Kasensero, like many fishing villages, has amongst the highest prevalence rates of HIV in Uganda, with up to 20 per cent of the population carrying the virus.

“Mobility is a significant risk to drive new HIV infection not only in Uganda, but also in the East African region,” said Simon Wejuli, IOM Health Project Officer in Uganda. “IOM’s response is tailored to this reality.”

The main clients of the health clinics are truck drivers, traders, fishermen and female sex workers, all of whom are identified as most at risk populations. The medical and laboratory equipment distributed by IOM will facilitate and improve services in HIV counselling and testing and the treatment of other common sexually transmitted infections such as syphilis, as well as other infections such as tuberculosis and malaria.

The mobile populations are mainly characterized by high risk behaviours such as high rates of sexual relations, low uptake of condom use and low rates of health service seeking behaviour.

“We are working to dispel the idea that having sex with condoms is boring,” stressed Adong Sara, a peer educator from Gulu, in Northern Uganda.

Along the Southern Sudan-Uganda Highway, IOM has trained 120 sex workers as peer educators to act as agents of behaviour change in selected hotspots that have high HIV prevalence.

IOM has also trained since January last year 350 peer educators and distributed over 500,000 condoms, as well as over 5,000 units of information/education and communication materials. The organization also tested over 13,000 people for HIV. Female sex workers have been also identified and trained to act as role models of behaviour change, as well as to provide HIV prevention messaging among their fellow peers and host communities.

IOM works in close partnership with local government in implementing the “Health Promotion in Migrant/Mobile Populations” project funded by the Partnership on Health and Mobility in East and South Africa (PHAMESA). IOM works closely with the Uganda AIDS Commission, the Ministry of Works and Transport and the Ministry of Health.

BRUSSELS, Kingdom of Belgium, January 21, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — EU Commissioner for Development, Andris Piebalgs is going to announce close to €3 billion in grants for countries and organisations in the region of Central Africa (including ten countries) for the period 2014-2020. The announcement will be made during a more than two-day event to discuss development cooperation with Ministers and other authorities of the involved countries and regional organisations.

The new funding, still subject to confirmation by the EU Member States, will aim to benefit the 162 million citizens living in a region that has suffered from a number of armed conflicts as well as chronic poverty and malnutrition. Future programmes are expected to support investments that generate growth, improve access to basic social services (e.g. health, energy), reduce food insecurity and promote peace and stability.

Commissioner Piebalgs commented: “There are many challenges ahead in the region of Central Africa: poverty and malnutrition, lack of access to energy, proper infrastructures or strong public institutions, are all putting a break in the countries’ development and their population wellbeing. The EU is firmly committed to working with partner countries to tackle those challenges”.