African parliamentarians alongside

<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZQGkD4shlt1Zoz9842p1MaWghZl_N72uGNHdkhk5p4UUQemUA1rre6brJ7_hPBgNoamotUeCJBFPxJclx8hGuTCMnADm0ra1DpW8YwziZCvCOA0lJsVhCTfaM6wGxw3I8SYrOaKfz15X0/s960/oug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZQGkD4shlt1Zoz9842p1MaWghZl_N72uGNHdkhk5p4UUQemUA1rre6brJ7_hPBgNoamotUeCJBFPxJclx8hGuTCMnADm0ra1DpW8YwziZCvCOA0lJsVhCTfaM6wGxw3I8SYrOaKfz15X0/s320/oug.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Every year, rainy season in Africa rhyme with drinking polluted waters, wading in stagnant feces-infested rainwaters and sleeping in unhealthy conditions. Yet we all have the right to clean water, hygiene and sanitation.</span></span><p></p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">- Recalling the essential role played by national parliaments in their legislative, budgetary and control functions in the implementation of government projects, programmes and public policies;</div></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">- Aware that Objective 6 of the UN's sustainable development goals - "Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all" cannot be achieved without these parliaments being involved;</div></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">- Convinced that only synergistic actions by all national parliaments can guarantee their effective involvement in achieving this objective,</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">African parliamentarians met in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, on August 27, 2020, and created an African Network of Parliamentarians for Drinking Water, Hygiene and Sanitation. On this occasion, the Honorable Laouhingamaye Jacques noted that <em>"The lack of drinking water or the consumption of polluted water also constitute a serious threat to our respective populations. The creation of this network is an invaluable opportunity for its members to highlight the problems of water and sanitation in our respective countries and seek appropriate solutions."</em></div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The creation of the <strong>Network of Parliamentarians for Drinking Water, Hygiene and Sanitation (REPHA-Africa)</strong> is the outcome of the willingness of the Network of Parliamentarians of Burkina Faso for Drinking Water, Hygiene and Sanitation (REPHA-BF) to share its experience with other parliamentarians in Africa in order to better influence national, subregional and regional policies. This network is intended to be a framework for influencing decision-making and the effective implementation of public policies for a better political and social commitment to promote equitable access to drinking water, hygiene and sanitation in Africa. For Halidou Sanfo, leader of this regional network and member of the National Assembly of Burkina Faso,<em> "the issues of drinking water and sanitation are worrying. To meet the challenge, we need a synergy of actions. This new network will lay the groundwork for guidance on drinking water and sanitation issues in Africa.</em></div></span></span><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="yiv0452461650imgCaptionTable yiv0452461650OneColumnMobile" style="text-align: center; width: 400px;"><tbody><tr><td class="yiv0452461650 yiv0452461650imgCaptionImg" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="padding: 0px; word-break: normal;" width="100%"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div></td></tr><tr><td class="yiv0452461650imgCaptionText" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="word-break: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Welcoming the initiative, Laetitia Badolo of NIYEL, partner of this initiative, expressed her delight at</span><em style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> "the political will of parliamentarians from Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Chad to improve equitable access to drinking water, hygiene and sanitation"</em></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><em style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><em>"Thanks to this Network, we will be able to contribute to better mobilize our Governments and the TFPs to support major projects in these areas at the scale of our continent", </em>the Honorable Issaka Abdou of Niger emphasized. Halidou Sanfo also stressed that <em>"this framework will enable cooperation with other African or international organizations and networks in the context of consolidating the right to drinking water, hygiene and sanitation". According to him, parliamentarians have an important role to play in achieving the goals of drinking water, hygiene and sanitation "because Parliament is the place where all issues of national interest are debated", and "its decisions will influence national and sub-regional policies".</em></div></em><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The network, which totals only 7 countries at the moment, plans to extend its membership to all countries within the continent, including English and Portuguese-speaking countries.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><em style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><em>Distributed by <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001IxQnkrfAkYYuGALafsU_eg0_r6ELk-dYfl_VxknH5Rpz8Cqm37e9mZK33FKxO1k5R8d3ggFwK1gl52Q7dDppwujsJjBbPVzNUyAXNkdsXp9ShqCo49uMuCPNfcOKIgv-K2BtFx67gGMYCsL0qo4YXa-KodkwXKAC49dgH6Fcf6Y=&c=y1dmG1UBJvZFxaSXLRjnSeo59_rXfZpX-q_nrywRXn_kVh8MfJdl-Q==&ch=NVcnik_iiUljJH-7cG6UzTL-5qk-E8lVCLuUbfAK1-XK0k5IWcyrrg==" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" style="color: blue;" target="_blank">African Media Agency (AMA)</a> on behalf of NIYEL</em></div></em></span>

African parliamentarians alongside

  Every year, rainy season in Africa rhyme with drinking polluted waters, wading in stagnant feces-infested rainwaters and sleeping in unhea...

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New breed of partner needed to support SMEs

<div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVzqeV0oCLBYA_rycomC_wIV2EMiDRipw9mfsqW5uOV61YDxvd5R7dGewgeLeOl2FwtkD0jCMZ9FctXNUYXrNuqXqPGY9am6trFBAzTBpZegF-il_StBAyx6DV0IO69DG8ISd3ZalTMQoi/s515/sap.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="269" data-original-width="515" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVzqeV0oCLBYA_rycomC_wIV2EMiDRipw9mfsqW5uOV61YDxvd5R7dGewgeLeOl2FwtkD0jCMZ9FctXNUYXrNuqXqPGY9am6trFBAzTBpZegF-il_StBAyx6DV0IO69DG8ISd3ZalTMQoi/s320/sap.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />As the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic hits Africa's business sector, small and medium enterprises are in a fight for their survival. With slowing economies across the continent, low consumer confidence and now a pandemic, SMEs are increasingly in search of tools that can help them build resilience against the ongoing disruption. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Pedro Guerreiro, Regional Director for Central Africa at SAP, says some businesses were fortunate enough to have the tools and systems in place to enable remote work. "This minimised the negative impact of the lockdown on their productivity and operations and enabled them to maintain business continuity more easily. However, some SMEs have out-of-date technology, while too many have not invested in technology at all. This leaves SMEs stranded and lacking the capacity to adapt to a very disruptive environment."</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large; text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">According to the World Bank, </span><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001ZJ6D49-nPk7mmcUAMGsAUaxNufQ2DGom2s_qtj0M10O2ezQPrmVVd-FmCtBZqnMKW4u63U6i5TLbUrsEN2rpKBTppFVDziOZhNx4jcX4ZPci_y1UKs8406V3dNISSzfnVzB9Fu5Yi6Y5xN4LONadB64KmZp2QPfCp0yOfQo-hgkFI-9ZBcoe3Fhdxw47-u-YcI6cccYaIDM=&c=XQR8y3Pji5Vx8rUTkspYxi9Afm9Jj1Un3NVfJNoFwYrLBiAyCvivqw==&ch=jnpsCji0FiefwJOXHp21G3nz5frOd8-qDozA86Oc5otpDEYBySaU9g==" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" style="color: blue; font-size: x-large;" target="_blank">SMEs account for about 90% of all businesses</a><span style="font-size: x-large;"> and more than half of all employment worldwide. However, African SMEs face perennial funding challenges, with the IFC estimating that </span><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001ZJ6D49-nPk7mmcUAMGsAUaxNufQ2DGom2s_qtj0M10O2ezQPrmVVd-FmCtBZqnMKihhDdMtvMiCiRl6QMNRRIvzqNSDs5bDeTmq9RMtNPQLLzvOob72KyLg6aUrdzHBC5XCUlRI3dhVbM3A5pzj076_eEij_gAG4llEj_yJ0pe8-VZhVgxHosGwfllQS7ZZkjzEtSIT1NYHbWoRc4Lga2AyBzFGGsC1X13dMMp6FnglUgsnP2v_Ji1Aj2J-XJ6GeBfOvogipJoH4UagajV5T81mQBRoU6sOwTcCmVv_mJm74PG8rlhDQbhsxDdrUXwEqN114GXIESo_v_tQGQUr3mswL6Nrhrz4J&c=XQR8y3Pji5Vx8rUTkspYxi9Afm9Jj1Un3NVfJNoFwYrLBiAyCvivqw==&ch=jnpsCji0FiefwJOXHp21G3nz5frOd8-qDozA86Oc5otpDEYBySaU9g==" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" style="color: blue; font-size: x-large;" target="_blank">Covid-19 will widen a funding gap that already sits at $1.5-trillion</a><span style="font-size: x-large;">.</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><strong style="font-size: x-large;">Cloud holds key to productivity</strong></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large; text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Guerreiro adds that SMEs that had adopted cloud services prior to the country lockdowns would have been in a better position to maintain business productivity and keep operations running. "If you are stuck with outdated on-premise technology, however, the lockdown restrictions would have been devastating to your productivity, especially as employees were suddenly working remotely and without physical access to the office."</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">In South Africa, for example, which had one of the strictest lockdowns in the world, 70% of the country's workforce has returned to work, but many companies are persisting with remote work. "There is growing evidence that employees can maintain the same - or even higher - levels of productivity when working remotely as they do when they are at the office. One of the key enablers of this is their use of technology tools such as cloud-based enterprise resource planning solutions that enable them to orchestrate their business productivity regardless of where they are."</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="yiv8334206347imgCaptionTable yiv8334206347OneColumnMobile" style="text-align: center; width: 400px;"><tbody><tr><td class="yiv8334206347 yiv8334206347imgCaptionImg" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="padding: 0px; word-break: normal;" width="100%"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div></td></tr><tr><td class="yiv8334206347imgCaptionText" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="word-break: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><strong><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Enterprise tools for SMEs</span></strong></div></strong></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">While ERP solutions were traditionally leveraged by large organisations that had the skills and capital to successfully implement them, technology vendors have made a concerted effort over the past few years to extend these offerings to the SME market. "Nearly 80% of SAP's customers globally are SMEs," says Amin Meqdadi, Head of General Business for SAP Africa. "And with an implementation period of as little as two weeks, the solutions that are available to SMEs can transform how they operate quickly enough for it to matter as they recover from a tough trading period due to Covid-19."</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large; text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Meqdadi points to partners and resellers as key enablers of cloud adoption among SMEs. "A strong partner ecosystem can help SMEs navigate some of the trickier aspects of cloud adoption and help build innovations that are tailored to the SME market. The pandemic is also forcing some change in how partners and resellers engage with SMEs."</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large; text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Tech resellers are facing a step change in the market. "They have no choice but to expand their portfolio with what the SME market needs. "Since the Covid-19 outbreak, what SMEs need most is the agility, cost-savings and productivity benefits of cloud solutions. While adopting and implementing cloud was generally seen as a nice-to-have or a goal for some time in the future, the very survival of many SMEs now depends on how well they adopt and leverage the many benefits of cloud technologies."</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Meqdadi believes many resellers will need to reconsider their business models with urgency. "SMEs are looking for cost-efficient cloud solutions that can be implemented and deliver business results quickly. The growing adoption of born-in-the-cloud SME solutions such as SAP's ByDesign and Business One also gives resellers access to a broader market, as these tools can be used by smaller businesses as well as more established enterprises."</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large; text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><strong style="font-size: x-large;">New breed of partner</strong></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large; text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Lillian Serobatse, Head of Channel for Africa at SAP, says the ongoing disruption has changed companies' expectations of their technology partners. "The new currency is lifetime value, in other words, how can my partner provide ongoing value to my organisation and help me make decisions over my technology that support the achievement of my business goals. It's not enough to just sell a product or solution: channel partners are now tasked with helping customers extract the maximum amount of value over time from their technology investments."</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large; text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Serobatse adds that these changing expectations have given rise to a new breed of partner organisation. "The best value-added resellers and tech partners today develop extensive industry-specific expertise, take the time to really understand customer pain points and opportunities, and then co-develop tailored solutions alongside the larger vendors. This gives them access to very specific markets where their solutions can make an immediate and long-term positive impact."</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large; text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Meqdadi believes the tools that SMEs need are already available to value-added resellers. "Many of these solutions arguably provide a panacea to the current challenges resellers and their customers face. Lightweight, native cloud applications such as SAP ByDesign answer a customers' urgent need to support a remote workforce without compromising compliance. Technology partners who don't have an effective answer to the SME market need to act speedily. Their survival, and the survival of many SMEs, depend on it."</span></div></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: New;"><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Distributed by </span><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001ZJ6D49-nPk7mmcUAMGsAUaxNufQ2DGom2s_qtj0M10O2ezQPrmVVd1wOHop73BM8VF4boyB5kI5GLNgrw-CCHPJEQhzo5b9bl-Rel33a-5Nz2UZjGD19IxeIh3gCs--OD9DyRRcxhTEu5x_Ht5zb1Q5PFkxersAmlzCERaC2FzIAZH4vCLtXKnjQMi_0iAmu&c=XQR8y3Pji5Vx8rUTkspYxi9Afm9Jj1Un3NVfJNoFwYrLBiAyCvivqw==&ch=jnpsCji0FiefwJOXHp21G3nz5frOd8-qDozA86Oc5otpDEYBySaU9g==" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" style="color: #196ad4; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">African Media Agency (AMA)</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> on behalf of SAP Africa.</span></div></span></span></div>

New breed of partner needed to support SMEs

As the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic hits Africa's business sector, small and medium enterprises are in a fight for their sur...

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Paradigm Shift for Greater Value

<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCvKwN3oWzpPz0nWf4ugFF7unT3N6iTH0x9Ev7HZRf282nSZ2WUNCQNpoCQ_OY0qjKwHT94wU5Ms_yLgBt5bZtardFoRbcL2QTI0ZCVok7OOfrKmdzaJmT9-lrMsq4eYXwmpfIhvYLrA4s/s160/hu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="160" data-original-width="157" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCvKwN3oWzpPz0nWf4ugFF7unT3N6iTH0x9Ev7HZRf282nSZ2WUNCQNpoCQ_OY0qjKwHT94wU5Ms_yLgBt5bZtardFoRbcL2QTI0ZCVok7OOfrKmdzaJmT9-lrMsq4eYXwmpfIhvYLrA4s/s0/hu.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">HUAWEI</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> <a href="https://www.Huawei.com">CONNECT </a>2020, Mr. Peng Zhongyang, Board Member, President of Enterprise BG, Huawei, delivered a keynote speech on the theme of "Paradigm Shift for Greater Value". Peng stated that the shift to a new paradigm of industrial digital transformation is urgently needed for the development of our future intelligent society. To drive industrial digitalization and construct the new paradigm, we need to focus on clients’ demands and dreams, realize the new paradigm by scenario-based innovation, and through the synergy across five tech domains to establish a digital ecosystem for mutual benefits with joint creation while creating new value for industries.</span></span><p></p><p class="yiv1110496767MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 12pt;"></p><div style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: justify;"><strong style="font-size: x-large;">Cutting-edge technology, industry know-how, and practices</strong></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">2020 is an extraordinary year, witnessing explosive growth in technologies together with reforms in different industries. The tremendous potential of digital transformation is to be unleashed on the basis of synergy across five tech domains, in which connectivity, cloud computing, AI and applications develop surrounding 5G in ways never seen before.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">By turning coal mines into digital structures for more than 10 scenarios, Huawei has achieved digital twining, making whole mining business digital and smart.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">For the Malanshan Video Cultural Creative Industrial Park, Huawei has collaborated with clients and partners to establish the cloud platform for filming process, streamline the entire video production ranging from shooting, editing streaming, to storage and backhaul, shortening the cycle by 30% and reducing cost by 20%.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Huawei has long been adhering to best practices for a better future. In 2018, Huawei's logistics park in Dongguan underwent transformation that lasted for half a year. With the help of automated equipment and intelligent algorithms, delivery efficiency (volume of goods delivered per capita) has increased by 67%, and the delivery cycle has been shortened by over 50%.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Peng concluded, “There are three decisive factors while digitalizing scenarios. The first one is the cutting-edge technology, allowing integration of ICT with core scenarios. The second one is industry know-how, where we should seek industrial insights in depth and understand the industrial knowledge. Finally, it is all about execution. That is to put all these into practice, turning theories into reality with continuous exploration and innovation.”</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><strong style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>A new paradigm of digital transformation</strong></div></strong><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">A digital ecosystem with which Huawei creates and shares value is crucial for the construction of the prosperous digital future.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">In the digitalized era, the essence of business is to "make the cake bigger" and achieve win-win results rather than compete in the zero-sum game. To this end, Huawei proposes to build a "digital ecosystem cube" from three dimensions. The first dimension is to target at the future of digitalization, gain insights of the unsatisfied demands from numerous segmented scenarios in various industries, which is the premise of "the bigger cake". The second dimension is to aggregate different capabilities of various partners and fully play to their strengths, which is the basis of "baking a bigger cake". The third is to develop multiple approaches for collaboration and business models, and make conscious effort to create and share value together. This is the permanent force that continually drives the expansion of market size.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Taking Shenzhen Airport as an example. By working with industry-leading solution partners and based on the synergy across five tech domains that integrates end devices, data management and industry application, Huawei has developed diverse and segmented scenario-based solutions, such as flight scheduling, stand allocation and ground support. In 2019, it helped reduce the number of passengers who took shuttle bus by some 2.6 million, boosting the efficiency of security check by 60%. It has led to a safer airport with better efficiency and superior experience tailor-made for travelers.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Now, Huawei has built on the 100 scenario-based solutions, creating more industrial value associated with partners.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">"You can't find a new land with an old map," Peng said, calling on clients to embrace changes, and craft a new paradigm of industrial digital transformation for a greater future.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">At HUAWEI CONNECT 2020, the global leading ICT company also invited clients with great achievements in digital transformation to share their experience.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Chen Jinzu, General Manager of Shenzhen Airport Group, said that Shenzhen Airport is a pioneer in digital transformation, contributing in building a smart civic airport with the wisdom and experience of Shenzhen.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Tang Shaojie, General Manager of Shenzhen Metro Group, said that as the backbone of public transportation, Shenzhen Metro will facilitate station-city integration, high degree of amalgamation of multiple transportation modes across Shenzhen and the region, and joint-construction of the “Greater Bay Area on the track”, with a smart city initiative.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">In appreciating global partners for their efforts in driving business growth and shared success over the past years, Huawei has presented them with outstanding partner awards of 2020. These recognitions include the Excellent Global Channel Partner, Excellent Global Strategic Partner, Excellent Global Distributor, Excellent Global Industry Solution Partner, Excellent Global Talent Ecosystem Partner, and Excellent HUAWEI CLOUD Channel Partner. Meanwhile, Huawei has announced its declaration of industry ecosystem, that is to innovate and grow together for success together in the future.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">HUAWEI CONNECT 2020 is an annual flagship event hosted by Huawei for the global ICT industry, and is being held in Shanghai from September 23 to 26, 2020. HUAWEI CONNECT is an open platform designed to help our customers and partners navigate these changes, share experience, and work together to create new value. At this year's event, we will explore trends and opportunities in industry digitization; showcase advanced ICT technologies, products, and solutions; give you an insider's look at the fruits of joint innovation; and share best practices in digital transformation. Our ultimate goal is to build an open and sound industry ecosystem that will benefit all stakeholders and create new value for all industries. For more information, please <a href="https://bit.ly/33MChu8" style="color: #1d2228;">visi</a>t.</div></span></span><p></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin-top: 11.25pt;"><p class="yiv1110496767MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Huawei.</span></span></i></p></div>

Paradigm Shift for Greater Value

    HUAWEI   CONNECT 2020, Mr. Peng Zhongyang, Board Member, President of Enterprise BG, Huawei, delivered a keynote speech on the theme of ...

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US$5 million Murabaha Financing Facility to support SMEs in Maldives

<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7bIsR9RvE3QENIcb1I-tN8sscPcQNdOydf3SBblkxFQO_nrbYmG2H1QBH9sj4YNlv_lS6YyGPond_9kuwcWc64CdvXEZWMAWh-EY6VOV9XQWxxZX_nkWduByERJVPMPi31-8dK7aQL0Ei/s931/maldivate.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="170" data-original-width="931" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7bIsR9RvE3QENIcb1I-tN8sscPcQNdOydf3SBblkxFQO_nrbYmG2H1QBH9sj4YNlv_lS6YyGPond_9kuwcWc64CdvXEZWMAWh-EY6VOV9XQWxxZX_nkWduByERJVPMPi31-8dK7aQL0Ei/s320/maldivate.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">The International Islamic Trade Finance <a href="www.ITFC-IDB.org">Corporation</a> (ITFC)</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">, member of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group, has approved a US$5 million Murabaha Financing Facility in favour of Bank of Maldives to support the Bank’s private sector businesses, particularly SMEs importing raw materials from the international markets.</span></span><p></p><p class="yiv3258499073MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 12pt;"></p><div style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Bank of Maldives is the first partner institution in the Maldives to work with ITFC as it expands its financing outreach to the private sector through local banks in the country. The financing comes at a critical time as SMEs in the Maldives and other OIC member countries face the social and economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic, which has disrupted global trade and strained financial resources.</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Bank of Maldives CEO and Managing Director, Tim Sawyer commented “While the economy has been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bank has continued to take proactive measures to support local businesses. We are delighted to extend this support further with our partnership with ITFC to provide US$5 million in trade financing for our business customers. The facility will help make a positive contribution to the development of the local business sector.”</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Commenting on the Murabaha Financing Facility, Eng. Hani Salem Sonbol, ITFC CEO, said: “<em>We are proud to partner with Bank of Maldives in supporting SME growth and the import of raw materials. A central tenet of the ITFC strategy is to facilitate lines of financing to local partner financial institutions like Bank of Maldives to provide SME access to working capital that is key for the country’s economic growth and their ability to participate in global value chains. As such, it is contributing to the development of intra-OIC trade flows and ultimately leading to socio-economic development in member countries.”</em></div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The financing and grants being rolled out by ITFC, as part of the IsDB Group COVID-19 Response Package, are supporting preparedness for the pandemic through the provision of medical supplies, staple foods and fertilizer for agricultural production to OIC countries including Bangladesh, Egypt, Kyrgyzstan, the Maldives and Senegal.</div></span></span><p></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin-top: 11.25pt;"><p class="yiv3258499073MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Distributed by APO Group on behalf of International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC).</span></span></i></p></div>

US$5 million Murabaha Financing Facility to support SMEs in Maldives

  The International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) , member of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group, has approved a US$5 mil...

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SMZ haitamvumilia mtu atakayehusika na uvunjifu wa aman

<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqJXuocJ8KpC8SnKUXTEXeJj70uJt3waoSZuxZkZbdMj1-b4SsYecHKj-gakLla6cpYLj_kQNN3nkSNzmpLtn5aIb-gyW3ImzHvJPt20LeuZlgiSIjYNovUMWKzy8dYdsNluKlLXncGMrF/s1294/Balozi+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1294" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqJXuocJ8KpC8SnKUXTEXeJj70uJt3waoSZuxZkZbdMj1-b4SsYecHKj-gakLla6cpYLj_kQNN3nkSNzmpLtn5aIb-gyW3ImzHvJPt20LeuZlgiSIjYNovUMWKzy8dYdsNluKlLXncGMrF/s320/Balozi+3.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /> <span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "New serif";">Makamu wa Pili wa Rais wa Zanzibar Balozi Seif Ali Iddi ameonya kwamba Serikali haitamvumilia Mtu au Kikundi chochote kitakachoashiria kuhusika na uvunjifu wa Amani ya Nchi hasa kipindi hichi kinachoendelea na harakati za Kampeni, wakati za Uchaguzi na baada ya kutangazwa kwa matokeo ya uchaguzi.</span></span><p></p><p class="yiv7350311990MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 16.8667px; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "New serif"; line-height: 21.4667px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Balozi Seif Ali Iddi alitoa onyo hilo wakati akimfariji na kumpa pole Msanii Mkongwe wa Muziki wa Tarab Nchini Khamis Nyange Makame maarufu Profesa Gogo aliyelazwa katika Hospitali Kuu ya Mnazi Mmoja akipatiwa huduma za matibabu baada ya kushambuliwa kwa mapanga alfajiri ya Jumatatu.</span></span></p><p class="yiv7350311990MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 16.8667px; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "New serif"; line-height: 21.4667px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Profesa Gogo na wenzake Watatu walishambuliwa kwa Mapanga wakiwa kwenye Ibada ya Sala ya Alfajiri Kijijini kwao Kangagani Wete Pemba na kukimbizwa Hospitali kwa huduma ya kwanza na baadae kusafirishwa katika Hospitali ya Rufaa Mnazi Mmoja.</span></span></p><p class="yiv7350311990MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 16.8667px; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "New serif"; line-height: 21.4667px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Makamu wa Pili wa Rais wa Zanzibar alisema inasikitisha kuona kwamba Jamii nzima ikiongozwa na Viongozi wa Dini wamekuwa katika Ibada mbali mbali za kuliombea Taifa kuendelea kuwa na Amani wakati wote lakini bado wapo baadhi ya Watu wanadiriki kuichezea Amani hiyo jambo ambalo Serikali haitakuwa tayari kuona inachezewa.</span></span></p><p class="yiv7350311990MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 16.8667px; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "New serif"; line-height: 21.4667px;"><span style="font-size: large;">“ Jamii yote imejikita kudumisha Amani hasa Viongozi wa Dini wakiwa mstari wa mbele katika jambo hilo lakini wapo watu wanajaribu kuichezea Amani hiyo ambayo ni tunu ya Taifa”. Alisisitiza Balozi Seif.</span></span></p><p class="yiv7350311990MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 16.8667px; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "New serif"; line-height: 21.4667px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Aliwatoa hofu Wananchi wote kwamba Uchaguzi Mkuu wa Mwezi Oktoba Mwaka huu utafanyika kwa Amani na kila mwenye haki ya kuchaguliwa atapata fursa hiyo muhimu kwa maendeleo na ustawi wa Taifa.</span></span></p><p class="yiv7350311990MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 16.8667px; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="yiv7350311990MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 16.8667px; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "New serif"; line-height: 21.4667px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Othman Khamis Ame</span></span></p><p class="yiv7350311990MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 16.8667px; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "New serif"; line-height: 21.4667px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ofisi ya Makamu wa Pili wa Rais wa Zanzibar</span></span></p>

SMZ haitamvumilia mtu atakayehusika na uvunjifu wa aman

  Makamu wa Pili wa Rais wa Zanzibar Balozi Seif Ali Iddi ameonya kwamba Serikali haitamvumilia Mtu au Kikundi chochote kitakachoashiria kuh...

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WPEC copetion is open to African and African American women

<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2tOw3kC_MTuAaGPVNMCe9NIhcVH2NtisREewOaCVtWmN66aP4RfvE0sEZuxhj4hiq26dDgzipp8lKbWeeN78uC4hRL5UxIeHHnV-Y-bwt2AynagdMwZrdpffGHZ99jImBnu87DTOzJzRm/s1778/wep.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1778" data-original-width="1240" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2tOw3kC_MTuAaGPVNMCe9NIhcVH2NtisREewOaCVtWmN66aP4RfvE0sEZuxhj4hiq26dDgzipp8lKbWeeN78uC4hRL5UxIeHHnV-Y-bwt2AynagdMwZrdpffGHZ99jImBnu87DTOzJzRm/s320/wep.png" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On behalf of The Women's Program Engagement Council (WPEC), we would like to invite you to participate in a webinar launch of Titans Tank finalists' competition on Thursday September 2020 at 1pm GMT.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span><p></p><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Titans Tank is a virtual business competition in which women entrepreneurs pitch their ideas and existing business to the public and the WPEC community.  The launch will be hosted by Kimberly L. Fogg the Founder and Chair of (WPEC) on Thursday September 2020 at 1pm GMT. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">The competition is open to African and African American women entrepreneurs and business owners globally. The finalists will share with us a video of their idea or existing business.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"> The goal of WPEC is to work with investors to help them look at women entrepreneurs through a "new lens" as it relates to the value of investing in women and to ensure their voices are represented, recognized and championed for their role as innovators, job creators, entrepreneurs, mentors, while helping raise awareness that these women have longevity in the local, national and global markets. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">WPEC operates globally through building a committed global black woman led Africa's Titans® network of entrepreneurs and business owners who are utilizing innovation to drive global sustainable development, addressing existing socio-economic gaps, and integrating social impact in the continent of Africa and the Diaspora through allocating a percentage of their funding to GSP as their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) partner. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">WPEC recognizes the vital role the media plays to create positive images and spark a global conversation that can change and broaden perceptions of African and African American women and create a more nuanced image that allows for envisioning successful black women and inspiring the next generation.  Please let us know by Wednesday, September 23rd, if you are interested in participating. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">If you have questions or would like any additional information about this opportunity. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: New;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Distributed by </span><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001m2pVnlHR5AodGORcdPt_bCR61gJy48Bi6vkBzzJSfyOI6QpQMHt8DwLsv5HN93hk9zVzeCXKZ9u48UUTIJFd3uoEBWCSE7yIlvp0FjLandoIVWMI5x2PnlkftoVyXIMjW97f7eQiZGSu5rYhoCYltTAV9SSq5EYn7V3duyGyfEjzdn8ohE6IsJjHeAEljjZM&c=hlMT4KtrlmUHHpFAHxHriIxZ7EdwJE2XA2qKddM0_4Eetuiz0Z9dGQ==&ch=VhgDXVK7DVIQvr0CzEVftFLgVPvOmU3-X8S6re7iflfOPPbYeVBSsA==" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" style="color: #196ad4; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">African Media Agency (AMA)</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> on behalf of  WPEC.</span></span></em></div></span></div>

WPEC copetion is open to African and African American women

  On behalf of The Women's Program Engagement Council (WPEC), we would like to invite you to participate in a webinar launch of Titans T...

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Africa Offers Asian Business an Abundance of Investment Opportunities

<blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKpPVOb-dqeFdMsJor623vNsJS0FnZEFZEj3BIxuTWgaHco-r1RmIKQzMqhnC4rHhw0JdgLNsyA0QP0HOBLvTKKZCmtVQuVSebi1MtaqKVEFcmCgyIebmDh4QlmuuM_jwtkTUcWw-8_3s8/s250/Afica.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="68" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKpPVOb-dqeFdMsJor623vNsJS0FnZEFZEj3BIxuTWgaHco-r1RmIKQzMqhnC4rHhw0JdgLNsyA0QP0HOBLvTKKZCmtVQuVSebi1MtaqKVEFcmCgyIebmDh4QlmuuM_jwtkTUcWw-8_3s8/s0/Afica.jpg" /></a></div><br />The African Development <a href="(https://www.AfDB.org">Bank</a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: justify;"> today held a workshop to convey the continent’s immense investment and partnership opportunities to Asian business leaders, particularly as the continent seems poised to return to economic growth in 2021 following the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.</span></span></div><p></p></blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><p class="yiv1304280869MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 12pt;"></p><div style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The two-hour virtual event, held in English, Korean, and Chinese, offered participants an opportunity to learn more about the Bank and its operations. The webinar comes on the heels of the recently launched African Economic Outlook 2020 -Asia Supplement, which revised growth projections and outlook for Africa for 2020 and 2021.  </span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">“I take this opportunity to strongly encourage Asian private sector entities gathered here today, to partner with the Bank to take advantage of the multiple investment opportunities that exist on the continent,” said Samuel Higenyi Mugoya, the Bank’s Director for Syndication, Co-financing and Client Solutions Department, which co-organized the event, together with the Bank’s Asia External Representation Office.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">In introducing the Bank, Takashi Hanajiri, Head of the Asia External Representation Office, provided an overview of the Bank and its history and components before providing a summary of its flagship <a href="https://africainvestmentforum.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: blue;" target="_blank">Africa Investment Forum</a> (<a href="https://africainvestmentforum.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: blue;" target="_blank">https://AfricaInvestmentForum.com/</a>) initiative and the opportunities it offers. Referring to the AIF event held in Johannesburg in 2019, he said “So far the largest deal was a LNG project in Mozambique with a total cost of $24.6 billion,” adding, “many Asian institutions, both public and private, are sponsoring the project.” </div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Following a discussion of the Bank’s responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, Hanajiri concluded on a positive note, noting “Africa’s growth will rebound to 3% in 2021 from -3.4% in 2020.”</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Bank staff presented on the Bank’s non-sovereign operations and financial product offerings. Other sessions covered Africa’s immense potential in energy, particularly renewable energy, as well as agriculture, which remains the continent’s most important economic sector.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Director Mugoya praised Asian countries’ ongoing support for the Bank and Africa’s development. “There are four Asian member countries in the Bank, namely <a href="https://www.afdb.org/en/countries/non-regional-member-countries/china" rel="nofollow" style="color: blue;" target="_blank">China</a> (<a href="https://bit.ly/33Udggv" rel="nofollow" style="color: blue;" target="_blank">https://bit.ly/33Udggv</a>), <a href="https://www.afdb.org/en/countries/non-regional-member-countries/india" rel="nofollow" style="color: blue;" target="_blank">India</a> (<a href="https://bit.ly/2EwvHPS" rel="nofollow" style="color: blue;" target="_blank">https://bit.ly/2EwvHPS</a>), <a href="https://www.afdb.org/en/countries/non-regional-member-countries/japan" rel="nofollow" style="color: blue;" target="_blank">Japan</a> (<a href="https://bit.ly/3648z6C" rel="nofollow" style="color: blue;" target="_blank">https://bit.ly/3648z6C</a>), and <a href="https://www.afdb.org/en/countries/non-regional-member-countries/coree" rel="nofollow" style="color: blue;" target="_blank">Korea</a> (<a href="https://bit.ly/3hXIwQV" rel="nofollow" style="color: blue;" target="_blank">https://bit.ly/3hXIwQV</a>), that have been long-standing and strategic partners for almost 40 years. The Asian member countries have consistently contributed to the Bank’s capital requirements and supported the African Development Fund’s successive replenishments.” The African Development Fund is the Bank’s concessional window.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The webinar, which drew around 300 participants, closed with a question and answer session. Queries addressed such issues as the Bank’s representation in India, trade financing offerings and access to financing for women. Participating corporations and institutions included Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, China Export & Credit Insurance Corporation, Export-Import Bank of India, JICA, Korea Eximbank, Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), and Korea Overseas Infrastructure & Urban Development Corporation (KIND).</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Africa’s huge and highly diverse continent has the second-largest population in the world and the second-largest land mass after Asia, offering tremendous investment opportunities for the Asian private sector. The Bank views Africa’s private sector as a critical engine of economic growth and development but Asian companies often lack information about the business climate.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Until the COVID-19 pandemic, Africa was the second-fastest growing continent outside Asia. Over the past decade, the continent has experienced the longest period of unbroken growth in per capita incomes since the 1960s.</div></span></span><p></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin-top: 11.25pt;"><p class="yiv1304280869MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).</span></span></i></p></div>

Africa Offers Asian Business an Abundance of Investment Opportunities

The African Development Bank  today held a workshop to convey the continent’s immense investment and partnership opportunities to Asian busi...

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South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria saw Millions of Cyber Attacks in 2020

<p style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://africa.Kaspersky.com"></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTMKOtZd8-gdnJrFRzFzNTxcmS4ljkJ7Kb2fb4U23SyF4QCBMgBeChv43xFSZxTDtPrj8o49cKVXvUwgWeW0sXGNRbXlTxw8RqzAdPjf9RdvkjWoYW-lWo3Weha4xH0LX6-WRNeQgt2f7D/s250/KES.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="125" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTMKOtZd8-gdnJrFRzFzNTxcmS4ljkJ7Kb2fb4U23SyF4QCBMgBeChv43xFSZxTDtPrj8o49cKVXvUwgWeW0sXGNRbXlTxw8RqzAdPjf9RdvkjWoYW-lWo3Weha4xH0LX6-WRNeQgt2f7D/s0/KES.jpg" /></a></div><br /> <span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Kaspersky</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://africa.Kaspersky.com"> </a>security solutions have reported on 28 million malware attacks in 2020 and 102 million detections of potentially unwanted programs (pornware, adware etc.) they have accounted for by the beginning of August 2020. These numbers show that it’s not only the malware that attacks users but also the “grey zone” programs that grow in popularity and disturb their experiences, while users might not even know it is there.</span></span><p></p><p class="yiv7850916199MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 12pt;"></p><div style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-large;">Potentially unwanted applications (PUAs) are programs that are usually not considered to be malicious by themselves. However, they are generally influencing user experience in a negative way. For instance, adware fills user device with ads; aggressive monetising software propagates unrequested paid offers; downloaders may download even more various applications on the device, sometimes malicious ones. While calculating interim results of threat landscape activity in African countries, the researchers noticed that PUAs attack users almost four times more often than traditional malware. They also eventually reach more users: for instance, while in South Africa, the malware would attack 415,000 users in 7-months of 2020, the figure for PUA would be 736,000.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: justify;">“The reason why ‘grey zone’ software is growing in popularity is that it is harder to notice at first and that if the program is detected, its creators won’t be considered to be cybercriminals. The problem with them is that users are not always aware they consented to the installation of such programs on their device and that in some cases, such programs are exploited or used as a disguise for malware downloads. This is why many security solutions, including ours, flags such programs to make sure users are aware of its presence, influence on their device and activity,” says Denis Parinov, a security researcher at Kaspersky.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">By taking a closer look at PUA, it becomes apparent that they are not only more widespread but also more potent than traditional malware. Evaluating results over the same 7-month period in Nigeria, there were 3,8 million malware attacks and 16,8 million PUA detections – which is four times as much. Kenyan and South African threat landscapes have been more intense. In South Africa, there were almost 10 million malware attacks and a staggering 43 million PUA detections. Kenyan users faced even more malware attacks – around 14 million, and 41 million PUA appearances.</div></span></span><p></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin-top: 11.25pt;"><p class="yiv7850916199MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Kaspersky.</span></span></i></p></div>

South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria saw Millions of Cyber Attacks in 2020

  Kaspersky   security solutions have reported on 28 million malware attacks in 2020 and 102 million detections of potentially unwanted prog...

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Canon strengthens its 4K broadcast lens

<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.Canon-Europe.com/"> </a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk8YxDbjrP3jKhaV9Y1FGxrYH5aiNAtwz1S3KrV4x7nH8N8CveEmiG1C2irg8xsoZzfWNPC9OMeBiBHIRi46PtEa_18N3SYv3LXH6Nga-T6CkmVHaTH9VIinrfEE6e2fI5_Cann_f63KKv/s250/CANO.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="132" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk8YxDbjrP3jKhaV9Y1FGxrYH5aiNAtwz1S3KrV4x7nH8N8CveEmiG1C2irg8xsoZzfWNPC9OMeBiBHIRi46PtEa_18N3SYv3LXH6Nga-T6CkmVHaTH9VIinrfEE6e2fI5_Cann_f63KKv/s0/CANO.png" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Canon Europe</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> today expands its range of industry-leading 4K broadcast lenses for 2/3-inch sensor cameras with the launch of the CJ20ex5B</span><strong style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">.</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Offering the benefits of Canon’s optical 4K performance with advanced operation, the 2-in-1 UHDxs-class lens has a powerful 20x zoom range and 5mm wide-angle – making it suitable for a wide range of broadcast applications such as studio filming, sports production, documentary shooting and news gathering. This lens completes Canon’s 4K BCTV lens line-up – which now boasts 12 portable lens options and six box-type lenses.</span></span><p></p><p class="yiv1225246959MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 12pt;"></p><div style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: justify;"><strong style="font-size: x-large;">High-quality optical performance</strong></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">For over 60 years Canon has been producing industry-leading, optically-excellent innovative lenses for broadcast – the CJ20ex5B continues this commitment. Supporting 4K resolution from the centre of the image to the outer edges and advanced lens coating, the CJ20ex5B fully meets the high-level requirements for 4K HDR broadcast productions. What’s more, the lens is compatible with cameras that support chromatic aberration correction for BT.2020 colour gamut and meets the rising demand for new industry standards.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><strong style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Capture the action from various angles</strong></div></strong><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The combination of the CJ20ex5B’s wide angle and zoom capabilities make it an extremely versatile lens. With a range of 5.0-100mm (10-200mm with optical extender) it supports multiple broadcast use cases. For example, when used for sports broadcast, this lens is the perfect choice for professionals required to film both a panoramic view of an arena and also close-up action from the sideline. This lightweight (2.2kg) and compact lens enables broadcasters to achieve 4K optical performance – no matter what settings the professional chooses – even when using its built-in 2x extender. With viewer demands for 4K content rising, the CJ20ex5B helps broadcasters future-proof their content when upgrading to 4K systems and workflows.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><strong style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Compatible with virtual systems</strong></div></strong><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The CJ20ex5B is equipped with a 16-bit absolute value encoder that can read out highly accurate positional information of each lens settings – zoom focus and iris without initialising the lens. Its 3 x 20pin connectors enables the lens to read out such information even when using the zoom and focus controllers at the same time. This is perfect for professionals looking for lens compatibility with various virtual systems.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><strong style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Compact and lightweight</strong></div></strong><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">With its high specification and performance, the CJ20ex5B upholds the traditional compact and lightweight design seen across Canon’s ENG lens line-up. In addition to this, echoing the durability of a conventional HD lens, this portable broadcast zoom lens is also a great choice for outside broadcasting thanks to its high mobility. Ergonomically designed for camera operators filming on their shoulder for long periods of time, the CJ20ex5B’s grip fits the users’ hand comfortably, easing strain and enabling unrestricted shooting capabilities.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><strong style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Amine Djouahra, Sales and Marketing Director at Canon Central and North Africa</strong> says, <em>“The CJ20ex5B is a game changer for broadcast production. At Canon, ergonomics is an integral part of any design element and the CJ20ex5B has been ergonomically designed to suit the end user. Its mobility is an appealing feature and this is another way how we at Canon, bring people and technology together. We always seek to innovate to showcase the best products on the market.”</em></div></strong><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Also launching today is Canon’s latest addition to its Cinema EOS System line up – the EOS C70, a compact and versatile cinema camera and the first in the range to boast the innovative RF Mount. In addition to this, Canon launches the Mount Adapter EF-EOS R 0.71x – an RF to EF adapter designed to enable users to utilise the broad range of Canon EF glass on the EOS C70 camera, whilst maintaining the same full frame angle of view.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The new camera will be announced on Canon Vision – a platform launching at 14:00 CEST on Thursday 24th September 2020 which reproduces the trade show environment virtually. To visit Canon Vision and to view the programme of events the platform will be hosting, please register at the following link: <a href="https://bit.ly/305tliu" rel="nofollow" style="color: blue;" target="_blank">https://bit.ly/305tliu</a></div></span></span><p></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin-top: 11.25pt;"><p class="yiv1225246959MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Canon Central and North Africa (CCNA).</span></span></i></p></div>

Canon strengthens its 4K broadcast lens

  Canon Europe  today expands its range of industry-leading 4K broadcast lenses for 2/3-inch sensor cameras with the launch of the CJ20ex5B ...

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Aidan Eyakuze elected as Civil Society Co-Chair of the Open Government Partnership

<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">Twaweza’s Executive Director, Aidan Eyakuze, has been elected as Civil Society Co-Chair of the Open Government Partnership (OGP). His term as Lead Co-Chair alongside the Government of Italy will begin in late 2021. Until then, and in collaboration with the Government of Italy, he will support the new Lead Co-Chairs, Maria Baron, Executive Director of Directorio Legislativo, and the Government of South Korea, to advance the work of the Partnership.</span></span></p><span style="background-color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">This is the second time that Tanzania, and Twaweza in particular, has produced the Civil Society Co-Chair, who serve in their personal capacity, for the OGP. It comes at a time when Africa’s presence on the Steering Committee includes civil society leaders such as Lysa John, Secretary-General of Civicus, Stephanie Muchai of Hivos and Oluseun Onigbinde, founder of BudgIT. The governments of Nigeria and Kenya also serve on the Steering Committee.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Founded in 2011 by eight governments (Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, Norway, the Philippines, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States) and civil society leaders, the Open Government Partnership inspires and supports governments to work in partnership with civil society and the private sector to co-create and implement ambitious open government reforms. Since its inception in 2011, OGP has grown to 78 participating countries and a growing number of local governments.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Aidan Eyakuze proposes to focus on defending civic space across the partnership so that citizens can make government more accountable, deepening open government principles and practices at local government levels where most citizens have their most direct and frequent encounters with government, and demonstrating how open government can directly improve quality of life for citizens.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Aidan Eyakuze said: <i>“I have learnt a great deal from my four years of close engagement with the Open Government Partnership. I look forward to co-leading, with the Government of Italy, the courageous global community of activists and reformers who breathes daily life into the promise of government working for the people.”</i></span></div>

Aidan Eyakuze elected as Civil Society Co-Chair of the Open Government Partnership

  Twaweza’s Executive Director, Aidan Eyakuze, has been elected as Civil Society Co-Chair of the Open Government Partnership (OGP). His term...

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More than 24,000 adults in 18 AU Member States provide insight into indirect impacts of virus

<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit2Wrcg_bH1GD4PODZHYWdaGTu8fWsB_M-MCOm9Ikmk5aIX1TimZuPaNAbZzLLyC2KkQXuef29LCHjderYfCE3MtetELGPn1P5CpEtPAxCRK4IxAVdE2b5HHDGxDdxCVt0LYYP-HPwc9fY/s1200/pec.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit2Wrcg_bH1GD4PODZHYWdaGTu8fWsB_M-MCOm9Ikmk5aIX1TimZuPaNAbZzLLyC2KkQXuef29LCHjderYfCE3MtetELGPn1P5CpEtPAxCRK4IxAVdE2b5HHDGxDdxCVt0LYYP-HPwc9fY/s320/pec.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most African Union (AU) Member States swiftly implemented public health and social measures (PHSMs) to contain COVID-19; these measures likely slowed the spread of the virus, and caseloads in Africa have remained lower than projected. Though many governments have since loosened restrictions, allowing some economic activity to resume, new research from the</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001mbRM3Fih1Q7TCYrN-fmE4kRhcqR3ZnSyDO1BI6rQXugGtRmwta34uWQC40GQFiWCV29HMG_K36Q6d-_bxix9vdTvUR6rMDC5RCYtxcSPiepLM0gj3NFevg5JdwegQ_V1vVXtpcgfR_Um63wOw48yMl5KIbX7rHZyLrYyE2OiCf1hMP8G1QOgPgStyQnx7PFoDu8einyLGoA=&c=yjD_s8T_Bdav0u8owFXaSr2vvStoOBlTBTBu9EEB3_xq5LWvAmAYMQ==&ch=MbjTKb9I3-E8bTB2CoJ_QBJ3XXPZjvNEOzJn7nuPsm1YXKCyHm-5CQ==" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Partnership for Evidence-Based COVID-19 Response (PERC)</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">highlights substantial indirect burdens of the virus across Africa and offers recommendations to governments as countries scale up or scale down PHSMs to control the pandemic.</span></span><p></p><div style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Almost half of people surveyed reported to have skipped routine care during the pandemic, according to PERC's latest report -the second in its "Using Data to Find a Balance" series-which draws from a survey of more than 24,000 adults in 18 AU Member States, as well as social, economic and epidemiological data from a range of sources. Up to 70% respondents reported problems accessing food in the past week, and just as many survey respondents reported earning less money compared to the same time last year. Still, support for PHSMs remained strong, and 85% of respondents reported wearing a face mask in the previous seven days.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large; text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">"African Union Member States have responded decisively to COVID-19," said Dr. John Nkengasong, Director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. "The data presented in PERC's new report will allow decision makers to go beyond COVID-19 caseloads alone and instead consider a fuller picture of health and wellbeing, and tailor response measures accordingly."</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large; text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Governments and international aid organizations need to act quickly to restore access to health services for care unrelated to COVID-19 and to build back public demand for services.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large; text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Of survey participants who have needed health care during the pandemic, almost half reported skipping or delaying care; among those who needed medications, almost half reported increased difficulty in obtaining them. The most commonly delayed or skipped health care services were routine checkups, followed by care for malaria, diabetes, cardiovascular issues, antenatal care, and care for children under 5 years old.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large; text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">"As in past outbreaks, we are seeing a high cost from missed and delayed health care," said Dr Zabulon Yoti, Acting Regional Director, Emergency Preparedness and Response Cluster, World Health Organization. "Even routine check-ups are critical for screening and treating people for both communicable and noncommunicable diseases. We must protect access to health care by making sure that facilities are equipped to handle COVID-19 infections, and that health workers are protected."</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large; text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Most respondents supported reopening their national economies, but reported anxiety about resuming normal activities was also high. The data suggest that COVID-19 is seen as a serious threat, but for many, economic needs outweigh concern about catching the virus.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large; text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Still, adherence to the "3 W's"-wearing a mask, washing hands, and watching distance from others-remained high, pointing to a way forward for policymakers. Effective government support for these behavioral measures could mitigate the need for more restrictive measures in the future.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large; text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">"COVID-19 has threatened progress toward all Sustainable Development Goals, and PERC's data clearly show the importance of targeted relief measures," said Dr. Elsie S. Kanza, Head of the Regional Agenda, Africa; Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum, "These are needed to help our economic recovery, to protect health and to prevent inequality from widening.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large; text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">The report also highlights gaps in reporting key data, including data on community transmission and adherence to preventive measures, which limits the speed and impact of efforts made to manage local outbreaks, and makes it difficult to calibrate PHSMs.<br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">"Data is essential to our defense against COVID-19, and the more governments in AU Member States can rely on it to support their decisions, the more effective their response will be," said Dr. Tom Frieden, President and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives, an initiative of Vital Strategies.<br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Key findings in the report include:</strong><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">● 44% respondents in need of health care said they or someone in their household had skipped or delayed needed services, and 45% respondents in need of medicine reported the same for accessing medication.<br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">● 70% of people reported problems accessing food, mainly due to lost income or higher food prices<br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">● 70% of survey respondents reported earning less money compared to the same time last year<br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">● Lower income families were more likely to experience a decline in income. About 80% of households with less than US$100 in monthly income saw their income fall, compared to 60% of households with at least US$500 in monthly income<br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">● Six in 10 respondents agreed that the economy needs to be reopened, and that the health risks of COVID-19 are minimal if social distancing rules are followed<br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">● 85% of respondents reported wearing a face mask in public in the previous seven days, but as expected given recent relaxing of some PHSMs, a lower share (60%) said they avoided religious gatherings and only half reported staying home instead of going to work, school or other regular activities<br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">● While more than two-thirds of respondents agreed that many people in their country would be affected by COVID-19, less than one-third (29%) believed their own personal risk of infection was high<br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">● While most respondents indicated basic knowledge of COVID-19, misinformation about the virus is common, particularly those positing foreign interference in treatments and vaccines. About one in three survey respondents agreed with the assertion that foreigners were discrediting African medicines and testing vaccines on Africans</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large; text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Recommendations include that governments:</strong><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">● Prioritize "<a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001mbRM3Fih1Q7TCYrN-fmE4kRhcqR3ZnSyDO1BI6rQXugGtRmwta34uWQC40GQFiWCA0wm_8mhcLg4M769EHRYMk04FiIVklg-7BenR6CXDl5DAqv3fLiZUKN0gWrj5gBK05UcaIJ9odOiOy7PAxGLkeFwM08DR9wDnltODb25UcEUlZkhawZuXvWibdHl-gr1DyigJHEt-iJoeXAKoj-800TlZXC0hTCZC9teCEEsjWEW4ToeX8Hu-AAzPJ83nScF&c=yjD_s8T_Bdav0u8owFXaSr2vvStoOBlTBTBu9EEB3_xq5LWvAmAYMQ==&ch=MbjTKb9I3-E8bTB2CoJ_QBJ3XXPZjvNEOzJn7nuPsm1YXKCyHm-5CQ==" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" style="color: blue;" target="_blank">boxing in</a>" the virus, by ensuring an adequate supply of testing kits and reagents to identify positive cases, tracing their close contacts, and isolating cases, rather than relying on wide-scale lockdowns<br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">● Make it as easy as possible for communities to adhere to low-cost personal protective measures, "the 3 W's"-wearing a mask, washing hands, and watching distance.<br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">● Protect health care workers by establishing COVID-19 protocols, increasing availability of personal protective equipment and training on infection prevention and control; then encourage people to seek care for health services unrelated to COVID-19 by engaging community leaders<br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">● Prioritize evidence-based measures to increase food security and economic recovery, including cash transfers and direct food support, with a focus on the lowest income households and vulnerable populations<br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">● Address misinformation by sharing consistent, evidence-based messages with trusted community members as messages messengers<br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">● Invest in data collection, analysis and reporting, including core indicators about cases and the public health response, rapid mortality surveillance, data about COVID-19 infections among health workers, and data on utilization of health services<br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: New; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: New;"><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><em>Distributed by <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001mbRM3Fih1Q7TCYrN-fmE4kRhcqR3ZnSyDO1BI6rQXugGtRmwta34uc-qX5j6pR8enHJdycOLInIlAW7JFVGps178vnECdBV7uuTSITDA9X19_jQq00wg5GawhHtkcVW7k-CPt6YCTAhFOdIIETElfLPC4uPDBC5JJJ_5KaBIGZY=&c=yjD_s8T_Bdav0u8owFXaSr2vvStoOBlTBTBu9EEB3_xq5LWvAmAYMQ==&ch=MbjTKb9I3-E8bTB2CoJ_QBJ3XXPZjvNEOzJn7nuPsm1YXKCyHm-5CQ==" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" style="color: #196ad4;" target="_blank">African Media Agency (AMA)</a> on behalf of Vital Strategies.</em></div></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>

More than 24,000 adults in 18 AU Member States provide insight into indirect impacts of virus

  Most African Union (AU) Member States swiftly implemented public health and social measures (PHSMs) to contain COVID-19; these measures li...

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CNN’s Eleni Giokos to moderate discussion on German-African business

<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicfDXkoFBm6pFhPMV-_Ps2MLSFDeVmYdxEYcGlGp5m7it3D5rFMQlNqSf3Bn1OKe_nU89_z0KPwXVDWW_W6I01D7x26eFhm2QdzNGsWl7jdW8_Sg_Ngs_sqw-kA1JLKAE4f3IiMOY_Gw4F/s250/chamber.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="158" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicfDXkoFBm6pFhPMV-_Ps2MLSFDeVmYdxEYcGlGp5m7it3D5rFMQlNqSf3Bn1OKe_nU89_z0KPwXVDWW_W6I01D7x26eFhm2QdzNGsWl7jdW8_Sg_Ngs_sqw-kA1JLKAE4f3IiMOY_Gw4F/s0/chamber.png" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">The discussion will be centred on the topic:</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Investment and Trade for Africa's Economic Development; </em><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Co-moderated by the Germany Africa Business Forum and spearheaded by H.E Günter Nooke, Africa Envoy to Chancellor Merkel, the discussion also includes NJ Ayuk, <a href="www.EnergyChamber.org">Chairman</a> of the African Energy Chamber</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> and René Awambeng of the African Export-Import Bank; The webinar will be held on 23 September at 15h30 CET. To attend, please register</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><a href="https://africaoilandpower.zoom.us/webinar/register/82253233008" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;" target="_blank">here</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">(</span><a href="https://bit.ly/3mEjg5J" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;" target="_blank">https://bit.ly/3mEjg5J</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">).</span></span><p></p><p class="yiv1291819176MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 12pt;"></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">With German visibility and participation on the rise in Africa’s energy industry, the Germany Africa Business Forum (GABF) will host its second instalment of its Germany-Africa cooperation focused webinar series.</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Germany, through the G20 Compact with Africa initiative, has pledged to increase investment for private sector engagement in Africa in industries such as finance and capital investment, infrastructure, power and energy, agriculture, consumer goods, health care, and information communication technology.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">“From Senegal to Kenya and from South Africa to Egypt, African countries have astounding and untapped world-class opportunities for German Public and Private Companies. Our German business and political leaders must work with their African counterparts to urgently capitalize on these prospects, especially in a post Covid environment. This would create jobs and improve lives on both sides.” stated Sebastian Wagner, Executive Chair of the GABF.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The webinar will be moderated by Eleni Giokos, CNN Africa Correspondent, who will facilitate the discussion on how German investments can sustainably strengthen the development of the African continent. Anchored in the topic <em>Investment and Trade for Africa's Economic Development, </em>the webinar will highlight key efforts to mobilise German funding for African energy projects as a means to advance German-African cooperation. African Gas projects in Mozambique, Tanzania, Nigeria, Equtorial Guinea, Senegal, Nigeria, Ghana, Congo, Gabon, and Cameroon could see a spike in German interest.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">“With H.E. Nooke, Mr Awambeng and Mr Ayuk joining this conversation, we hope to foster stronger ties between Germany and Africa that will drive greater economic growth and bring profit to both places”. concluded Wagner</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">H.E. Günter Nooke, Africa Envoy to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, will spearhead the webinar with a headline keynote speech. Joining the panel discussion will be NJ Ayuk, Chairman of the African Energy Chamber and Rene Awambeng, Global Head Client Relationship at the African Export-Import Bank.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">“We are proud of the work done by the Germany Africa Business Forum to create opportunities for Germans and Africans alike, especially at a time when we must move our relationship with Germany from a relationship based on aid to one based on trade.” stated NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber “We will continue to support partnerships and initiatives that deepen our ties through commerce and investment between Germany and Africa, especially in a Post Covid era”. concluded Ayuk</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The webinar will be held on 23 September at 15h30 CET. To attend, please register: <a href="https://bit.ly/3mEjg5J" rel="nofollow" style="color: blue;" target="_blank">https://bit.ly/3mEjg5J</a></div></span></span><p></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin-top: 11.25pt;"><p class="yiv1291819176MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.</span></span></i></p></div>

CNN’s Eleni Giokos to moderate discussion on German-African business

  The discussion will be centred on the topic:   Investment and Trade for Africa's Economic Development;  Co-moderated by the Germany Af...

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The UN We Need

<p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiioVmsvp9dS5qhqlZrgeWqAp_5G5QAUSi_ohByS6D3mmKTp1g1DPuUny52Lebw0m6zFnwjMKu1BkNbZSTdQ762yQXOX2eHNJieHE-6xvWF-59LKPolJR43ip1GKR5hyphenhyphenxjS_Fr-lIh6sjM/s1200/75.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="695" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiioVmsvp9dS5qhqlZrgeWqAp_5G5QAUSi_ohByS6D3mmKTp1g1DPuUny52Lebw0m6zFnwjMKu1BkNbZSTdQ762yQXOX2eHNJieHE-6xvWF-59LKPolJR43ip1GKR5hyphenhyphenxjS_Fr-lIh6sjM/s320/75.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">In January 2020, the United Nations launched the global consultation to mark its 75th anniversary. Through surveys and dialogues, it asked people about their hopes and fears for the future - representing the UN's most ambitious effort to date to understand expectations of international cooperation and of the UN in particular. It is also the largest survey to date on priorities for recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.</span></span><p></p><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As of 21 September 2020, over a million people from all countries and all walks of life had taken part. Their answers provide unique insights into what the public wants at this challenging time for the world. They are released today to coincide with the UN General Assembly's official commemoration of the 75th anniversary, held under the banner: the future we want, the UN we need. Key findings include:</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><em style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><em><strong>Priorities for action</strong></em></div></em><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">* Across regions, ages and social groups, respondents were broadly <strong>united</strong> in their priorities for the future.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">* Amid the current COVID-19 crisis, the <strong>immediate priority</strong> for most respondents is improved access to basic services - healthcare, safe water, sanitation and education, followed by <strong>greater international solidarity and increased support to those hardest hit</strong>. This includes tackling inequalities and rebuilding a more inclusive economy.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">* Looking to the future, the <strong>overwhelming concerns are the climate crisis and the destruction of our natural environment</strong>. Other priorities include: ensuring greater respect for human rights, settling conflicts, tackling poverty and reducing corruption.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><em style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><em><strong>Perceptions of the UN</strong></em></div></em><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">* Over 87% of respondents believe <strong>global cooperation</strong> is vital to deal with today's challenges, and that the pandemic has made international cooperation more urgent.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">* Seventy-five years after its founding, six in 10 respondents believe the UN has made the world a better place. Looking to the future, <strong>74% see the UN as "essential"</strong> in tackling the challenges.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">* However, respondents want <strong>the UN to change and innovate</strong>: to be more inclusive of the diversity of actors in the 21st century, and to become more transparent, accountable and effective.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><em style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><em>"Across this anniversary year, we have engaged in a global conversation. And the results are striking.</em></div></em><em style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><em>People are thinking big - they are also expressing an intense yearning for international cooperation and global solidarity. Now is the time to respond to these aspirations and realize these aims. In this 75th anniversary year, we face our own 1945 moment. We must meet that moment. We must show unity like never before to overcome today's emergency, get the world moving and working and prospering again, and uphold the vision of the Charter." - United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres</em></div></em><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><em style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><em>Distributed by <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001JhViDbpRoIrESnWMmT2SoFj2-73CTacVRLIl6TyslnHMRudfwY7pY2D-VGay4GeofCddhRfWgslvbcPOWtwBZzr2CDkDInfD_e0qhQRJchURfmeASKRAvCk6Y9Fw793AZyvH5rRLPb9DstGN5Rg1NoVrUerPqyP7QPbk8INyFQo=&c=7bX6WclfD1AKdAdd5VnLJ1MNDkI4Y2HFpS6evWeD0PPNh1yPbu-txA==&ch=PJuCK-VMrCOecahd4-ZXVSY3F9weyfcQf18VL9PW1KDvKIge6zt0Tg==" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" style="color: blue;" target="_blank">Africa Media Agency (AMA)</a> on behalf of UN75</em></div></em></span>

The UN We Need

  In January 2020, the United Nations launched the global consultation to mark its 75th anniversary. Through surveys and dialogues, it asked...

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