Today, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi met with France’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Mr. Stéphane Séjourné, and his accompanying delegation. The meeting was attended by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates, Dr. Badr Abdel-Atty.

Spokesman for the Presidency, Ambassador Ahmed Fahmy, said the French Minister conveyed French President Emmanuel Macron’s greetings to President El-Sisi. He noted that President Macron had tasked him with undertaking a regional tour to contribute to efforts towards de-escalation and reducing tension. The tour was set to end in Egypt to brief President El-Sisi on the results of France’s efforts in this regard. The French Foreign Minister commended Egypt’s vital role in the joint mediation with Qatar and the United States aimed at reaching a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip and the exchange of hostages.

President El-Sisi emphasized the vital need for concerted efforts to seize the opportunity offered by the ongoing negotiations to reach an agreement that would prevent further bloodshed and spare the region from the consequences of further escalation. The President warned that the continuation of the conflict will plunge the region into a severe and relentless cycle of instability. President El-Sisi reiterated the international community’s responsibility to exert pressure to reduce escalation and address the root causes of the conflict by establishing a Palestinian state and enforce the two-state solution. The French Foreign Minister agreed with this stance, confirming his country’s full support for these efforts and its commitment to its intensive activities to end the current state of regional tension.

Discussions during the meeting also underscored the robust and solid Egyptian-French strategic partnership and commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation across various fields to serve the interests of the two peoples.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Presidency of the Arab Republic of Egypt.

President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has sent a message of congratulations to President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema of the Republic of Gabon, on the occasion of his country’s Independence Day.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai; and His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, dispatched similar congratulatory messages to the President of Gabon and Prime Minister Raymond Ndong Sima on the occasion.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Arab Emirates Ministry of Foreign Affairs&International Cooperation.

The UN Refugee Agency’s (UNHCR) top operations and protection officials are calling attention to the plight of 3.7 million forcibly displaced people in Nigeria and the need to accelerate sustainable solutions for them.

Commending the government for respecting its international legal obligations and welcoming over 100,000 asylum-seekers and refugees from almost 50 countries, Raouf Mazou, UNHCR’s Assistant High Commissioner for Operations, and Ruven Menikdiwela, Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, pledged to increase the self-reliance of forcibly displaced people in Nigeria after a visit to the country that ends today. 

Over 3 per cent of the world’s 120 million forcibly displaced people are Nigerians. More than 3.6 million are forcibly displaced within their own country by factors ranging from conflict instigated by non-state armed groups to communal clashes exacerbated by scarce resources. The number of internally displaced people (IDPs) has been gradually increasing and many continue to rely heavily on humanitarian assistance.

The high-level visit focused on sustainable solutions to this forgotten crisis, emphasizing a whole-of-society approach led by the government and harnessing the expertise of diverse actors including the UN, other development partners, member states and the private sector.

“We cannot watch this protracted situation endure, with families dependent on assistance year after year,” said Mazou. “Refugees and IDPs have repeatedly told us that they would prefer a job rather than be given a handout. In the town of Banki, I met men and women who have returned home and are ready to rebuild their lives. We hear them and are helping to build livelihood opportunities.”

In practice, sustainable programming means supporting the government, helping displaced communities get back to work, ensuring they have access to government services including social safety net programmes, working closely with the private sector to create value chains, setting up innovative financial instruments to encourage investments in communities at risk, and more. This is in line with Nigeria’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the Sustainable Development Goals and the UN Secretary General’s Action Agenda for IDPs. 

UNHCR is already working with the government to help displaced communities farm thousands of hectares of land, develop irrigation systems, tackle food security and increase rural employment.

During the five-day visit, the delegation travelled to Benue state in the north-central region. They also visited Borno state in the northeast, where they met returnees from Cameroon. Over 30,000 people have returned since the start of the year and the intention is for them to also benefit from social and economic inclusion activities.

 “Solutions are the highest form of protection,” Menikdiwela said. “This requires humanitarian, development and peace partners to work together.”

UNHCR Representative in Nigeria, Arjun Jain added “While UNHCR in Nigeria is always prepared to respond to humanitarian emergencies, we will be catalytic in supporting the government to find solutions to forced displacement in line with our responsibility for protection and solutions.”

The Assistant High Commissioners were joined by UNHCR’s Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Abdouraouf Gnon-Konde, who will prioritize sustainable solutions for the forcibly displaced across the region, contingent upon the protection environment, labour opportunities and conditions, and the availability of development and private-sector funding.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Children are particularly vulnerable to the new strain of the deadly mpox virus that is spreading globally after being declared a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization. 

The most recent data shows that about two-thirds of infections in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) – which currently has about 90% of reported cases – are in people under the age of 15 with more than 321 children dying. 

Here are five ways the virus is affecting children: 

1) Children are at higher risk than adults of contracting mpox –  with 70% of DRC’s 14,901 cases in children under 15 – and nearly four times more likely to die from mpox than adults [1] [2].  WHO data shows that the case fatality ratio for children under the age of one is 8.6%, compared to 2.4% in people aged 15 and over.  

2) Transmission might be driven by children’s weaker immune systems and/or the fact that children might have more physical contact interactions through play and at school. The virus can spread by any skin-to-skin contact, airborne contact, and even from contaminated surfaces and objects such as bedding, clothing, and cooking utensils. 

3) Children may end up at higher risk due to the close resemblance of some of the signs and symptoms of mpox to other common childhood illnesses – such as scabies and chickenpox – leading to late recognition and treatment and delayed diagnosis and treatment. 

4) Mpox causes fever, rash and lesions all over the body, severe headaches and fatigue. In severe cases, mpox can lead to sepsis, a life-threatening response to infection that requires immediate specialist medical attention. Some children also develop respiratory problems and have difficulty swallowing, and are at higher risk for secondary bacterial infections. 

5) With just a few weeks before children in many countries across the world go back to school, lockdowns or school closures to curb the spread of the virus will have a hugely detrimental impact on children’s learning.

Earlier this week Save the Children said that newborn babies are contracting the virus in DRC’s overcrowded hospitals.  

Dr Revati Phalkey, Global Director of Health and Nutrition at Save the Children said: “It’s clear from the data: children are more at risk of both contracting and dying from mpox. We know from decades of experience that it is the most vulnerable children who will be worse off – like undernourished children and those living in crowded refugee camps with limited access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene. 

“The World Health Organization has said this is an emergency of international concern. It is critical that authorities and donors ramp up control measures, especially efforts to get vaccines to those who need them, in order to save children’s lives.” 

In DRC, Save the Children is responding to the mpox outbreak in North Kivu and South Kivu through water, sanitation and health services support, including providing PPE and training leaders in engagement, communication, and community alert systems for identifying and reporting suspected cases. The outbreak is exacerbating an already dire humanitarian crisis, with over 7 million people displaced, primarily due to conflict and a collapsed health system. 

Save the Children is also working with the national government in Burundi on a national response plan to the rising number of infections.   

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Save the Children.