South Africa welcomes the declaration of unity between various Palestinian groups and their stated intention to constitute an interim national unity reconciliation government. Palestinian unity has the capacity to bring Palestinians closer to achieving the core objectives of the Palestinian cause: self-determination, freedom, justice, peace and the establishment of an independent, sovereign and prosperous Palestinian state.

Our own struggle for a free, non-racial, non-sexist, democratic, united, undivided and prosperous South Africa instructs unity as the foundation of our collective strength, resilience and achievement.

It is through unity and solidarity that the Palestinian people can effectively confront the challenges of occupation and oppression, and work towards the realisation of their national aspirations. The declaration issued signals a commitment to overcome past divisions and advance towards a shared vision and future.

South Africa commends the various Palestinian groups, their leaders and representatives who have chosen the path of dialogue, national reconciliation and common action in pursuit of the undoubtedly just Palestinian cause.

South Africa further remains committed to the two-state solution and a free Palestine. As we express our continued solidarity and unwavering support, we look forward to the positive impact that Palestinian unity and national reconciliation will bring, fostering hope and driving meaningful change. Let this be the dawn of a new era where the collective aspirations for freedom, justice and self-determination of the Palestinian people are fully realised.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: Department of International Relations and Cooperation.

The Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Mr Alvin Botes, held a telephonic courtesy call with his US counterpart, Deputy Secretary of State, Mr Kurt M Campbell, yesterday, 23 July 2024.

The main purpose of the teleconference was for the Deputy Secretary of State, Mr Campbell, to congratulate Deputy Minister Botes on his re-appointment as the Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation and to reaffirm the close relations between the United States and South Africa.

The Deputy Minister and his counterpart also briefly discussed numerous important geo-political and economic issues which included, amongst others:

Our strategic bi-lateral relationship and, in particular, our trade, investment and development relations and the importance of AGOA and PEPFAR
An update in respect of the current Palestine-Israel situation, particularly relating to a ceasefire, the hostage negotiations with Hamas and the broader peace process; and
The Ukraine Peace Initiative.

Both Deputy Minister Botes and Deputy Secretary of State Campbell reiterated their commitment to strengthening our trade and investment relations.

Furthermore, Deputy Minister Botes and Deputy Secretary of State Campbell agreed to work together to find lasting solutions to the Russia-Ukraine and Palestine-Israeli conflicts.

Deputy Ministers Botes and Deputy Secretary Campbell agreed to have more deeper and structured engagements in the near future in respect of the issues discussed.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: Department of International Relations and Cooperation.

In Bomet County, Kenya, Kenya Red Cross is supporting influential community figures to use traditional customs to tackle modern-day disease threats.

Some people use WhatsApp. Others prefer a phone call. But in Kipajit village, when you need to communicate with lots of people quickly in a crisis, there’s only one option: the Kigondit.

A traditional instrument made from a cow’s horn, the Kigondit has been used for generations by Kipsigis communities in Bomet County to summon people for important meetings and to warn them of imminent danger. And in Kipajit, it’s village Elder, Augustine Langat, who has the power and privilege of blowing the Kigondit to serve his community.

Through the Community Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness Programme (CP3), Kenya Red Cross is collaborating with village Elders like Augustine, and other influential community figures, to keep people healthy and safe from diseases.

When Augustine summons his village for a gathering, Community Health Promoters—trained by Kenya Red Cross through the CP3 programme—and animal health workers arrive to share important messages about different disease threats, any active outbreaks, and the ways people can reduce their risks.

“When I blow the traditional horn, it reaches many people, especially those who might not have been reached through one-on-one interaction. I alert the people so that we can meet in a central place for us to be enlightened by the veterinary and human health practitioners,” explains Augustine.

Village Elders are highly respected and trusted figures within their communities and are looked up to for advice and wisdom. So when villagers hear the call of the Kigondit, they come.

“There are different ways of blowing the horn for different occasions – you can call them different ringtones. There’s a way to call for a general meeting, and a different noise when you want to alert the community to something dangerous,” explains Purity Kosgei, CP3 Project Officer for Bomet County.

“Augustine is able to mobilize the community very quickly, for example when a cow dies from anthrax. It is prudent to call everyone in the village to help tell them what is happening, what the preventative measure are, and how to respond,” she adds.

In the case of anthrax, a serious and potentially deadly infectious disease that can spread from animals to humans, Elders are also now leading the way in shifting cultural norms and behaviours that can put people’s lives at risk.

For example, in Augustine’s community there’s an ancient belief that when an animal dies, burying the carcass whole will bring a curse on the people and stop them from rearing more animals. It’s therefore customary to cut open the animal and remove its innards prior to burying. Yet if the animal has died from anthrax, doing so can expose people to the disease—which can kill if left untreated.

“We’ve seen real behaviour change. The Elders were the ones from the onset who were against disposal of animal carcasses as a whole. But now they understand the risks to people’s health and use their platform to encourage proper burial of animals, to encourage animal vaccination and to make sure people report suspicious animal deaths” explains Monica Okwanyi, former CP3 Project Officer for Bomet County.

“Elders are the most trusted community figures and by engaging them we enhance ownership because community members want to know ‘what are our Elders saying? Is it approved by our Elders?’. It’s important to be culturally sensitive. We engage with them respectfully so they don’t feel like we are just imposing something on them. They are happy to learn powerful knowledge they can carry forward through generations,” adds Monica.

With epidemics spreading further and faster than ever before around the world, equipping communities with the knowledge and skills to detect, alert, and respond to disease threats has never been more important.

Through the CP3 programme, we’ve seen time and time again that well-informed communities can be the first line of defence against epidemics—reducing their spread and even stopping them in their tracks.

Augustine puts it best:

“I’m excited with the work that I do because when you educate the community, you are protecting their lives. When the area chief tells me to call the people, I do it wholeheartedly because I love it when people get the correct health messages.”

“It’s good when the community is alerted. They respond so as to ultimately save lives.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

Today, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi met with Prime Minister Dr. Moustafa Madbouly, Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy Dr. Mahmoud Esmat, and Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Karim Badawy. The meeting was held within the framework of the continuous follow-up of the government’s efforts with regard to a number of priority files in the energy sector, most notably the implementation of the President’s directives to find decisive solutions to the issue of reducing electricity loads, while stopping them during the summer to alleviate the burden on citizens.

The Spokesman for the Presidency said the President was briefed on the current position of the government’s efforts to ensure the sustainability and stability of electrical supply at the level of the republic, and to reduce losses, especially in light of the high daily consumption of electricity in the summer, which requires exerting double the effort to preserve the consistency and quality of the service.

The prime minister and the ministers of electricity and petroleum reviewed efforts to provide the urgent needs of the electricity sector for petroleum products, which led to being able to stop the reduction of electricity loads during the summer. This is while working intensively, according to a designated time plan, to end this issue radically, taking into account regional and international instability, and its potential impact on the energy sector.

The government’s future plans were also presented to encourage investments in the energy sector, with the aim of increasing production of crude oil and gas as quickly as possible, and accelerating exploration programs to bring economic and service benefits to citizens. The meeting also touched on the government’s programs to maximize the use of modern technologies to increase production, with the aim of reducing the cost of importing, as well as securing oil and gas supplies to the local market.

President El-Sisi gave instructions to intensify the ongoing work to implement renewable energy projects, whether solar energy or wind energy, with the aim of adding new capabilities to the electrical grid. This is while stressing the great importance of this track, in light of the steady growth in the needs of local energy consumption, whether for individuals or for industry and production, as well as reducing the demand for gas and fossil fuels, and also within the framework of the state’s efforts to shift towards clean energy to counter the negative impacts of climate change.

The President also gave directives to enhance effective coordination and cooperation among the various ministries and state agencies to ensure the provision of regular electrical service. The President praised the understanding and appreciation shown by citizens for the load-reduction measures during the previous stage and gave directives to intensify efforts to develop multiple scenarios to deal with all possibilities.

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