The United Nations in South Sudan acknowledges the assurance given today by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs that the imposition of taxes on trucks carrying fuel and other supplies does not apply to UN humanitarian, development, and peacekeeping operations or to the diplomatic community.

However, we remain concerned that our fuel trucks are still being held up at various depots and the border. Until they are released, the UN will not be able to conduct many of its activities in support of vulnerable communities across the country.

The situation is critical. The fuel reserves of the UN and its agencies, funds and programmes are running out. This will prevent the delivery of millions of dollars of aid during a severe humanitarian crisis and divert already stretched funding provided by donors and other Member States to assist the people of South Sudan. 

Humanitarian airdrops have already been suspended, affecting 60,000 people in need. UNMISS itself is also forced to review peacekeeping patrols, road repairs, construction of police stations, schools, and health centers, as well as reduce support to peace and electoral processes.

“While we acknowledge the Government’s confirmation of its intention to end the blockade of our trucks, we now need urgent action to get the trucks moving to ensure our support for South Sudan does not grind to a halt,” said the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in South Sudan, Nicholas Haysom.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

The United States and Nigeria are working together to address and mitigate the drivers of conflict in northern and middle-belt Nigeria, including ethnic, regional, and sectarian tensions across communities.

Over the past five years, the United States, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), has invested $15 million in the Community Initiatives to Promote Peace (CIPP) program. This initiative has trained more than 46,000 community members, including traditional leaders, women, men, and youth, in six states – Benue, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kogi, and Plateau – on skills such as dispute resolution, early warning and early response, reconciliation efforts, and prevention of violent extremism.

The CIPP program has been helped mitigate violent conflict in at-risk communities and engaged women and youth in peace processes. A randomized control trial, which compared how the activity worked in its target communities with nearby communities that did not include any interventions, showed that despite the overall increase in violence in Plateau, Benue, and other states, violent conflict was lower in communities where USAID worked.  For instance, after four years of implementation, the study showed that only 29 percent of CIPP treatment communities experienced violent incidents, compared to 55 percent in control communities – a difference of 26 percent.

“The CIPP activity has shown that a timely investment in peace can yield remarkable dividends,” said USAID Mission Director, Melissa A. Jones at yesterday’s ceremony. “Individuals trained in conflict mediation skills across Nigeria’s Middle Belt helped resolve hundreds of disputes before they escalated further,” she added.

As part of its closeout plan, USAID will transfer some of CIPP’s community structures, such as Conflict Mitigation Regional Councils and Women Peace Councils, to its new Peace Action for Rapid and Transformative Nigerian Early Response activity. This will ensure continuity and sustained progress in our shared mission to promote peace and security in the northern and middle-belt regions.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Nigeria.

The Miombo Declaration aims to protect and manage Miombo woodlands by promoting joint, coordinated, and integrated actions for the recovery, management, monitoring and conversations of Miombo forest. The Miombo woodlands cover more than 1 million square miles across Southern Africa and provide numerous goods and services that sustain the livelihoods for and feed more than 300 million inhabitants including tropical and subtropical grasslands, shrubland, and savannas. The Miombo woodlands comprise the largest ecosystem of dry tropical forests in the world and are responsible for sustaining the Greater Zambezi.

The Miombo Initiative participating countries are Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, DR Congo, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zambia.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Embassy of the Republic of Zimbabwe to the USA.

On 19 April, the 2024 International Chinese Language Day Event was successfully held. It was hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Zambia and undertaken by the Confucius Institute at the University of Zambia (CI-UNZA), under the theme of “Chinese Language: Connecting Cultures through the Bridge of Mutual Learning”. Minister Counsellor Meng Hao and Professor Boniface Namangala, Acting Vice-Chancellor of UNZA, attended and delivered speeches. More than 120 people participated in the event, including teachers and students from UNZA, local primary and secondary schools in Lusaka, and representatives of the Chinese community in Zambia.

Minister Counsellor Meng said that the Global Civilization Initiative (GCI) proposed by President Xi Jinping sets the direction for promoting the progress of human civilization and the peaceful development of the world. Over the past 60 years, mutual respect, equality and common development have always been the important principles guiding China-Zambia relations. The two countries have set a good example of cultural exchanges and mutual learning. As language is an important carrier of culture and civilization, it is hoped that the Chinese language learners and users could serve as a bridge of cultural exchanges and mutual learning between China and Zambia, promoting better understanding between the two peoples and jointly building a high-level community of shared future for China, Zambia and Africa as a whole.

Professor Namangala thanked China for its long-term support for Zambia’s educational, economic and social development and said that Chinese language teaching in Zambia is flourishing and has made remarkable progress, and the people-to-people exchanges between the two countries have been strengthened significantly. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Zambia and China, and UNZA is ready to contribute more to friendship and practical cooperation between the two countries.

The event went in a lively and warm atmosphere. The teachers and students of CI-UNZA performed Chinese folk dance, Tai chi, poetry recitation and other programs, and the masters from Zambian Shaolin Cultural Center staged a martial arts performance, which received a big round of applause from the audience. After the indoor performances, the guests came to the exhibition stands to participate in projects such as calligraphy, painting facial masks and trying on ethnic costumes, and thoroughly enjoy the charm of the Chinese culture.

Mulungushi University, Livingstone Institute of Business and Engineering Studies and Kasama Girl’s Seconday School also held International Chinese Language Day events respectively.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Republic of Zambia.