The United States, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), announces a new program to provide information on climate change advocacy tools for persons with disabilities in Mozambique. The goal of this project is to make information about emergency preparedness and climate change systems accessible to those who are blind, deaf, or other forms of disability. The program is entitled Resilience and Empowerment for Climate-Change Action by Disabled-persons Organizations (RECADO) and is led by Associação TV SURDO in consortium with the Forum of Mozambican Associations of the Disabled (FAMOD), Association of the Blind and Partially Sighted of Mozambique (ACAMO), Association of the Disabled of Mozambique (ADEMO), government entities and other development agents.

Mozambique is one of the most vulnerable countries to the impacts of climate change, with increasingly frequent climatic events such as cyclones, droughts, and floods. According to UNICEF , persons with disabilities are usually left out of discussions about policies, plans, and programs that prepare communities for and respond to these climate events at the national and subnational level. RECADO advocates for integrating disability rights into the work of state entities and other key actors. It will increase access to inclusive information for persons with disabilities and promote community engagement to enhance their capacity to take preventive action against climate shocks. The program will conduct research and develop data collection systems to inform governments’ climate change interventions and improve techniques for identifying people with disabilities most vulnerable to climate change effects. RECADO will also invest in capacity-building activities to ensure government entities, disabled persons organizations, and other stakeholders acquire disability-inclusive climate action knowledge. Additionally, the program will build sustainable ties between them and persons with disabilities to actively include them in decision-making processes, thus living up to the expression, “nothing for us, without us.”

USAID Mission Director Helen Pataki said: “The United States is dedicated to helping all people with disabilities to participate actively in Mozambique’s public life. Inclusivity improves decision-making and strengthens communities.”

USAID is investing $1.1 million for this project over three years. Support for disability rights is a critical component of the broader U.S. Government assistance in Mozambique.  In close collaboration with the Government of the Republic of Mozambique and civil society, the U.S. Government provides more than $700 million in annual assistance to improve the quality of healthcare, education, to promote economic prosperity, and stability to support the overall development of the nation.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of U.S. Embassy in Mozambique.

This March, the United States celebrates Women’s History Month, honoring the progress women have made in their strides to achieve equality, recognizing the continuing challenges faced by girls and young women, and highlighting the need for them to be fully integrated into all aspects of today’s world. This year’s theme, “women who advocate for equity, diversity, and inclusion,” underscores the importance of including women from diverse backgrounds in the economy, governing institutions, and other key areas of society. Empowering girls and young women throughout the world is a priority for the United States.  As Secretary Blinken has remarked, supporting women and girls is not only the right thing to do, it’s the smart and necessary thing to do.

The good news is that young women are emerging as leaders in diverse spheres – communities, classrooms, and clubs – and we must continue to support and encourage them in this effort. Countries like Mauritania are taking significant steps to ensure that half of their population can achieve their full potential. As a close partner, our U.S. Embassy is committed to helping Mauritania achieve the goal of empowering women and girls. Last year, we inaugurated the first Women’s Economic Forum at the U.S. Embassy, promoting trade and developing Mauritanian small businesswomen’s talents.  This year, we’ve continued this event, hosting our second annual forum on March 7 hosting women from business, civil society, students and U.S. government program alumni. We’ve also launched digital literacy programs that provide access to computers and the internet and ensure girls and young women acquire skills relevant to the modern job market.  In many regions of Mauritania, the United States has funded campaigns advocating for girls’ education, encouraging parents and communities to support girls in school, and combatting negative phenomena such as childhood and forced marriage.  We even supported a program to send girl soccer players to the United States to interact with their American counterparts and exchange experiences.  In 2024, we plan to do the same for a group of young women basketball players, knowing that this will empower them to come back to their own country with a strong network for action within their communities.

Overwhelming data from the World Bank, World Economic Forum, and the United Nations indicate that when women are gainfully and fully employed, societies are more stable and prosperous. UN Women estimates that companies with three or more women in senior management positions score higher in all dimensions of organizational performance. Additionally, closing the gender gap in the economy could boost the global economy by $28 trillion, according to a 2023 McKinsey Global Institute report. I myself have seen that Mauritanian communities are stronger when women own and run businesses and contribute to their country’s sustainable economic growth. Remarkable women leaders like doctor Jemila Bouka, a military surgeon who also founded a private hospital to serve the needs of the public, and Berdis Muhammed, a rural entrepreneur who started from nothing to become an international success selling rice, stand as shining examples of the extraordinary accomplishments of Mauritanian women. I am convinced that when all women are fully integrated into business and government, all of society will reap the benefits.

Women’s History Month carries deep personal meaning as I honor my mother, Dr. Marcia Kierscht, a university president who faced a variety of challenges in the United States as the first women in her generation to occupy many of the positions she held.  As a role model, she taught me independence, diligence, the importance of fair play, and perhaps most importantly, that I should have no limits based on social expectations as to what I can achieve. Her wisdom continues to inspire my commitment to advancing equality and women’s education. I have seen it myself as I built my own career with the encouragement and mentorship of strong women leaders to become the United States Ambassador to Mauritania.  I strive to pay back this service through my own mentorship of rising generations of women and encourage all women who occupy positions of power to do the same.

Investing in girls and young women is not only a moral imperative but a strategic decision. Empowering them not only creates a more egalitarian society but also fosters economic prosperity and civil peace. As we celebrate Women’s History Month, let us consider how far we have come in our quest to empower women, and how much more we still need to do, working together, to create a more diverse, equal, and inclusive society for all.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of U.S. Embassy in Mauritania.

On March 21, U.S. Ambassador Michael Battle, alongside Mafia District’s Administrative Secretary, Hon. Olivanus Paul Thomas, commemorated the successful completion of the third phase of the Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) project to restore the historic Swahili ruins of Kua on Juani Island, within the Mafia Island archipelago.

From 2017 through 2022, the U.S. Embassy awarded a total of $434,929 (approximately Tshs 1.1 billion) to World Monuments Fund (WMF) via the AFCP program of the U.S. Department of State. This funding supported the preservation of these ancient ruins in a collaborative effort with the local community. The celebratory event at the Kua Ruins hosted local government officials, a delegate from the Ministry of Natural Resources, WMF representatives, and community members.

Nestled off Tanzania’s coast on Juani Island, the ancient Swahili town of Kua traces back to the 13th century, standing as one of East Africa’s largest medieval Swahili settlements. The site boasts a significant number of residential structures that have withstood the test of time, including a grand palace and five mosques. Protected under the Antiquities Act No. 10 of 1964, as amended by Act No. 22 of 1979, the Kua Ruins are a testament to Swahili architectural ingenuity and historical importance. Ambassador Battle noted, “Through the AFCP program, the U.S. has not only preserved the essence of Kua but also ensured local communities benefit from these preservation efforts.”

Since its inception in 2001, the Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) has aimed to safeguard notable cultural heritage sites across the globe. The American people have generously contributed over one million dollars in grants since 2002, supporting a wide range of preservation projects in Tanzania. These projects include the restoration of the 18th-century Kizimkazi Mosque in Zanzibar, the ancient trade port ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani, the prehistoric rock art in Kondoa, the 19th-century Bwanga House in Pangani, and the historical Shumba and Micheweni mosques in Pemba, among others.

World Monuments Fund (WMF), the project’s lead implementing organization, is a premier non-profit entity dedicated to preserving the world’s most iconic heritage sites. With over 50 years of experience in more than 90 countries, WMF’s skilled experts employ advanced preservation techniques to safeguard architectural and cultural landmarks worldwide.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of U.S. Embassy in Tanzania.

An aircraft belonging to the Qatar Armed Forces arrived in the city of El Arish in the sisterly Arab Republic of Egypt, carrying 20 tons of aid, including food supplies provided by the Qatar Charity, in preparation to be delivered to Gaza, bringing the total number of planes of aid to 87.

HE Minister of State for International Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Lolwah bint Rashid Al Khater received the aircraft at El Arish Airport.

This aid comes within the framework of the State of Qatar’s support for the brotherly Palestinian people and its full support for them during the difficult humanitarian conditions they are currently exposed to. Moreover, a number of Palestinians holding Qatar residency permits were evacuated from the Gaza Strip, returning to Doha.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The State of Qatar.