The Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami, has expressed her profound sadness and frustration over the ongoing armed violence that is wreaking havoc on the city of Al Fasher in North Darfur.

“This is heartbreaking and must stop. There is no excuse for direct attacks on civilians, their assets and essential facilities such as hospitals. These are protected under the International Humanitarian law. Parties to the conflict must refrain from targeting the city,” said Nkweta-Salami.

Initial reports indicate that large-scale fighting escalated in El Fasher City on 12 September threatening the lives of thousands of people, mainly in camps for internally displaced people. Healthcare facilities were also reportedly affected. The number of civilian casualties is yet to be established.

The conflict continues, devastating lives, livelihoods and essential infrastructure. El Fasher is home to hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people at risk of famine, including in the Zamzam camp where famine has been confirmed. In addition, Sudan’s public health system has been devastated by the ongoing conflict with many facilities destroyed, looted, or abandoned, leaving more than five million people without access to healthcare services.

“These reprehensible attacks show the pointlessness of the armed violence in El Fasher. All parties to the conflict must uphold their obligations to the international humanitarian law and ensure civilians are protected from harm. These attacks in El Fasher violate every humanitarian principle,” added said Nkweta-Salami.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA).

Stakeholders from across Kenya gathered in Nairobi for a landmark event that brought together Generation Equality commitment makers based in Kenya. The event aimed to raise awareness of Generation Equality’s efforts being advanced by commitment makers and partners at national, regional, and global levels. It also fostered the creation and strengthening of partnerships, facilitated the sharing of information about upcoming major events, and encouraged the development of synergies and coalitions on dedicated topics and actions. 

Organized by UN Women, the event provided a platform for national and international partners, civil society organizations, youth representatives, the private sector, and government officials to review the progress of commitments implemented at both local and regional levels.

Generation Equality, the world’s leading effort to unlock political will and accelerate investment and implementation on gender equality, was at the heart of the discussions. This movement aims to create multistakeholder alliances, promoting progress, advocating for change, and driving bold actions. Central to this event was the recognition that the success of Generation Equality lies in localizing its goals—engaging stakeholders at the grassroots level to ensure sustainable and impactful outcomes.

“This meeting is unique and the first of its kind in Kenya, bringing together all Action Coalitions—from Gender-Based Violence to Economic Justice and Rights, Feminist Action for Climate Justice, Technology and Innovation, Feminist Movements and Leadership, and Bodily Autonomy and SRHR,” remarked Anna Mutavati, outgoing UN Women Kenya Representative and incoming Deputy Regional Director for East and Southern Africa.

“As a co-leader of the Generation Equality Forum #GBV Action Coalition, Kenya is committed to accelerating efforts towards the achievement of gender equality and the elimination of harmful practices that deprive victims of their dignity and infringe on their human rights,”  said Anne Wang’ombe, Principal Secretary, State Department for Gender and Affirmative Action, Ministry of Gender, Culture, the Arts and Heritage in the Republic of Kenya.

Baldwin Anyiga, Principal Economist at the State Department for Gender and Affirmative Action shared a presentation outlining Kenya’s wide range of commitments to gender equality. He detailed Kenya’s impressive progress, particularly its 12-action plan targeting gender-based violence at both the national and county levels. The country has rolled out critical programs, including toll-free lines and clinics for survivors of gender-based violence, as well as substantial resources to sustain these efforts.

The event also featured a dynamic panel discussion with representatives from various Action Coalitions (ACs). Speakers included:

Eva Maria Okoth from the International Land Coalition, representing the AC on Action for Climate Justice
Anika Jane Dorothy from the Clinton Foundation, representing Generation Equality youth activists
Nelly Munyasia from Reproductive Health Network Kenya, representing the AC for Bodily Autonomy and SRHR
Nancy Njoki from Girl Effect Kenya, representing the AC for Technology and Innovation for Gender Equality
Njeri Migwi from Usikimye Kenya, representing the Gender-Based Violence Action Coalition
Amar Nijhawan, former Women’s Rights Policy Specialist at Oxfam under the Economic Justice and Rights AC

The event focused on building awareness of the ongoing efforts by Commitment Makers in Kenya and explored synergies for future initiatives. As Kenya holds the highest number of commitments from a single country—with 103 commitments being implemented by Kenyan organizations—the meeting served as an important moment to reflect on progress and plan for the future.

Reflecting on the benefits of Generation Equality, Njeri Migwi from Usikimye Kenya said: “Generation Equality is affording us platforms that we couldn’t have been able to access before, data, and also resources that we were not able to access before”.

The discussions underscored the need for continued collaboration and cross-Action Coalition learning.

“Generation Equality provides us a platform to connect, showcase our work, share our challenges and network with other commitment makers,” said Nelly Munyasia from Reproductive Health Network Kenya.

A comprehensive briefing by Action Coalition Thematic leads was provided to participants on upcoming global meetings and related processes, such as Beijing+30, Summit of the Future and Conferences of the 3 Rio Conventions.

The session concluded with closing remarks by Jemimah Njuki, Chief of Women’s Economic Empowerment at UN Women, and Hodan Addou, UN Women Regional Director a.i. for East and Southern Africa, who both reaffirmed UN Women’s commitment to working alongside the Government of Kenya and other partners to accelerate gender equality initiatives.

“What the commitment makers are doing through their work is directly contributing to Beijing+30 and the SDGs. Every action, every initiative, and every engagement is feeding into these larger processes to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment globally,” said Ms. Addou.

The event highlighted the importance of scaling up Generation Equality at national and regional levels and the power of partnership and Generation Equality’s multi-stakeholder approach in driving gender equality.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of UN Women – Africa.

Recent floods in northeast Nigeria have displaced at least 50,000 people from their homes since the weekend. Across the Sahel and Lake Chad region, heavy floods have exacerbated existing humanitarian crises in countries such as Cameroon, Mali, and Niger. The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is urgently calling for increased international support to provide relief to the most vulnerable.

“The situation in the Sahel and Lake Chad region is increasingly dire, as the compounding effects of conflict, displacement, and climate change take a severe toll on vulnerable populations,” said Hassane Hamadou, NRC’s Central and West Africa regional director. “Our immediate priority is to ensure affected people across the region receive essential support such as shelter, food, and hygiene supplies. Longer-term solutions including the improvement of existing infrastructures must be coordinated with local governments to build resilience against future disasters.” 

In countries such as Cameroon and Niger, communities along the Lake Chad Basin, already facing conflict and displacement due to insecurity, are contending with the added threat of climate-related disasters. Heavy floods are now becoming more and more frequent, with serious humanitarian consequences almost every year. Farmlands across the region, vital for local economies and food security, have been destroyed by floodwaters, threatening livelihoods, and worsening food insecurity. The floods have also compromised access to education as schools have been destroyed, forced to close, or are being used to provide shelter for affected communities. 

 “We lost the majority of our livelihood in the water, and the speed of the flow didn’t allow us to take any significant property with us,” said Modu, a man affected by the floods in Maiduguri, Nigeria. “I’m currently helping other flood victims, especially those who don’t have alternative shelter, to move towards a secondary site. We are all currently watching how our houses are being flooded and there is nothing we can do about it.” 

 In Mali, where the lean season has pushed many communities to the brink of famine, families that rely on subsistence farming and pastoralism for survival have lost everything. Urgent assistance is needed to prevent further deterioration of livelihoods.

Local actors and humanitarian organisations across the region are working around the clock to provide temporary relief despite increasingly stretched resources. Over halfway through the year, the 2024 Humanitarian Response Plan for Sahel was just 25 per cent funded. The international community must ensure increased funding for both emergency response and long-term recovery, including disaster risk reduction and preparedness in all the countries affected by the floods in the region.  

“These severe floods are a stark reminder of the Sahel and Lake Chad region’s vulnerability to climate change, which may only worsen in the nearby future. Fragile communities already living in crisis cannot face these challenges alone,” said Hamadou.  

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Norwegian Refugee Council.

IDEMIA Smart Identity (www.IDEMIA.com) today launches a multi-channel marketing campaign to join other industry leaders in raising awareness for International Identity Day. The purpose of establishing September 16 as International Identity Day is to underline the fundamental importance of identity. This day is highly symbolic, as it aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goal 16.9, which aims to provide a legal identity for everyone by 2030.  

International Identity Day’s 2024 theme—celebrating the right to be visible—is an important reminder that what some may take for granted remains out of reach for 850 million people worldwide: individuals who still lack a legal identity, rendering them invisible to society.  

IDEMIA Smart Identity’s campaign features a diverse group of employees, making themselves visible as advocates working toward the goal of providing identity for all. Under the headline “I am visible – are you?” IDEMIA Smart Identity’s team members seek to remind everyone that a trusted, legal identity empowers individuals and fosters inclusion, protection, and freedom.  

“At IDEMIA Smart Identity, all our teams work tirelessly to achieve our mission of supporting governments in providing a trusted, legal identity for everyone. Supporting the International Identity Day campaign resonates deeply with our values, and we have been doing so for many years. Whether through our collaboration with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) in Nigeria on their event for this day, or through our marketing campaign featuring volunteers from our own workforce, we all stand united behind this mission—not only on September 16, but every day through the work we do,” explains Olivier Charlanes, Senior Vice President of Middle East and Africa at IDEMIA Smart Identity. 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of IDEMIA Smart Identity.

Press contacts 
Sandra Valerii – sandra.valerii@idemia.com 
Press office – idemia@havas.com 

About IDEMIA Group  
IDEMIA Group unlocks simpler and safer ways to pay, connect, access, identify, travel, and protect public places. With its long-standing expertise in biometrics and cryptography, IDEMIA develops technologies of excellence with an impactful, ethical, and socially responsible approach. Every day, IDEMIA secures billions of interactions in the physical and digital worlds. IDEMIA Group brings together three market-leading businesses that enable mission-critical solutions:  

IDEMIA Secure Transactions is the leading technology provider who unlocks safer and easier ways to pay and connect.  
IDEMIA Public Security is a leading global provider of biometric solutions that unlock convenient and secure travel, access, and protection.  
IDEMIA Smart Identity leverages the power of cryptographic and biometric technologies to unlock a single trusted identity for all.  

With a global team of nearly 15,000 employees, IDEMIA Group is trusted by over 600 governmental organizations and more than 2,400 enterprises in over 180 countries.  

For more information, visit www.IDEMIA.com and follow @IDEMIAGroup on X.