The President of the Republic of Liberia, His Excellency Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr., has by proclamation declared Saturday, September 21, 2024 as International Day of Peace to be observed throughout the Republic as a Working Holiday. According to a Foreign Ministry release, this year’s commemoration will be held under the theme: ” Cultivating the Culture of Peace”, which highlights the responsibility to provide the opportunity for prosperity, peace and partnership through the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The observance of the day will also include a call for global ceasefire in situations of conflict and violence in order to enhance the culture of peace and stability. The proclamation urges all citizens, government ministries, autonomous agencies, civil society organizations and private businesses, schools and colleges, places of worship, individuals within the borders to join the New African Research and Development Agency (NARDA) to plan and implement appropriate programs befitting the occasion.

The proclamation is in consonance with the 57th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations unanimously adopted Resolution 55/282, declaring the 21st day of September of each year as the” International Day of peace” and expanding the observance of the day to include a call for global ceasefire in situations of conflict, and nonviolence throughout the world for the duration of the day. It further states that Liberia which is a signatory to the Charter establishing the United Nations on October 24, 1945, with the mandate to save future generations from the scourge of war and promoting peace, has benefited from the peace keeping mission of the World body which has the necessary conditions for sustainable development and economic prosperity.

“The United Nations General Assembly in 1981 proclaimed International Day of Peace to be devoted to commemorating and strengthening the ideas of Peace both within and among all nations and people as well as to provide global shared date for all humanity to commit to peace above all differences, and to contribute to building a culture of peace,” the proclamation further stated.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of Liberia: Executive Mansion.

President Joseph N. Boakai, Sr., on Wednesday, September 18, 2024, arrived in the Canadian City of Toronto, to keynote the Liberia Investment Forum 2024, organized through partnership between the National Investment Commission (NIC), through its Trade and Investment Office in Canada, and the QE24 Group of Companies (Liberia).

The President was received at the Toronto Airport by a jubilant group of Liberian Community members in Canada.

Lead organizers of the Forum, Liberia Trade and Investment Representative Jallahqueena Hawa Konneh and QE24 Group CEO Bill Sandy, said the President will pivot investment potentials to the Canadian business community on Thursday, September 19, at the International Conference Center in downtown Toronto.

A lined up Liberian Government functionaries from Liberian sector ministries and agencies, led by National Investment Commission Chairman Jeff Blibo, will take turns.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of Liberia: Executive Mansion.

“Children in Burundi are bearing the brunt of the mpox outbreak with alarming rates of infection and health impacts,” said Dr Paul Ngwakum, UNICEF Regional Health Advisor for Eastern and Southern Africa. “Of the nearly 600 reported cases, two-thirds are children under 19 years old and the situation is escalating really rapidly with more than [a] 40 per cent  increase in cases over the last three weeks.”

To date in Burundi there have been more than 14,000 suspected cases but no reported deaths from mpox. Neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo, however, has seen nearly 21,900 suspected cases and 717 deaths.

The UNICEF official insisted that with funding and prompt action in Burundi, “we have an opportunity to end this outbreak in a very short time period because the geographical area is kind of limited and with concerted effort from all partners, I think, we can limit the spread; we can contain the virus so we can stop the outbreak without any loss of life”.

Making classrooms safe 

Following the start of the school year earlier this week in Burundi, the UN agency remains concerned about the rise of mpox among children under five years of age, who represent 30 per cent of reported cases – as in DRC. To help teachers and parents understand the risks and minimize disruption, the UN agency has supported the education authorities to implement health measures in schools, train staff to recognize early symptoms of mpox and reinforce hand hygiene.

“Make no mistake, we don’t have all the answers. No one does. This is a rapidly evolving situation, with a new, infectious strain, and we are learning more every day about different modes of transmission. And with more information, we update our messaging and our response,” said Dr Ngwakum.

The UNICEF appeal will also provide mental health support for parents and frontline workers who may face hostility from some communities in part because of the association of mpox with sex, which is responsible for some transmission – but by no means all of it.

Harmful stigma

“Sex in Africa is not something that is spoken of on a daily basis. And if they think you are having a sexually transmitted disease, it stigmatizes you as well,” explained Dr Ngwakum. “We try to explain that this is not the case. Most children have it from body-to-body contact or contact with animals or contact with infected materials, which is not having anything to do with human-to-human sexual contamination.”

Communities also remain fearful of a repeat of previous serious health outbreaks such as Ebola or COVID-19, “so there is an important role we are playing to dispel myths, and calm fears”, the UNICEF official explained.

Highlighting the stark contrast between the high number of suspected deaths from mpox in DRC and Burundi, Dr Margaret Harris from the UN World Health Organization (WHO) explained that this was likely owing to the longstanding humanitarian emergency in eastern DRC.

“Many of the children whom we’ve seen horribly, sadly die in the Democratic Republic of Congo were very immuno-suppressed through being severely malnourished and having suffered the effects of conflict and perhaps also having other diseases at the same time,” she told journalists in Geneva.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of UN News.

The Philippines joined the IOM and 31 other states in a 2-day International Conference on the Future Agenda of Action for Global Diaspora Engagement in Cabo Verde from 12 to 13 September 2024, reaffirming its commitment on ensuring the role of the Filipino diaspora to the development Philippine migration policy frameworks.

Philippine Ambassador to the Portuguese Republic, with concurrent jurisdiction over the Republic of Cabo Verde, Paul Raymund P. Cortes, on behalf of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) – Undersecretary for Migration Affairs Eduardo José A. de Vega, led the Philippine delegation in the international conference. During the Session on Panel II: Transnational Solutions in Health: Concrete Results for Development, Ambassador Cortes highlighted the available diaspora engagement mechanisms and legal frameworks in the Philippines, such as the Philippine Migration Health Network (PMHN) established by the Migrant Health Unit of the Department of Health, as well as the concept of “Filipinas Ultramar” which repositions the vital role of the Filipino diaspora towards achieving development. 

Aligned with the third pillar of Philippine foreign policy, Undersecretary de Vega, through a recorded video message, manifested the country’s support to the formal adoption of Global Diaspora Policy Alliance (GDPA) Terms of Reference (ToRs) and its intended mechanisms. Undersecretary de Vega reaffirmed the country’s commitment to the GDPA mechanisms with the ultimate goal of ameliorating this new ecosystem for diaspora engagement for the interests and welfare of Filipino diaspora communities.

Ambassador Cortes also met with International Organization for Migration – Deputy Director General (IOM-DDG) for Operations Ugochi Daniels at the sidelines of the conference to discuss future collaborations with the Philippines. DDG Daniels, on behalf of the IOM, expressed her deepest appreciation to the Philippines unwavering support to numerous IOM initiatives, including the GDPA.The Philippines highlighted the  long-standing partnership of the Philippines with IOM on ensuring humane and dignified migration pathways. DDG Daniels also ensured to continue working with the Philippines on attaining tangible outcomes of diaspora involvement. 

Finally, the Philippines, as co-chair with Somalia, presented the work plans of the Technical Working Group (TWG) on Health and Wellbeing and  committed to hosting the next TWG meeting in Manila sometime in 2025 to identify key priority areas of the work plan. 

Through this international conference, the Philippines demonstrated its exemplary standards in migration governance and renewed its leadership position in shaping global migration discourse, particularly on addressing migration and health issues and harnessing the role of diaspora to humanitarian and development affairs.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Department of Foreign Affairs, Republic of the Philippines.