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The President of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation and FIFA Council member, Fouzi Lekjaa, is a strong supporter of the project of a World Cup every two years. In this interview, he explains his choice and lists the many benefits it would bring to the African continent.

Le360 Sports: During the 71st Congress of FIFA, held on 21st of May 2021, you have supporter the idea of organizing a World Cup every two years. Why?
“A World Cup played every two years instead of four will give African teams more chances to improve by competing more often with the best. This change will also offer many more opportunities for African talents to develop and shine at the world stage. Only eight teams have won the World Cup. And most part of the participants are always the same. We need to make the World Cup a much more inclusive competition not only with the already approved increase of teams but also with an increase in the frequency.”
How will that affect the Morocco national team?
“Morocco is a great nation of football and in almost 100 years of world cups we only participated in the tournament in five occasions. This is not only due to the extremely difficult qualifying but essentially because of the periodicity of the competition.”
But this won’t make the World Cup lose its appeal? 
“A great competition is forged by the quality and meaning of it not because is rare. We have great competitions in all sports, including football, played every year and every two years (like the AFCON) and they don’t lose interest, nor the fans lose appetite for them. The World Cup will keep being an amazing competition while at the same time being more democratic and giving less developed nations an opportunity to participate and get better.”
We heard one or two voices, namely from UEFA, saying they were against this idea. What do you think about it?
“I have to say I was extremely disappointed with some reactions on this matter. The international match calendar is not decided after 2024 so people should sit down and talk about the best solutions for everyone not just for those who enjoy all privileges, who have all the resources and look at Africa and other continents as second-class people that they have to put up with. It’s easy to make headlines and campaigns against racism and discrimination but what Africa wants is concrete actions and good will, not arrogant, dictatorial, and discriminatory positions while refusing to debate ideas. One more month every four years. We are not asking for something unrealistic. The ones who are against the World Cup every two years are in fact egotists because they are discriminating millions of people just to protect they own commercial interests. They should support the possibility to give hope to hundreds of million of people of our continent.”
Do you think some federations can prevent this project from going ahead? 
“FIFA is nowadays a democratic organization and Europe shows us the importance of respecting the opinion of the majority in a true democratic spirit. We hope that everyone in Europe respects democracy. Fortunately, there are a lot of European people and Federations who support the idea.”
This idea has been defended by one of the most experienced coaches in Europe&#8230;
“Arsène Wenger is someone who thinks about football for decades, not only inside the pitch. He has been doing an analysis and studying how football is becoming more and more unbalanced and how people who are not born in certain privileged parts of the world don’t have the same chances of others. It’s irrational and absurd to criticize his proposal without even reflecting on what is happening and on ways to stop and reverse this tendency. To play the World Cup every two years won’t be the miracle solution to everything that is wrong, but it can certainly be a positive contribution.”
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Le360 Sport.

“Those who are against the World Cup every two years are selfish people who discriminate against billions of people just to protect their own commercial interests”

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How can new digital ways of working in the healthcare sector improve outcomes for patients to increase global health equity in the COVID-19 era and beyond? This was the questions tackled by a panel of globally recognised health-tech experts in a recent webinar for the African healthcare community. 

Hosted by BroadReach Group CEO Chris LeGrand, an internationally recognised leader in public health management, the webinar was joined by panelists Dr John Sargent, the World Economic Forum’s 2015 Social Entrepreneur of the Year, health technology innovator and co-founder of BroadReach, Dr Andrew Kambugu, Executive Director at the Infectious Diseases Institute at Makerere University in Uganda and Rochelle Mountany, a senior manager and health industry advisor at Microsoft for Southern Africa and the Middle East. 
“Technology can really make transformational progress and get us back on track to reach the Universal Health Coverage goals by 2030,” said LeGrand, who runs BroadReach Group, a global social impact business that harnesses health technology and innovation to improve universal access to quality healthcare through large-scale healthcare programmes in Africa and the USA.
Five key insights were shared on improving health equity through technology:
 	Reactive healthcare wastes precious resources  
“Healthcare is often reactive”, says Dr Sargent. “Patients arrive when they are already very sick. These patients are more complex to take care of and therefore more resource intensive.” This often happens in settings where resources are already particularly precious and scarce. Health professionals who are reactive normally base their decisions on gut feel as opposed the data at hand. This leads to hospital administrators spending a lot more time and money on operations, IT and data to get on top of the situation, which is not always a fruitful exercise. Proactivity and prevention are key. Knowing your community &#8211; and the smart use of social determinants of health data &#8211; can help health systems get ahead of the curve so that targeted health campaigns can be instituted before a situation escalates, says Dr Sargent.
 	Dashboards are useless to healthcare implementers 
Dr Sargent posed this question: “Despite everything the industry is investing in and spending on IT, are we really moving the dial to improve health outcomes? Can we improve health outcomes by investing in more data and analytics? Not necessarily.” Healthcare managers who oversee complex settings often invest intensively in data, analytics and dashboards, but these tactics “mean nothing unless they are a means to an end, and not the end itself.” That means if dashboards just present a lot of data but can’t deliver critical practical advice and workflows, it means nothing, says Sargent. It must provide healthcare implementers with easy to digest, highly relevant, targeted insights to drive their action and offer oversight coordination across the whole system.
 	Data analytics are irrelevant to most healthcare workers 
More health data does not mean better insights, and more analytics to interpret more data also does not help most health workers because the analysis of the data is irrelevant to them and the immediate tasks at hand, says Sargent. “For the executive, operational manager or frontline health worker, if you can deliver them critical advice on workflows and help them collaborate with their colleagues in real-time, then yes data can help them. But if your answer is, let’s deliver a bunch of dashboards, and let’s train a nurse, who has 200 acute patients queuing outside the door, to be a data scientist, to click on this button and filter that, then no, more data will not move the dial on outcomes.” 
The bottom line is, the rollout of more pure dashboards simply has not shifted results for healthcare operators in Africa, Asia, Europe, or in the United States. It only works for super-users whose job it is to analyse data, not for the healthcare implementers on the ground, in the moment, he says. What does however make a real difference on the frontlines is where technology is used to tell healthcare staff in plain English (or natural language) what to do each day by way of simple instructions &#8211; linking their workflows with their colleagues’ &#8211; empowering them to provide better care in a very practical way. The Vantage platform, for instance, does this through an integration with Microsoft Teams.
 	Greater patient engagement demands greater mass personalisation 
Patients were becoming more active participants in their own health, but this also meant their expectations of healthcare providers were changing, says Mountany. As the world rapidly digitised over the past year in particular, patients had become used to various industries providing them with personalised digital customer service, and they were now demanding it from the healthcare sector as well. Achieving meaningful personalisation of customer care at scale meant that better insights needed to be leveraged, and this was only possible if various partners across the health and health-tech ecosystems collaborated to improve patient experiences. This included public-private partnerships and collaborations between large players such as Microsoft and smaller agile partners like Vantage Health Technologies and other innovators around the world whose collective mission it is to improve universal health equity. 
 	Reaching the “last mile” of patients requires greater innovation 
Speaking from personal, on-the-ground experience as a medical doctor who spent a long time working in a very busy HIV client where he saw up to 400 patients a day and as a seasoned researcher and health executive, Dr Kambugu said it was a monumental challenge to run operations on a paper-based system, but the early journey towards digitisation between 2005 and 2012 wasn’t easy either. What he learnt from the experience was that in order to reach the “last mile” of patients, “it was necessary to work smarter and with more innovation to achieve impact and cost-effectiveness”. Digitising, gaining access to quality data, and then having that data translated into very practical workflows and next steps for clinic staff was the only effective way to manage pandemics or to achieve the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets. These targets entail 95% of people living with HIV knowing their HIV status, 95% of people who know their status receiving treatment and 95% of people on HIV treatment becoming virally suppressed. 
It is this insight that drives Dr Kambugu and Uganda’s Infectious Diseases Institute in their research and efforts to innovate and trial new ideas to improve patient and health outcomes, from drone technology to deliver medications and transforming patient experience through voice prompt advice lines to using digital tools to enhance patient -physician interactions.
The webinar can be watched online on this link (https://wi.st/3lqgtPm). 
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of BroadReach.
About BroadReach Group and Vantage Health Technologies: BroadReach Group is a group of social impact businesses focused on harnessing innovation and technology to empower human action. Through its business Vantage Health Technologies, they provided training and support to thousands of healthcare workers who have performed more than millions of community screenings on the Vantage cloud platform, in partnership with local health authorities during the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information, visit www.BroadReachcorporation.com/  or www.VantageHealth.tech 
Some fast facts about global health inequity:
• In high income countries the life expectancy can be around 80 years, while in low-income countries it can be about 59. (UN)
• Available data indicates that in 2018, only about 16% of South Africans were members of medical aid schemes, with only 10% of Africans belonging to such schemes compared to 73% of whites. This severely impacted access to quality healthcare along racial lines. (Study)
• Pre-pandemic, it was estimated that girls in Lesotho were likely to live 42 years less than those in Japan, and in Sweden, the risk of a woman dying during pregnancy and childbirth was 1 in 17 400, while in Afghanistan, the odds were 1 in 8. (WHO)
• The high-income countries (19% of the global adult population) purchased more than half (54%/ 4.6 billion) of global vaccine doses up until March 2021. Of the remaining doses, 33% were purchased by LMICs (81% of the global adult population) and 13% were purchased by COVAX. (Source)
• Up until May 2021, only 0.3% of the total vaccines administrated globally have gone to low-income countries. (WHO)
• Up until March, on average, 1 in 4 people in high-income countries had received a coronavirus vaccine, compared with just 1 in more than 500 in low-income countries. (WHO)
About the speakers:  Dr John Sargent, Co-Founder, BroadReach Group
Dr John Sargent is a globally recognised innovator focused on developing 4th Industrial Revolution technologies to radically improve healthcare delivery and catalyse broader development sector outcomes. John co-founded BroadReach with Dr Ernest Darkoh in 2003, with a focus on the development of technology enabled solutions for BroadReach and Vantage.
He has been recognized by the World Economic Forum as the Social Entrepreneur of the Year in 2015 and by Frost&#038;Sullivan with the Visionary Leadership Award in Healthcare. John holds graduate degrees from Dartmouth College, Oxford University and Harvard Medical School.
Dr Andrew Kambugu (MB.ChB, M.Med, FRCP (London), Executive Director at the Infectious Diseases Institute, Uganda
Dr Andrew Kambugu, the Sande-McKinnell Executive Director at the Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI), College of Health Sciences, Makerere University (Mak). He is an adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota, USA and also honorary Senior Lecturer in the Department of Medicine at Mak. He received his basic medical training (MB.ChB) as well as his masters in Internal Medicine (M.Med) at Makerere University in Uganda and undertook specialist training in infectious diseases at the University of Utah and the University of Manitoba.
He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (FRCP), United Kingdom (London). Dr. Kambugu previously served as the Head of the Research Program Prevention Care and Treatment Programmes at the IDI. He has over 14 years of HIV clinical and programming experience and is a member of two national HIV subcommittees of the Ugandan Ministry of Health. He has made significant research contributions in the areas of antiretroviral therapy and opportunistic infections and has over 120 publications in peer-reviewed journals.
Rochelle Mountany, Digital Advisor and Partner Development Manager, Microsoft
Rochelle has been with Microsoft for over 8 years, currently focused on the accelerated development of Microsoft’s Independent Software Vendor partner ecosystem in Africa with a specialized focus on Public Sector and Healthcare solutions. She joined the organisation as a Digital Architect, guiding the digital transformation strategy for many of their top customers in various industries.
Prior to her time at Microsoft, she fulfilled the role of CIO for the International AXA ICAS group. Rochelle holds an Honours degree in Information Technology, a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology as well as an MBA.

The Future of Work in Healthcare: five insights on using health-tech effectively to realise health equity in Africa and beyond

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The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has commenced a week-long community policing training in Mogadishu, to boost the skills of the Somali Police Force (SPF) in countering violent extremism, through enhanced collaboration and partnership with the community.

Facilitated by the AMISOM Police component, the training at the General Kahiye Police Academy in Mogadishu, for 25 SPF personnel, was jointly opened by the AMISOM Police Commissioner, Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIGP), Augustine Magnus Kailie, and the SPF Deputy Police Commissioner, Brig. Gen. Zakia Hussein Ahmed.
“The general aim of the refresher course in preventing and countering violent extremism through community policing is to equip the SPF participants with the requisite knowledge, skills and attitude in community policing strategies in the fight against violent extremism,” AIGP Kailie said on Monday.
AIGP Kailie, noted that the transnational nature of violent extremism, requires a multifaceted approach to tackle it, thus the need for law enforcement agencies, such as the SPF, to embrace community policing, so as to build interactive partnerships with the communities they serve, to effectively counter the vice and crime in general.
“Violent extremism is a multifaceted global phenomenon. It knows no boundaries. Therefore, preventing and countering it equally requires a multi-dimensional approach. In this vein, the role of law enforcement agencies, for that matter, the police, cannot be overemphasized,” he said.
On her part, Brig. Gen. Zakia reiterated the importance of community policing, saying the concept is the answer to violent extremism, not only in Somalia but also the rest of the world, as it encourages members of public to play a role in keeping their communities safe.
Brig. Gen. Zakia noted that the participants were deliberately selected from various ranks of the forces including officers and constables and from departments like operations, Criminal Investigation Unit (CID), Training Unit and the Demining Unit of the SPF, to broaden its community policing reach.
She urged the participants to openly engage with the AMISOM Police facilitators, and draw from their experiences to enrich SPF’s ongoing community policing programme tagged “Share with Us”, which encourages local communities to volunteer information on crimes within the community.
“This community policing training,” Brig. Gen. Zakia noted “will particularly be useful in how we can work closely with the public to counter violent extremism,”
She added, “As it is, we have recently engaged with the public in meetings under a programme called ‘Share with Us’, which is a forum in which the public and police are working together to address security-related challenges. These public meetings are ongoing and will benefit a lot from our police officers getting training in community policing.”
During the training the participants will be taken through a wide range of topics on community policing and other aspects of general policing phenomena.  The topics include the background of community policing, core components, models and legal framework of community policing in Somalia.
Other topics include community policing strategies, gender issues in community policing, challenges of community policing; society and the police in community policing, and community policing and radicalization, among others.
In attendance were the AMISOM Police Operations Coordinator, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Daniel Ali Gwambal, AMISOM Police Training Coordinator, Assistant Commissioner of Police Kofi Amevenku, SPF Director of Community Policing, Brig. Gen. Yusuf Mohamed Karto, SPF Director of Training and Planning Directorate, Maj. Ahmed Mohamed Ahmed, and the Head of Training at the General Kahiye Police Training Academy, Col. Abdirahman Mohamed Koronto.
The AMISOM Police is mandated to provide operational support to the Somali Police Force (SPF), including training and mentoring, with the aim of transforming it into a credible and effective organisation adhering to internationally accepted standards.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Union Mission in Somalia.

Somali Police Force trained in community policing to counter extremism

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Mission Coordinator of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Raisedon Zenenga on Monday 2 August facilitated the fourth and final virtual session of the  Proposal Bridging Committee (PBC)  of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) The aim of the PBC meetings was to agree on one or more bridging proposals, building on the Legal Committee’s draft, for a constitutional basis for the upcoming national elections on 24 December 2021. The Committee had before it four full-fledged proposals, which were submitted within the deadlines set by its members.

The members of the committee acknowledged that all possibilities of reaching a compromise on a single proposal had been exhausted and therefore requested the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL to transmit the four proposals to the LPDF plenary for its consideration and decision.
The Committee agreed on a mechanism for the anticipated LPDF vote on proposal/s. The recommended voting mechanism will be submitted – along with the proposals – to the LDFP plenary.
Addressing yesterday’s PBC meeting, Assistant Secretary-General and Mission Coordinator of UNSMIL Raisedon Zenenga said, “The LPDF started with one proposal from its Legal Committee in May, then considered another proposal from members of its Advisory Committee in Geneva in June but ended up with three proposals in Geneva and now four proposals from the PBC. Furthermore, three committees have been previously tasked to prepare a constitutional basis for the elections: the House of Representatives- High Council of State- Joint Committee, the LPDF Legal Committee, and the LPDF Advisory Committee, without conclusive outcomes. The PBC was the fourth Committee.”
UNSMIL expresses its appreciation for the efforts exerted by the PBC members and expects that the next LPDF plenary will produce a proposal for the constitutional basis to enable the holding of national elections on 24 December 2021 as set out by the LPDF Roadmap and called for by the UN Security Council resolution 2570 (2021). UNSMIL will facilitate the upcoming LPDF plenary.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).

LPDF Bridging Proposals Committee Concludes its Deliberations on a Proposal of the Constitutional Basis for the Elections

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The Libya Energy&#038;Economic Summit &#8211; organized by Energy Capital&#038;Power (www.EnergyCapitalPower.com) with the endorsement of the Office of Prime Minister H.E. Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh &#8211; will represent the first major international energy event to be held in Tripoli for many years; The North African producer is seeking to revive its oil and gas industry through an influx of foreign direct investment, phased production increases and restored regional diplomacy; The summit will be hosted in Tripoli on November 22-23, 2021, with local and foreign investors, industry leaders, policymakers and financiers invited to participate in two-days of discussions and deal-making

Energy Capital&#038;Power (ECP) is excited to announce the launch of the first-ever Libya Energy&#038;Economic Summit (November 22-23, 2021), following the official endorsement of the Office of the Prime Minister and resolute commitment from the government to revitalizing the national hydrocarbons sector.
The Libya Energy&#038;Economic Summit 2021 will represent the first international energy event in Tripoli in almost a decade, as the North African producer seeks to revive its oil and gas industry and boost oil output on the back of more peaceful and stable conditions in the country. The Office of the Prime Minister of Libya, H.E. Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, has granted an official endorsement of the event that seeks to drive foreign capital, technology and expertise into the country’s energy sector, utilizing sectoral revitalization as a catalyst for broader social and economic growth.
Event organizer ECP is working closely with Libya’s Ministry of Oil and Gas, along with leading international oil companies and international service firms that have already expressed interest in the event and a commitment to Libya’s growth.
“Libya is one of the most influential oil and gas markets on the continent, with a strategic position on the Mediterranean and vast, under-explored basins estimated to hold extensive frontier potential. ECP is honored to play a role in restoring the country to global prominence in the energy sector,” says Kelly-Ann Mealia, Chairperson at ECP. “This Libyan administration has been proactive in re-establishing structure within the industry, re-building regional and global ties, and re-allocating budgets to rehabilitate existing energy infrastructure. ECP supports Libya on its transformative path to becoming an integrated, sustainable energy powerhouse.”  
In a bid to drive foreign direct investment and foster regional energy diplomacy, ECP invites regional and European ministers of petroleum and energy, and delegations; along with leading intergovernmental organizations, including OPEC.
Libya has long-been one of the reigning oil producers within the MENA region. Following the swearing-in of the new administration last March, the country has enacted a series of reforms aimed at streamlining sectoral activities and achieving phased production increases. Home to the largest proven oil reserves on the African continent, Libya’s National Oil Company has set a production target of 1.45 million barrels per day (bpd) by the end of 2021; 1.6 million bpd by 2023; and 2.1 million bpd by 2025.
Notably, the government has re-established its Ministry of Oil and Gas and appointed Libya’s former OPEC representative, H.E. Mohamed Aoun, as the new minister, a position which had been vacant since 2012. The formation of the ministry paves the way for long-awaited regulatory reforms, in which streamlined, oil- and gas-specific legislation will invite increased foreign investment and collaboration.
 Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital&#038;Power.
To learn more about Libya’s sectoral revival and find out more information regarding speaker or sponsorship opportunities at the Libya Energy&#038;Economic Summit 2021, please visit www.EnergyCapitalPower.com or contact James Chester at james@energycapitalpower.com.

Energy Capital & Power announces historic Libya Energy & Economic Summit 2021, endorsed by the Office Of The Prime Minister

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As part of its efforts to ensure the delivery and utilization of stronger and more resilient primary health care and essential health services during the COVID-19 response and recovery, the World Health Organization (WHO) with support from the Government of Canada through the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD) is to support strengthening key health systems levels for primary health care and continuity of essential health services within the context of COVID-19 response.

The project focuses on an equity-oriented, gender responsive and human rights-based approach, to reach more disadvantaged populations who are at risk of being left behind. It is implemented under the leadership of the WHO Special Programme on Primary Health Care through the Universal Health Coverage Partnership network—one of WHO’s largest platforms for international cooperation on universal health coverage and primary health care. This effort aims to respond to the needs and gaps identified by countries and supports the COVID-19 Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan, highlighting the urgency of maintaining essential health services and systems.
In March 2021, WHO and the Government of Canada through the Department of Foreign Affairs Trade and Development signed a grant agreement in the amount of 30.38 million Canadian dollars to support 10 countries including South Sudan in delivering stronger and more resilient primary health care and essential health services during the COVID-19 response and recovery.
“We appreciate this contribution of the Canadian Government.  The Ministry of Health, COVID-19 Incident Management Team will work closely with WHO and partners to ensure the successful implementation of the project”, said Dr John Rumunu, Director General for Preventive Health Services, Ministry of Health South Sudan.
“Canada is committed to ensuring the people of South Sudan have access to quality health services. Through this partnership with WHO, people who are most in need, and whose health situations have been exacerbated by the pandemic—particularly women and girls—will have access to the essential health and nutrition services, including medicines, that they require”, said H.E. Ambassador Jenny Hill, Canada’s Ambassador to South Sudan.
“The implementation of the Government of Canada project will contribute to strengthening essential healthcare services and greatly improve health systems to ensure that a clear path is established towards attainment of universal health coverage (UHC), health security and other health-related Sustainable Development Goals”, said Dr Fabian Ndenzako, WHO Representative a.i. in South Sudan. “WHO is committed to working hand in hand with South Sudan’s Ministry of Health to ensure that more people can access good quality health services when they need it, without causing them to experience financial hardship, which is the core vision of UHC”.
The Government of Canada is one of WHO’s key partners working together in South Sudan. The partnership goes back a decade, starting in 2011. In 20211, the Canadian Government provided 19.4 million Canadian Dollars to WHO for its six-year Comprehensive Emergency Obstetrics and Newborn Care project.
“Thanks to our working together these last 10 years the project that comprises of infrastructure, equipment’s and training of health personnel has saved the lives of many mothers and children across the country,” said Dr Ndenzako.
Bridging global commitments with national priorities
Canada’s contribution also enhances collaboration among the 13 multilateral health, development and humanitarian agencies working together under the frame of the Global Action Plan for Healthy Lives and Well-being for All (SDG3-GAP) to better support countries in accelerating progress towards the health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Primary Health Care Accelerator is among the seven accelerator areas under the Global Action Plan and through this, South Sudan is receiving intensified support for primary health care.
A contribution to the Joint Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction also complements this work by undertaking formative research to identify and analyze specific innovations and modifications made by countries to ensure continued access to and delivery of health services.
More about Canada’s funding support to WHO is available in the WHO Programme Budget Portal.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Health Organization (WHO) &#8211; South Sudan.

WHO to expand support in strengthening the delivery of primary health care and essential health services through Canadian grant

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Kuwait’s Al-Sumait Prize (www.AlSumaitprize.org) for African Development today announced that Dr Ismahane Elouafi, the first Chief Scientist of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) (www.FAO.org/home/en) of the United Nations has joined the Al Sumait Prize Board of Trustees.

Dr Khaled Al-Fadhel, Director General of the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS) (www.KFAS.org), member and rapporteur of Al Sumait Board of Trustees, said: &#8220;we are privileged to welcome Dr. Elouafi, a distinguished scientist and a leader who has espoused passionately the improvement of the quality of life for African societies.&#8221;
Dr Elouafi has been a board member of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), the  USA; the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI), the UK; and the Professional Development Institute, Canada. She is also a member of the Scientific Group for the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit and of the CGIAR System Management Board.
“I&#39;m honored to join the Board of Trustees of the Al-Sumait Prize. It will be my pleasure to contribute in honoring and recognizing our heroes (both individuals or institutions) and their contributions to African development. We need to celebrate their achievements as generating HOPE can have a tremendous impact on people&#39;s wellbeing.&#8221; Dr Elouafi said on accepting the invitation.
Her contributions to science and policy have been recognized with a number of prestigious awards and accolades, including the National Reward Medal by His Majesty Mohamed VI, the King of Morocco, and the Excellence in Science Award from the Global Thinkers Forum.
The Call for the 2021 Al-Sumait Prize in Health will close on 15th August 2021. 
The Health category includes but is not limited to initiatives, program, and research projects in the following areas:  Combating the prevalence of diseases in Africa, with a special focus on the utilization of effective frameworks and programs, to address and manage health crises such as SARS, COVID-19, and infectious zoonotic diseases; National capacity building in medical research and medical education; Upgrading and maintenance of national medical facilities; Developing national health policies and successful implementation of the outcomes.
Eligible candidates include organizations and research institutions whose initiatives and programs contributed significantly to solving health challenges in Africa, as well as outstanding researchers who are nominated by their institutions and peers. 
For information about the AlSumait Prize for the 2021-Cycle of Health as well as its conditions and requirements, please visit http://www.alsumaitprize.org/nominations/
To access the Prize nomination form, please visit: https://kfas.formstack.com/forms/alsumait2021
For inquiries, please contact the Prizes Office on the following E-Mail: alsumaitprize@kfas.org.kw
 Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS).

Chief Scientist of FAO joins Al Sumait Prize Board of Trustees

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Lionesses Head Coach Felix Oloo has paid tribute to his side following their 10th place finish in the women’s rugby sevens competition at the Tokyo Olympics.

Speaking to the KRU from Tokyo, Oloo said, “The Olympic experience was brilliant for both the Lionesses and us on the technical bench. The importance of teamwork really played out very well…when people work together, things become very easy because we are all eyeing the same objective. I am really happy and thank my technical team for pulling together in one direction.”
He weighed in on having to deal with half the squad being put into isolation following close contact with a traveler who tested positive for COVID-19, saying, &#8220;It looked really nice to see the Lionesses playing…one couldn’t notice that half the team was in isolation prior to the tournament…only being released on the day of competition but still able to express themselves while executing what we had trained. You can only imagine what kind of performances we would have put up had the team been together for the entire 14 day camp.&#8221;
Singling out the entire playing unit for praise, Oloo said, “The players put in a big shift, they played really well. This is indeed the first time that we have more than two players scoring for Kenya. That we were able to play against the leading teams in the world and score in nearly every game is a huge positive. Our defense also worked very well even though there are a few details that still need to be worked on. We also greatly improved our kickoffs and we executed our plays very well. We showed that we were not in Tokyo to participate but rather to compete.&#8221;
The Lionesses improved on their 11th place showing from Rio in 2016, finishing 10th overall in Tokyo. They began their Pool A campaign with a 7-29 loss to eventual gold medalists New Zealand before going down 12-35 to the Russian Olympic Committee and 0-31 to Great Britain.
They would then dig deep to defeat hosts Japan 21-17 in their 9th place semifinal before falling to a 24-10 defeat to Canada in the 9th place final.
Download the audio clip here https://we.tl/t-SDHMCkXCAy
 Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Kenya Rugby Union (KRU).
Media Contact: Rugby@APO-opa.com

Oloo hails Lionesses performances in Tokyo

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Siemens (www.Siemens.com) hosts Virtual Smart Mining Forum to explore new trends and the impact of technology on the mining sector; Launch of a Hackathon to universities to participate using the low-coding platform, Mendix; Siemens hosts an Enterprise and Supplier Development forum to promote sustainability and skills development in mining.

With its motto, “On the road to the digital future”, Siemens will be hosting its virtual Smart Mining forum from the 3rd to the 5th of August 2021. This is an insightful, strategic event that explores the impact of technology and how it can sustainably drive transformation within the African Mining Industry.

The Smart Mining Forum is supported by key industry leaders, including Sietse van der Woude, Head of Modernisation&#038;Safety and Sustainable development, Minerals Council of South Africa), Andrew Lane: Leader: Deloitte Africa and Ian Gebbie, Vice President, Electrical Control&#038;Instrument Engineering, DRA.

The forum will bring together the mining community, industry experts, decision-makers, thought leaders, technology providers, consumers, users, engineers and designers to discuss topics affecting the mining industry and they will explore ways in which technology can drive effective change in the sector.

“Covid-19 has prevented the industry from having progressive conversations about how to move the mining sector forward. This 3-day event is an opportunity for us to bring the mining community together to reignite the dialogue and share knowledge to help us sustainably transform the future of mining in Africa,” says Tim Walwyn &#8211; Head of Mineral Solutions, Siemens Southern and Eastern Africa. As a partner to African mines, our electrification, automation&#038;digitalization portfolio offers a combination of deep understanding of the mining industry with state-of-the-art technologies.”

This virtual event provides an interactive platform in which attendees have an opportunity to explore the Siemens virtual showroom, demonstrating the company’s end-to-end mining expertise, observe current and future industry trends, explore cutting-edge technologies, and participate in interactive sessions with our local and international technical experts and thought leaders, who will cover key topics across the digital mining value chain. During the forum, Siemens will also launch its SIDRIVEIQ, industrial IoT monitoring solution for drive systems.

Sabine Dall’Omo, Siemens CEO for Southern and Eastern Africa says “Our main objective with this event was to initiate a forum for knowledge transfer to the industry and raise awareness of the opportunities created by technology. We’re excited to bring this collaborative forum, where we can showcase the latest technological innovations for the industry and explore their effects on the African mining landscape.”

Siemens has invited various South African universities and will introduce them to Mendix, a low-code rapid application development platform. Mendix is a high productivity application development platform that enables users to build and continuously improve mobile and web applications at scale. The Mendix Platform is designed to accelerate enterprise app delivery across the entire application development lifecycle, from ideation to deployment and operations.

During the forum, Siemens will launch a hackathon using the Mendix platform. The company will demonstrate the platform to the universities. The universities will use Mendix to create an app to build a mining use-case. Later this year, Siemens will host a competition to determine the winning university based on their use-case.

As part of the company’s commitment to Enterprise and Supplier Development, Siemens will also provide ten industrious Small Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMME’s) that deliver solutions and services to the mining industry a chance to showcase their companies and expertise in a separate virtual showroom.

“Our goal with the Enterprise and Supplier Development portion of this event is to explore innovative offerings developed by local enterprises and bring their ideas and solutions closer to potential clients, who could possibly assist to further develop these offerings into value-adding products, applications and services for the industry. We wanted to make these businesses visible to industry leaders.” Rita Nkuhlu, Siemens Executive Director.

The participating SMME’s will obtain SITRAIN access, an online, flexible, continuous, and personalized digital learning platform for industry that’s available anytime, anywhere, and can be used on any device, such as via a mobile app. Its modular structure divides the content into easy-to-follow “learning nuggets” and includes checkpoints to monitor achievements.

“The future of mining and the transformation of the mining industry depends highly on staying abreast of advancing technology and industry trends. It also depends on the sustainable development of new enterprises, collaborations, and ongoing conversations among relevant stakeholders in the public and private sector and educational institutions. Now is the time to contribute to small business growth, promote job creation and develop critical job skills required for the transformation in the mining industry”. ends Sabine. 
 Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Siemens AG.
Contact for Journalists: Boitumelo Masike Mobile: +27 83 393 0629 E-mail: Boitumelo.masike@siemens.com

For further information on Siemens in South Africa, please visit: https://sie.ag/3jeSYWV

About Simens AG: Siemens AG (Berlin and Munich) is a global technology powerhouse that has stood for engineering excellence, innovation, quality, reliability, and internationality for more than 170 years. Active around the world, the company focuses on intelligent infrastructure for buildings and distributed energy systems and on automation and digitalization in the process and manufacturing industries. Siemens brings together the digital and physical worlds to benefit customers and society. Through Mobility, a leading supplier of intelligent mobility solutions for rail and road transport, Siemens is helping to shape the world market for passenger and freight services. Via its majority stake in the publicly listed company Siemens Healthineers, Siemens is also a world-leading supplier of medical technology and digital health services. In addition, Siemens holds a minority stake in Siemens Energy, a global leader in the transmission and generation of electrical power that has been listed on the stock exchange since September 28, 2020. In fiscal 2020, which ended on September 30, 2020, the Siemens Group generated revenue of €57.1 billion and net income of €4.2 billion. As of September 30, 2020, the company had around 293,000 employees worldwide. Further information is available on the Internet at www.Siemens.com.

Siemens drives digital transformation at its Virtual Smart Mining Forum

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Capping years of deliberations, the UN General Assembly on Monday established a new platform to improve the lives of Afro-descendants, who have for centuries suffered the ills of racism, racial discrimination and the legacy of enslavement around the globe.

The 193-member body unanimously adopted a resolution establishing the United Nations Permanent Forum of People of African Descent, a 10-member advisory body that will work closely with the Geneva-based Human Rights Council.
The new Forum will serve as a consultation mechanism for people of African descent and other stakeholders, and contribute to the elaboration of a UN declaration – a “first step towards a legally binding instrument” on the promotion and full respect of the rights of people of African descent.
‘Compounding inequalities’
Negotiations on the modalities of the Permanent Forum have been under way since November 2014, when the General Assembly officially launched the International Decade for People of African Descent (2015-2024).
Through the resolution adopted on Monday – which articulates the new body’s mandate for the first time – the Assembly expressed alarm at the spread of racist extremist movements around the globe, and deplored the “ongoing and resurgent scourges” of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.
The move comes just days after the Human Rights Council established a panel of experts to investigate systemic racism in policing against people of African descent, and on the heels of a report by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), prompted by the police killing of George Floyd in 2020.
In that report and various public statements, High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet has pointed to the “compounding inequalities” and “stark socioeconomic and political marginalization” faced by Africans and people of African descent in many countries.
The report also notes that “no State has comprehensively accounted for the past or for the current impact of systemic racism” and calls for a transformative agenda to tackle violence against Afro-descendants.
UN-wide expert advice
The Permanent Forum of People of African Descent will be made up of five members nominated by Governments and then elected by the General Assembly, and five additional members appointed by the Human Rights Council.
Among other mandates tasks, it will seek to advance the full political, economic and social inclusion of people of African descent in the societies in which they live – as equal citizens without discrimination, and with equal enjoyment of human rights – and contribute to the elaboration of a UN declaration on the rights of persons of African descent.
The Forum will provide expert advice and recommendations to the Human Rights Council, the Assembly’s main committees, and the various UN entities working on issued related to racial discrimination.
Best practices
It will also collect best practices and monitor progress on the effective implementation of the International Decade’s activities, gathering relevant information from Governments, UN bodies, non-governmental groups and other relevant sources.
The first session of the Permanent Forum will be held in 2022, with subsequent annual sessions rotating between Geneva and New York.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of UN News.

General Assembly Creates New Permanent Forum of People of African Descent

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Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC), Martin Griffiths, continues with his mission to Ethiopia.

Over the weekend, the ERC visited a health centre and a school in Hawzen, South Eastern Tigray, and met with women, men, and local authorities.  In Firweni, Eastern Tigray, he visited a site for internally displaced persons and heard from affected people, community leaders and humanitarian partners. 
Today in Addis Ababa, Mr. Griffiths met with the Minister of Peace, Mrs. Muferiat Kamil and with the Amhara Regional President Mr. Agegnehu Teshager to discuss the humanitarian situation in that region (Amhara), as well as with the African Union Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Amira El Fadil  and Member State representatives to Ethiopia.
The humanitarian situation in the Afar region is deteriorating due to the spillover of the Tigray conflict which has displaced about 70,000 people, according to regional authorities, and the ongoing Afar–Somali ethnic conflict in the south, which has displaced 35,000 people. 
In ten districts bordering Tigray, communities are hosting and assisting nearly 50,000 displaced people of Tigrayan and Afari origin with minimal humanitarian assistance due to a lack of resources and limited access.
An additional 500,000 people in areas in Afar bordering Tigray (Awsi, Kilbati, and Fanti) risk being displaced if the conflict continues in Tigray.
Afar authorities have distributed food and non-food items to some of the recently displaced people. Humanitarian partners will provide health, protection, and emergency food, water, hygiene and sanitation assistance to 70,000 displaced people. In collaboration with the Afar Regional Health Bureau and humanitarian partners, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has deployed four mobile health and nutrition teams to provide services.
Financial resources are required to meet the urgent needs of affected communities and prepare for further increases in the number of displaced people. It is urgent to pre-position supplies, particularly health, nutrition, shelter, non-food items.
 Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Daily Noon Briefing Highlights – Ethiopia

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The Security Council today recognized the progress made in Darfur since 2007 to advance peace and security, following the complete drawdown of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) on 30 June, as it looked forward to receiving an assessment of lessons learned from the experience no later than 31 October.

In a presidential statement (document S/PRST/2021/14) presented by the representative of India, Council President for August, the 15-member organ took note of the oral report delivered by the Under-Secretary-General for Operational Support on 27 July — titled “The Reports of the Secretary-General on Sudan and South Sudan” — which included details on UNAMID’s drawdown and liquidation phase.
Through the statement, the Council reiterated its call on Sudan’s Government — as well as the Juba Peace Agreement signatories and non-signatory armed opposition movements — to cooperate fully with the United Nations and the African Union during UNAMID’s liquidation phase, including by fully respecting all provisions of the Status of Forces Agreement of 9 February 2008.  It welcomed the 4 March signing of the Framework Agreement between the United Nations and Sudan, urging the Government to ensure that handed-over UNAMID team sites are used exclusively for civilian end-user purposes.  It also took note of the Operation’s near-completed efforts to destroy expired ammunition.
“The Security Council commends the people of Darfur for their resilience and cooperation with UNAMID to contribute to peace efforts,” members said through the statement, likewise commending the “unique partnership” between the United Nations and the African Union and the contribution of troop- and police-contributing countries and donors in support of UNAMID’s mandate.
While recognizing improvements in security conditions in some areas of Darfur, the Council also stressed the need for continued progress to consolidate peace and security, including through comprehensive implementation of the Juba Peace Agreement.  It urged Sudan to swiftly implement its National Plan for Civilian Protection (document S/2020/429) and encouraged further steps to promote and protect women’s rights and their full, equal and meaningful participation in all social, political and economic aspects of life.  More broadly, it underscored the importance of continued support by bilateral, regional and multilateral partners.
The meeting began at 11:39 a.m. and ended at 11:40 a.m.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations &#8211; Security Council.

Security Council Adopts Presidential Statement Recognizing Progress to Advance Peace, Security in Darfur Following Hybrid Operation Drawdown

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The Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the Arab Republic of Egypt will start the vaccination process for all Bahraini citizens and students in the Arab Republic of Egypt who have signed up to get vaccinated against Covid-19, in implementation of the royal directive issued by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, to start vaccinating Bahraini citizens residing abroad against COVID-19 who were unable to get vaccinated, and in order to preserve the health and safety of citizens and support national efforts led by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, in combatting COVID-19.

The Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Permanent Representative to the League of Arab State, His Excellency Ambassador Hisham bin Mohammed Al-Jowder affirmed that starting the vaccination of citizens abroad confirms the successes achieved by the Kingdom of Bahrain in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic, thanks to the insightful vision and royal directives of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and the national efforts led by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa. He also added that the royal directives to vaccinate citizens abroad affirm that Bahraini citizens are a priority.
The Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain in Cairo registered the Bahraini citizens residing in the Arab Republic of Egypt who signed up, to complete the necessary procedures through the e-platform of the Embassy and contacted them to inform them of the time and place of receiving their vaccination.
 Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Embassy of The Kingdom of Bahrain &#8211; Cairo, Egypt.

Coronavirus: Embassy of Kingdom of Bahrain in Cairo to start vaccinating citizens in Arab Republic of Egypt on Tuesday, August 3

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“As peacekeepers, our primary job is to protect civilians who are in imminent danger,” says Nicholas Haysom, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative in South Sudan and Head of the UN peacekeeping mission, UNMISS. “When we receive reports of conflict or an escalation in tensions from any part of the country, we are quick to react; we immediately send out patrols to such hotspots and ensure that our presence deters perpetrators from harming innocent people.”

To reach these remote locations, UNMISS provides information to the Government of South Sudan’s about the proposed movement to enable access. “Unfortunately, in the past, the agility of UNMISS peacekeepers has been curtailed by denials of access by state authorities,” reveals SRSG Haysom.
To counter this, the peacekeeping mission recently agreed on a new way forward with relevant government authorities to ensure it can more easily reach communities in need. Monthly meetings between UNMISS and the South Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs led to this new coordination mechanism geared towards furthering the common goal of preventing conflict and paving the way towards an enduring peace for all communities.
“We, as a peacekeeping mission, have a shared objective with the Government of South Sudan: To build a durable peace across this young nation,” stated the SRSG at a day-long workshop in Juba last week which brought together all stakeholders to help communicate the principles, processes, roles and responsibilities contained in these new guidelines.
 “Our presence here today is part of an effort to work better together in service of that shared objective, even if we have encountered differences of approach in the past. Working together with respect for each other’s responsibilities will make us stronger,” added Mr. Haysom. 
For his part, Deputy Foreign Minister, Deng Dau, believes that this is a significant move towards peacebuilding in the country. “This workshop and the guidelines we have adopted is very central in building trust among the people we serve,” said the Minister, “We are opening a new chapter of greater coordination between various security institutions within our country and the United Nations Mission in South Sudan. Our joint aim: To ensure a future of stability and prosperity for all South Sudanese.”
With this new set of operational guidelines, it is hoped that peacekeepers will be able to support the government and the people of South Sudan in a proactive, nimble and robust manner, especially considering widespread subnational violence.
“We have already seen improved access and a reduction in access denials as a result of this initiative,” averred SRSG Haysom. “This is a really important opportunity to build a stronger relationship between the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces and UNMISS. Our peacekeepers are more mobile than we’ve ever been, and our patrols are going all over the country to protect civilians wherever they may be threatened. We hope, with the cooperation of the government, we will be able to keep up this necessary work.”
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

UNMISS, Joint Verification and Monitoring Mechanism (JVMM) hold workshop to educate stakeholders on new operational guidelines enabling greater access for the mission

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FIFA (www.FIFA.com) recently partnered with FIFPRO to sign a three-year cooperation agreement to provide health support to hundreds of recently retired professional footballers facing the challenges that come with career transition. More information can be found here (https://fifa.fans/2Vfzx8j).

The ASEAN-FIFA Joint Awareness Raising Campaign on COVID-19, endorsed by the ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Sports (SOMS) &#8211; a body consisting of national agencies in charge ASEAN sports cooperation &#8211; features a series of videos (https://bit.ly/3rRXgaG) with ASEAN football personalities delivering messages in their local languages.
Read the press release here: https://bit.ly/2VdIfE5
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of FIFA.

Video News Release: FIFA partners with FIFPRO to to provide health support to retired professional footballers

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The video below is copyright free and can be used at will, without asking for authorization
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Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/embed/qYxA8fm8wHE

FIFA (www.FIFA.com) recently partnered with FIFPRO to sign a three-year cooperation agreement to provide health support to hundreds of recently retired professional footballers facing the challenges that come with career transition. More information can be found here (https://fifa.fans/2Vfzx8j).

The ASEAN-FIFA Joint Awareness Raising Campaign on COVID-19, endorsed by the ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Sports (SOMS) &#8211; a body consisting of national agencies in charge ASEAN sports cooperation &#8211; features a series of videos (https://bit.ly/3rRXgaG) with ASEAN football personalities delivering messages in their local languages.
Read the press release here: https://bit.ly/2VdIfE5
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of FIFA.

FIFA launches #ReachOut campaign for better mental health

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Emerson (Emerson.com) has partnered with SirajPower to implement a solar rooftop plant at its Middle East and Africa Head Office in Dubai, making it the largest solar rooftop plant in a single location within Jebel Ali. This significant sustainability project supports Emerson’s long-term commitment and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals to promote decarbonization efforts, minimize emissions and enhance resource efficiency. Along with SirajPower, Emerson also appointed Clenergize Solar Consultants as comprehensive advisors to cover the specifications, tendering, contract management, design reviews, and project management.

The official signing ceremony was held on July 26, at the Emerson’s JAFZA facility and attended by Emerson’s Middle East and Africa President Vidya Ramnath and SirajPower’s CEO Laurent Longuet, marking the launch of the solar rooftop project’s installation and commissioning, which is expected to go live before year-end.

The solar rooftop, which will be financed, designed, constructed, and operated by SirajPower, consists of 5,489 solar panels covering a roof area of 19,340 sqm across four of Emerson’s warehouses and office buildings in Jebel Ali South. The solar system has a capacity of 2.6 MWp and will produce 3.923 GWh of clean energy annually. This project will reduce Emerson’s carbon emissions by 2,891 metric tons annually.

The development aligns with the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority’s (DEWA) Shams Dubai program, a leading initiative to make Dubai the smartest city in the world by supporting the diversification of energy mix and promoting the use of clean and renewable energy sources.

“Emerson is transforming its culture, business practices, and infrastructure to support a more inclusive and sustainable planet,” Ramnath said. “This solar panel installation project is a great example of our commitment toward sustainability in Dubai and is in line with our global sustainability framework, the ‘Greening Of, Greening By, and Greening With Emerson’ which addresses how we, as a company, approach sustainability through how we do business, how we support our customers and how we collaborate with stakeholders.”

“We’re thrilled to have such an enormous global company like Emerson join our journey to a greener economy. As climate change and global warming-related challenges are becoming increasingly important, more companies are beginning to prioritize sustainability as part of their goals towards a sustainable future. With clean energy at the very core of the UAE’s sustainability vision for the next 50 years, we are honored to be able to support the country achieve its goals.” said Laurent Longuet, CEO of SirajPower.

Emerson recognizes its significant role in advancing technologies and solutions that help improve environmental sustainability in their business, their customers, and the industries they operate in. With this project, Emerson is committed to the environment by lowering emissions, improving energy and resource efficiency, and decreasing waste across the company. Additional information about Emerson’s ESG initiatives can be found in Emerson’s ESG Report at (Emerson.com/ESG).
 Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Emerson.
For more information, please contact: Danielle Aychouh Marketing Manager – MEA Emerson Automation Solutions T. +971 4 811 8303 E. Danielle.Aychouh@Emerson.com
Orient Planet Group (OPG) Tel: +971 4 4562888 Email: media@orientplanet.com Website: OrientPlanet.com About Emerson:  Emerson (NYSE: EMR), headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri (USA), is a global technology and engineering company providing innovative solutions for customers in industrial, commercial and residential markets. Our Automation Solutions business helps process, hybrid and discrete manufacturers maximize production, protect personnel and the environment while optimizing their energy and operating costs. Our Commercial&#038;Residential Solutions business helps ensure human comfort and health, protect food quality and safety, advance energy efficiency and create sustainable infrastructure. For more information visit Emerson.com. About SirajPower: SirajPower is a UAE-based company established by a respected local family with a strong heritage. SirajPower offers innovative solar solutions to businesses, government agencies, commercial, industrial and educational institutions of all sizes within the UAE with plans to expand further regionally. SirajPower provides comprehensive turnkey solutions combining development, financing, construction, and operation of solar rooftops and carports.

The company’s advanced, record-breaking solar technology allows customers to maximize savings, gain energy independence, and meet sustainability goals. SirajPower is the only locally owned company in Dubai licensed and certified to offer under the same umbrella both Engineering, Procurement, Construction (EPC), O&#038;M, and financing solutions. The company provides solar leasing system solutions that substantially reduce energy expenditure while fulfilling a sustainable future in line with the emirate long-term green vision.
To date, SirajPower holds the largest distributed solar energy portfolio in the UAE with 100 MWp secured and is rapidly expanding to become the regional Green Champion.

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“Those who are against the World Cup every two years are selfish people who discriminate against billions of people just to protect their own commercial interests”

The Future of Work in Healthcare: five insights on using health-tech effectively to realise health equity in Africa and beyond

Somali Police Force trained in community policing to counter extremism

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Siemens drives digital transformation at its Virtual Smart Mining Forum

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Security Council Adopts Presidential Statement Recognizing Progress to Advance Peace, Security in Darfur Following Hybrid Operation Drawdown

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UNMISS, Joint Verification and Monitoring Mechanism (JVMM) hold workshop to educate stakeholders on new operational guidelines enabling greater access for the mission

Video News Release: FIFA partners with FIFPRO to to provide health support to retired professional footballers

FIFA launches #ReachOut campaign for better mental health

Emerson Implements Major Green Energy Project in the Middle East with SirajPower

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