APO News from Africa:
Athaliah Lesiba Molokomme, the new Permanent Representative of Botswana to the United Nations Office at Geneva, today presented her credentials to Michael Møller, the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva.
Prior to her appointment to Geneva, Ms. Molokomme served as Attorney General of Botswana from October 2005 to December 2016, during which time she was an ex officio member of the Botswana Cabinet and participated in several high policy level committees and councils. From 2003 to 2005, Ms. Molokomme was a judge of the High Court of Botswana. Between 1998 and 2003, she was the founding head of the Gender Unit at the Secretariat of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
From 1996 to 1998, Ms. Molokomme worked as the Executive Director of Emang Basadi, a leading women’s human rights organization she had co-founded in 1986. Before that, from 1981 to 1996, she taught family law, employment law, and customary law at the University of Botswana, with periods of study leave in between. During that period, she conducted research and published extensively in the field of law.
Ms. Molokomme obtained her Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from the University of Botswana and Swaziland in 1981; a Masters in Law (LLM) from Yale Law School, United States, in 1983; and a Doctorate in Law (PhD) at Leiden University, the Netherlands, in 1991. She is a founding member of several regional organizations, including Women and Law in Southern Africa (WLSA), Women, Law and Development International (WLDI), and Gender Links. Among the awards she has received are the Women’s Human Rights Award from Women, Law and Development International in 1993, and the Presidential Order of Meritorious Service for Exceptional Service to Botswana in 1999.
Born in Francistown, Botswana in 1959, Ms. Molokomme is married and has two children.
Distributed by APO on behalf of United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG).
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Source: APO – Africa-Newsroom: latest news releases related to Africa
Security Council Condemns Attack Against UNMISS:
The members of the Security Council strongly condemned the attack against the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS) on 3 May in Leer, South Sudan. The members of the Security Council expressed appreciation for the actions taken by UNMISS peacekeepers to repel the attack.
The members of the Security Council recalled that individuals who, directly or indirectly, engage in attacks against United Nations missions, international security presence, or other peacekeeping operations, or humanitarian personnel, may be designated for targeted sanctions.
The members of the Security Council further condemned the continued violence committed by all parties in South Sudan, including the ongoing military offensives, and called on all parties to immediately adhere to the permanent ceasefire as called for in the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan and to remove all obstacles to delivery of lifesaving humanitarian assistance.
Distributed by APO on behalf of United Nations – Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
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Source: APO – Africa-Newsroom: latest news releases related to Africa
Connected Learning Key to Improving Education in Africa, says Internet Society Study:
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and the Internet in particular, can have a transformative effect on education in Africa, says a report launched today by the Internet Society (www.InternetSociety.org).
At the Africa Regional Internet and Development Dialogue (http://APO.af/Wj9HM2) taking place today in Kigali, Rwanda, the Internet Society revealed the results of a study entitled “Internet for Education in Africa – Helping Policymakers to Meet the Global Education Goals” (http://APO.af/Tol27n). The new report assesses how the Internet is used in the education sector in Africa. It also looks at the untapped opportunities by examining experiences in other regions, and provides recommendations for policymakers to help encourage learning via the Internet.
Expanded connectivity thanks to increased access to mobile broadband and the development of submarine cables enabled more than a quarter of the African population (approximately 341 million people) to have Internet access in 2016. This represents a significant opportunity to use the Internet to provide education and learning opportunities. However, the report underscores that integration of ICTs and leveraging the Internet for education requires clear vision and strategy and, most importantly, commitment accompanied by investment in broadband connectivity, learning resources, and technical support.
“A skilled workforce that can use Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) effectively to solve Africa’s problems will also determine Africa’s competitiveness in the global economy,” explains Dawit Bekele, Africa Regional Bureau Director for the Internet Society. “And policymakers have a critical role to play in creating the necessary ecosystem for integrating ICT in education,” he added.
The Internet Society’s Enabling Environment Framework (http://APO.af/0gCYEh) provides guidance and highlights the necessity of encouraging infrastructure development, fostering skills and entrepreneurship and establishing governance for the Internet ecosystem – with a particular focus on clear and holistic policies for ICT in education in Africa.
Some of the key advantages of Internet learning outlined in the report are:
- The Internet provides alternative learning tools to address some education challenges in Africa such as the lack of learning materials and teachers.
- The Internet can reach more individuals and disseminate content and learning resources at a lower cost.
- It can remove certain economic and social barriers to education such as geography, gender, and disabilities.
- It provides greater flexibility for any-time, any-place education, particularly for those who are working and want to pursue professional development.
The first ever Africa Regional Internet and Development Dialogue opened today in Kigali, Rwanda, in partnership with UNESCO and Republic of Rwanda Ministry of Youth and ICT (www.MYICT.gov.rw). The event aims to gather various organizations working on Internet and development across the region to find synergies, and create opportunities for coordination and collaboration.
Experts including government and inter-governmental organization officials, business and educational leaders from throughout the continent will discuss how Africa can use the Internet to advance education, innovation and job creation.
This conference is part of a global series of Internet development conferences organized by the Internet Society with the aim of furthering the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) that aim at tackling the world’s main development challenges by 2030. Regional Internet Development Dialogues were held last year in Asia Pacific and Latin America.
Distributed by APO on behalf of Internet Society (ISOC).
Media Contact:
Allesandra de Santillana
DeSantillana@ISOC.org
+41-22-807-1451
About the Internet Society:
Founded by Internet pioneers, the Internet Society (ISOC) is a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring the open development, evolution, and use of the Internet. Working through a global community of chapters and members, the Internet Society collaborates with a broad range of groups to promote the technologies that keep the Internet safe and secure, and advocates for policies that enable universal access. The Internet Society is also the organizational home of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).
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- Image: Internet for Education in Africa – Postcard
- Document: Internet for Education in Africa – Postcard
Source: APO – Africa-Newsroom: latest news releases related to Africa
