Angola News Wire

The strategic project «Environmental Education for a Sustainable Mediterranean» (EdenMed), launched on October 28, 2021, has come to an end. Its results in both Tunisia and Italy will be presented during a closing forum scheduled for next Thursday, December 14, in Tunis.

This project, which is funded by the European Union and is part of the cross-border cooperation programme between Tunisia and Italy (2014-2020), is implemented and coordinated by the National Protection Agency of the Environment (ANPE).

Its goal is to introduce the pedagogy of environmental education to the school systems in Tunisia and Sicily.

According to the ANPE, education about the environment and sustainable development “carries essential issues in terms of changing behaviors, new knowledge and the ability of everyone, on a daily basis, to be an actor in transition and implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The project is also seeks to increase citizens’ degree of commitment to the environment by changing children’s a
nd younger generations’ behaviours and therefore strengthen future generations’ resilience of future amid crises and get them involved to preserve the natural resources and achieve food security.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad, Nabil Ammar, commended the “excellent cooperation between Tunisia and the World Health Organization (WHO), particularly through the organisation’s office in Tunis.”

FM Nabil Ammar was speaking when he met with WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on December 11, as part of his working visit to Geneva, according to a ministry statement.

While reaffirming Tunisia’s commitment to the Group of Friends of the Treaty for the Development of an International Instrument on Pandemic Preparedness and Response, the Minister underlined the relevance of the call by President Kais Saied and 25 other world leaders to strengthen the global health architecture through an international treaty on pandemics.

He reiterated his gratitude to the Director-General for the special priority given to the implementation of the mRNA technology transfer process to the six selected African countries, including Tunisia, launched on the occasion of the EU-AU Summit on
February 18.

He also thanked the Director-General for his active participation in the event entitled “Francophone exchange on progress in mRNA vaccine production: focus on the experience of 4 French-speaking beneficiary countries”. The latter will be organised in Geneva in October 2023, in collaboration with the WHO and the OIF, as part of the follow-up to the provisions of the Djerba Declaration on equitable access to health care.

The Minister also thanked the Director-General for WHO’s efforts in Gaza to save the sick and wounded Palestinians suffering from an unprecedented humanitarian and health disaster.

FM Nabil Ammar underlined Tunisia’s repeated calls at the highest level of the State for an approach based on international solidarity, equity and multilateralism to face the COVID-19 pandemic together, as evidenced by the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2532 in July 2020.

For his part, the WHO Director-General thanked the President of the Republic, Kais Saied, for his role in launching th
e process of negotiating a new treaty on pandemics. He also underlined Tunisia’s role in the international community’s efforts to strengthen the global health architecture to ensure a rapid, effective and sustainable response to future pandemics.

Tedros took the opportunity to reiterate his call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and unhindered humanitarian access to the Palestinian people.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

For a Decent Work of Domestic Workers project closed Tuesday in Tunis.

The project, put in motion one year earlier on the initiative of the Tunisian General Labour Union (French: UGTT), is designed to secure the representativeness of domestic workers in a trade union which defends their rights.

The project, funded by Asamblea de Cooperación por la Paz (Assembly of Cooperation for the Peace) ACPP, is also intended to create new structures to defend this segment of activity, said

Project Coordinator at a closure ceremony.

“In a first step, a national commission involving unions in social security and agriculture in the Greater Tunis was put in place,” she said.

Training sessions were held on a number of issues, mainly Law 37 of 2021 on the organisation of domestic work.

Similar commissions were created in regions, particularly in Sfax, Nabeul, Jendouba, Bizerte and Kairouan, the project manager said. Official and unofficial statistical data show there are 40,000 to 50,000

domestic workers in Tunisia.

U
GTT Deputy SG in charge of women, youth and civil society organisations Samir Cheffi said the project is aimed to foster decent work for domestic workers.

The labour union is endeavouring to introduce structural changes in industrial relations through employment contracts, he added.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

An earth tremor measuring 3.4 degrees on the Richter scale was registered on Tuesday at 12:31 pm (local time) off the coast of Sidi Bou Saïd, in the governorate of Tunis, according to the National Institute of Meteorology (INM).

The epicentre of the tremor was located at 36.91 degrees latitude and 10.38 degrees longitude, off the coast of Sidi Bou Saïd, according to preliminary analyses carried out by the INM’s seismological stations.

The tremor was felt by the local inhabitants.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Turkana county government with support from Rev Jung Ja Rhee of South Korea through the Kenya Assemblies of God (KAG) Church -Napeikar has commissioned a new maternity block at Napeikar Dispensary, Loima Sub-county.

The area Chief Officer for Medical Services, Dr Gilchrist Lokoel, said the new facility has been equipped by the County Government, and a nurse posted to manage the expected increase in workload.

Dr Lokoel said, ‘We are committed to enhance health services by deploying a clinical officer. In future, we will elevate the dispensary to a health centre, making it a referral facility for the area,’ he stated.

The Ag Director for Health Products and Technologies, Dr David Moru, assured the community of continuous support to equip the block with an uninterrupted supply of essential medicines and medical supplies.

Peter Ekope, the Loima Sub-County Public Health Nurse, highlighted that the new maternity has 10 beds, enhancing skilled birth attendance services in the area.

Bishop Wilson Lokaalei and A
ssistant Bishop Charles Kamais, and Joshua Kang (Missionary).

Community representatives Loworo Aruman (representing women) and Charles Pedo (Chair of the Naipekar Dispensary Facility Committee) expressed their gratitude, stating that essential services were being brought closer to the people.

Women, they said, no longer have to travel to Lodwar for maternal care services.

Others in attendance were the County Health Management Team; Dr Yvonne Musa – (Deputy Director Clinical Services), Samuel Lokemer (County Non-Communicable Diseases Coordinator) among others.
Source: Kenya News Agency

Prime Minister Ahmed Hachani chaired a ministerial working session on the situation of agricultural companies at the Government Palace in the Kasbah on Monday, in the presence of Minister of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries Abdelmonem Belati and Minister of State Property and Land Affairs Mohamed Rekik.

The meeting discussed the file of agricultural companies in order to strengthen the agricultural sector and maintain its sustainability, according to a statement from the Prime Ministry.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Local election candidates in Tataouine stepped up the pace of their election campaigns Sunday as they presented a wide range of programmes focusing mainly on the fight against marginalisation.

Some of the candidates distributed their election leaflets to local residents, while others were content to display their election leaflets in authorised locations.

Candidate in Ennozha (Tataouine City) Hedi Chaabani said his electoral programme focuses on five main points, namely boosting development projects in the region, promoting vocational training, supporting job creation, monitoring decrees on local development and strengthening participation in political, cultural and social life.

Fellow candidate in Ettadhamen (Tataouine delegation) Rhouma Ouled Dhaou undertook in his programme under the slogan “Together for a better future” to create a green area, a family park and an emergency unit, encourage young people to launch projects by facilitating the conditions for granting loans and secure free access to healt
hcare for people with disabilities and needy families.

Candidate for El-Khatma (North Tataouine) said the community had suffered for years from marginalisation due to the lack of development, projects and jobs.

He promised to improve roads and farm tracks, increase aid for needy families and people with disabilities, improve drinking water water and public lighting and address unemployment among graduates and the lack of fodder for stockfarmers.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

The Tunisian Economic Observatory (OTE) has in a report warned against the increase in olive oil exports to the European Union, either due to the demand of the European market or at the request of Tunisian industrialists.

Unlike the appeals made by the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts (UTICA) at the beginning of the olive oil campaign, the Tunisian Economic Observatory’s call focused on the liberalisation of olive oil exports to the European market by revising Tunisia’s annual quota.

The Observatory stressed that this call was in line with the free trade policy recommended by the European Union, despite the significant losses caused by this trend in Tunisia.

The report, published at the beginning of December 2023, points out that the export of this important product weakens the country’s income, noting that Tunisia’s exports remain dependent on European production to offset fluctuations and do not meet Tunisia’s export needs.

In the same context, the report explains that exports
are made in large quantities, in bulk and at low cost, resulting in low export value added and a significant loss of foreign exchange.

In 2022, Tunisia exported around 208,000 tonnes of olive oil, 87% of which was in bulk and 13% in packaged form. These products were mainly exported to Europe (66%), where they are packaged before being resold at much higher prices.

Receiving a delegation from the International Olive Council last November, UTICA President Samir Majoul had called for a review of the annual quota granted to Tunisia by the European Union and the removal of all obstacles to the export of Tunisian olive oil.

“The low global consumption of this important substance makes the producing countries not competitors but complementary in the promotion of this vital sector, especially as tariff and non-tariff barriers have only served to increase the price of this product and hinder its access to consumers worldwide.”

The meeting stressed that “humanity’s experience with the COVID-19 pandemic calls for g
reater awareness and foresight for human health.’

Promoting the production and export of olive oil as a healthy product is central to this approach, as is the environmental impact of its cultivation and industrialisation, especially in the face of the challenges of climate change and water stress to global food security.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Solving health and environmental problems caused by the regional landfill site, regularising the land situation of state-owned agricultural land and improving infrastructure top the election platforms of Abdelwahab Kacem and Mohamed Aouini, local elections candidates for the Damous El Haja imada in Menzel Bouzelfa delegation (Nabeul governorate).

Kacem said he will undertake to find appropriate solutions to the environmental and health crisis caused by the regional landfill site. He also pledged to encourage the setting up of unit to supply farmers with pesticides, fertilisers and fodder and better control distribution channels.

Better school infrastructure, the creation of a post office and granting state-owned land to young people in the region to set up their projects are the main election pledges in addition to drinking water supply and public lighting networks.

Four candidates are vying for a Damous El Haja local council seat.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Tunisia is partaking in the 12th Arab Energy Conference, held December 11-12 in Doha (Qatar) under the theme of “Energy and Arab Cooperation.”

This event is attended by energy ministers of Arab countries members of the Organisation of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC).

It will provide an opportunity to discuss international developments in energy markets and their implications for the Arab energy sector. This in addition to efforts of Arab countries to tackle the challenges of energy security, and issues of energy, environment, and sustainable development, reads an Industry, Mines and Energy Ministry press release issued Monday.

The conference also discusses topics related to Arab and global energy resources, downstream industries, and energy demand management in Arab countries, in addition to technological developments and their implications for the energy sector.

Tunisia seeks to attract energy investment and contribute to global efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change and reduce CO2
emissions by 45% by 2030.

To do so, Tunisia has adopted a strategy aimed mainly at boosting energy efficiency in all sectors, diversifying the energy mix, developing electricity interconnections with neighbouring countries, boosting the capacity of electricity grids, developing storage capacity and promoting the green hydrogen market.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse