Mustafa Abdalla Adarge, working with UNICEF, and Mohamed Abu Elgassem and Ahmed Elsayed, working with the international NGO Goal, were immediately taken to the Mission's hospital in Kutum, for medical checks. They appear to be unharmed and in good condition.

The African Union – United Nations Joint Special Representative for Darfur, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, expressed the Mission's gratitude to the Government of Sudan, Sudan's National Intelligence and Security Services and the Wali(Governor) of North Darfur for their valuable assistance in the safe release of the humanitarian workers. “The role of the humanitarian actors in Darfur is crucial to ensure that those in need received essential aid; it's in everyone's interest to guarantee that they can continue to carry out their duties safely,” the JSR said.

These three were among the 25 humanitarian workers who were taken by armed men in three separate incidents in Kutum locality on 18 June 2014. A total of 20 of them were released the same day, while two staff members of the national NGO Sustainable Action Group (SAG) were held in captivity for 14 days and released on 2 July 2014.

The AU Commission Chairperson was addressing over 600 delegates attending the Fourth Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture Biennial Conference currently underway 19 – 25 July 2014, at the Eduardo Mondlane University in Maputo, Mozambique.

The Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) is celebrating its 10th anniversary under the theme, “African Higher Education Week: Transforming Agricultural Education – a Platform for the Way Forward.”

FUFORUM's 10th anniversary celebrations coincides with the AU annual theme of Agriculture and Food Security, as well as the 10th anniversary of the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP), a blue print agreed upon, and signed in Maputo in 2003, by African Heads of States and Governments for achieving 6% economic growth through agricultural transformation.

In her keynote address Dr. Dlamini Zuma said that Agriculture over the last decade grew by 4% per annum, lower than the target of 6% as envisaged by CAADP.“African agriculture should and must do much better, to ensure our collective food security, to reverse the trend of being a net importer of food, to create jobs and to contribute towards industrialisation.”She added.

Another keynote address was delivered by Mrs. Graca Machel, a Member of the International Panel of Elders and Former Mozambiquan Minister of Education. The event was officially opened by the Minister of Science and Technology, and representative of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Mozambique.

RUFORUM is an African-led initiative, created in 2004 by Vice Chancellors, as a collective of institution (network)and platform aligned with CAADP processes, for networking, advocacy, and resources mobilisation for food and nutrition-related faculties.

In 2008, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) provided key core support that sustained the Makerere University-based Secretariat. RUFORUM currently has 19 member countries and 42 member universities as a voice for Higher Education in Agriculture in Africa.

The Chairperson of the AU Commission was accompanied by the AU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Economy, Rhoda Tumusiime and Commissioner for Human Resources, Science and Technology, Dr. Martial de Paul Ikounga

Puntland Parliament passed today the draft media law, which was resubmitted to the parliament on Saturday, 19 July 2014 after the parliament returned the same text to the Ministry of Information on 16 July.

This media law specifies penalties, fines, and suspension of journalists from work. It legalizes closure of media houses and restrains editorial independence of media outlets. The draft law gives the ministry of information the power to withhold or revoke media house registration unilaterally. The Ministry will have the authority to issue and withdraw journalists' identification card, according to this law.

Puntland journalists have today spoken out against the swift decision of the parliament to approve the draft media law that still has several suppressive provisions. Earlier journalists addressed the parliament and challenged the submission of the Minister of Information, which resulted the parliament to send it back to the ministry.

"Press freedom and journalists' rights in Puntland will be swept away by this media law. The fact that the legislation has been rushed through, without proper consultation and in the face of opposition from the media community, suggests a concerted political attack on press freedom” said NUSOJ Secretary General Omar Faruk Osman.

NUSOJ is supporting angry journalists who are protesting over sudden approval of the media law. Journalists are rightly worried that politicians are less concerned about the future of media freedom than the need of some politicians who want to consolidate their own influence over how the media operates.

“Approving this media law without adequate consultation is not democratic; it is the hallmark of autocratic politics. We urge Puntland President Abdiweli Mohamed Ali not to sign it into law and heed journalists' call to send it back for review to bring the legislation in line with internationally recognized norms of press freedom” added Osman.

Every year, around three million girls are at risk of female genital mutilation (FGM), which is the cutting or removal of the external genitalia. The negative health effects of the practice are many, including problems related to intercourse, pregnancy and childbirth. At worst, the effects can be fatal. Norway has been actively engaged in the fight to eliminate FGM for many years, and is one of the most important contributors to this work. Norway is now intensifying its international efforts to combat FGM with the launch of a new strategy for the period 2014–17.

‘We have achieved good results from projects in local communities that focus on bringing about change from within, especially when the central and local authorities in the country concerned have also exerted pressure for change. Norway will now double its support for civil society and international organisations working in this area, from NOK 25 million to NOK 50 million during a three-year period. In addition to focusing on prevention, we will seek to ensure that those who have already been subjected to FGM are given the health care they need,' Mr Brende commented.

Ensuring that girls have access to education is a crucial factor in the work to eliminate FGM.

‘Girls who stay at school have a significantly reduced risk of being subjected to FGM, child marriage and too-early pregnancy, when compared to girls who do not. Education helps to give girls higher social status and greater opportunity to make their own decisions. Educated girls are also more likely to participate in the fight to eliminate FGM, which is often performed by women,' said Mr Brende.

Norway's efforts to fight FGM are coordinated with its efforts in other development policy priority areas, such as education, human rights, global health, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and women's rights and gender equality.

When & Where: 21st - 25 JULY 2014, Juba Grand Hotel, South Sudan.

The African Union Commission of Inquiry on South Sudan is expected to meet with South Sudan government and South Sudanese citizens as well as Civil Society organization (COS) and other actors that could assist the pursuance of its mandate.

Why: To fulfill the mandate of the South Sudan Commission of Inquiry which is captured in the Communiqué of the PSC on 30 December 2013 and can be distilled as follows:

a. To investigate the human rights violations and other abuses committed during the

armed conflict in South Sudan;

b. To investigate the causes underlying the violations;

c. To make recommendations on the best ways and means to ensure accountability,

reconciliation and healing among all South Sudanese communities with a view to

deterring and preventing the occurrence of the violations in future; and

d. To make recommendations on how to move the country forward in terms of unity,

cooperation and sustainable development;

e. To submit a report within a maximum period of three (3) months.

Marie Harf

Deputy Department Spokesperson, Office of the Spokesperson

Washington, DC

July 21, 2014

The United States is deeply concerned by the convictions of human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko and magazine editor Bheki Makhubu for contempt of court in the Kingdom of Swaziland. Their convictions for contempt of court for publishing an article critical of the High Court of Swaziland—and their ongoing prolonged detention—appear to undermine respect for Swaziland's human rights obligations, particularly the right to freedom of expression, which is enshrined in Swaziland's own constitution and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The United States strongly supports the universal fundamental freedom of expression and is deeply concerned by the actions of the Swazi Government.

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“Call centres are helping African governments to provide efficient and effective services to citizens”, says Rod Jones, contact centre consultant. Speaking in Lagos, Nigeria ahead of an Interactive Intelligence-sponsored masterclass for stakeholders, Jones says with leading edge technologies such as speech recognition and voice commands, call centres have evolved and transcended beyond ordinary telephone calls. “As we have evolved to become a customer direction centre, we've moved from telephone calls into SMS text messaging. We've taken on the email and social media channel and for customer interaction.”

"We've already seen that in South Africa," Jones mentions. The most effective aspect of the government is our Revenue Service. They have built and operate a true world class call centre and it has been responsible for tremendous improvements in revenue collection by the government.

Christopher Bell exclaims that masterclasses held in various parts of Africa, especially in Kenya, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Zambia, are conducting dialogues that are being stimulated and more organisations, including government, are developing interests in the diverse possibilities of setting up call centres.

“We've seen tremendous growth in the industry in the wake of the seminars“, says Bell. If you keep the momentum going by stimulating dialogue, you make people aware. We exposed some of the participants for the first time to what a call centre is all about.”

Organisations in Nigeria such as telecoms companies and financial institutions, are quickly adopting call centres, according to Mbuela Luwawu, Managing Director of Odilum Technologies Limited, an Interactive Intelligence partner in Nigeria.

Luwawu says: “Five years ago, no bank had a contact centre but since 2009, you can pick up your phone, call your contact centre and speak to your customer service officer directly. The adoption has been quite positive.” He also states that Nigeria has the ability to take market share away from India; he also predicted there will be lots of contact centre outsourcing for Nigeria from Europe and America.

Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of Interactive Intelligence Group Inc.

Media Contact

Christopher Bell, Interactive Intelligence's Channel Manager for Africa

chrisg.bell@inin.com

About Interactive Intelligence

Interactive Intelligence Group Inc. (Nasdaq: ININ) (http://www.inin.com) is a global provider of software and services designed to improve the customer experience. The company's 6,000-plus customers worldwide have benefitted from its cloud and on-premises solutions for contact center, unified communications, and business process automation. . Interactive Intelligence is among Software Magazine's 2013 Top 500 Global Software and Service Providers, and has received a Frost & Sullivan Company of the Year Award for the last five consecutive years. In addition, Glassdoor honored Interactive Intelligence with its 2014 Employees' Choice Award as one of the Best Places to Work in the U.S., and Mashable ranked Interactive Intelligence second on its 2014 list of the Seven Best Tech Companies to Work For. The company was founded in 1994 and employs more than 1,800 people worldwide. Interactive Intelligence is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana and has offices throughout North America, Latin America, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. Interactive Intelligence can be reached at +27 87 825 0900 or info@inin.com; on the Net: http://www.inin.com/za.

Visit the company on the Web at http://www.inin.com; on Twitter at http://www.inin.com/twitter; on Facebook at http://www.inin.com/facebook; or on LinkedIn at http://www.inin.com/linkedin.

In April, with the rainy season looming, ECHO and IOM raced to bring site preparation equipment to Malakal to improve shelter, security and access to water, sanitation and health services for more than 20,000 IDPs seeking protection in the existing Malakal PoC site.

The heavy machinery, including tractors, trucks and excavators, were sent by air to Malakal with a mission to create a new PoC site, decongest the area and improve overall living conditions.

IOM employed over 200 casual labourers to assist with site preparation. This included clearing the site, filling in swampy areas, digging latrines, constructing fencing and renovating roads leading to a fuel dump and a cholera treatment centre.

An estimated 1.1 million people have now been displaced throughout South Sudan since the conflict between government and opposition forces began in December 2013.

IOM operates a multi-sectoral programme in Malakal providing emergency assistance in the water, health, shelter and camp management sectors. Access to clean water is an ongoing challenge, given a recent cholera outbreak in Upper Nile State.

IOM water, sanitation and hygiene coordinator Antonio Torres Ortiz says that he is encouraged that the amount of clean water distributed in the site has increased from 7.8 to 9.2 litres per individual per day.

“But there is still a lot of work to be done in order to reach Sphere standards and to ensure that beneficiaries have access to safe water, not only to drink, but also to clean themselves and wash clothing,” he says.

The three-day event, which began yesterday, is taking place today at the Stella Maris Hotel in Bagamoyo and attendees include Secretary of the Anti-Trafficking Committee from the Ministry of Home Affairs Seperatus Fella.

The fight against human trafficking is one of the core activities of IOM in Tanzania, which is a source, transit and destination country for human trafficking. Victims include young girls exploited in domestic servitude, women trafficked for the sex industry and the forced recruitment of boys, primarily as labourers on farms.

Recently, IOM in collaboration with the government, helped a trafficking victim to return home from Macau, China. Like others, she had been lured there with false promises of a good life, but ended up a victim of abuse and exploitation.

As part of the project: “Supporting the establishment of protection, assistance and referral mechanisms for child victims of trafficking in Tanzania,” funded by the European Union and the UN Development Assistance Plan (UNDAP 2011-2015), IOM works in close collaboration with the Anti-Trafficking Secretariat and other stakeholders, including the police, public prosecutors, magistrates, social welfare officers, medical practitioners and NGOs.

The SOPs will outline the roles and responsibilities of all the parties involved, as well as provide guidelines for case management and information sharing.

Although human trafficking remains a challenge for the country, Tanzania has made positive steps towards tackling the crime. Since the adoption of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act in 2008, the government has drawn up a National Anti-Trafficking Action Plan and is in the final stages of developing the regulations for the implementation of the Act.

IOM's work on combating trafficking in persons in Tanzania is carried out in close collaboration with the government and UN partner agencies, under the auspices of the UNDAP 2011-2015, and the European Union.

EUCAP Sahel Niger, embedded in the EU strategy for security and development in the Sahel, provides advice and training to support the Nigerien authorities in strengthening their capacities for combating terrorism and organised crime. The mission works to promote the interoperability of Nigerien security forces, to develop criminal investigation capacities, to facilitate coordination in the fight against terrorism and organised crime as well as to improve the sustainability of the security forces. So far, around 3000 members of the country's internal security forces, army and judiciary have been trained.

Around 50 international experts from 11 EU member states work in the mission, which is based in Niamey. Since May 2014, Filip de Ceuninck has been Head of Mission. EUCAP Sahel Niger will dispose of a budget of € 9.2 million for the period until July 2015.

"1 Recalling its conclusions of 22 July 2013 and 16 December 2013, the European Union (EU) confirms its commitment to promoting stability and development in the Great Lakes Region.

Determined and concerted efforts will be required to maintain momentum in the implementation of the Peace Security and Co-operation Framework Agreement for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the Region (the PSC Framework). The EU commends the work of the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General, Mary Robinson, together with the other Envoys on the Great Lakes Region. It calls in particular for greater involvement by the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) and the

Southern African Development Community (SADC) alongside the African Union (AU) and implementation by all parties of the Agreement.

2. The EU commends the work of UN Special Representative of the Secretary General, Martin Kobler and the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the DR Congo (MONUSCO). The EU welcomes security progress following the defeat of the M23 and the successful joint actions undertaken in the last six months by MONUSCO and the FARDC, in particular against the armed group ADF-Nalu, recognising the sacrifices made by Congolese soldiers. The EU welcomes MONUSCO's resolve to better protect civilians through a more robust and flexible approach. The window of opportunity created by these developments should not be lost and state authority should be restored as quickly as possible to regions where armed groups are no longer active. In this regard the EU fully supports the

International Security and Stabilisation Support Strategy (I4S), aimed at stabilisation activities in these areas. Welcoming the proclamation of the amnesty law, the EU urges the DRC, in cooperation with Uganda and Rwanda, to accelerate Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) of M23 members paying particular attention to women and children.

3. Building on the first steps which have been taken, the EU confirms the importance of unconditional voluntary disarmament of FDLR forces inside the DRC, and its willingness to support this process. It is essential that this process should include the FDLR leadership, should be conducted within the shortest possible timescale, and should include formal handing over of all vacated territories. The EU recalls that any support to the FDLR is in contravention of existing UN and EU restrictive measures. The EU continues to believe that those accused of perpetrating war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide or gross violation of human rights including sexual violence and the recruitment and use of children, must face justice for their crimes. The EU welcomes the statement of the Government of Rwanda to accept voluntary returnees from the FDLR in the context of the DDR process.

Permanent solutions to the disbanding of armed groups are enhanced by regional engagement, and in this context the EU supports the joint involvement of SADC and ICGLR in these processes. In line with the position of the Government of the DRC, the EU recalls that military operations by FARDC in coordination with MONUSCO against the FDLR remain an option should the voluntary process prove unsuccessful.

4. Over 40 other armed groups remain active in DRC, especially in Eastern DRC with dire humanitarian impact on the civilian population and leading to the displacement of 2.6 million people. The EU is particularly concerned by the situation in Province Orientale and the rapidly deteriorating man-made humanitarian crisis in Katanga. The EU reminds all parties, of their obligation to ensure protection of civilians and to respect international law, including human rights and International Humanitarian Law. The severe human rights violations in

DRC, in particular the scourge of gender-based violence, sexual violence, and the recruitment and use of children whether conducted by armed groups or other actors must end. It calls on the specific responsibility of the Congolese authorities in this respect and underlines the importance of concerted action to reform the justice sector, including military justice, in DRC.

5. More broadly, it remains vital to address the root causes of violence in the region, taking into account factors such as lack of state control, significant gender inequalities, land issues, outstanding reforms in economic governance, the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, and illegal exploitation of natural resources. In this context the EU supports all efforts to increase transparency of global mineral supply chains including through the development of an EU initiative to promote responsible sourcing of minerals from conflict affected areas and high risks areas. In addressing the root causes, the implementation of the reform programme pursuant to the PSC Framework Agreement, provides a good opportunity to gather international support around common objectives. Recognising that economic cooperation, expanded trade opportunities as well as job creation could help bring long-term stability and peace to the region, the EU supports the organisation of a Great Lakes Private Sector Investment Conference under the PSC Framework.

6. The EU reiterates its commitment to ensuring a coherent approach in its partnerships with the countries of the Great Lakes, bearing in mind that political developments and elections, which should respect constitutional provisions, in Burundi, DRC and Rwanda have a direct impact on longer term stability in the region. The EU reiterates the need for close cooperation with the UN and regional organisations.

7. The 2015 elections in Burundi are a crucial opportunity to consolidate recent progress and contribute to a stronger future. The EU welcomes the adoption by consensus of the electoral law and the agreement by all parties on a code of conduct, but is increasingly concerned about the constraints on political space and civil liberties and, as a consequence, the heightening of tension and violence, especially among youth movements linked to political parties. EU support, including to the electoral process can only be considered if the process is inclusive, transparent and peaceful. The EU reiterates its strong support to the role of the UN in Burundi and for the UN-brokered election roadmap which was signed by political actors in 2013.

8. The EU recalls its strong interest in the democratic development of DRC and in particular the upcoming electoral cycle leading to general elections in 2016. The Congolese authorities are responsible for preparing and organising elections in respect of the relevant constitutional provisions and which should be fully budgeted, fully inclusive with a clear calendar, and taking into account the recommendations of the 2011 EU observation mission. The EU

recognises the importance of MONUSCO's good offices role in the preparation of elections. It further stresses its commitment to supporting all critical reforms in DRC, notably those in areas such as public financial management, the fight against corruption and the security sector, the promotion of a better business climate, the consolidation of the State structure, the respect for the rule of law, the fight against impunity, the prevention of sexual violence, and the protection of children in armed conflict. The reform of the Security Sector, and in particular of the army, remains of paramount importance and should preserve the gains of EUSEC and EUPOL CSDP missions.

Transparency and accountability to the management of natural resources are key issues for the Congolese people. In this context, the EU welcomes the full membership of the DRC to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI).

9. The EU welcomes progress made by Rwanda on a number of structural reforms, especially within the economic sphere and recognises the achievements in reconciliation during the 20 years since the genocide of 1994. However, the EU notes its ongoing concern at constraints faced by political parties, including the shrinking of the political space and by reports of disappearances and actions against human rights defenders and civil society. Looking ahead to the 2017 elections, the EU encourages Rwanda to consistently follow its commitment for

democratisation, to further open up the political space, to give more room for independent civil society and in particular Human Rights defenders and to allow greater freedom of expression for civil society and all citizens in order to facilitate fuller democratic participation.

10. The EU has aligned its support to the objectives of the PSC Framework. The recent adoption of the National Indicative Programmes under the 11th European Development Fund for Burundi, the DRC1and Rwanda, with a total allocation of more than €1.5 billion, will be complemented by support at regional level and bilateral contributions by EU Member States.

The EU continues to believe that a key to capitalising the potential of the Great Lakes is for the countries of the region to work together on productive projects of common interest. The role of civil society, including women's organisations and the need for greater accountability to citizens are also of fundamental importance in achieving durable solutions to conflict and instability in the region.

11. The Council invites the High Representative and the Commission to report on the implementation of these and earlier Council conclusions, and present follow-up proposals where appropriate and agrees to revert before the end of this year."

1 National Indicative Programmes for Burundi and DRC were signed on 26 June 2014.

The team of 15 Marines and sailors trained with their Gabonese counterparts from the Agence Nationale des Parcs Nationaux and the Gabonese military and Gendarmerie to demonstrate tactics that could then be applied to combat all types of illicit activities, to include narcotics trafficking.

The Americans and Gabonese focused on marksmanship, combat life saver and casualty evacuation, tactical site exploitations, mission planning, basic infantry skills, and patrolling tactics.

At the conclusion of the engagement, the Gabonese students completed an eight hour-long patrol base exercise, including a comprehensive mission brief with follow on operations in the jungle, and an assault on a simulated enemy camp with follow on detainee handling, site exploitation, and casualty evacuation procedures.

First Lt. Nicholas Bender, the assistant team leader, was one of the Marines responsible for finding out what exactly the Gabonese task force hoped to take away from the partnership exercise and then joining together with them to formulate a training plan.

According to him, “when we started the training, it was clear to me the Gabonese were very interested in any training that would enable them to better prevent and counter illegal activity in their country.”

Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Africa 14 is the most recent rotation of Marines and sailors to arrive at Naval Air Station Sigonella, Italy, for theater security cooperation missions in various African countries. This iteration is manned by Marines and sailors from 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, permanently based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C.

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“As pioneers in pay-as-you-go solar products and services since 2009, we've learned that base-of-the-pyramid consumers can and will pay for modern power solutions—and that energy access is not a ‘one size fits all' market,” said Donn Tice, Chairman and CEO. “d.light's Energy Access Accelerator will be focused on scaling distributed energy solutions for the diversity of energy impoverished geographies. Scale requires a consistent user experience, reliable energy and flexible payment options.” To date, d.light has sold over 6 million products around the world, impacting the lives of more than 36 million people. Pay-as-you-go products currently represent 20 percent of d.light's sales, but are expected to grow to 30 percent in the coming year.

d.light's Energy Access Accelerator will focus on integrating advanced product technology and service offerings for a full range of payment systems, including microloans, self-help groups, top-up cards and mobile money. The group will be led by d.light's President, Ned Tozun, and Managing Director of Global Consumer Finance, Sateesh Kumar. Mr. Tozun, who co-founded d.light in 2006, will focus on technology enablement of pay-as-you-go. Mr. Kumar will leverage his past experience as Executive Vice President of SKS Microfinance, one of the largest public microfinance institutions in the world, to develop consumer financial services and microfinance partnerships. The group will also leverage the talents of New Business Initiatives Manager Karl Skare, to apply financing solutions to a broad range of products and services, as well as CFO Al Wood and Director of Financial Planning Jill Macari, to mobilize capital.

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CONTACT INFORMATION

Media Contact:

Kristina Skierka

415-331-3387

kristina@dlightdesign.com

About d.light

Founded in 2006 as a for-profit social enterprise, d.light (http://www.dlightdesign.com) manufactures and distributes solar lighting and power products designed to serve the more than 2 billion people globally without access to reliable electricity. Through ten field offices and four distribution hubs in Africa, China, South Asia and the United States, d.light has sold over 6 million solar light and power products in 62 countries, improving the lives of more than 36 million people. d.light is dedicated to providing the most reliable, affordable and accessible solar lighting and power systems for the developing world and reaching 100 million people by 2020. http://www.dlightdesign.com.

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An online petition (http://chn.ge/1mGbh5h) addressed to President Obama was launched last week via the website http://www.we-are-africa.org. A corresponding social media campaign called #WeAreAfrica was also launched on Twitter.

The website and #WeAreAfrica campaign are the results of a Civil Society Forum, which was convened in Washington, DC in late June. This meeting was organized by the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, Open Society Foundations, Freedom House, Amnesty International USA, and Front Line Defenders. The Forum convened 18 prominent human rights activists (http://bit.ly/1oN7Szy) from 12 different countries to develop specific policy recommendations (http://www.we-are-africa.org/rec.html) for the United States government, African heads of state, and civil society to strengthen democratic governance and respect for human rights. Recommendations were developed in three key areas – the rule of law, transparency and corruption and discrimination against marginalized groups – and presented to high-level representatives from the White House, Department of State, and the United States Congress.

The fundamental message conveyed by African civil society at the time, and to this date, has been that these issues and recommendations should be addressed at the upcoming Summit and that civil society be present as equal stakeholders in the future of U.S.-Africa relations.

Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of Front Line Defenders.

For more information about the #WeAreAfrica campaign, or to speak with one of the Forum participants, please contact:

Jeffrey Smith

Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights

Phone: 202.463.7575 (ext. 254)

Email: Smith@RFKCenter.org

Adam Shapiro

Front Line Defenders

Phone: 202-294-8813

Email: campaigns@frontlinedefenders.org

John Kerry

Secretary of State

Presidential Palace

Cairo, Egypt

July 22, 2014

FOREIGN MINISTER SHOUKRY: (Via interpreter) Good morning. It's my pleasure to welcome U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry here in Cairo. This visit comes at a very critical time and in the midst of intensified Egyptian efforts to broker a cease-fire agreement on the basis of the plan it has proposed and in the midst of intensified contacts between the various Palestinian factions and the Palestinian Authority and Israel.

I would also – Mr. John Kerry met today with our president and we held bilateral meetings at the foreign ministry. And I welcome Mr. Kerry's and the U.S. Administration's efforts to broker a cease-fire agreement based on the Egyptian proposal. Our visions are – we have reached a common vision, which is to push the Palestinians and Israel to reach a cease-fire agreement and to put an end to the bloodshed and the killing of innocent women and children, and also to respond rationally to the initiative which has received wide and broad international support, and it has – it addresses all aspects and all needs of the various parties.

And I would also like to seize this opportunity to urge both sides to reach a cease-fire agreement and to lift the suffering of the Palestinian people and allow for humanitarian efforts and aid efforts to enter – or to proceed on the basis of the Egyptian initiative which has received wide support. And also I would like to refer to the U.S. contribution in this regard and the – its announcement of the contribution of $47 million in humanitarian aid.

And our discussions have addressed several issues of – several regional issues of common concern, and in this regard we welcome the U.S. condemnation of the terrorist act that took place in Egypt and in which 21 of our border guards were killed. It reflects our agreement and common understanding that we should intensify our efforts to fight this phenomena that not just threatens regional peace but also international peace and security.

And without much ado, I will now give the opportunity to Secretary Kerry to speak, and I would like to note that there will be no questions or answers afterwards, but he'll be making a statement.

SECRETARY KERRY: Well, thank you very much, Foreign Minister Shoukry. Thank you for your welcome. Thank you for your very constructive efforts and work together not just with the United States, but with the United Nations and many other countries that are interested in trying to find a way forward to achieve a cease-fire, and ultimately to achieve peace and stability for the region.

As the foreign minister said, we're just going to make statements now and not take questions at this point because we are continuing to work and there is more work to be done. But I want to thank President Sisi and I want to thank my counterpart, Foreign Minister Shoukry, for his very generous welcome this morning, for the time we spent together, and now for the time that we have just spent with the president of Egypt, during which we discussed not only principally the crisis with respect to Gaza, but we also talked about counterterrorism efforts, our mutual interests; we talked about Libya and the region.

I want to extend on behalf of the United States our deepest condolences to the people of Egypt and to the families, particularly, for the soldiers who were lost in the Western Desert. And it only underscores the reasons for our cooperation and the significant challenges that we all face.

I want to thank the people of Egypt for their hard work in transitioning to a democracy through their election and in making difficult choices with respect to their economy and the future today. And I particularly thank them for supporting their president in the effort to try to find an end to the conflict in Gaza and particularly to try to bring an immediate cease-fire. The United States is very grateful for Egypt's leadership and we're here today – I am here personally at the request of President Obama – to immediately try to find a way to support Egypt's initiative.

Since I landed in Cairo last night, I've had the opportunity to sit down with President Sisi, Foreign Minister Shoukry, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon late last night, the Arab League Secretary General al-Araby, and the intelligence chief for the Palestinian Authority, Majid Faraj.

INTERPRETER: I'm sorry. Okay.

SECRETARY KERRY: I'm just challenging her to see how much she can – (laughter) –

INTERPRETER: I think I can take care of this. Okay.

SECRETARY KERRY: And over the past several days, I've also been keeping in close touch with President Abbas, with Prime Minister Netanyahu, and with others. And while we still obviously have work to do, it's also clear to me from each of the parties that I've met with that there is a framework available to end the violence, and that framework is the Egyptian initiative that has been put forward.

For two weeks now, we have seen Hamas launch rocket after rocket at Israeli neighborhoods and use an intricate set of tunnels that they have created in order to kidnap and try to kill Israeli citizens. And for two weeks, we have seen Israel respond, as any country has the right to do when it's under attack, and we support Israel's right of self-defense. But tragically, trapped in the middle of all of this are people, civilians, and we have seen hundreds of civilians in Gaza lose their lives in the conflict.

So the international community comes together and we're here working because we've seen too much blood shed on all sides, including the death of two American citizens. And we have watched the humanitarian crisis in Gaza grow worse day after day – people losing their homes, all of their possessions, their access to food and water, their entire way of life.

Yesterday the United States committed to delivering $47 million in humanitarian aid, and yes, we know that much more will be needed from us and from the international community. We also understand the importance of long-term reconstruction, and once a cease-fire has been reached, we are certainly ready to discuss and work through the incredibly complicated underlying issues that have led to this crisis.

The loss of lives and the humanitarian impact is really heartbreaking, and we're joining our international partners in reiterating our call for an immediate end to fighting and a return to the cease-fire that was reached in 2012. But just reaching a cease-fire clearly is not enough. It is imperative that there be a serious engagement, discussion, negotiation regarding the underlying issues and addressing all of the concerns that have brought us to where we are today.

Hamas has a fundamental choice to make and it is a choice that will have a profound impact for the people of Gaza. And the Egyptians have provided a framework and the forum for them to be able to come to the table to have a serious discussion together with other factions of the Palestinians. And President Abbas has been here in Israel, other countries, talking with leaders in order to try to encourage the Palestinian people to be able to come together around a solution to this crisis.

So we wanted to bring you up to date as to where we are here. We've had constructive meetings thus far, and I intend to be continuing our conversations through today and into the next days in order to work to see if we can find a way forward, a way that ends the violence and then addresses the underlying causes of this crisis.

So that's where we are right now, but we know with clarity where we need to be. And for the sake of thousands of innocent families whose lives have been shaken and destroyed by this conflict on all sides, we hope we can get there as soon as possible. Thank you.

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Photo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/index.php?level=picture&id=1255 (Chris Bredenhann, PwC Africa Oil & Gas Advisory Leader)

“As a result of the number of challenges in the market, meticulous planning is required,” adds Bredenhann.

PwC's ‘Africa oil & gas review' analyses what has happened in the last 12 months in the oil & gas industry within the major African markets. The survey draws upon the valuable experience and views of industry players in Africa, including international oil companies operating on the continent, national oil companies, services companies, independent oil organisations and industry commentators, to provide insight into the latest developments affecting the industry.

The Review shows that the oil & gas industry in Africa continues to show substantial growth, with new hydrocarbon provinces developing at a significant pace. “Large gas finds in Mozambique and Tanzania have caused the world to take note of East Africa as an emerging player in the global industry,' says Bredenhann.

Africa has proven natural gas reserves of 502 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) with 90% of the continent's annual natural gas production of 6.5Tcf coming from Nigeria, Libya, Algeria and Egypt.

Developing the business

The major challenges identified by organisations in the oil & gas industry have remained largely unchanged with the top three issues of uncertain regulatory framework, corruption and poor physical infrastructure also identified as the biggest challenges in 2010 and 2012.

While uncertain regulatory frameworks remain a concern across the industry, Nigeria was one of the few countries where respondents did not consider it to be of the top-three challenges to developing the industry. According to the Review, this suggests that companies have accepted the lack of ratification of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), which has been in the process of implementation for six years.

In other countries where uncertainty exists concerning the development or revision of energy policies, such as South Africa, DRC and Tanzania, respondents indicated that the uncertain regulatory framework was a significant impediment to developing an African oil & gas business.

The inadequacy of basic infrastructure also ranked much higher in the current Review than in prior years. Respondents are concerned about the lack of infrastructure in developing countries and the negative consequences this may have for their businesses, especially those operating in Nigeria, Namibia, Madagascar and South Africa. Taxation issues have also become a concern to companies across Africa as uncertain taxation as well as new tax laws have created an additional financial burden for companies.

Financing and Investing

Respondents indicated that their companies will largely be relying on their own cash flows to fund their own businesses over the next 12 months. E&P companies are funding their operations differently from the other industry players with less than 40% of funding coming from cash flow. This can largely be attributed to blocks and regions yet to come into production. For E&P companies, farm-outs are the second-most common form of financing in Africa, with around 100 farm-out deals being made across the continent during 2013.

E&P companies also stated that equity funding was more difficult during the course of 2012 and 2013; however, it has started to pick up momentum as investors look to Africa as a good place to invest despite a difficult year in the market. The industry has become one of the biggest sectors for merger and acquisition activities in Africa. On average, transactions worth USD1 billion occurred every 17 days in the oil & gas industry during 2013, with more activity expected as new licence rounds are opened up and regulatory uncertainty is removed.

Combatting fraud and corruption

No less than 90% of respondents indicated that their companies have anti-fraud and anti-corruption programmes in place. Of these, 54% believe that the programme is very effective at preventing or detecting fraud and corruption. Six percent of organisations indicated that their anti-fraud and anti-corruption programmes were ineffective, the same level as the 2012 research. More worrying is that 9% of the companies stated that they had no programmes in place at all.

Safety, health, environment and quality

Organisations identified safety, health, environment and quality (SHEQ) as the most significant factor that would affect their companies' businesses over the next three years. “This is not a surprise as companies recognise the environment and human health and security as a pressing issue which, when viewed in conjunction with regulatory changes and poor infrastructure, will have resulted in their carefully assessing the risk and financial burden of working in certain areas,” adds Bredenhann.

Developing local skills and socio-economic growth

The mandate for local skills development has become a concern for businesses operating in the oil & gas sector throughout Africa. In 2012, the survey showed that 25% of the total workforce at respondents' companies comprised expatriates. This year, the proportion of expatriates has dropped significantly – down to a mere 10.6% of the workforce surveyed.

Fortunately, most companies have been able to fill middle to senior management as well as specialist technical roles with locals from their host nations. Over 70% of companies acknowledged that skills, people training and development are among their top-five strategic priorities over the next five years. Bredenhann says: “This shows the importance that industry is placing on local content initiatives and the significance that skills development has on executive-level agendas.”

Operational excellence

New, small and agile, E&P, service and other companies as well as large multinationals should continue to find opportunities to operate efficiently and effectively, reduce cost and create stakeholder value through operational excellence. Insufficient planning was noted as the most important internal factor hindering operational excellence for a business in the oil and gas industry. In Africa the reduction in the number of surprises, the need for good governance and realistic schedules were deemed necessary for cost management and improved operational efficiencies.

Sustaining growth and development

Governments and national oil companies play a significant role in sustaining growth and development in Africa's oil & gas sector. Many African countries have a host of stringent laws and regulations that create challenges for companies and international investors to overcome. “Operational planning therefore needs to be carefully thought out, taking into account demand growth, infrastructure requirements, investment needs and potential, long-term strategies and the role of government if companies and countries want to sustain growth and development in Africa,” concludes Bredenhann.

Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC).

Contacts

Chris Bredenhann: PwC Africa Oil & Gas Advisory Leader

Office: + 27 21 529 2005

Email: chris.bredenhann@za.pwc.com

OR

Lindiwe Magana, Media Relations Manager

Office: +27 11 797 5042

E-mail: lindiwe.magana@za.pwc.com

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