Category: Africa

MIL-OSI Africa: Marriott International Announces Plans to Debut First Autograph Collection Safari Camp in Serengeti, Tanzania

Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:

SERENGETI, Tanzania, April 29, 2025/APO Group/ —

Marriott International (www.Marriott.com), Inc. has signed an agreement to open the first Autograph Collection safari camp globally. Expected to debut in Q3 2025, Mapito Safari Camp, Serengeti, Autograph Collection will deliver a distinctive and immersive safari experience in Tanzania’s world-renowned Serengeti wilderness, marking a milestone expansion for the brand into experiential, nature-based travel.

Mapito Safari Camp, Serengeti, Autograph Collection is set in the heart of the Serengeti ecosystem, near the Fort Ikoma gate of Serengeti National Park. Positioned between Central Serengeti and the western migration corridor, the camp lies directly along the Great Migration route, where vast herds of wildebeest, zebra and antelope pass through between May and July each year. The surrounding area teems with wildlife year-round—including lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard and giraffe—offering remarkable encounters in every season.

“Mapito Safari Camp will mark a defining moment for Autograph Collection as we introduce the brand’s first safari experience in one of the world’s most breathtaking wildlife destinations,” said Jerome Briet, Chief Development Officer, Europe, Middle East & Africa, Marriott International. “The Serengeti’s scale, beauty, and cultural heritage will make an unforgettable setting for a property that will embody the individuality and character that Autograph Collection is known for.”

Mapito Safari Camp, Serengeti, Autograph Collection is expected to offer 16 tented suites, including a two-bedroom villa. Each suite will feature an outdoor deck, fire pit and retractable roof for open-air stargazing — a first for the region. Plans for the camp include a spa, fitness centre, swimming pool and multiple dining options, such as ‘The Boma’, a communal restaurant inspired by traditional bonfire gatherings.

Design inspiration will be drawn from the surrounding landscape and local Ikoma culture, and the camp will aim to incorporate sustainable practices that support conservation and minimise environmental impact.

Guests can anticipate a range of immersive experiences, from spectacular daytime game drives and evocative night safaris that unveil the Serengeti’s nocturnal rhythms, to walking safaris, hot air balloon flights, bush dining, and meaningful engagement with the local Ikoma tribe.

“We are excited to collaborate with Marriott International to bring Autograph Collection to the Serengeti,” said Rishen Patel, developer of Mapito Safari Camp, Serengeti, Autograph Collection. “This camp will offer an intimate, and immersive experience that reflects both the natural wonder of the region and the timeless storytelling and craftsmanship of the brand.”

Autograph Collection’s global portfolio currently includes over 330 hotels that are carefully selected for their vision, passion, and unique perspectives on design and hospitality. Each property offers immersive moments that are Exactly Like Nothing Else.

MIL OSI Africa –

April 29, 2025
MIL-OSI: Unlock Your Trading Edge With Axi at the Finance Magnates Africa Summit

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

SYDNEY, April 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Leading online FX and CFD broker Axi is attending this year’s Finance Magnates Africa Summit (FMAS:25), taking place on May 29-30, 2025, at the Cape Town International Convention Centre in Cape Town, South Africa.

Event attendees will have the opportunity to learn about Axi Select, Axi’s all-inclusive capital allocation program, designed to empower ambitious traders on their trading journey. “We invite all traders to visit our booth and explore our innovation that is Axi Select,” says Louis Cooper, Chief Commercial Officer at Axi, before adding, “We look forward to networking with follow traders and showcase the exceptional benefits of our program. Axi Select features zero registration fees, capital funding of up to $1,000,000 USD, the opportunity to earn up to 90% of the profits, and advanced tools to maximise traders’ trading potential.”

Additionally, visitors can explore the broker’s Introducing Broker (IB) and Affiliate programs or learn more about Axi’s longstanding partnership with Man City, Premier League Champions. Manchester City memorabilia and the club’s mascot will be on-site for photos and attendees stand the chance to win exciting prizes, including signed player shirts and other merchandise.

The broker has a longstanding partnership with Premier League club, Manchester City FC, as well as LaLiga club, Girona FC, and Brazilian club, Esporte Clube Bahia. In 2023, they also announced England international John Stones as their Brand Ambassador. The broker was recognised with the ‘Innovator of the Year’ award at the 2024 Dubai Forex Expo, as well as with the being named ‘Best Funded Trader Programme’ by the ADVFN International Financial Awards 2025.

The Axi Select programme is only available to clients of AxiTrader Limited. CFDs carry a high risk of investment loss. In our dealings with you, we will act as a principal counterparty to all of your positions. This content is not available to AU, NZ, EU and UK residents. For more information, refer to our Terms of Service.

About Axi

Axi is a global online FX and CFD trading company, with thousands of customers in 100+ countries worldwide. Axi offers CFDs for several asset classes including Forex, Shares, Gold, Oil, Coffee, and more.

For more information or additional comments from Axi, please contact: mediaenquiries@axi.com

The MIL Network –

April 29, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Universal Periodic Review 49: UK Statement on Guinea
Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

Speech

Universal Periodic Review 49: UK Statement on Guinea

Statement by the UK’s Ambassador for Human Rights to the UN, Eleanor Sanders, at Guinea’s Universal Periodic Review at the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
Thank you, Madame Vice President.

We thank the Guinean delegation for setting out its efforts to protect human rights. And we welcome the steps taken to return to constitutional order. Presidential elections must be held by the end of 2025, as committed to by President Doumbouya.

Guinea must also take urgent action to tackle corruption in the judiciary and public administration, ensuring that international standards are upheld.

Freedom of expression and media freedom are vital. We urge the Government to decriminalise peaceful demonstration and lift the ban on mainstream private media. This will, in turn, strengthen legal protection for journalists, the media and civil society.

Steps should also be taken to tackle all forms of discrimination and inequality including against minority groups.

We recommend that Guinea:

Ensure electoral processes in 2025 are credible, including during September’s referendum on the constitution; and local, legislative and presidential elections

Promote freedom of expression by decriminalising defamation, lifting the ban on private media channels and allowing peaceful public demonstrations.

Take urgent action to tackle corruption in the judiciary and public administration, upholding due process in line with international standards.

Thank you.

Updates to this page

Published 29 April 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
April 29, 2025
MIL-OSI NGOs: Amnesty International warns of global human rights crisis as ‘Trump effect’ accelerates destructive trends
Source: Amnesty International –
- Annual report highlights the creep of authoritarian practices and vicious clampdowns on dissent around the world
- President Trump’s first 100 days intensify 2024’s global regressions and deep-rooted trends
- Global failures in addressing inequalities, climate collapse, and tech transformations imperil future generations
- The rise of authoritarian practices and annihilation of international law are not inevitable: people do and will resist attacks on human rights; governments can deliver international justice and must continue to do so
The Trump administration’s anti-rights campaign is turbocharging harmful trends already present, gutting international human rights protections and endangering billions across the planet, Amnesty International warned today upon launching its annual report, The State of the World’s Human Rights.

This “Trump effect” has compounded the damage done by other world leaders throughout 2024, eating away at decades of painstaking work to build up and advance universal human rights for all and accelerating humanity’s plunge into a brutal new era characterized by intermingling authoritarian practices and corporate greed, Amnesty International said in its assessment of the situation in 150 countries.

At this historical juncture, when authoritarian laws and practices are multiplying the world over in the interests of very few, governments and civil society must work with urgency to lead humanity back to safer ground.

Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General

“Year after year, we have warned of the dangers of human rights backsliding. But events of the past 12 months – not least Israel’s livestreamed but unheeded genocide of Palestinians in Gaza – have laid bare just how hellish the world can be for so many when the most powerful states jettison international law and disregard multilateral institutions. At this historical juncture, when authoritarian laws and practices are multiplying the world over in the interests of very few, governments and civil society must work with urgency to lead humanity back to safer ground,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.

The State of the World’s Human Rights documents vicious, widespread clampdowns on dissent, catastrophic escalations of armed conflict, inadequate efforts to address climate collapse, and a growing backlash globally against the rights of migrants, refugees, women, girls and LGBTI people. Each of these faces further deterioration in a turbulent 2025 unless a global about-turn is achieved.

“One hundred days into his second term, President Trump has shown only utter contempt for universal human rights. His government has swiftly and deliberately targeted vital US and international institutions and initiatives that were designed to make ours a safer and fairer world. His all-out assault on the very concepts of multilateralism, asylum, racial and gender justice, global health and life-saving climate action is exacerbating the significant damage those principles and institutions have already sustained and is further emboldening other anti-rights leaders and movements to join his onslaught,” Agnès Callamard added.

“But let us be clear: this sickness runs much deeper than the actions of President Trump. For years now, we’ve witnessed a creeping spread of authoritarian practices among states the world over, fostered by aspiring and elected leaders willingly acting as engines of destruction. As they drag us into a new age of turmoil and cruelty, all who believe in freedom and equality must steel ourselves to counter increasingly extreme attacks on international law and universal human rights.”

The proliferation of authoritarian laws, policies and practices targeting freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly that Amnesty International documented in 2024 was central to the global backlash against human rights. Governments across the world sought to evade accountability, entrench their power and instil fear by banning media outlets, by disbanding or suspending NGOs and political parties, by imprisoning critics on baseless charges of “terrorism” or “extremism”, and by criminalizing human rights defenders, climate activists, Gaza solidarity protesters and other dissenters.

Security forces in several countries used mass arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances and often excessive – sometimes lethal – force to suppress civil disobedience. Bangladeshi authorities issued “shoot-on-sight” orders against student protests, resulting in almost 1,000 deaths, while security forces in Mozambique unleashed the worst crackdown on protests in years following disputed elections, leaving at least 277 people dead.

Türkiye imposed blanket bans on protests and continues to use unlawful and indiscriminate force against peaceful demonstrators, but people power prevailed in South Korea when president Yoon Suk Yeol suspended certain human rights and declared martial law, only to be removed from office and see those measures overturned after massive public protests.
MIL OSI NGO –
April 29, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: Madagascar: Improving Infrastructure Resilience to Reduce Climate-Related Economic Losses
Source: UNISDR Disaster Risk Reduction

Madagascar: Improving Infrastructure Resilience to Reduce Climate-Related Economic Losses

(In collaboration with UNDRR and CDRI)

One of the world’s largest islands, located in the tropical south-west Indian Ocean, Madagascar needs new roads, schools, electricity networks, and more to lift large portions of its 30 million population out of poverty. But even as it builds this new infrastructure, its progress remains fragile. Tropical cyclones and other extreme hazard events can wipe out these development gains, and climate change multiplies that threat.

Four cyclones

in 2022 affected or displaced half a million people and flooded over 200 000 hectares of agricultural lands.

Nation-wide impact:

50,000 homes destroyed
10,000 classrooms wrecked
40 roads blocked

The damage

was equal to almost 5% of Madagascar’s GDP, increasing the poverty rate of affected households by 27%.

The challenge is significant. Madagascar is the world’s fourth largest island, and its relatively small population is spread out, much of it in rural hard-to-access areas. Most villages are isolated and they lack access to decent roads, drinking water or electricity, preventing sustainable development and poverty reduction too. Rapid population growth increases the pressure to build new infrastructure fast, but Madagascar must also find new ways to protect its transport networks, energy supplies, water supplies, and more from the growing threat of climate change.

Building resilience into infrastructure will bring significant benefits. Madagascar’s infrastructure currently suffers damage worth roughly USD 100 million each year. Cyclones account for 85 percent of this damage and are expected to increase with climate change.

With that in mind, Madagascar has become one of four countries – together with Bhutan, Chile, and Tonga – to pioneer the Global Methodology for Infrastructure Resilience Review. Developed by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), the methodology helps countries to identify and prioritize strategies that will make their infrastructure more resilient through a five-step approach.
1

Stakeholder mapping
Key ministries, regulators and operators in infrastructure development

Cross-sector coordination mechanisms
Review of existing policies and regulations
Policies and regulations shaping infrastructure resilience

Integration of disaster risks in national plans and strategies
Identification of vulnerabilities (Stress Testing)
Data collection on hazards and vulnerabilities

Multi-hazard resilience testing of infrastructure systems
Principles for resilient infrastructure
Infrastructure resilience assessment using the UNDRR Resilience Principles

Identification of resilience-building interventions
Development of an Implementation plan
Results validation and prioritization

Implementation plan with assigned responsibilities
The roadmap for infrastructure resilience in Madagascar is a key strategic document, as it outlines a comprehensive action plan aimed at minimising disaster risks in the country,” he adds.

Advancing Infrastructure Resilience in Madagascar
Developing the plan

Developing the plan

The methodology follows five steps: Map institutional governance and identify key stakeholders; Review existing policies and regulations; Detect vulnerabilities through a stress-testing analysis; Assess current resilience through the Principles of Resilient Infrastructure; then Develop an implementation plan and produce a final report.

As part of that process, Madagascar hosted multiple workshops, that were accompanied by an assessment of institutions and regulations, analysis of sector-specific risks, and an evaluation of current practices too.

Countries need access to forward-looking information and for infrastructure systems, this means assessing the risks of interconnected infrastructure systems. The final “Roadmap for Infrastructure Resilience in Madagascar” identified nearly 50 measures to enhance the country’s infrastructure resilience.

The process integrates and complements work by Madagascar’s Cellule de Prévention et d’appui à la Gestion des Urgences (CPGU) to improve construction standards against cyclones, floods, and other hazards. It also brought in a wider range of stakeholders from the disaster risk, climate change, construction and planning, and investment sectors.

[embedded content]

“With this new way of looking by zooming out, we have more of an overall vision of everything that makes infrastructure vulnerable,” Randrianandrasana Lila Norolalaina, Head of Disaster Risk Reduction at the Ministry of Education, says.

Together, these stakeholders looked at six specific sectors – transport, energy, water, telecommunications, health and education – analyzing them against ten key hazards. Cyclones account for most of Madagascar’s recorded losses, but floods, rising sea levels, variations in rainfall patterns, and heatwaves also have an impact.

Cascading disasters were central to the analysis, since a failure in one infrastructure sector can spread to others. Electricity failure impacts communication, transportation, and water supply systems, for example. And pumping equipment loses power and is unable to keep floodwaters under control around the capital Antananarivo, then an electricity failure would lead to other disasters, for example. Understanding these interdependencies helps to prevent a chain of failures and thus much bigger crises.

The UNDRR stress testing tool simulated various scenarios and assessed the potential impact on different sectors. It helped decision-makers to understand their vulnerabilities and to analyse the possibilities for cascading disasters. Finally, it concluded that telecommunications and energy were the sectors most likely to trigger further failures, while wastewater management was the most vulnerable to disruptions from elsewhere.

Interdependencies of Functions and Cascading Effects

Energy

Energy

Discussed within the context of resilient infrastructure, energy is also vital for Madagascar’s human development. It is, however, in short supply throughout the country and this shortage prevents the country from industrialising its key sectors, especially farming. Some 80 percent of the workforce is involved with subsistence farming, for example, while failure to industrialise prevents the creation of higher paying jobs. The lack of energy also slows the modernisation of Madagascar’s young mining sector, a major contributor to GDP, through exports of nickel, cobalt, chromium, titanium, and heavy metals.

Madagascar aims to connect 70 percent of its population to electricity by 2030, from just 15 percent at present. For those who are connected, however, power cuts and voltage fluctuations are frequent, causing serious disruptions to daily life and economic development alike. The issue is often acute in rural areas, where just 5 percent of the population is connected.

Stress-testing analysis, Energy

Inadequate maintenance is part of the problem, but cyclones, heavy rains, landslides, and strong winds all lead to widespread interruptions and power outages. Two of six power stations are vulnerable to rising water levels, while earthquakes and cyber-attacks can also damage production. Droughts and fires threaten serious impacts to water supplies. They can therefore limit the production of electricity from hydropower, which accounts for 31 percent of Madagascar’s energy.

Resilience is a vital priority. Part of Madagascar’s resilience plan is to move away from imported fossil fuels towards renewables. Oil and coal, for example, account for 49 and 19 percent respectively of the island’s energy production, but they depend heavily on Madagascar’s transport, which is also vulnerable to storms. Madagascar wants renewables to account for 80 percent of its energy production by 2030, up from 33 percent at present.

Even before the review of infrastructure resilience, Madagascar had already begun to improve its energy infrastructure, through its 2015-2030 New Energy Policy (NPE). One key element of NPE is to integrate disaster risk management into the energy sector. In case of emergency, Madagascar has also developed a contingency plan to ensure continuity of essential services. With support from the World Bank, Madagascar is enhancing its energy sector management and improving service quality.

[embedded content]

Despite these initiatives, the infrastructure resilience review highlighted the continued need for Madagascar to strengthen the resilience of its energy infrastructure. While limited finances, insufficient institutional capacity, and lack of maintenance create significant barriers, which all compromise the energy sector’s ability to resist new shocks and crises, the Roadmap includes multiple opportunities to improve its resilience.

These opportunities mainly link to information and data. Stakeholders discussed the need to strengthen and update data for monitoring and evaluation, as well as to request information and disaster risk best practices from private operators in the sector. By mapping the state of energy infrastructure, including an assessment of vulnerability and resilience levels, Madagascar will be better placed to prioritise its interventions.

Following the Global Methodology for Infrastructure Resilience Review, therefore, Madagascar has already begun to work with other partners. The Global Risk Modelling Alliance (GRMA), for example, is working with Madagascar to improve their data through better hazard modelling.

“When we know the state of all our assets, then we will be better able to ensure proper maintenance, keep track of the hotspots, and manage all the gaps.”

Transport

Transport

Made up of four sub-sectors – air, sea, road, and rail – Madagascar’s transport illustrates the country’s challenges effectively too. Even without the natural hazards, Madagascar’s transport networks are limited. To the south, for example, one single trainline connects a region of roughly 100,000 people to the rest of the country. Also in the South, covering 500km by road can take three days.

With limited internal roads and railways, Madagascar uses its air network to connect different parts of the vast country, especially in the rainy season or when humanitarian aid is needed urgently. Its ports are also vital for the country’s economy, exporting vanilla and other agricultural products, together with minerals and seafood products.

Much of this infrastructure is, however, vulnerable to disasters, such as cyclones, cyber-attacks, fire hazards, and even pandemics. Cyclones, landslides, and flooding routinely damage roads and – in the wake of Cyclone Gamane in March 2024 – reconstruction of road infrastructure was set to cost USD 76 million.

International financial institutions, such as the World Bank and European Investment Bank, support Madagascar to recover from cyclone damage and to make their transport infrastructure more resilient. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is supporting the USD 640 million expansion of Toamasina port, the gateway for about 75 percent of Madagascar’s international freight, while the African Development Bank (AfDB) is also considering rehabilitation of the port at Manakara.

Policies on rigorous maintenance, disaster planning, and construction or rehabilitation of new infrastructure, such as Ivato International Airport, will also help Madagascar to strengthen its infrastructure resilience.

Stress-testing analysis, Transportation

However, the Infrastructure Resilience Review brought new insights, enabling Madagascar to prioritise its interventions. Data analysis identified:

5 airports

vulnerable to flooding of up to 3.5 metres

9 of 57

ports vulnerable

16,292 km

roads at risk of landslides

Stakeholders discussed the need to improve regulations and institutions alike, including by incorporating resilience principles. More work is needed on climate adaptation, while Madagascar would also benefit from better engagement with financial institutions and the insurance sector too. Better coordination would improve national adaptation plans and coastal area management.

Stakeholders also discussed the need for more data analysis, preventive maintenance, capacity building, and emergency planning, as well as the need to involve the private sector and facilitate more competition.

One key topic was the importance of resilience norms, especially in the transport sector. How does Madagascar develop these and then ensure compliance? These norms – and stakeholder compliance – are essential in reducing the amount of substandard construction, a major boost for resilience.

“Raising awareness about the importance of norms is an important moment,” Ventsolalaina Ramilison, Head of Disaster Risk Reduction Department at CPGU / Madagascar said. “Now there is just the question of creating and strengthening a monitoring authority.”

Lessons for other countries

Lessons for other countries

The Infrastructure Resilience Review represents an important step forward by Madagascar towards infrastructure resilience. Stakeholders hope it will also benefit donors and provide key lessons for other countries.

“Given that donors tend to pay the costs of reconstruction following a disaster in Madagascar, they also benefit when Madagascar reduces the extent and cost of those disasters,” Ventsolalaina Ramilison, Head of Disaster Risk Reduction Department at CPGU / Madagascar says.

“When we can prevent storms from destroying our water supply infrastructure every year, then we can begin to build more sustainably,” she said. “That gives us hope, because we want to escape these endless cycles of recovery.”

Resilient infrastructure is important because it enables and protects sustainable development. All too often, ferocious storms have destroyed donor-financed infrastructure, which means – in other words – that insufficient resilience puts development progress at risk.
Download the full report:
Roadmap for Infrastructure Resilience in Madagascar

MIL OSI United Nations News –
April 29, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: Chile: Strengthening infrastructure resilience to face new and emerging hazards
Source: UNISDR Disaster Risk Reduction

Chile: Strengthening infrastructure resilience to face existing and emerging hazards

(In collaboration with UNDRR and CDRI)

Stretching along Latin America’s Pacific coast from tropics in the north to freezing micro-climates in the south, Chile faces an array of natural hazards. Home to 20 million people, its location in the Ring of Fire and proximity to major tectonic plates exposes Chile to earthquakes and volcanic activity.

February 2010

a magnitude 8.8 earthquake and subsequent tsunami collapsed buildings, bridges, and highways.

75% of the population

was affected and the damage cost roughly USD 30 billion, or about 18 percent of Chile’s GNP.

stated that the annual average loss for Chile is USD 5.4 billion

A high-income country recognized for its good governance, Chile has reduced many of the risks associated with earthquakes and tsunamis. However, the country must also adapt to the new and intensifying hazards related to climate.

Chile was one of the first countries, together with Bhutan, Madagascar, and Tonga, to implement the new Global Methodology for Infrastructure Resilience Review. Developed by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) the methodology helps countries to identify and prioritise the strategies that will build their infrastructure resilience through a five-step approach:
1

Stakeholder mapping
Key ministries, regulators and operators in infrastructure development

Cross-sector coordination mechanisms
Review of existing policies and regulations
Policies and regulations shaping infrastructure resilience

Integration of disaster risks in national plans and strategies
Identification of vulnerabilities (Stress Testing)
Data collection on hazards and vulnerabilities

Multi-hazard resilience testing of infrastructure systems
Principles for resilient infrastructure
Infrastructure resilience assessment using the UNDRR Resilience Principles

Identification of resilience-building interventions
Development of an Implementation plan
Results validation and prioritization

Implementation plan with assigned responsibilities
“With that in mind, we need to bring together a greater number of stakeholders to identify the vulnerabilities of our infrastructure systems and propose solutions. Without a doubt, we need to explore new solutions that involve more stakeholders in the system” she added.

Advancing Infrastructure Resilience in Chile
Early start

Early start

Within the disaster risk community, Chile stands out for its proactive approach to disaster risk. While saving lives is the top priority, the motivations are also economic. Between 2000 and 2019, damage to infrastructure accounted for 53 percent of all economic losses from disasters in the Latin American and Caribbean region. By enhancing its infrastructure resilience, Chile also protects its economy.

Chile had already begun its search for new solutions to its disaster risk by the time Chile engaged with UNDRR and CDRI. In 2021, Chile replaced its National Emergency Office of the Ministry of the Interior and Public Safety (ONEMI) with SENAPRED, a new National Disaster Prevention and Response Agency, shifting the emphasis from recovery and reconstruction to disaster prevention.

Meanwhile, Chile’s new policies are also improving the resilience of Chilean infrastructure. New infrastructure projects require a disaster risk analysis, for example. Also, Chile’s 2022 Law on Climate Change (LMCC) requires sectoral, regional, and municipal authorities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote resilience to climate change. Such laws complement SENAPRED’s focus on disasters by focusing on hazards that can be slower to develop, such as water scarcity and desertification.

The implementation of these laws cannot come soon enough. Only a year after the LMCC was passed, climate change already began showing its impact. In 2023, a 14-year megadrought strained Chile’s freshwater reserves to breaking point.

Followed by several days of persistent rainfall and flooding, the overwhelmed and parched landscapes resulted in a rapid runoff and flooding. Some 22,000 people were affected by the rains, the heaviest in 30 years, while swollen rivers blocked roads and left thousands of people isolated or in shelters. This event only highlighted the need to build resilience against multiple hazards that Chile has had.

The process

The process

The Global Methodology for Infrastructure Resilience Review builds on UNDRR’s six Principles for Resilient Infrastructure, which set out the key conditions for sustainable infrastructure resilience. In doing so, the principles support the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and Sustainable Development Goals, as well as the G20 Principles for Investing in Quality Infrastructure.

However, each country needs its own paths to infrastructure resilience, which is why the Global Methodology for Infrastructure Resilience Review is important. It provides a structured approach for every country to review and enhance their infrastructure governance, identifying the opportunities to create resilience across government levels.

Chile implemented the methodology’s five steps at the national level from June 2023 to May 2024. A deep dive was then completed for the Biobío region in December 2024, adapting the Global Methodology to the regional level. The analysis focused on six sectors – water, energy, transportation, telecommunications, health and education.

The government was well represented throughout the process, bringing together stakeholders from the ministries of public works (MOP), transport and telecommunications (MTT), energy (MINEN), education (MINEDUC), health (MINSAL), social development (MIDESO), housing and urban planning (MINVU), international relations (MINREL), finance, defence, and environment (MMA).

While this broad representation in the assessment and workshops created a truly multi-stakeholder approach, the Chile pilot also looked at the role of the private sector, which manages a large portion of the country’s infrastructure. This raised questions in terms of coordination, information asymmetries, and the incentives for private companies to invest in disaster risk reduction. When a private company is managing public assets, for example, how can incentives be aligned so that the private company puts the public interest before its desire for profit?

Recognising drought

Recognising drought

Stakeholders highlighted discussions of risk as a major strength, noting that the stress testing allowed for a broader assessment of existing infrastructure vulnerabilities, including pandemics and cyber risks. While other threats—such as violence, sea level rise, atmospheric pollution, invasive exotic species, and diseases—were considered, they were ultimately excluded from further analysis due to their limited impact on infrastructure.

Prioritization of Threats in Chile

Click to download the Prioritization of Threats in Chile table in PDF

Drawing from data analysis and workshop discussions, participants ranked the greatest threats to Chilean infrastructure in the following order: drought, fires, floods, landslides, earthquakes, tsunamis, heat waves, tidal waves, and volcanic eruptions.

Drought and water scarcity emerged as a priority because of their interdependent nature and potential cascading impacts on infrastructure systems. Around 53 percent of Chile’s territory is considered at high risk of drought, and 23 percent is at high risk of desertification. The central areas of Chile have experienced a nearly continuous megadrought since 2010.

“The application of the global methdology allowed us to break new ground by conducting a hazard analysis in Chile specifically targeted to infrastructure, consolidating a systemic view and adding new elements that had previously gone unnoticed, such as droughts,” stated Luis Doñas, Project Coordinator, SENAPRED

“Chile must now analyse these factors more closely to generate appropriate investment and make progress on key issues identified by stakeholders: territorial application, unification of information systems, strengthening intersectoral resilience training, and more decisive private sector involvement,” add Doñas

[embedded content]

Protecting water

Protecting water

Throughout the assessment, stakeholders distinguished between their infrastructure’s direct economic value and its critical functions. They also examined vulnerabilities, highlighting how the frequency and impact of different hazards can vary significantly between the regions.

Beyond these individual risks, the discussions also explored interdependencies between sectors and the potential for cascading failures. One key example is the relationship between water and energy in Chile.

After more than a decade of mega-drought, water supply companies have implemented contingency measures to limit the impacts in urban areas. However, the sustained dry conditions have seriously affected drinking water, irrigation, and other vital needs in rural areas. The proposed infrastructure assessment integrates advanced technology – such as desalination plants – with ongoing training and public education. Through a combination of short-, medium-, and long-term actions, the plan aims to enhance the resilience and sustainability of Chile’s water resources.

Water supply is not an isolated system, of course. It relies on other critical infrastructure, such as energy and transportation. Energy, in particular, is a priority as every other sector depends on it. A failure in the energy sector could trigger widespread cascading effects. To protect its energy infrastructure, Chile’s plan promotes advanced technologies and renewable energy solutions, reducing dependence on fossil fuels and strengthening long-term resilience.

[embedded content]

Chile’s water infrastructure does not have a massive economic value per se, but a sustainable water supply is vital for the health and welfare of Chile’s population. However, this supply depends heavily on other key infrastructure systems (such as energy or transportation) as well as surface and underground sources. These latter make it very vulnerable to interruptions such as drought.

Next steps

Next steps

The process initiated in Chile concluded with establishing a Roadmap for Infrastructure Resilience, a strategic guide that will shape actions in this area for years to come. While the Roadmap outlines a series of proposals across six key infrastructure sectors, it also lays out a broader pathway for Chile to strengthen its infrastructure governance.

This includes better coordination, the incorporation of risk analysis into infrastructure planning and investment, better compliance, and more available and accessible risk data, including interactive platforms and information exchanges. In other words, Chile is committed to building more resilience into its infrastructure.

With this in mind, Chile has come up with three immediate actions.

Click to download the Immediate Intervention scheme in PDF

1.

First, the Roadmap suggests establishing an intersectoral working group so that the necessary sectors and ministries can develop shared definitions and guidelines for resilient infrastructure. This group will receive extra training from a “Resilience Academy” involving both national and international experts.

Second, recognizing the sheer variety of hazards and territorial conditions across the country, Chile launched a regional-level infrastructure assessment to deepen risk analysis and develop improvements to governance. This process began in the Biobío Region, one of Chile’s 16 regions.

2.

Roughly 40 percent of Chile’s population and 40 percent of its economic activity are concentrated in the central region, where Santiago, the capital, is located. As a result, this area has a higher density of critical infrastructure increasing the infrastructure exposure to hazards. At the same time, remote regions remain highly vulnerable, as they often lack the resources and preparedness to withstand disasters effectively.

Each territory has its own unique needs, making it essential to tailor disaster risk reduction to local context.

Distribution of hazards in micro-zones over the period 2000-2023

3.

Third, Chile will design and pilot an integrated data hub to consolidate risk-related information, enabling better monitoring, evaluation, and decision-making in risk management. The integrated data centre will serve as a unified system for tracking, reporting, and verifying the fragmented infrastructure resilience assessments and diagnostics currently dispersed across different sectors and agencies. By centralising this information, Chile will strengthen infrastructure planning and enhance its disaster risk reduction.

Implementing these and other measures will also move Chile towards a more resilient infrastructure, aligning with UNDRR’s principles for resilient infrastructure. This will better position the country to tackle current challenges, but also to enhance its ability to adapt to new and emerging hazards.

Collaboration will be key to success. Achieving resilience will require continued collaboration between government, business, and civil society. By enabling new analyses and multi-stakeholder workshops, the Global Methodology for Infrastructure Resilience Review has played a crucial role in fostering vital trust between the different stakeholders.

“The infrastructure resilience review process achieved excellent work by bringing together different partners, and we now undoubtedly have a space for collective responsibility to strengthen our infrastructure ecosystem from a disaster risk perspective,” said Alicia Cebrián, National Director of SENAPRED
Download the full report:
Roadmap for Infrastructure Resilience in the Republic of Chile

MIL OSI United Nations News –
April 29, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: Tonga: Building infrastructure resilience in an isolated, hazardous world
Source: UNISDR Disaster Risk Reduction

Tonga: Building infrastructure resilience in an isolated, hazardous world

(In collaboration with UNDRR and CDRI)

When an underwater volcano erupted about 65 kilometres north of Tonga’s main island, Tongatapu, in January 2022, it sent ash high into the atmosphere and triggered a tsunami that struck the archipelago nation with waves as high as 15 metres. While the waves killed four people directly in Tonga, the eruption and consequent tsunami smashed into residential and non-residential buildings alike, damaged other infrastructure such as submarine cables, and contaminated water supplies with ashfall.

Tonga

is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world.

85,000 people

in Tonga affected by the 2022 volcano eruption.

The event also highlighted how Tonga must quickly build more resilience into its infrastructure and economy if it wants to improve the quality of life for its roughly 100,000 population.

The country is a lower-middle income nation, constrained by its geographic isolation, small market size, and high cost of basic services. A Pacific archipelago of 172 islands, whose nearest neighbours – Fiji and Samoa – are more than 700 kilometres away, Tonga is highly dependent on climate sensitive-sectors such as agriculture, fisheries, and tourism. Its economy is sensitive to external shocks.

Cyclones, tsunamis, and volcanoes cause serious damage every time they hit Tonga, and yet – in recent years – the Pacific nation has experienced more extreme weather events than usual. Cyclone Gita, a category 4 tropical cyclone which hit Tonga in February 2018, was one of the most powerful storms to hit Tonga in decades, killing two, destroying at least 171 homes, and damaging more than 1,100 others.

This immense vulnerability to multiple natural hazards – and the dangers of cascading impacts – led Tonga to become one of four countries – together with Bhutan, Chile, and Madagascar – pioneering the Global Methodology for Infrastructure Resilience Review. Developed by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), the methodology helps countries to identify and prioritise the strategies that will build their infrastructure resilience through a five-step approach.

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1

Stakeholder mapping
Key ministries, regulators and operators in infrastructure development

Cross-sector coordination mechanisms
Review of existing policies and regulations
Policies and regulations shaping infrastructure resilience

Integration of disaster risks in national plans and strategies
Identification of vulnerabilities (Stress Testing)
Data collection on hazards and vulnerabilities

Multi-hazard resilience testing of infrastructure systems
Principles for resilient infrastructure
Infrastructure resilience assessment using the UNDRR Resilience Principles

Identification of resilience-building interventions
Development of an Implementation plan
Results validation and prioritization

Implementation plan with assigned responsibilities
“The infrastructure resilience review process is already helping us to do that,” he said.

Advancing Infrastructure Resilience in Tonga
The process

The process

In 2021, Tonga enacted the Disaster Risk Management (DRM) 2021 Act, replacing the Emergency Management Act 2007, signaling a new ambition to manage risk instead of reacting to disaster.

After the 2022 volcano eruption, it also connected quickly with international partners. With World Bank support, it upgraded its ports, roads, and an airport, making them more resilient to storm surges, floods, and high winds. The Asian Development Bank has also helped with grants to help the country recover from disasters and health emergencies, including the COVID-19 pandemic.

The infrastructure resilience assessment approach in the Global Methodology, provided Tonga with the opportunity to take a holistic look at their infrastructure and risk, identify the gaps, and then fill them.

Stress-testing of Critical Infrastructure against Identified Hazard, Tonga

In the first phase, a technical working group was set up with representatives from 21 departments and agencies across six ministries. Supported by this working group, the review process began with a kick-off meeting that included key stakeholders for infrastructure development, disaster risk reduction, and sectoral operations. Next, in phase two, it reviewed existing policies and regulations, assessing the extent to which they address disaster risks and support infrastructure resilience.

In the third phase, stakeholders conducted stress tests and gap analysis on ten critical infrastructure functions against a range of hazards, including cyclones, droughts, underground water / seawater intrusion, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, non-communicable diseases, land degradation and erosion, floods, sea level rises, and cybersecurity breaches. By identifying these vulnerabilities, interdependences, and cascading risks, the participants were able to seriously consider the economic impacts and interdependences of different hazards throughout.

Fourth, Tonga’s current resilient infrastructure practices were assessed against the UNDRR Principles for Resilient Infrastructure. These six principles set out the key conditions for sustainable infrastructure resilience. They support the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and Sustainable Development Goals, as well as the G20 Principles for Investing in Quality Infrastructure.

Finally, stakeholders drafted an implementation plan, consolidating the findings and providing a road map for enhancing infrastructure resilience.

“By prioritising resilience, the country can support sustainable economic growth, adapt to climate change, and protect communities, while minimising economic and human losses.”

Water sector

Water sector

One of the sectors examined was the water sector, including a deep dive analysis. Water is everywhere in a small island development state (SIDS) like Tonga, of course, but securing a stable supply remains difficult. Water in Tonga comes from ground water and rainwater, which are both vulnerable to impacts from climate change.

Rising sea-levels mean that many assets are at risk of flooding, while soil erosion is also a threat. When sea levels rise, salt water can enter some freshwater supplies, reducing the available water for drinking.

Funding the necessary upgrades, however, is a challenge. The Tonga Water Board (TWB) operates without subsidies, making capital investment difficult.

Meanwhile, the lack of a centralised infrastructure database complicates the assessment and management of existing resources. Multiple institutions manage water resources across the archipelago’s 45 or so inhabited islands, doing so with varying levels of expertise. While integrated planning and coordination should be essential for efficiency, the system is fragmented. Integrated planning and management are urgently needed to ensure resilience in the water sector. Equally as importantly, there’s a need for more data and information, and for a better understanding of how to use the already available data, which does not capture all boreholes and rainwater harvesting.

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Challenges are even greater on the outer islands. Most villages lack a formalised tariff system, complicating the collection of revenue for repairs and maintenance. Composed of local residents, Village Water Committees (VWCs) play a crucial role, but they often lack financial and other supporting skills. Without structured regulations and trained personnel, infrastructure upkeep is inconsistent.

“But at the same time, it takes four or five hours by boat to reach some of these communities,” he said. “It is not an easy job.” The support system for water infrastructure needs to be planned, designed, and monitored more effectively to become more resilient to hazards, which is an area of need for VWC.

Finally, the water pumping stations are dependent on electricity. This means that if a cyclone damages the power lines and impacts electricity supply, then water supply would also be affected. The disaster responses are complicated by limited standard operating procedures (SOPs) as cyclones, volcanoes, and tsunamis all affect the water infrastructure in different ways. Take a look at how some of the most recent events have affected Tonga’s water infrastructure:

Hazard-related disruptions in Tonga’s water sector

TROPICAL CYCLONES:

Cyclone Gita (2018) damaged water distribution systems and rainwater tanks, while other cyclones have led to extensive system failures.

VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS AND ASHFALL:

The 2022 eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai severely impacted water punps and contaminated rainwater tanks, leading to supply disruptions.

DROUGHTS:

Prolonged droughts in 2023 have affected rainwater collection systems, exacerbating water shortages.

TSUNAMIS:

The 2022 tsunami contamined groundwater sources in southern islands and destroyed coastal water infrastructure.

Several resilience measures do exist. Desalination units provide emergency water, even if their maintenance or repairs sometimes fall on untrained community members, causing delays and potential safety issues. Overall, however, these are uneven and insufficient.

Some development support has been provided, but the projects are also unevenly distributed. They tend to focus mostly on the main island, leaving outer islands underserved.

From the Infrastructure Resilience Review, several recommendations emerged:

Build Village Water Committee capacity by developing management manuals, training, and emergency water plans for climate and disaster events.

Establish standard procedures for Village Water Committees to capture and share water data, linking it into a centralised system. Procure and distribute the necessary hardware, then train the VWCs in its use.

Set up processes to coordinate donor projects across the water sector.

Review the complete water sector for exposure to hazards, including its dependencies on other sectors such as transport, ICT and energy.

Find ways to improve the management of both rainwater and groundwater.

Improve water security on the outer islands by increasing water storage volumes, testing new solutions such as hydro panels and mobile desalination units.

Transport

Transport

The Infrastructure Resilience Review also looked at transport, given the importance and vulnerabilities of Tonga’s ports, airports, and roads.

On the one hand, Tonga’s geographic isolation makes it highly dependent on its ports and airports for imports of food, fuel, and spare parts. In 2000, the last available energy balance showed that 75 percent of the country’s energy depends on imported petroleum products. Over 98 percent of Tonga’s grid-supplied electricity is generated using imported diesel.

On the other hand, those ports and airports are highly vulnerable to disruption of the other critical infrastructure functions, including transport. The ports and airports both depend on Tonga’s roads, for example, to connect them with the rest of the country.

Multi Hazards Disaster Risk Assessment, ARUP 2021

However, while Tonga’s climate is already tropical, climate change is expected to bring heavier and more frequent rainfall, damaging roads in the low-lying areas. Inadequate drainage will compound this damage, disrupting transport and mobility to the ports and airports.

In turn, this could also disrupt Tonga’s electricity, which relies heavily on diesel imports, as well as the delivery of clean water to remote areas or even – in case of emergencies – access to evacuation centres.

The Roadmap for Infrastructure Resilience has multiple recommendations for improving road transport resilience, including the following:

Improve data on infrastructure quality to understand better which rural and urban roads are exposed to flooding.

Produce geohazard maps to enable monitoring of infrastructure resilience and vulnerability.

Develop mitigation measures based on assessments of the road quality.

Integrate climate safety factors into road design.

Additionally, the Roadmap for Infrastructure Resilience in the Kingdom of Tonga makes specific priority recommendations for individual sectors, including the development of a national resilient critical infrastructure strategy, the establishment of a critical infrastructure working group, and the establishment of a central disaster data centre.

“The infrastructure resilience review reminds us that we are not passive actors, but that to a much greater extent we are masters of our own destiny,” said Sione Pulotu ‘Akau’ola, CEO for Ministry of MEIDECC.

“In the long run, building resilience into our infrastructure will save us lives, destruction, and economic damage,” he said.
Download the full report:
Roadmap for Infrastructure Resilience in the Kingdom of Tonga

MIL OSI United Nations News –
April 29, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: India and Egypt deliberate to strengthen ties through avenues of strategic collaboration in skill development

Source: Government of India

India and Egypt deliberate to strengthen ties through avenues of strategic collaboration in skill development

Both delegations expressed a shared commitment to creating a globally competitive, future-ready workforce

Posted On: 29 APR 2025 1:15PM by PIB Delhi

The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), Government of India, hosted a high-level Egyptian delegation led by H.E. Prof. Dr. Ayman Bahaa El Din, Deputy Minister of Technical Education, for a pivotal round of deliberations at Kaushal Bhawan, New Delhi on 28^th April, 2025. This engagement marks another milestone in the ever-strengthening India-Egypt relationship, building on the momentum of the 2023 elevation of bilateral ties to a Strategic Partnership and the recent recognition of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi with Egypt’s highest civilian honour.

Shri Atul Kumar Tiwari, Secretary, MSDE, highlighted the enduring people-to-people and institutional linkages between the two nations. He emphasized India’s vision to become the “Skill Capital of the World” through the Skill India Mission, under which already close to 400,000 individuals have already been trained in advanced domains such as artificial intelligence, robotics, and big data, while nurturing over 1.3 million entrepreneurs.

India’s efforts to align its vocational education and training (TVET) ecosystem with global standards, and the establishment of world-class Skill India International Centres, were presented as models for international collaboration.

The Egyptian delegation shared insights into Egypt’s comprehensive TVET reforms, including the EU-supported TVET Egypt Reform Programme and the establishment of Sector Skill Councils, which resonate with India’s scalable and affordable skilling models. Both sides acknowledged the success of ongoing collaborations, such as the 2024 MoU between India’s NIELIT and Egypt’s Information Technology Institute, the El-Sewedy Group’s partnership with Amity University, and the Indian-supported Vocational Training Centre in Cairo.

Looking ahead, the two countries identified several promising avenues for future cooperation. These include joint certification programmes, faculty and student exchanges, digital skilling and entrepreneurship initiatives, and the establishment of Centres of Excellence in priority sectors like information technology, agriculture, tourism, and green skills. Both delegations expressed a shared commitment to creating a globally competitive, future-ready workforce and to using their partnership as a template for broader South-South cooperation.

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Beena Yadav/Shahbaz Hasibi

(Release ID: 2125101) Visitor Counter : 49

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

April 29, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi addresses YUGM Innovation conclave

Source: Government of India

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi addresses YUGM Innovation conclave

Our endeavour is to empower the youth with skills that make them self-reliant and position India as a global innovation hub: PM

We are modernizing the country’s education system according to the needs of the 21st century: PM

A new National Education Policy has been introduced in the country, It has been prepared keeping in mind the global standards of education: PM

One Nation, One Subscription has given the youth the confidence that the government understands their needs, today students pursuing higher education have easy access to world class research journals: PM

India’s university campuses are emerging as dynamic centres where Yuvashakti drives breakthrough innovations: PM

The trinity of Talent, Temperament and Technology will transform India’s future: PM

It is crucial that the journey from idea to prototype to product is completed in the shortest time possible: PM

We are working on the vision of Make AI in India, And our aim is- Make AI work for India: PM

Posted On: 29 APR 2025 12:44PM by PIB Delhi

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi addressed the YUGM Innovation Conclave at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi today. Addressing the gathering on the occasion, he highlighted the significant gathering of government officials, academia, and science and research professionals, emphasizing the confluence of stakeholders as a “YUGM”—a collaboration aimed at advancing future technologies for a developed India. The Prime Minister expressed confidence that the efforts to enhance India’s innovation capacity and its role in deep-tech would gain momentum through this event. He remarked on the inauguration of super hubs at IIT Kanpur and IIT Bombay, focusing on AI, intelligent systems, and biosciences, biotechnology, health, and medicine. He also mentioned the launch of the Wadhwani Innovation Network, which reaffirms the commitment to advancing research in collaboration with the National Research Foundation. The Prime Minister congratulated the Wadhwani Foundation, IITs, and all stakeholders involved in these initiatives. He also extended a special appreciation to Shri Romesh Wadhwani for his dedication and active role in fostering positive changes in the country’s education system through collaboration between the private and public sectors.

Quoting the scriptures in Sanskrit meaning true life is lived in service and selflessness, Shri Modi remarked that science and technology should also serve as mediums for service. He expressed his satisfaction witnessing institutions like the Wadhwani Foundation, and the efforts of Shri Romesh Wadhwani and his team, steering science and technology in the right direction in India. He highlighted Mr. Wadhwani’s remarkable journey, marked by struggles, including the aftermath of partition, displacement from his birthplace, battling polio in childhood, and rising above these challenges to build a massive business empire. Shri Modi commended Shri Wadhwani for dedicating his success to India’s education and research sectors, calling it an exemplary act. He acknowledged the foundation’s contributions to school education, Anganwadi technologies, and Agri-Tech initiatives. He noted his earlier participation in events like the establishment of the Wadhwani Institute of Artificial Intelligence and expressed confidence that the foundation would continue achieving numerous milestones in the future and extended his best wishes to the Wadhwani Foundation for their endeavors.

Underlining that the future of any nation depends on its youth and marking the importance of preparing them for the future, the Prime Minister remarked that the education system plays a crucial role in this preparation and underscored efforts to modernize India’s education system to meet 21st-century needs. He highlighted the introduction of the New National Education Policy, designed with global education standards in mind, and noted the significant changes it has brought to the Indian education system. He remarked on the development of the National Curriculum Framework, Learning Teaching Material, and new textbooks for classes one to seven. He highlighted the creation of AI-based and scalable digital education infrastructure platform – ‘One Nation, One Digital Education Infrastructure’ under PM e-Vidya and DIKSHA platforms, enabling the preparation of textbooks in over 30 Indian languages and seven foreign languages. The Prime Minister remarked that the National Credit Framework has made it easier for students to study diverse subjects simultaneously, providing modern education and opening new career paths. He stressed the importance of strengthening India’s research ecosystem to achieve national goals, highlighting the doubling of gross expenditure on R&D from ₹60,000 crore in 2013-14 to over ₹1.25 lakh crore, the establishment of state-of-the-art research parks, and the creation of Research and Development Cells in nearly 6,000 higher education institutions. He remarked on the rapid development of an innovation culture in India, citing the increase in patent filings from around 40,000 in 2014 to over 80,000, reflecting the support provided by the intellectual property ecosystem to the youth. The Prime Minister further highlighted the establishment of the ₹50,000 crore National Research Foundation to promote research culture and the One Nation, One Subscription initiative, which has facilitated access to world-class research journals for higher education students. He emphasised on the Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship, which ensures that talented individuals face no obstacles in advancing their careers.

Shri Modi highlighted that the youth today excel not only in Research & Development but have become Ready and Disruptive themselves, emphasizing the transformative contributions of India’s young generation to research across various sectors. He cited milestones like the commissioning of the world’s longest hyperloop test track, a 422-meter hyperloop developed at IIT Madras in collaboration with Indian Railways. He remarked on groundbreaking achievements such as nanotechnology developed by scientists at IISc Bangalore to control light at the nano-scale and the ‘brain on a chip’ technology, capable of storing and processing data across 16,000+ conduction states in a molecular film. He further highlighted the development of India’s first indigenous MRI machine just weeks ago. “India’s university campuses are emerging as dynamic centres where Yuvashakti drives breakthrough innovations”, said Shri Modi, showcasing India’s representation in Higher Education Impact Rankings, with over 90 universities listed among 2,000 institutions globally. He noted the growth in QS world rankings, where India moved from having nine institutions in 2014 to 46 in 2025, alongside the increasing representation of Indian institutions among the world’s top 500 higher education institutes over the past decade. He also remarked on Indian institutions establishing campuses abroad, such as IIT Delhi in Abu Dhabi, IIT Madras in Tanzania, and upcoming IIM Ahmedabad in Dubai. He underscored that leading global universities are also opening campuses in India, promoting academic exchange, research collaboration, and cross-cultural learning opportunities for Indian students.

“The trinity of Talent, Temperament and Technology will transform India’s future”, stressed the Prime Minister, highlighting initiatives such as Atal Tinkering Labs, with 10,000 labs already operational, and the announcement of 50,000 more in this year’s budget to provide early exposure to children. He noted the launch of the PM Vidya Lakshmi scheme to provide financial support to students and the establishment of internship cells in over 7,000 institutions to transform students’ learning into real-world experience. He remarked that every effort is being made to develop new skills among the youth, whose combined talent, temperament, and technological strength will lead India to the pinnacle of success.

Underscoring the importance of meeting the goal of a developed India within the next 25 years, the Prime Minister said, “it is crucial that the journey from idea to prototype to product is completed in the shortest time possible”. He stressed that reducing the distance from lab to market ensures faster delivery of research outcomes to the people, motivates researchers, and provides tangible incentives for their work. This accelerates the cycle of research, innovation, and value addition. The Prime Minister called for a robust research ecosystem, urging academic institutions, investors, and industry to support and guide researchers. He highlighted the potential role of industry leaders in mentoring youth, providing funding, and collaboratively developing new solutions. He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to simplifying regulations and fast-tracking approvals to further these efforts.

Emphasising the need to consistently promote AI, quantum computing, advanced analytics, space tech, health tech, and synthetic biology, Shri Modi highlighted India’s leading position in AI development and adoption. He mentioned the launch of the India-AI Mission to build world-class infrastructure, high-quality datasets, and research facilities. He remarked on the increasing number of AI Centres of Excellence being developed with the support of leading institutions, industries, and startups. He reiterated the commitment to the vision of “Make AI in India” and the goal to “Make AI work for India.” He further noted the budgetary decision to expand IIT seat capacities and introduce Meditech courses, combining medical and technology education, in collaboration with IITs and AIIMS. The Prime Minister urged the timely completion of these initiatives, with a focus on positioning India among the “best in the world” in future technologies. Concluding his address, the Prime Minister remarked that initiatives like YUGM, a collaboration between the Ministry of Education and Wadhwani Foundation, can revitalize India’s innovation landscape. He expressed gratitude to the Wadhwani Foundation for their continued efforts and highlighted the significant impact of today’s event in furthering these objectives.

Union Ministers Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Dr. Jitendra Singh, Shri Jayant Chaudhary, Dr. Sukanta Majumdar were present among others at the event.

Background

YUGM (meaning “confluence” in Sanskrit) is a first-of-its-kind strategic conclave convening leaders from government, academia, industry, and the innovation ecosystem. It will contribute to India’s innovation journey, driven by a collaborative project of around Rs 1,400 crore with joint investment from the Wadhwani Foundation and Government Institutions.

In line with Prime Minister’s vision of a self-reliant and innovation-led India, various key projects will be initiated during the conclave. They include Superhubs at IIT Kanpur (AI & Intelligent Systems) and IIT Bombay (Biosciences, Biotechnology, Health & Medicine); Wadhwani Innovation Network (WIN) Centers at top research institutions to drive research commercialization; and partnership with Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) for jointly funding late-stage translation projects and promoting research and innovation.

The conclave will also include High-level Roundtables and Panel Discussions involving government officials, top industry and academic leaders; action-oriented dialogue on enabling fast-track translation of research into impact; a Deep Tech Startup Showcase featuring cutting-edge innovations from across India; and exclusive networking opportunities across sectors to spark collaborations and partnerships.

The Conclave aims to catalyze large-scale private investment in India’s innovation ecosystem; accelerate research-to-commercialization pipelines in frontier tech; strengthen academia-industry-government partnerships; advance national initiatives like ANRF and AICTE Innovation; democratize innovation access across institutions; and foster a national innovation alignment toward Viksit Bharat@2047.

Addressing the YUGM Conclave. Our endeavour is to empower the youth with skills that make them self-reliant and position India as a global innovation hub. https://t.co/J8kaoynOo9

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 29, 2025

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MJPS/SR

(Release ID: 2125090) Visitor Counter : 95

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

April 29, 2025
MIL-OSI Video: Minister of Transport, Ms, Barbara Creecy briefs media on Road Safety report for Easter Period

Source: Republic of South Africa (video statements-2)

Minister of Transport, Ms, Barbara Creecy briefs media on Road Safety report for Easter Period

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOSydqPXF1Q

MIL OSI Video –

April 29, 2025
MIL-OSI: BW Energy: OTC Markets Group Welcomes BW Energy Limited to OTCQX

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

OTC Markets Group Welcomes BW Energy Limited to OTCQX

NEW YORK – OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX: OTCM), operator of regulated markets for trading 12,000 U.S. and international securities, today announced BW Energy Limited (Oslo Bors: BWE; OTCQX: BWERY, BWEFF), a growth-focused oil and gas company, has qualified to trade on the OTCQX® Best Market. BW Energy Limited upgraded to OTCQX from the Pink® market.

BW Energy Limited begins trading today on OTCQX under the symbols “BWERY” and “BWEFF.” U.S. investors can find current financial disclosure and Real-Time Level 2 quotes for the company on www.otcmarkets.com.

Upgrading to the OTCQX Market is an important step for companies seeking to provide transparent trading for their U.S. investors. For companies listed on a qualified international exchange, streamlined market standards enable them to utilize their home market reporting to make their information available in the U.S. To qualify for OTCQX, companies must meet high financial standards, follow best practice corporate governance and demonstrate compliance with applicable securities laws.

“The OTCQX Market provides a platform for increased recognition and engagement with a wider base of US investors. BW Energy is a fast-growing oil and gas company with production and attractive development assets in Gabon, Namibia and Brazil. We expect cross-trading on OTCQX to create additional long-term value through a broader US investor base and increased trading volumes in our shares,” says Carl K. Arnet, the CEO of BW Energy.

About BW Energy Limited
BW Energy is a growth E&P company with a differentiated strategy targeting proven offshore oil and gas reservoirs through low risk phased developments. The Company has access to existing production facilities to reduce time to first oil and cashflow with lower investments than traditional offshore developments. The Company’s assets are 73.5% of the producing Dussafu Marine licence offshore Gabon, 100% interest in the Golfinho and Camarupim fields, a 76.5% interest in the BM-ES-23 block, a 95% interest in the Maromba field in Brazil, a 95% interest in the Kudu field in Namibia, all operated by BW Energy. In addition, BW Energy holds approximately 6.6% of the common shares in Reconnaissance Energy Africa Ltd. and a 20% non-operating interest in the onshore Petroleum Exploration License 73 (“PEL 73”) in Namibia. Total net 2P+2C reserves and resources were 599 million barrels of oil equivalent at the start of 2025.

About OTC Markets Group Inc.:
OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX: OTCM) operates regulated markets for trading 12,000 U.S. and international securities. Our data-driven disclosure standards form the foundation of our three public markets: OTCQX^® Best Market, OTCQB^® Venture Market, and Pink^® Open Market.

Our OTC Link^® Alternative Trading Systems (ATSs) provide critical market infrastructure that broker-dealers rely on to facilitate trading. Our innovative model offers companies more efficient access to the U.S. financial markets.

OTC Link ATS, OTC Link ECN, OTC Link NQB, and MOON ATS^TM are each an SEC regulated ATS, operated by OTC Link LLC, a FINRA and SEC registered broker-dealer, member SIPC.

To learn more about how we create better informed and more efficient markets, visit www.otcmarkets.com.

Subscribe to the OTC Markets RSS Feed

Media Contact:
OTC Markets Group Inc., +1 (212) 896-4428, media@otcmarkets.com

This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 the Norwegian Securities Trading Act

The MIL Network –

April 29, 2025

MIL-OSI: VAALCO Schedules First Quarter 2025 Earnings Release and Conference Call

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

HOUSTON, April 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — VAALCO Energy, Inc. (NYSE: EGY; LSE: EGY) (“Vaalco” or the “Company”) today announced the timing of its first quarter 2025 earnings release and conference call.

The Company will issue its first quarter 2025 earnings release on Thursday, May 8, 2025 after the close of trading on the New York Stock Exchange and host a conference call to discuss its financial and operational results on Friday morning, May 9, 2025 at 9:00 a.m. Central Time (10:00 a.m. Eastern Time and 3:00 p.m. London Time.)

Interested parties in the United States may participate toll-free by dialing (833) 685-0907. Interested parties in the United Kingdom may participate toll-free by dialing 08082389064. Other international parties may dial (412) 317-5741. Participants should ask to be joined to the “Vaalco Energy Earnings Conference Call.” This call will also be webcast on VAALCO’s website at www.vaalco.com. An audio replay will be available on the Company’s website following the call.

About Vaalco

Vaalco, founded in 1985 and incorporated under the laws of Delaware, is a Houston, Texas, USA based, independent energy company with a diverse portfolio of production, development and exploration assets across Gabon, Egypt, Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria and Canada.

For Further Information


Vaalco Energy, Inc. (General and Investor Enquiries)	+00 1 713 543 3422
Website:	www.vaalco.com

Al Petrie Advisors (US Investor Relations)	+00 1 713 543 3422
Al Petrie / Chris Delange

Buchanan (UK Financial PR)	+44 (0) 207 466 5000
Ben Romney / Barry Archer	Vaalco@buchanan.uk.com

The MIL Network –

April 29, 2025

MIL-Evening Report: Tarakinikini appointed as Fiji’s ambassador-designate to Israel

By Anish Chand in Suva

Filipo Tarakinikini has been appointed as Fiji’s Ambassador-designate to Israel.

This has been stated on two official X, formerly Twitter, handle posts overnight.

“#Fiji is determined to deepen its relations with #Israel as Fiji’s Ambassador-designate to Israel, HE Ambassador @AFTarakinikini prepares to present his credentials on 28 April, 2025,” stated the Fiji at UN twitter account.

Tarakinikini is also Fiji’s current Ambassador to the United Nations.

In a separate post, Deputy Director-General Eynat Shlein of Israel’s international development cooperation agency said she was “honoured” to meet Tarakinikini.

“We discussed the vast cooperation opportunities, promoting & enhancing sustainable development, emphasizing investment in capacity building & human capital,” she said on X.

Fiji is only the seventh country in the world to open an embassy in Israel.

Republished from The Fiji Times with permission.

Centre of controversy
Pacific Media Watch reports that Lieutenant-Colonel Tarakinikini was at the centre of controversy in Fiji in 2005 when he was declared a “deserter” by the Fiji military.

However, from 1979 to 2002, he served in the Fiji Military Forces, including eight years in United Nations peacekeeping missions, among them, south Lebanon and the Multinational Force in Sinai, Egypt.

Great honor to have have this timely briefing @EynatShlein, Ambassador Roi @IsraelMFA #Fiji is determined to deepen its relations with #Israel as Fiji’s Ambassador-designate to Israel, HE Ambassador @AFTarakinikini prepares to present his credentials on 28 April, 2025 🇮🇱 🤝 🇫🇯… https://t.co/mGPKjYM5Qc

— Fiji at the UN🇫🇯 (@FijiMissionUN) April 27, 2025

Beginning in 2003, he was the UN Department for Security and Safety’s (UNDSS) Chief Security Adviser in Jerusalem, as well as in Kathmandu, Nepal, from 2006 to 2008.

From 2008 to 2018, he served in numerous United Nations integrated assessment missions, programme working groups, restructuring and redeployments and technical assessment missions.

‘Weapons of war’
Yesterday, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) began week-long hearings at The Hague into global accusations of Israel using starvation and humanitarian aid as “weapons of war” and failing to meet its obligations to the Palestinian people in Gaza as the occupying power in its genocidal war on the besieged enclave.

Forty countries are expected to give evidence.

The ICJ has been tasked by the UN with providing an advisory opinion “on a priority basis and with the utmost urgency”.

Although the ICJ judges’ opinion is not binding, it provides clarity on legal questions.

In January 2024, the ICJ ruled that Israel must take “all measures” to prevent a genocide in Gaza.

Then in June, it said in an advisory opinion that Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza was illegal.

Both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant are wanted on arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to face charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

April 29, 2025

MIL-OSI: Amundi: Results for the First quarter of 2025 – Record inflows at +€31bn

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Amundi: Results for the First quarter of 2025

Record inflows at +€31bn

Record inflows		Assets under management¹at an all-time high of €2.25tn at end of March 2025, +6% year-on-year Highest quarterly net inflows since 2021, at +€31bn in Q1 +€37bn in medium- to long-term assets excluding JVs, new quarterly record Positive inflows in active management (+€6bn) Strong ETF net inflows and gain of a big ESG equity index mandate with The People’s Pension (UK): +€21bn

Strong growth in profit before tax		Profit before tax²of €458m, up +11% Q1/Q1, driven by: revenue growth (+11%) positive jaws effect improved cost-income ratio to 52.4%² Adjusted net income²^,³ close to €350m excluding impact of exceptional tax surcharge⁴ in France (-€46m)

Confirmed strategic pillars success		Strong inflows in growth areas: Third-party distribution +€8bn Asia +€8bn ETF +€10bn Amundi Technology: strong organic growth, integration of aixigo and revenues up +46% Q1/Q1

Paris, 29 April 2025

Amundi’s Board of Directors met on 28 April 2025 chaired by Philippe Brassac, and approved the financial statements for the first quarter of 2025.

Valérie Baudson, Chief Executive Officer, said: “After a record year in 2024, Amundi continued this momentum in the first quarter of 2025. Quarterly net inflows are at their highest since 2021: our clients, whether they are individuals or institutions, have entrusted us with +€31bn more to manage. In particular, we won a major mandate from one of the UK’s largest pension funds in the fast-growing market for Defined Contribution pension plans.

The business continues to reflect the relevance of our main growth pillars: net inflows were dynamic with Third-Party Distributors, in Asia and on ETFs, and Amundi Technology continues its sustained growth.

The three transactions signed in 2024 reinforce this solid organic growth: Alpha Associates and aixigo have already contributed positively to the quarter’s results, the partnership with Victory Capital, closed on 1 April, now allows us to offer more US strategies while creating value for our shareholders.

Amundi’s diversified model and agility allow us to effectively support our clients in all market environments and provide them with long-term growth opportunities. We continue to invest, redeploy our resources and optimise our cost base to adapt our platform, meet the changing needs of clients and develop new services for them. »

* * * * *

Highlights

Continued organic growth thanks to confirmed successes in the strategic pillars

2025 is the last year of implementation of the 2025 Ambitions plan, which sets a number of strategic pillars to accelerate the diversification of the Group’s growth drivers and exploit development opportunities. After a year 2024 during which several objectives were achieved a year ahead of schedule, the first quarter confirmed the momentum:

Third-Party Distribution recorded assets under management up over +15% year-on-year and net inflows over 12 months of +€33bn, of which +€8bn⁵ in the first quarter of 2025, mainly in MLT assets⁶, (+€7.6bn); net inflows this quarter were driven by ETFs and active management, diversified by geographical areas and positive in almost all countries in terms of MLT assets⁶, particularly in Asia (+€1.7bn); it is also diversified by types of client, with a confirmed commercial momentum with digital platforms, which account for c.25% of net inflows; it should be noted that a Workshop presenting the Third-Party Distribution business line will be held on Thursday 19 June in London, with the entire division’s management team;

Asia: assets under management were up +9% year-on-year despite the fall in the US dollar and the Indian rupee, to reach €462bn; net inflows for the quarter reached +€8bn, mainly from direct distribution (+€5bn compared to +€3bn for JVs), and is balanced between major client segments in direct distribution and JVs; it is also diversified by countries: Korea (+€3bn) thanks to the JV, China with the two JVs and institutional clients, Hong Kong (+€1.6bn) and Singapore (+€1.4bn) thanks to institutional and third-party distributors;
ETFs raised +€10bn this quarter, thanks to the success of US equity underlying strategies at the beginning of the quarter, and then in March with the success of the Stoxx Europe 600 ETF, which collected +€1.3bn in one month and exceeded €10bn in assets under management; innovative products were launched, with the ETF invested in short-duration eurozone sovereign green bonds, capitalising on the success of its long-duration big brother, which reached €3bn in assets under management;
Amundi Technology continues to grow: its revenues increased by +46% Q1/Q1, driven in equal parts by the integration of aixigo and strong organic growth; the business line has signed a partnership with Murex to offer in ALTO the functionalities of this company’s integrated OTC derivatives management and valuation platform, MX.3, which has more than 60,000 users in 65 countries; the partnership includes cross-selling and joint business development agreements.

After the end of the first quarter

On 1 April, the partnership with Victory Capital, was closed and Amundi received 17.6 million shares, i.e. 21.2%⁷ of Victory Capital’s capital. In accordance with the Contribution Agreement and the completion of the remaining adjustments, we expect Amundi’s stake in Victory Capital to reach 26.1%⁷ in the next few months. This investment will be consolidated using the equity method and will start contributing to the Group’s results from the second quarter.
It should be noted that as of 8 April, after the drop in the equities and bond markets and at the trough of European equity markets since the end of the first quarter (Stoxx 600 -9%), the Group’s assets under management excluding JVs⁸ were down by just below -3% compared to 31 March 2025; as of 25 March, they had recovered to less than -2% vs. end March.
After the success of Ambitions 2025, a new three-year strategic plan will be presented in the fourth quarter.

Focus on operations in the UK

The winning of a large mandate with a pension fund illustrates the strong development of Amundi’s operations in the United Kingdom. Amundi has management and marketing/sales teams there and is experiencing strong growth in its business:

London is one of Amundi’s 6 global investment hubs, with €49bn under management for the entire Group, in charge of all emerging markets strategies as well as global and GBP fixed income strategies;
The distribution platform for local clients represents €66bn under management, balanced between institutional and third-party distribution; the commercial platform is complemented by Amundi Technology sales teams to serve British clients.

The €21bn equity index mandate for The People’s Pension, one of the leading Master Trusts (multi-employer pension funds) in the Defined Contribution pension plan market, was won thanks to the depth and consistency of Amundi’s responsible investment methodology, applied in this case to an index management solution. It amplifies the strong commercial momentum in this Master Trust market segment, as Amundi is now a close partner of the two largest players.

Activity

Capital markets still up Q1/Q1, decline in the dollar and Indian rupee

In the first quarter of 2025, both equities⁹and bond¹⁰markets continued to rise. Year-on-year, they gained +13% and +3% respectively in average. The market effect is therefore positive on the Group’s assets under management and revenues compared to the first quarter of 2024.

The Indian rupee and the US dollar were both down -4% quarter-on-quarter, and -3% year-on-year for the Indian rupee while the US dollar is stable over the same period. The foreign exchange effect, which was neutral year-on-year, was therefore negative by around -1% on Amundi’s end-of-period assets under management in the first quarter.

European fund management market in slow recovery

Investor risk aversion persists in the European fund management market. In the first quarter of 2025, net inflows in open-ended funds¹¹ continued their slow recovery compared to the beginning of 2024, at +€221bn in the first quarter, down slightly compared to the fourth quarter of 2024 (+€232bn) due to lower net inflows from money market funds (+€60bn). Active management continued its recovery, with +€70bn net inflows, and its rebalancing compared to passive management (+€91bn, of which +€82bn in ETFs). As in previous quarters, net flows were positive thanks to fixed income, and grew only as a result of lower outflows in equities and multi-assets.

Highest quarterly net inflows for MLT assets⁶in Q1

Assets under management¹as at 31 March 2025 increased by +6.2% year-on-year, to reach the new record of €2,247bn. Over 12 months, in addition to market appreciation, they benefited from a high level of net inflows, at +€70bn, higher than the market & forex effect of +€53bn. The increase in assets under management also benefited from the integration of Alpha Associates since the beginning of April 2024 (+€7.9bn).

In the first quarter of 2025, the forex effect was negative by -€26bn due to the fall of the US dollar and the Indian rupee against the euro. It was very slightly offset by a small positive market effect (+€2bn). The strong net inflows in the quarter were much higher than this negative forex effect.

The first quarter net inflows totalled +€31bn, the highest level for a quarter since 2021, of which +€37bn in MLT assets⁶ excluding JVs, an all-time record.

These net inflows benefited from the gain of the mandate of The People’s Pension (+€21bn). The rest of the MLT net inflows⁶ (+€16bn) comes from passive management, in particular ETFs (+€10bn) and active management (+€6bn). As in previous quarters, the latter was driven by fixed income strategies (+€11bn), in all client segments.
The three main client segments contributed to net inflows of +€31bn:

the Retail segment, at +€6bn, thanks to Third-Party Distributors (+€8bn); net inflows were slightly positive at Amundi BOC WM while risk aversion continued to affect net inflows from Partner Networks: slightly positive in France (+€0.2bn) and negative in International business (-€3bn), due in particular to multi-asset strategies: -€2bn;
The Institutional segment, at +€22bn, of which +€33bn in MLT assets⁶, benefited from The People’s Pension mandate and a good level of net inflows, particularly bonds, in all sub-segments except the seasonal effect for Corporates and Employee Savings;
Finally JVs (+€3bn) benefited from dynamic net inflows in NH-Amundi (South Korea, +€3bn), while SBI FM (India, -€1bn) recorded outflows linked to end-of-fiscal-year operations and client caution after the correction in local equities markets since October 2024, even though net flows remained positive in the retail segment; ABC-CA (China) net inflows confirmed the stabilisation of the local market, and were positive by +€1bn excluding discontinued Channel Business operations, mainly driven by treasury products.

Treasury products posted outflows of -€8.7bn, mainly due to particularly strong seasonal outflows from Corporates in the first quarter of this year (-€11.6bn) and to a lesser extent from arbitrages by CA & SG insurers (-€1.6bn) in favour of products with longer durations. All other client segments posted slightly positive net inflows in treasury products, reflecting the wait-and-see attitude in the face of volatility in risky assets markets.

First quarter 2025 results

Sharp increase in profit before tax²+11% Q1/Q1 thanks to top line growth

Adjusted data²

Profit before tax²reached €458m, up +10.7% compared to the first quarter of 2024.

It includes contributions from Alpha Associates as well as aixigo, acquisitions of which were finalised in early April and early November 2024 respectively, and were therefore not included in the first quarter 2024. Their cumulative contribution to the profit before tax² in the first quarter reached +€4m, i.e. +1pp of Q1/Q1 growth.

The growth in profit before tax² was mainly due to the increase in revenues.

Adjusted net revenue² amounted to €912m, up +10.7% compared to the first quarter of 2024, +9% at constant scope, driven by all sources of revenues:

net management fees increased by +7.7% compared to the first quarter of 2024, to €824m, which reflects the good level of activity, the increase in average assets under management excluding JVs (+8.8% over the same period), but also the negative product mix effect on revenue margins;
performance fees (€23m), which are traditionally more moderate in the first quarter due to the lower number of fund anniversaries during this period, nevertheless rose by +30.7% compared to the first quarter of 2024; they reflect the good performance of Amundi’s investment management, with c.70% of assets under management ranked in the first or second quartiles according to Morningstar¹² over 1, 3 or 5 years, and 244 Amundi funds rated 4 or 5 stars by Morningstar¹² as at 31 March;
Amundi Technology’s revenues, at €26m, continued to grow steadily (+46.2% compared to the first quarter of 2024), amplified this quarter by the consolidation of aixigo (+€4m); excluding aixigo, these revenues were up +21.2% organically;
finally, the Financial and other revenues² amounted to €39m, up sharply compared to the first quarter of 2024 thanks to capital gains on the private equity portfolio in seed money and a positive mark-to-market from equity holdings, despite the impact of the fall in short-term rates in the euro zone.

The increase in adjusted²operating expenses, €478m, is +8.8% compared to the first quarter of 2024, +6% at constant scope. It remains lower than that of revenues, thus generating a positive jaws effect of nearly 3 percentage points excluding the scope effect related to the acquisition of Alpha Associates and aixigo, reflecting the Group’s operational efficiency.

In addition to the scope effect, this increase is mainly due to:

investments in the development initiatives of the 2025 Ambitions plan, including technology, third-party distribution and Asia;
provisioning for individual variable remuneration, in line with the growth in results.

The cost-income ratio at 52.4% on an adjusted data basis², improved compared to the same quarter last year and is in line with the Ambitions 2025 target (<53%).

The adjusted²gross operating income (GOI) amounted to €434m, up +12.9% compared to the first quarter of 2024, +11.8% at constant scope, reflecting revenue growth.

Share of net income of equity-accounted companies¹³, at €28m, down slightly compared to the first quarter of 2024, reflects the decline in net financial income of the main contributing entity, the Indian JV SBI FM. The decline in the Indian equities markets resulted in negative mark-to-market in the JV’s financial income, which nevertheless continues to benefit from strong growth in its activity with management fees up of over +20% Q1/Q1.

The adjusted²corporate tax expense for the first quarter of 2025 reached -€155m, a very strong increase – +60.8% – compared to the first quarter of 2024.

In France, in accordance with the Finance law for 2025, an exceptional tax contribution must be booked in fiscal year 2025. It is calculated on the average of the profits made in France in 2024 and 2025. This exceptional contribution is estimated¹⁴ to -€72m for the year as a whole, but it will not be accounted for on a straight-line basis over the quarters. It amounted to -€46m in the first quarter of 2025, with the rest spread over the next three quarters. Excluding this exceptional contribution, the adjusted² tax expense would have been -€109m and the adjusted² effective tax rate would be equivalent to that of the first quarter of 2024.

Adjusted²net income amounts to €303m. Excluding the exceptional tax contribution, it would have been close to €350m, up +10% compared to the first quarter of 2024.

The adjusted²net earnings per share in the first quarter of 2025 was €1.48, including -€0.22 related to the exceptional tax contribution in France. Excluding this exceptional tax contribution, adjusted² earnings per share would therefore have been €1.70, up +9.6% compared to the first quarter of 2024.

Accounting data in the first quarter of 2025

Accounting net income, Group share amounted to €283m. It includes the exceptional tax contribution in France of -€46m.

As in other quarters, accounting net income includes non-cash charges related to the acquisitions of Alpha Associates and aixigo and the amortisation of intangible assets related to distribution agreements and client contracts (including the corresponding new charges related to Alpha Associates), for a total of -€14m after tax. Integration costs related to the partnership with Victory Capital, closed on 1 April 2025, were also recorded in the first quarter, for a total of -€5m after tax. Furthermore, amortisation of intangible fixed assets adjustments after the integration of aixigo was also recognised in operating expenses -€1m after tax (See the details of all these elements in p. 11).

Accounting net earnings per share in the first quarter of 2025 was €1.38, including the exceptional tax contribution in France.

A solid financial structure, €1.2bn in surplus capital

Tangible net assets¹⁵ amounted to €4.8bn as at 31 March 2025, up +€0.3bn or +7% compared to the end of 2024, in line with the quarter’s net income.

The CET1 solvency ratio stood at 15.5%¹⁶ as at 31 March 2025.

As indicated at the time of signing in July 2024, the partnership with Victory Capital will have no material effect on the ratio.

The capital surplus at the end of the first quarter amounted to €1.2bn, taking into account the dividend to be paid for 2024, the net income for the first quarter and the related dividend provision.

Future investments and operational efficiency

This quarter, Amundi demonstrated its ability to:

Be agile and accompany its clients in different market contexts, thanks to its wide range of high-performing investment management expertise and product innovation;
Develop services to offer technological or investment management solutions to players in the entire savings value chain;
Offer a full range of Responsible Investment solutions, in order to adapt to all client demands;
Develop in Europe including in the United Kingdom;
Invest and accelerate on the growth pillars of its strategic plan: Asia, third-party distribution, ETFs, technology, services.

To finance future investments and accelerate the reallocation of our resources towards our growth drivers, we set ourselves a cost optimisation target of €30 to €40m, to be achieved as from 2026.

* * * * *

APPENDICES

Adjusted income statement²of the first quarter of 2025

(M€)	Q1 2025	Q1 2024	% var. Q1/Q1

Net revenue – Adjusted	912	824	+10.7%
Net management fees	824	766	+7.7%
Performance fees	23	18	+30.7%
Technology	26	18	+46.2%
Financial income and other income – Adjusted	39	23	+68.5%
Operating expenses – Adjusted	(478)	(439)	+8.8%
Cost/income ratio – Adjusted (%)	52.4%	53,3%	-0.9pp
Gross operating income – Adjusted	434	385	+12.9%
Cost of risk & others	(4)	(0)	NS
Share of net income of equity-accounted companies	28	29	-3.7%
Income before tax – Adjusted	458	413	+10.7%
Corporate tax – Adjusted	(155)	(97)	+60.8%
Of which exceptional tax contribution in France	(46)	–	NS
Non-controlling interests	1	1	+14.3%
Net income Group share – Adjusted	303	318	-4.5%
Amortisation of intangible assets, after tax	(14)	(15)	-7.4%
Amortisation of aixigo PPA, after tax	(1)	–	–
Integration costs, after tax	(5)	–	–
Net income Group share	283	303	-6.6%
Earnings per share (€)	1.38	1.48	-7.0%
Earnings per share – Adjusted (€)	1.48	1.55	-4.9%

Change in assets under management from the end of 2021 to the end of March 2025¹⁷

(€bn)	*Assets under management*	*Net* *inflows*	*Market and forex effect*	*Scope* *Effect*			*Change in AuM* *vs. prior quarter*
As of 31/12/2021	2,064					+14%¹⁸
Q1 2022		+3.2	-46.4		–
As of 31/03/2022	2,021					-2.1%
Q2 2022		+1.8	-97.7		–
As of 30/06/2022	1,925					-4.8%
Q3 2022		-12.9	-16.3		–
As of 30/09/2022	1,895					-1.6%
Q4 2022		+15.0	-6.2		–
As of 31/12/2022	1,904					+0.5%
Q1 2023		-11.1	+40.9		–
As of 31/03/2023	1,934					+1.6%
Q2 2023		+3.7	+23.8		–
As of 31/06/2023	1,961					+1.4%
Q3 2023		+13.7	-1.7		–
As of 30/09/2023	1,973					+0.6%
Q4 2023		+19.5	+63.8		-20
As of 31/12/2023	2,037					+3.2%
Q1 2024		+16.6	+62.9		–
As of 31/03/2024	2,116					+3.9%
Q2 2024		+15.5	+16.6		+8
30/06/2024	2,156					+1.9%
Q3 2024		+2.9	+32.5		–
30/09/2024	2,192					+1.6%
Q4 2024		+20.5	+28.2		–
31/12/2024	2,240					+2.2%
Q1 2025		+31.1	-24.0		–
31/03/2025	2,247					+0.3%

Total year-on-year between 31 March 2024 and 31 March 2025: +6.2%

Net inflows +€70.0bn
Market effect +€63.8bn
Forex effect -€10.5bn
Scope effects +€7.9bn
(Alpha Associates’ first consolidation in Q2 2024, the acquisition of aixigo has no effect on assets under management)

Details of assets under management and net inflows by client segments¹⁹

(€bn)	AuM 31.03.2025	AuM 31.03.2024	% change /31.03.2024	Inflows Q1 2025	Inflows Q1 2024
French Networks	139	137	+1.3%	+0.2	+1.5
International networks	162	165	-1.6%	-2.7	-2.0
Of which Amundi BOC WM	2	3	-21.2%	+0.3	-0.2
Third-Party Distributors	398	345	+15.6%	+8.3	+7.0
Retail	700	647	+8.2%	+5.8	+6.5
Institutional & Sovereigns (*)	550	511	+7.5%	+30.1	+9.7
Corporates	111	108	+2.1%	-10.3	-4.2
Employee savings plans	95	90	+6.0%	-0.9	-0.9
CA & SG Insurers	430	427	+0.7%	+3.6	+1.0
Institutional	1,186	1,137	+4.3%	+22.4	+5.6
JVs	362	332	+8.9%	+2.9	+4.5
Total	2,247	2,116	+6.2%	+31.1	+16.6

(*) Including funds of funds

Details of assets under management and net inflows by asset classes¹⁹

(€bn)	AuM 31.03.2025	AuM 31.03.2024	% change /31.03.2024	Inflows Q1 2025	Inflows Q1 2024
Equities	564	505	+11.7%	+26.4	-2.6
Multi-assets	271	280	-3.1%	-1.0	-7.6
Bonds	759	700	+8.4%	+14.3	+13.9
Real, alternative, and structured products	111	107	+4.2%	-2.8	-0.3
MLT ASSETS excl. JVs	1,705	1,591	+7.2%	+36.9	+3.4
Treasury products excl. JVs	180	193	-6.5%	-8.7	+8.7
TOTAL excluding JVs	1,885	1,784	+5.7%	+28.2	+12.1
JVs	362	332	+8.9%	+2.9	+4.5
TOTAL	2,247	2,116	+6.2%	+31.1	+16.6
*Of which MLT assets*	*2,034*	*1,892*	*+7.5%*	*+39.7*	*+7.7*
*Of which Treasury products*	*213*	*224*	*-5.1%*	*-8.6*	*+8.9*

Details of assets under management and net inflows by type of management and asset classes¹⁹

(€bn)	AuM 31.03.2025		AuM 31.03.2024	% change /31.03.2024	Inflows Q1 2025	Inflows Q1 2024
Active management		1,149	1,117	+2.9%	+6.3	+1.3
Equities		204	209	-2.1%	-3.9	-2.8
Multi-assets		260	270	-3.6%	-1.0	-8.0
Bonds		685	639	+7.3%	+11.2	+12.0
Structured products		42	41	+3.7%	-2.0	+0.6
Passive management		445	368	+21.0%	+33.4	+2.5
ETFs & ETC		272	227	+19.8%	+10.4	+5.0
Index & Smart beta		173	140	+23.0%	+23.0	-2.5
Real and Alternative Assets		69	66	+4.5%	-0.7	-0.9
Real assets		65	61	+5.8%	-0.6	-0.2
Alternative		4	4	-12.8%	-0.1	-0.7
TOTAL MLT assets excluding JVs		1,705	1,591	+7.2%	+36.9	+3.4
Treasury products excl. JVs		180	193	-6.5%	-8.7	+8.7
TOTAL excluding JVs		1,885	1,784	+5.7%	+28.2	+12.1
JVs		362	332	+8.9%	+2.9	+4.5
TOTAL		2,247	2,116	+6.2%	+31.1	+16.6

Details of assets under management and net inflows by geographic area¹⁹

(€bn)	AuM 31.03.2025	AuM 31.03.2024	% change /31.03.2024	Inflows Q1 2025	Inflows Q1 2024
France	1,001	978	+2.3%	+0.5	+10.0
Italy	198	208	-4.6%	-1.9	-1.1
Europe excluding France & Italy	456	391	+16.6%	+23.7	+4.0
Asia	462	423	+9.3%	+7.8	+6.8
Rest of the world	130	116	+11.7%	+1.0	-3.0
TOTAL	2,247	2,116	+6.2%	+31.1	+16.6
*TOTAL outside France*	1,246	1,138	+9.5%	+30.6	+6.6

Methodological appendix – APM

Accounting and adjusted data

Accounting data – They include

amortisation of intangible assets, recorded as other revenues, and from Q2 2024, other non-cash charges spread according to the schedule of payments of the price adjustment until the end of 2029; these expenses are recognised as deductions from net revenues, in financial expenses.
integration costs related to the transaction with Victory Capital and PPA amortisation related to the acquisition of aixigo recorded in the fourth quarter as operating expenses. No such costs were recorded in the first nine months of 2024.

The aggregate amounts of these items are as follows for the different periods under review:

Q1 2024: -€20m before tax and -€15m after tax
Q4 2024: -€38m before tax and -€28m after tax
Q1 2025: -€29m pre-tax and -€20m after tax

Adjusted data – In order to present an income statement that is closer to economic reality, the following adjustments have been made: restatement of the amortisation of distribution agreements with Bawag, UniCredit and Banco Sabadell, intangible assets representing the client contracts of Lyxor and, since the second quarter of 2024, Alpha Associates, as well as other non-cash charges related to the acquisition of Alpha Associates; these amortisations and non-cash expenses are recognised as a deduction from net revenues; restatement of the amortisation of a technology asset related to the acquisition of aixigo recognised in operating expenses. The integration costs for the transaction with Victory Capital are also restated.

Acquisition of Alpha Associates

In accordance with IFRS 3, recognition on Amundi’s balance sheet as at 01/04/2024 of:

a goodwill of €288m;
an intangible asset of €50m, representing client contracts, amortised on a straight-line basis until the end of 2030;
a liability representing the conditional price adjustment not yet paid, for €160m before tax, including an actuarial discount of -€30m, which will be amortized over 6 years.

In the Group’s income statement, the following is recorded:

amortisation of intangible assets for a full-year charge of -€7.6m (-€6.1m after tax);
other non-cash expenses spread according to the schedule of payments of the price adjustment until the end of 2029; these expenses are recognised as deductions from net revenues, in financial expenses.

In Q1 2025, amortisation of intangible assets was -€1.9m before tax and non-cash expenses were -€1.5m before tax (i.e. -€2.5m after tax).

Acquisition of aixigo

In accordance with IFRS 3, recognition on Amundi’s balance sheet at the date of acquisition of:

goodwill of €121m;
a technological asset of €36m representative of the goodwill attributed to aixigo’s software solutions, amortised on a straight-line basis over 5 years;

The full-year amortisation expense of the technology asset was -€7.2m (-€4.8m after tax); in Q1 2025 the amortisation expense was -€1.8m (-€1.2m after tax); it is recognised in operating expenses.

Alternative Performance Measures²⁰

In order to present an income statement that is closer to economic reality, Amundi publishes adjusted data that are calculated in accordance with the methodological appendix presented above.

The adjusted data can be reconciled with the accounting data as follows:

= accounting data

= adjusted data

(M€)	Q1 2025	Q1 2024	Q4 2024


Net revenue (a)	892	804	901
– Amortisation of intangible assets before tax	(18)	(20)	(22)
– Other non-cash expenses related to Alpha Associates	(1)	0	(1)
Net revenue – Adjusted (b)	912	824	924

Operating expenses (c)	(486)	(439)	(496)
– Integration costs before tax	(7)	0	(13)
– Amortisation of aixigo-related PPA before tax	(2)	0	(1)
Operating expenses – Adjusted (d)	(478)	(439)	(482)

Gross Operating Income (e)=(a)+(c)	406	364	405
Gross operating income – Adjusted (f)=(b)+(d)	434	385	443
Cost/income ratio (%) -(c)/(a)	54.5%	54.6%	55.1%
Cost/income ratio – Adjusted (%) -(d)/(b)	52.4%	53.3%	52.1%
Cost of risk & other (g)	(4)	(0)	(3)
Share of net income of equity-accounted companies (h)	28	29	29
Profit before tax (i)=(e)+(g)+(h)	429	393	431
Profit before tax – Adjusted (j)=(f)+(g)+(h)	458	413	469
Corporate tax (k)	(147)	(91)	(83)
Corporate tax – Adjusted (l)	(155)	(97)	(93)
Non-controlling interests (m)	1	1	1
Net income Group share (n)=(i)+(k)+(m)	283	303	349
Net income Group share – Adjusted (o)=(j)+(l)+(m)	303	318	377

Earnings per share (€)	1.38	1.48	1.70
Earnings per share – Adjusted (€)	1.48	1.55	1.84

Shareholding

	31 March 2025		31 December 2024		31 March 2024
*(units)*	Number of shares	% of capital	Number of shares	% of capital	Number of shares	% of capital
Crédit Agricole Group	141,057,399	68.67%	141,057,399	68.67%	141,057,399	68.93%
Employees	4,128,079	2.01%	4,272,132	2.08%	2,869,026	1.40%
Treasury shares	1,961,141	0.95%	1,992,485	0.97%	1,259,079	0.62%
Free float	58,272,643	28.37%	58,097,246	28.28%	59,462,130	29.06%

Number of shares at the end of the period	205,419,262	100.0%	205,419,262	100.0%	204,647,634	100.0%
Average number of shares since the beginning of the year	205,419,262	–	204,776,239	–	204,647,634	–
Average number of shares quarter-to-date	205,419,262	–	205,159,257	–	204,647,634	–

Average number of shares pro rata temporis.

The average number of shares increased by +0.1% between Q4 2024 and Q1 2025, and by +0.4% between Q1 2024 and Q1 2025.
A capital increase reserved for employees was recorded on 31 October 2024. 771,628 shares were created (approximately 0.4% of the share capital before the transaction).
Amundi announced on 7 October 2024 a buyback programme of up to 1 million shares (i.e. ~0.5% of the share capital before the transaction) to cover performance shares plans. It was finalised on November 27, 2024.

Financial communication calendar

Workshop to presenting the Third-Party Distribution business line – Thursday 19 June in London
General Shareholders’ Meeting – Tuesday 27 May 2025
Q2 and H1 2025 earnings release – Tuesday 29 July 2025
Q3 and 9-month 2025 earnings release – Tuesday 28 October 2025
New strategic three-year plan – in the fourth quarter 2025

2024 dividend schedule: €4.25 per share

Ex dividend date: Monday 10 June 2025
Payment: from Wednesday 12 June 2025

About Amundi

Amundi, the leading European asset manager, ranking among the top 10 global players²¹, offers its 100 million clients – retail, institutional and corporate – a complete range of savings and investment solutions in active and passive management, in traditional or real assets. This offering is enhanced with IT tools and services to cover the entire savings value chain. A subsidiary of the Crédit Agricole group and listed on the stock exchange, Amundi currently manages more than €2.2 trillion of assets²².

With its six international investment hubs²³, financial and extra-financial research capabilities and long-standing commitment to responsible investment, Amundi is a key player in the asset management landscape.

Amundi clients benefit from the expertise and advice of 5,700 employees in 35 countries.

Amundi, a trusted partner, working every day in the interest of its clients and society.

www.amundi.com

Press contacts:
Natacha Andermahr
Tel. +33 1 76 37 86 05
natacha.andermahr@amundi.com

Corentin Henry
Tel. +33 1 76 32 26 96
corentin.henry@amundi.com

Investor contacts:
Cyril Meilland, CFA
Tel. +33 1 76 32 62 67
cyril.meilland@amundi.com

Thomas Lapeyre
Tel. +33 1 76 33 70 54
thomas.lapeyre@amundi.com

Annabelle Wiriath

Tel. + 33 1 76 32 43 92

annabelle.wiriath@amundi.com

DISCLAIMER

This document does not constitute an offer or invitation to sell or purchase, or any solicitation of any offer to purchase or subscribe for, any securities of Amundi in the United States of America or in France. Securities may not be offered, subscribed or sold in the United States of America absent registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “U.S. Securities Act”), except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements thereof. The securities of Amundi have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act and Amundi does not intend to make a public offer of its securities in the United States of America or in France.

This document may contain forward looking statements concerning Amundi’s financial position and results. The data provided do not constitute a profit “forecast” or “estimate” as defined in Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/980.

These forward looking statements include projections and financial estimates based on scenarios that employ a number of economic assumptions in a given competitive and regulatory context, assumptions regarding plans, objectives and expectations in connection with future events, transactions, products and services, and assumptions in terms of future performance and synergies. By their very nature, they are therefore subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which could lead to their non-fulfilment. Consequently, no assurance can be given that these forward looking statement will come to fruition, and Amundi’s actual financial position and results may differ materially from those projected or implied in these forward looking statements.

Amundi undertakes no obligation to publicly revise or update any forward looking statements provided as at the date of this document. Risks that may affect Amundi’s financial position and results are further detailed in the “Risk Factors” section of our Universal Registration Document filed with the French Autorité des Marchés Financiers. The reader should take all these uncertainties and risks into consideration before forming their own opinion.

The figures presented were prepared in accordance with applicable prudential regulations and IFRS guidelines, as adopted by the European Union and applicable at that date. The financial information set out herein do not constitute a set of financial statements for an interim period as defined by IAS 34 “Interim Financial Reporting” and has not been audited.

Unless otherwise specified, sources for rankings and market positions are internal. The information contained in this document, to the extent that it relates to parties other than Amundi or comes from external sources, has not been verified by a supervisory authority or, more generally, subject to independent verification, and no representation or warranty has been expressed as to, nor should any reliance be placed on, the fairness, accuracy, correctness or completeness of the information or opinions contained herein. Neither Amundi nor its representatives can be held liable for any decision made, negligence or loss that may result from the use of this document or its contents, or anything related to them, or any document or information to which this document may refer.

The sum of values set out in the tables and analyses may differ slightly from the total reported due to rounding.

¹        Assets under management and net inflows including assets under advisory, marketed assets and funds of funds, and taking into account 100% of assets under management and net inflows from Asian JVs; for Wafa Gestion in Morocco, assets under management and net inflows are reported in proportion to Amundi’s share in the capital of the JV.
²        Adjusted data: see p. 11
³        Net income Group share
⁴        Total tax expense in Q1 2025 of -€155m, of which the exceptional tax contribution (surcharge) in France booked in Q1 for -€46m; the total amount of the exceptional contribution estimated to be paid in fiscal year 2025 is estimated at -€72m; Q1 2025 adjusted net income including this surcharge was €303m.
⁵        The inflows presented in this section are not cumulative, as they may overlap in part, for example an ETF sold to a third-party distributor in Asia.
⁶        Medium to Long-Term Assets, excluding JVs
⁷        4.9% voting rights
⁸        Adjusted for the deconsolidation of Amundi US assets distributed to US clients
⁹        Composite Index for equities: 50% MSCI World + 50% Eurostoxx 600
¹⁰        Bloomberg Euro Aggregate for Fixed Income Markets
¹¹        Source: Morningstar FundFile, ETFGI. European & cross-border open-ended funds (excluding mandates and dedicated funds). Data as of end–March 2024.
¹²        Source: Morningstar Direct, Broadridge FundFile – Open-ended funds and ETFs, global fund scope, March 2025; as a percentage of the assets under management of the funds in question; the number of Amundi’s open-ended funds rated by Morningstar was 1071 at the end of March 2025. © 2025 Morningstar, all rights reserved
¹³        Reflecting Amundi’s share of the net income of minority JVs in India (SBI FM), China (ABC-CA), South Korea (NH-Amundi) and Morocco (Wafa Gestion),
¹⁴        Under the assumption that FY 2025 taxable profit in France will be equivalent to that of 2024, before adjusting the average for actual FY 2025 results
¹⁵        Shareholder’s equity excluding goodwill and other intangible assets
¹⁶        According to the new definition of the ratio resulting from the CRR3 regulation (Capital Requirements Regulation 3) of the European Union; ratio calculated excluding Q1 accounting net income
¹⁷        Assets under management and net inflows including assets under advisory, marketed assets and funds of funds, and taking into account 100% of assets under management and net inflows from Asian JVs; for Wafa Gestion in Morocco, assets under management and net inflows are reported in proportion to Amundi’s share in the capital of the JV.
¹⁸        Lyxor, integrated as of 31/12/2021; sale of Lyxor Inc. in Q4-23
¹⁹        Assets under management and net inflows including assets under advisory, marketed assets and funds of funds, and taking into account 100% of assets under management and net inflows from Asian JVs; for Wafa Gestion in Morocco, assets under management and net inflows are reported in proportion to Amundi’s share in the capital of the JV; as of 01/01/2024, reclassification of short-term bond strategies (€30bn of assets under management) as Bonds ; previously classified as Treasury products until that date; assets under management up to this date have not been reclassified in this table
²⁰        See also the section 4.3 of the 2024 Universal Registration Document filed with the AMF on 16 April 2025 under number D25-0272
²¹Source: IPE “Top 500 Asset Managers” published in June 2024 based on assets under management as of 31/12/2023
²²Amundi data as at 31/03/2025
²³Paris, London, Dublin, Milan, Tokyo and San Antonio (via our strategic partnership with Victory Capital)

Attachment

Amundi_PR_Q1 2025_EN_vdef

The MIL Network –

April 29, 2025

MIL-OSI Africa: The Internation Monetary Fund (IMF) to Hold the Inaugural Annual Economic Research Conference on Middle East and North Africa (MENA)

Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:

WASHINGTON D.C., United States of America, April 28, 2025/APO Group/ —

Jihad Azour, Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department and Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas, Economic Counsellor and Director of the Research Department of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) issued a statement today:

“Global shocks are adding to regional factors resulting in exceptionally uncertain economic environment for Middle East and North Africa (MENA) economies. Conflicts, trade tensions, volatile commodity prices, changing climate conditions, energy transitions, rapid technological advances are altering the economic landscape of the region, posing severe challenges but also presenting opportunities for bold reforms that safeguard macroeconomic stability, build resilience, and raise living standards for all. Economic research is essential to provide reliable analysis and develop workable and innovative policy responses.

“In this context, we are pleased to announce that the IMF will organize an annual Economic Research Conference on MENA, partnering with leading universities in the region. The aim is to establish a forum for dialogue on pressing economic issues, promote policy-oriented academic research tailored to the needs and unique challenges of the region. It will also provide a platform for the exchange of ideas and insights for academics, researchers, and policymakers in the MENA region and worldwide.

“The inaugural conference, Steering Macroeconomic and Structural Policies in A Shifting Global Economic Landscape, will be co-organized with Onsi Sawiris School of Business at The American University in Cairo and take place in Cairo on May 18-19, 2025. It will feature presentations and panel discussions by leading economists and policymakers. The conference details and agenda are available here.

“The IMF is a long-standing partner to countries in the MENA region in the quest for more inclusive and resilient growth. The IMF-MENA Annual Research Conference is another step forward to further strengthen that partnership and engagement with the region and its people.”

MIL OSI Africa –

April 29, 2025
MIL-OSI Submissions: Amnesty International warns of global human rights crisis as ‘Trump effect’ accelerates destructive trends
Source: Amnesty International

Annual report highlights the creep of authoritarian practices and vicious clampdowns on dissent around the world

President Trump’s first 100 days intensify 2024’s global regressions and deep-rooted trends

Global failures in addressing inequalities, climate collapse, and tech transformations imperil future generations

The rise of authoritarian practices and annihilation of international law are not inevitable: people do and will resist attacks on human rights; governments can deliver international justice and must continue to do so.

The Trump administration’s anti-rights campaign is turbocharging harmful trends already present, gutting international human rights protections and endangering billions across the planet, Amnesty International warned today upon launching its annual report, The State of the World’s Human Rights.

This “Trump effect” has compounded the damage done by other world leaders throughout 2024, eating away at decades of painstaking work to build up and advance universal human rights for all and accelerating humanity’s plunge into a brutal new era characterized by intermingling authoritarian practices and corporate greed, Amnesty International said in its assessment of the situation in 150 countries.

“Year after year, we have warned of the dangers of human rights backsliding. But events of the past 12 months – not least Israel’s livestreamed but unheeded genocide of Palestinians in Gaza – have laid bare just how hellish the world can be for so many when the most powerful states jettison international law and disregard multilateral institutions. At this historical juncture, when authoritarian laws and practices are multiplying the world over in the interests of very few, governments and civil society must work with urgency to lead humanity back to safer ground,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.

The State of the World’s Human Rights documents vicious, widespread clampdowns on dissent, catastrophic escalations of armed conflict, inadequate efforts to address climate collapse, and a growing backlash globally against the rights of migrants, refugees, women, girls and LGBTI people. Each of these faces further deterioration in a turbulent 2025 unless a global about-turn is achieved.

“One hundred days into his second term, President Trump has shown only utter contempt for universal human rights. His government has swiftly and deliberately targeted vital US and international institutions and initiatives that were designed to make ours a safer and fairer world. His all-out assault on the very concepts of multilateralism, asylum, racial and gender justice, global health and life-saving climate action is exacerbating the significant damage those principles and institutions have already sustained and is further emboldening other anti-rights leaders and movements to join his onslaught,” Agnès Callamard added.

“But let us be clear: this sickness runs much deeper than the actions of President Trump. For years now, we’ve witnessed a creeping spread of authoritarian practices among states the world over, fostered by aspiring and elected leaders willingly acting as engines of destruction. As they drag us into a new age of turmoil and cruelty, all who believe in freedom and equality must steel ourselves to counter increasingly extreme attacks on international law and universal human rights.”

The proliferation of authoritarian laws, policies and practices targeting freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly that Amnesty International documented in 2024 was central to the global backlash against human rights. Governments across the world sought to evade accountability, entrench their power and instil fear by banning media outlets, by disbanding or suspending NGOs and political parties, by imprisoning critics on baseless charges of “terrorism” or “extremism”, and by criminalizing human rights defenders, climate activists, Gaza solidarity protesters and other dissenters.

Security forces in several countries used mass arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances and often excessive – sometimes lethal – force to suppress civil disobedience. Bangladeshi authorities issued “shoot-on-sight” orders against student protests, resulting in almost 1,000 deaths, while security forces in Mozambique unleashed the worst crackdown on protests in years following disputed elections, leaving at least 277 people dead.

Türkiye imposed blanket bans on protests and continues to use unlawful and indiscriminate force against peaceful demonstrators, but people power prevailed in South Korea when president Yoon Suk Yeol suspended certain human rights and declared martial law, only to be removed from office and see those measures overturned after massive public protests.

Armed conflicts highlight repeated failures

As conflicts multiplied or escalated, state forces and armed groups acted brazenly, committing war crimes and other serious violations of international humanitarian law that devastated the lives of millions.

Amnesty International documented Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza in a landmark reportand its system of apartheid and unlawful occupation in the West Bank turned increasingly violent. Meanwhile, Russia killed more Ukrainian civilians in 2024 than it did the year before, continuing to target civilian infrastructure and subjecting detainees to torture and enforced disappearance.

Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces inflicted widespread sexual violence on women and girls, in what amounts to war crimes and possible crimes against humanity, while the number of people internally displaced by Sudan’s two-year civil war rose to 11 million – more than anywhere else on earth. Yet that conflict elicited near-total global indifference – aside from cynical actors exploiting opportunities to breach the Darfur arms embargo.

The Rohingya continued to face racist attacks in Myanmar, causing many to flee their homes in Rakhine state. The Trump administration’s massive foreign aid cuts have since aggravated the situation, causing the closure of hospitals in refugee camps in neighbouring Thailand, exposing fleeing human rights defenders to risk of deportation and imperilling programmes helping people survive the conflict.

The initial suspension of US foreign aid also impacted health services and support for children forcibly separated from their families at detention camps in Syria, and the abrupt cuts have shut down lifesaving programmes in Yemen, including malnutrition treatment for children, pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, safe shelters for survivors of gender-based violence, and healthcare for children suffering from cholera and other illnesses.

“Amnesty International has long warned of double standards undermining the rules-based order. The impact of that to-date unfettered backsliding plumbed new depths in 2024, from Gaza to the Democratic Republic of Congo. Having paved the way for this mess by failing to universally uphold the rule of law, the international community must now shoulder the responsibility,” said Agnès Callamard.

“The cost of these failures is gargantuan, namely the loss of vital protections built to safeguard humanity after the horrors of the Holocaust and World War Two. Despite its many imperfections, obliteration of the multilateral system is no answer. It must be strengthened and reimagined. Yet, having seen it sustain further damage in 2024, today the Trump administration appears intent on taking a chainsaw to the remnants of multilateral cooperation in order to reshape our world through a transactional doctrine steeped in greed, callous self-interest and dominance of the few.”

Governments are abandoning future generations

The State of the World’s Human Rights presents stark evidence that the world is condemning future generations to an ever-harsher existence thanks to collective failures to tackle the climate crisis, reverse ever-deepening inequalities and restrain corporate power.

COP29 was a catastrophe, with a record number of fossil fuel lobbyists inhibiting progress on a fair phase-out, while the wealthiest countries bullied lower-income nations into accepting derisory climate financing agreements. President Trump’s reckless decision to abandon the Paris Agreement and his “drill, baby drill” refrain have only compounded these failings and could encourage others to follow suit.

“2024 was the hottest year on record and the first to exceed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. The floods that devastated South Asia and Europe, the droughts that ravaged Southern Africa, the fires that razed swathes of Amazon rainforest and the hurricanes that wreaked havoc in the USA laid bare the immense human cost of global heating, even at its current levels. With a 3°C rise projected this century, richer nations know they’re not immune from increasingly extreme unnatural disasters – as the recent California wildfires drove home – but will they act?” said Agnès Callamard.

In 2024, extreme poverty and inequality within and between states continued to deepen due to widespread inflation, poor corporate regulation, pervasive tax abuse and rising national debts. Yet many governments and political movements used racist and xenophobic rhetoric to scapegoat migrants and refugees for crime and economic stagnation. Meanwhile, the number and wealth of billionaires grew, even as the World Bank warned of “a lost decade” in global poverty reduction.

The future looks far bleaker for many women, girls and LGBTI people, amid intensifying attacks on gender equality and identity. The Taliban imposed even-more-draconian restrictions on women’s public existence in Afghanistan, while Iranian authorities intensified their brutal crackdown on women and girls who defy compulsory veiling. Groups of women searching for missing loved ones in Mexico and Colombia faced all manner of threats and attacks.

Malawi, Mali and Uganda took steps to criminalize or uphold bans on same-sex relations between consenting adults, while Georgia and Bulgaria followed Russia’s lead in clamping down on supposed “LGBTI propaganda”. The Trump administration is bolstering the global backlash against gender justice by dismantling efforts to tackle discrimination, relentlessly attacking transgender rights, and ending funding for health, education and other programmes that supported women and girls all over the world.

Governments are further harming present and future generations by failing to adequately regulate new technologies, abusing surveillance tools and entrenching discrimination and inequalities through increased use of artificial intelligence.

Tech firms have long facilitated discriminatory and authoritarian practices, but President Trump has exacerbated this trend, encouraging social media companies to roll back protections – including Meta’s removal of third-party fact-checking – and double down on a business model that enables the spread of hateful and violent content. The alignment between the Trump administration and tech billionaires also risks opening the door to an era of rampant corruption, disinformation, impunity and corporate capture of state power.

“From seating tech billionaires in prime position at his inauguration to granting the world’s richest man unprecedented access to the US government apparatus, it appears that President Trump will let his self-serving and corporate allies run amok, without the slightest regard for human rights or even the rule of law,” said Agnès Callamard.

Vital efforts to uphold international justice

Despite mounting opposition from powerful states – compounded this year by the Trump administration’s shameless sanctions against the ICC prosecutor – international justice and multilateral bodies have continued to push for accountability at the highest levels, with governments from the Global South leading several significant initiatives.

The ICC issued arrest warrants against senior state officials and leaders of armed groups in Israel, Gaza, Libya, Myanmar and Russia. The UN took an important step towards negotiating a much-needed treaty on crimes against humanity and the Philippines followed suit by arresting former president Rodrigo Duterte last month under an ICC warrant for the crime against humanity of murder.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued three sets of provisional measure orders in the case South Africa brought against Israel under the Genocide Convention and issued an advisory opinion declaring that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, is unlawful. The UN General Assembly also passed a resolution calling on Israel to end its occupation, and in January 2025 eight states from the Global South formed the Hague Group, a collective committed to preventing arms transfers to Israel and holding it accountable for violations of international law.

“We applaud the efforts of nations like South Africa and international justice bodies to push back against powerful states hellbent on undermining international law. In so challenging impunity, those nations and bodies set examples for the whole world to follow. The mounting attacks we’ve witnessed on the ICC in recent months suggest this is emerging as a major battlefield of 2025. All governments must do everything in their power to support international justice, hold perpetrators accountable, and protect the ICC and its staff from sanctions,” said Agnès Callamard.

“Despite daunting challenges, the destruction of human rights is far from inevitable. History abounds with examples of brave people overcoming authoritarian practices. In 2024 the people of several nations rejected anti-rights leaders at the ballot box while millions around the world raised their voices against injustice. So it’s clear: no matter who stands in our way, we must – and we will – continue to resist the reckless regimes of power and profit that seek to strip people of their human rights. Our vast, unshakeable movement will be forever united in our common belief in the inherent dignity and human rights of everyone on this planet.”
MIL OSI – Submitted News –
April 29, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for April 29, 2025

ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on April 29, 2025.

Why are political parties allowed to send spam texts? And how can we make them stop?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tegan Cohen, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Digital Media Research Centre, Queensland University of Technology Ti Wi / Unsplash Another election, another wave of unsolicited political texts. Over this campaign, our digital mailboxes have been stuffed with a slew of political appeals and promises, many from the new party

The Oscars have rolled out the red carpet for generative AI. And surprisingly, viewers don’t seem to mind
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Crosby, Senior Lecturer, Department of Economics, Macquarie University The Oscars have entered the age of artificial intelligence (AI). Last week the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences explicitly said, for the first time, films using generative AI tools will not be disqualified from the awards.

Echidna ancestors lived watery lifestyles like platypuses 100 million years ago – new study
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sue Hand, Professor Emeritus, Palaeontology, UNSW Sydney Mary_May/Shutterstock As the world’s only surviving egg-laying mammals, Australasia’s platypus and four echidna species are among the most extraordinary animals on Earth. They are also very different from each other. The platypus is well adapted for a semi-aquatic lifestyle, spending

‘Do something about it before it gets worse’: young people want government action on gambling reform
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hannah Pitt, Senior Research Fellow – Institute for Health Transformation, Deakin University David P. Smith/Shutterstock Do something about it before it gets worse. This was a response from a 16-year-old boy in one of our recent studies when asked what he would say to the prime minister

‘I’m always afraid for the future of my family’: why it’s too hard for some refugees to reunite with loved ones
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mary Anne Kenny, Associate Professor, School of Law, Murdoch University When refugees flee their home country due to war, violence, conflict or persecution, they are often forced to leave behind their families. For more than 30,000 people who have sought asylum in Australia since arriving more than

Major survey finds most people use AI regularly at work – but almost half admit to doing so inappropriately
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicole Gillespie, Professor of Management; Chair in Trust, Melbourne Business School Matheus Bertelli/Pexels Have you ever used ChatGPT to draft a work email? Perhaps to summarise a report, research a topic or analyse data in a spreadsheet? If so, you certainly aren’t alone. Artificial intelligence (AI) tools

1 billion years ago, a meteorite struck Scotland and influenced life on Earth
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chris Kirkland, Professor of Geochronology, Curtin University Stoer Head lighthouse, Scotland. William Gale/Shutterstock We’ve discovered that a meteorite struck northwest Scotland 1 billion years ago, 200 million years later than previously thought. Our results are published today in the journal Geology. This impact now aligns with some

Arsenic is everywhere – but new detection methods could help save lives
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Magdalena Wajrak, Senior Lecturer in Chemistry, Edith Cowan University Arsenic is a nasty poison that once reigned as the ultimate weapon of deception. In the 18th century, it was the poison of choice for those wanting to kill their enemies and spouses, favoured for its undetectable nature

Forming new habits can take longer than you think. Here are 8 tips to help you stick with them
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben Singh, Research Fellow, Allied Health & Human Performance, University of South Australia SarahMcEwan/Shutterstock If you’ve ever tried to build a new habit – whether that’s exercising more, eating healthier, or going to bed earlier – you may have heard the popular claim that it only takes

‘Complaining is career suicide’: the hidden mental health crisis turning our screen industry upside down
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Hegedus, Associate Professor, Griffith Film School, Griffith University Shutterstock The Australian screen industry is often associated with fun, creativity and perhaps even glamour. But our new Pressure Point Report reveals a more troubling reality: a pervasive mental health crisis, which could see the screen industry lose

New survey shows business outlook is weakening and uncertainty rising as the trade war bites
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Simon, Adjunct Fellow in Economics, Macquarie University Vivid Brands/Shutterstock Uncertainty is everywhere these days. There is even uncertainty about the uncertainty. The Reserve Bank of Australia, for example, noted in the minutes from its April 1 meeting: The most significant development in the period leading up

How ICE is becoming a secret police force under the Trump administration
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lee Morgenbesser, Associate Professor, School of Government and International Relations, Griffith University Secret police are a quintessential feature of authoritarian regimes. From Azerbaijan’s State Security Service to Zimbabwe’s Central Intelligence Organisation, these agencies typically target political opponents and dissidents through covert surveillance, imprisonment and physical violence. In

Democracy on display or a public eyesore? The case for cracking down on election corflutes
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Hughes, Lecturer in Marketing, Research School of Management, Australian National University In my time researching political advertising, one common communication method that often generates complaints is the proliferation of campaign corflutes. Politicians love them. Not so, many members of the general public. People are so fed

Here’s how to make your backyard safer and cooler next summer
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Pui Kwan Cheung, Research Fellow in Urban Microclimates, The University of Melbourne Varavin88, Shutterstock Our backyards should be safe and inviting spaces all year round, including during the summer months. But the choices we make about garden design and maintenance, such as whether to have artificial turf

Five ways to make cities more resilient to climate change
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul O’Hare, Lecturer in Human Geography and Urban Development, Manchester Metropolitan University John_T/Shutterstock Climate breakdown poses immense threats to global economies, societies and ecosystems. Adapting to these impacts is urgent. But many cities and countries remain chronically unprepared in what the UN calls an “adaptation gap”. Building

Politics with Michelle Grattan: pollster Kos Samaras on how voters are leaving the major parties behind
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra As we enter the final days of campaigning, Labor leads with its nose in front on most polls, but the devil is in the detail of particular seats. To help get a read on what the voters are feeling at

Vanuatu communities growing climate resilience in wake of Cyclone Lola
Communities in Vanuatu are learning to grow climate resilient crops, 18 months after Cyclone Lola devastated the country. The category 5 storm struck in October 2023, generating wind speeds of up to 215 kmph, which destroyed homes, schools, plantations, and left at least four people dead. It was all the worse for following twin cyclones

Election Diary: Labor to slash more consultant costs and increase visa charges to pay for fresh election commitments
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The government has dug out last-minute savings of more than A$7 billion, to ensure its election commitments are more than offset in every year of the forward estimates. Its costings, released Monday, include savings of $6.4 billion from further reducing

Big and small spending included in Labor costings, but off-budget items yet to be revealed
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Bartos, Professor of Economics, University of Canberra The federal budget will be stronger than suggested in last month’s budget, according to Treasurer Jim Chalmers who released Labor’s costings on Monday. Many of the policies included in the costings were already detailed in either the 2025 Budget

How much do election promises cost? And why have we had to wait so long to see the costings?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Bartos, Professor of Economics, University of Canberra With the May 3 federal election less than a week away, voters have only just received Labor’s costings and are yet to hear from the Coalition. At the 2022 election, the costings were not released for nearly two months

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

April 29, 2025
MIL-OSI China: China, Kenya join hands on path to modernization

Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

NAIROBI, April 28 — For centuries, China and Kenya have shared a history of exchanges and cooperation. Last week, their relationship entered a new stage as Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with Kenyan President William Ruto in Beijing, agreeing to elevate bilateral ties to a China-Kenya community with a shared future in the new era.

Xi called on the two sides to enhance regular policy communication, build connectivity at a higher level, promote sustainable trade, explore diversified financial integration, carry forward the friendship forged through generations, and be leaders in advancing high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.

SKILLS TRAINING

Linet Wambui Kihoro, a 27-year-old railway safety engineer, works among tracks and equipment at the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway, a flagship project under the Belt and Road Initiative. A graduate of Beijing Jiaotong University, Kihoro now applies her expertise to maintain the daily operation of Kenya’s railways.

In January 2024, Xi replied to a letter from Kenyan students and alumni of Beijing Jiaotong University, including Kihoro.

President Xi encouraged the Kenyan students to learn professional knowledge well, continue the traditional friendship and devote themselves to bilateral cooperation, she said.

“The China-Kenya community with a shared future in the new era is not only a cooperation intention at the governmental level, but is also reflected in various aspects such as people-to-people connectivity, youth exchanges and cultural mutual learning,” she said.

According to a joint statement released on Thursday, China and Kenya pledged to strengthen cooperation in such areas as industry, agriculture, higher education, vocational education and human resource training.

An increasing number of young people, like Kihoro, are benefiting from China-Africa cooperation in education and capacity building. From the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway to the Swak Dam, the Nairobi Expressway and the Garissa Solar Power Plant, high-quality Belt and Road projects have not only improved the daily lives of Kenyans but also provided opportunities to learn new skills and knowledge.

James Karimi Njuguna, a Kenyan engineer, participated in the upgrading of the Olkaria I power plant, Africa’s first geothermal plant, which had been struggling with corroded pipelines and outdated technology. “Chinese companies revitalized the geothermal fields by optimizing turbine structures and well layouts,” Njuguna said. “It was a technological revolution. They modernized the equipment, hired local employees and provided professional training, cultivating a new generation of technical experts in Kenya.”

A report by the Kenya-China Economic and Trade Association showed that between 2022 and 2023, Chinese enterprises employed more than 60,000 local workers in Kenya, with a localization rate exceeding 90 percent. This not only increased local employment but also contributed to transforming the technological landscape.

AGRICULTURAL COOPERATION

In Matangi Tisa Village in Kenya’s Nakuru County, home to Kenya’s first demonstration village for China-Africa agricultural development and poverty reduction, people are busy planting tomatoes with the help of Chinese experts.

For years, local tomato farming had been plagued by bacterial wilt, but villagers are hopeful of a bountiful harvest this season.

When the Chinese and Kenyan presidents met during the Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) held in Beijing last year, Xi said “the two sides should closely synergize the high-quality Belt and Road cooperation with Kenya Vision 2030, build an East African connectivity hub and industrial belt, and strengthen cooperation in such areas as digital economy, new energy, economy, trade, poverty reduction and agriculture development.”

Among the 10 partnership actions announced by Xi at the 2024 FOCAC Summit is the partnership action for agriculture and livelihoods. Under this initiative, China has committed to building 100,000 mu (about 6,670 hectares) of standardized agricultural demonstration areas, sending 500 agricultural experts, and establishing a China-Africa agricultural science and technology innovation alliance.

These commitments are injecting fresh momentum into Africa’s efforts toward agricultural modernization and poverty alleviation.

In a recent interview with Xinhua, President Ruto praised China’s success in lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty, calling China’s experience highly relevant for African countries still grappling with poverty. He expressed hope to leverage Chinese expertise to advance Kenya’s agricultural modernization and industrialization.

In Kenya’s Siaya County, 69-year-old farmer Peter Onyango was watching the clear waters flow through newly dug irrigation channels, eagerly anticipating a good harvest. Built by a Chinese company along the lower reaches of the Nzoia River, this irrigation project, the largest of its kind in Kenya, has significantly boosted local irrigation capacity.

Officially operational in April, the canal is expected to enhance food security. When visiting the project in January, Ruto said that the new infrastructure would play a major role in advancing Kenya’s economic transformation by boosting agricultural productivity.

STRENGTHENING ECONOMIC TIES

Rains in April have breathed new life into the rolling tea plantations of western Kenya. Near the C22 highway built by a Chinese company, several tea processing factories are working at full speed.

A few years ago, the road was little more than a muddy dirt track, often becoming impassable during the rainy season. “Truck wheels would get stuck, and sometimes water would seep into the tea boxes, ruining the harvest,” recalled driver John Murambi.

Since the road was upgraded to a paved highway, Murambi can now make multiple deliveries a day, which has greatly increased his income. “We no longer have to worry about tea spoiling on the road,” he said.

At the nearby Kipkebe Tea Factory, General Manager Silas Njibwakale said that since the completion of the road upgrading, transportation losses have dropped from about a quarter of total production to nearly zero. A once-impassable route has now become a major artery supporting local communities.

Across Kenya, Chinese-built roads, railways and ports are helping break transportation bottlenecks for key exports like tea, coffee, flowers and avocados, allowing these goods to reach global markets more quickly and reliably.

Thousands of miles away in Changsha, central China, the permanent exhibition hall of the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo at Gaoqiao Grand Market is bustling with visitors. Launched by President Xi during the 2018 FOCAC Beijing Summit, the expo has become a vital platform showcasing African goods.

Huang Zinan, who specializes in China-Africa trade, said her company has recently imported a batch of Kenyan avocados and is now negotiating with a local tea brand to feature the fruit as a premium ingredient. Initially focused on Kenyan flowers, she now plans to expand her business to more “African treasures.”

“Products from Africa are gaining increasing recognition and popularity in China,” Huang said. “I hope to build not just a trade bridge, but also a bridge of culture and friendship across the seas.” Through something as simple as an avocado or a fresh flower, she hopes to tell the story of win-win cooperation between China, Kenya and the wider African continent.

MIL OSI China News –

April 29, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Echidna ancestors lived watery lifestyles like platypuses 100 million years ago – new study

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sue Hand, Professor Emeritus, Palaeontology, UNSW Sydney

Mary_May/Shutterstock

As the world’s only surviving egg-laying mammals, Australasia’s platypus and four echidna species are among the most extraordinary animals on Earth.

They are also very different from each other.

The platypus is well adapted for a semi-aquatic lifestyle, spending up to 20 hours a day swimming in Australian waterways to forage for freshwater invertebrates. Echidnas, on the other hand, live entirely on land. They are widely distributed across Australia and New Guinea, and adapted for feeding on termites, ants and earthworms.

How did these differences emerge? Some researchers think echidnas evolved from a swimming, platypus-like ancestor. This hypothesis is based on evidence from aspects of their genes and anatomy, and from hypotheses about their evolutionary history.

However, this idea is controversial because fossil evidence for such a profound evolutionary transformation has been lacking – until now.

Did the ancestors of echidnas spend time in the water? It’s a controversial idea.
Natalia Golovina/Shutterstock

A bone from 108 million years ago

In our study published today in PNAS, we gleaned new data from a 108-million-year-old mammal humerus (arm bone), found 30 years ago at Dinosaur Cove, Victoria, by a team from Museums Victoria.

This arm bone, from a species called Kryoryctes cadburyi, belongs to an ancestral monotreme – a semi-aquatic burrower like the platypus. Our findings support the hypothesis that land-living echidnas evolved from a swimming ancestor.

Kryoryctes lived during the Age of Dinosaurs (the Mesozoic), when monotremes and monotreme relatives were more common than they are today. Glimpses of this past diversity are found in the fossil record in southern Victoria and Lightning Ridge, New South Wales.

Nevertheless, Australian Mesozoic mammal fossils are exceedingly rare, and mostly consist of teeth and jaws. Kryoryctes is the only one known from a limb bone, which provides significant information about its identity, relationships and lifestyle.

Reconstruction of Kryoryctes cadburyi and a small dinosaur (above) at Dinosaur Cove, Victoria, Australia ~108 million years ago.
Peter Schouten

Tiny clues inside bones

In order to test the evolutionary relationships of Kryoryctes, we added it to a broader data set of 70 fossil and modern mammals. From there, we calculated an evolutionary tree. This showed Kryoryctes is an ancestral monotreme.

We also compared the external shape of the Kryroryctes humerus bone to living monotremes. These analyses indicated the bone is more like those of echidnas, rather than platypuses.

But it was a different story on the inside. When we looked at the internal structure of the Kryoryctes humerus with several 3D scanning techniques, we uncovered microscopic features of this arm bone that were actually more like those of the platypus.

Such tiny features inside bones yield crucial clues about the lifestyle of an animal. Numerous previous studies link bone microstructure in mammals and other tetrapods (four-limbed animals) with their ecology.

Using the wealth of data available for living mammals, we compared characteristics of the Kryoryctes humerus microstructure to those in platypuses, echidnas and 74 other mammal species.

These analyses confirmed that the Kryoryctes humerus has internal bone features found in semi-aquatic burrowing mammals (such as the platypus, muskrat and Eurasian otter), rather than land-living burrowing mammals such as the echidna.

The Kryoryctes humerus we studied.
Museums Victoria

From water to land

This discovery suggests that a semi-aquatic lifestyle is ancestral for all living monotremes. It also suggests the amphibious lifestyle of the modern platypus had its origins at least 100 million years ago, during the Age of Dinosaurs.

In this scenario, the modern platypus lineage has retained the ancestral semi-aquatic burrowing lifestyle for more than 100 million years. Echidnas would have reverted to a land-based way of life more recently.

For echidnas, a return to land appears to have resulted in adaptations such as their long bones becoming lighter, as shown in our study.

They possibly also lost several other features more useful for spending time in the water rather than on land, including the loss of a long tail, reduction of webbing between fingers and toes, reduction of the duck-like bill to a narrow beak, and a reduced number of electroreceptors on that beak.

However, precisely when this evolutionary transformation occurred is not yet known. The answer must wait until early echidna fossils are found – so far, nothing definitive has turned up anywhere.

The modern habitats of monotremes are increasingly under threat from environmental degradation, interactions with humans and feral predators, and climate change. This is especially true for platypuses. To ensure the survival of this ancient lineage, we need to better understand how their unique features evolved and adapted.

Sue Hand receives funding from the Australian Research Council

Laura A. B. Wilson receives funding from the Australian Research Council

Robin Beck receives funding from the UK’s National Environmental Research Council, and the Australian Research Council.

Camilo López-Aguirre does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Echidna ancestors lived watery lifestyles like platypuses 100 million years ago – new study – https://theconversation.com/echidna-ancestors-lived-watery-lifestyles-like-platypuses-100-million-years-ago-new-study-254484

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

April 29, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Durbin Reflects On The Life And Legacy Of The Late Pope Francis

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
April 28, 2025
Durbin: In a world of hate and fear, the Pope’s message of peace and understanding is needed now more than ever
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today delivered a speech on the Senate floor commemorating and honoring the late Pope Francis. This weekend, Durbin attended the late Pope’s funeral in the Vatican along with U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), Ed Markey (D-MA), Mike Rounds (R-SD), and Eric Schmitt (R-MO).
“Today I join people across the world and mourn the passing of Pope Francis. He was forgiving, hopeful, and committed to the notion of peace. Francis taught us that there is no one ‘right’ way to be a Catholic. That the Church can shape you, and you can shape the Church. And in the process, he made the Church stronger,” said Durbin.
During his speech, Durbin also noted he attended the Pope’s Joint Address to Congress in 2015—the first Pope to ever do so. Durbin then praised Pope Francis for using his platform to highlight the plight of immigrants and refugees, to ask compassion for those in the LGBTQ+ community whom the Church has historically shunned, and to advocate for peace in distant wars and to protect our environment.
“Like myself, Pope Francis was the child of immigrants, and he often reminded us of our responsibility to welcome the stranger. In a recent letter to American Catholic bishops, Pope Francis affirmed our nation’s right to ‘defend itself and keep communities safe.’ But he raised serious concerns about mass deportation, which ‘damages the dignity of many men and women, and of entire families, and places them in a state of particular vulnerability and defenselessness.’ His message is so timely as our government ignores due process and through an ‘administrative error,’ sends individuals to a hell-hole prison in El Salvador and deports a two-year-old to Honduras,” said Durbin.
Durbin praised Pope Francis for the speech he prepared for Easter Sunday—one day before he passed away. The Pope was so ill that he was unable to deliver the speech himself, so it was read by one of his aides.
Durbin continued, “It was a speech of peace. It was a speech of hope. It was the speech of a truly good man. In it, he pled, ‘On this day, I would like all of us to hope anew and to revive our trust in others, including those who are different than ourselves, or who come from distant lands, bringing unfamiliar customs, ways of life and ideas.’”
Durbin concluded by reflecting on the Pope’s funeral—where hundreds of thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican City to mourn the death of Pope Francis.
“The crowd was overwhelming. Estimated in the hundreds of thousands, they represented every corner of the Earth. Just in our small section was a delegation in business suits from Lesotho in Africa, Buddhists in bright orange robes, members of the Italian Parliament, a turbaned Sikh delegation from India, and our bipartisan House delegation led by Nancy Pelosi and Republican Leader Steve Scalise. Thousands of Catholic clergy on the altar and in the audience wore vestments presenting every shade of scarlet and red. But the vast crowds of mourners and celebrants were simply admirers of Francis who, in his humble way, touched so many lives. At the front of the altar was his simple wooden casket,” Durbin continued.
“The funeral ceremony was in Latin, the language of the Catholic Church when I was a young altar boy at St. Elizabeth’s Church in East St. Louis, Illinois, in the 1950’s. As I witnessed this solemn mass and read from the text, I could hear in my mind the rusty hinges of an opening door taking me back to the Latin mass and Gregorian chant of my childhood. It is all still there, ‘deo gratias,’” said Durbin.
“How did this Mass differ from the Funeral of John Paul II decades ago? I remember the crowds of Polish mourners with their red and white flags for John Paul II,” Durbin continued. “But with Francis, what struck me were the many waves of spontaneous cheering from the vast crowd when reference was made to his simple message for immigrants, peace, understanding. Who can forget his five words: ‘Who am I to judge?’ defined his humility and humanity for so many of us. After the ceremony, I went back to my hotel room and turned on my TV. There was a recurring segment every few minutes. It showed a simple photograph of Francis and the Italian words: ‘Grazie Francesco, il Papa della gente.’ Translated to English: ‘Thank you, Francis. The Pope of the people.’ We must continue to hold fast to the message of Pope Francis to love and respect one another. In a world of hate and fear, his message of peace and understanding is needed now more than ever,”Durbin concluded.
Video of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.
Audio of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.
Footage of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here for TV Stations.
-30-

MIL OSI USA News –

April 29, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: What Canada can learn from China on effectively engaging with Africa

Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Isaac Odoom, Assistant Professor, Political Science, Carleton University

Canada’s recent launch of a new Africa Strategy comes at a moment of profound geopolitical change and growing shifts in global development co-operation.

As the western-led order and development model faces increasing scrutiny, countries like China are expanding their reach in Africa by linking development co-operation with commercial and strategic interests.

These approaches resonate with many African governments, while others raise concerns, prompting an important question: How well does Canada’s new strategy respond to these concerns?

Read more:
Canada’s Africa strategy is a landmark moment for Canada-Africa relations, but still needs work

Urgent need to diversify

Canada’s pivot toward deeper engagement with Africa is timely. With ongoing tariff threats from the United States and a tense relationship with China, the need to diversify economic partnerships has become urgent.

Africa’s fast-growing population, expanding middle class and continent-wide integration through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) offer real opportunities for commercial engagement.

While historic, Canada’s new Africa Strategy would benefit from a clearer alignment between Africa’s economic prospects and Canada’s domestic economic challenges, such as labour shortages and trade diversification. Without a stronger economic dimension, Canada risks being perceived as all talk and little commitment.

That said, Canada’s emphasis on “mutually beneficial partnerships” — echoing China’s language on Africa — is notable, especially as western donors pull back. However, without a coherent development focus, this principle may be viewed as transactional rather than strategic.

The strategy provides a foundation to build from, but it enters a competitive arena. To build meaningful partnerships in Africa, Canada will need a more focused approach grounded in robust market research, sharper priorities and an informed understanding of Africa’s political and economic realities as well as its geopolitical context.

As a researcher focused on Africa-China relations, I see important lessons Canada can draw from China’s engagement in Africa.

Cautious Canada vs. confident China

Over the past two decades, China has become Africa’s largest trading partner, with trade volumes reaching US$295 billion in 2024.

Backed by state financing, Chinese firms have built roads, ports, railways, dams and telecom infrastructure across the continent. This presence is no accident: for the past 30 years, every Chinese foreign minister’s first trip abroad has been to Africa.

Canada’s footprint, by contrast, remains modest. Canada’s merchandise trade with Africa was about $15 billion in 2024. Canada aspires to become a serious economic partner, but its commercial presence in Africa has been limited.

Notably, while China is often criticized in western media, its image in Africa is more positive. Many African leaders and citizens see China as a pragmatic partner that delivers visible infrastructure and investment.

China’s positioning as a fellow developing country also contrasts sharply with western models that often carry patronizing overtones. China’s readiness to finance large-scale projects in Africa with limited political strings attached has earned good will, even as concerns rightly persist about transparency, debt and governance.

Emphasizing Canada’s differences

Canada should take these dynamics seriously. The narrative of “countering China” in Africa, often promoted by western governments, is ineffective. It overlooks African agency, reduces the continent to a site of great power rivalry and fails to acknowledge that African governments are actively pursuing their choice of partners, instead of a single partner of choice.

Rather than compete with China, Canada can be different. While Chinese infrastructure projects often align with African priorities, my own work on Chinese engagement in Ghana’s energy projects shows that these projects are often negotiated behind closed doors, with few accountability mechanisms and scant transparency in financing. These gaps create space for Canada to offer a distinct and credible alternative.

Canada’s approach can be different, but it should be no less strategic. It may not match China in scale, but it can offer commercial partnerships rooted in transparency, accountability and collaboration with partners, including those from China.

Many African governments and civil society entities are calling for exactly this kind of engagement, particularly as citizens demand greater scrutiny over foreign investment. By focusing on responsible business practices, labour standards, environmental safeguards and good governance, Canada can develop a values-based model of economic engagement.

Despite this potential, Canada’s new Africa Strategy lacks financial commitment. Canada’s 2022 Indo-Pacific Strategy was backed by a $2.3 billion envelope. The Africa Strategy’s success will ultimately depend on its ability to mobilize concrete resources and sustained engagement.

The strategy rightly points to Africa’s economic potential, but stronger links to Canada’s domestic priorities, such as a workforce strategy, a trade road map and implementation tools, would enhance its impact.

References to the AfCFTA are promising, but Canadian businesses need clearer guidance and support. Realizing the strategy’s goals will require measurable targets, dedicated programming and sustained investment.

A different kind of engagement

Canada’s past engagement in Africa has been rooted in diplomacy, development co-operation and peacekeeping. These remain valuable, but today’s African leaders are also seeking trade, investment and private-sector partnerships.

To become a trusted economic partner, Canada should engage with purpose by introducing targeted financing tools — such as credit lines or investment guarantees — to help Canadian businesses manage risk and seize opportunities aligned with AfCFTA.

Read more:
African countries could unlock billions in local and global trade – what’s working and what’s not

It should also focus on strategic sectors where it already has strengths, like clean energy, health innovation, fintech, agri-business and infrastructure.

By investing in robust research and in dialogue with the African diaspora, business leaders and governance institutions, Canada strengthens commercial ties while prioritizing transparency, accountability and collaboration. Co-operation in innovation (for example, joint research on climate-smart agriculture or vaccines) could also yield benefits for both sides.

In an increasing multipolar environment, Africa is not waiting for Canada. It’s assessing and comparing competing external partners. Canada’s ability to position itself as a viable alternative depends not on replicating China’s scale, but on seeing Africa as a true partner and offering mutual partnerships that appeal to Africans and Canadian alike.

The new Africa Strategy sets an important tone for renewed engagement, but its success will depend on real investment and implementation, which so far lacks dedicated funding. Filling these gaps should be the next step, regardless of who wins Monday’s election.

Isaac Odoom does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. What Canada can learn from China on effectively engaging with Africa – https://theconversation.com/what-canada-can-learn-from-china-on-effectively-engaging-with-africa-252894

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

April 29, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Russia must provide its response on Ukraine ceasefire

Source: France-Diplomatie – Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development

Excerpts from statements to the press by M. Emmanuel Macron, President of the Republic, from Madagascar (Antananarivo, April 24, 2025)

(Check against delivery)

(…)

A few moments ago, in your speech here, you denounced “the mad armies that want to seize little bits of land”. However, a few minutes ago President Zelenskyy said the pressure on Russia isn’t strong enough, at a time when the United States is obviously preparing to recognize Crimea as Russian. Is peace getting further away today?

THE PRESIDENT – First of all, I don’t want to speak for anyone. As you know, France’s position is steadfast. It won’t change. We’re in favour of the sovereignty of peoples and territorial integrity, respecting international law. Moreover, there are no double standards for France. That applies to Ukraine, it applies to the Middle East and it applies to the African continent. And I pride myself on that position.

So we’ll continue to uphold the Ukrainian people’s right to live in peace on their territory and within their internationally-recognized borders. That’s why we’ve always condemned the Russian war of aggression.

We’re at a moment when I hope peace can be built, and I want to pay tribute to the efforts made by US diplomacy. But I also want to remind you of the facts. There’s an aggressor, Russia, and an aggressee, Ukraine. A few weeks ago, under American impetus, President Zelenskyy made an incredible gesture. He said: “I agree to an unconditional ceasefire”.

The only thing we have to ensure, the only thing – I repeated this to President Trump, to whom I spoke two days ago during the night – is for President Putin to finally stop lying. When President Putin talks to the US negotiators, he tells them: “I want peace.” When he talks to the whole planet, he says: “I personally want peace.” He continues to bomb Ukraine. He continues to kill people in Ukraine. There’s only one reply we’re waiting for. Does President Putin agree to an unconditional ceasefire? The Americans have proposed it, the Europeans support it, and President Zelenskyy has said yes. If President Putin says yes, the weapons fall silent tomorrow and lives are saved. The international community has just one thing to do, and America’s irritation should focus on only one person: President Putin. He must answer the question he’s asking him. Then we’ll be able to build a just, solid, lasting, robust peace – in other words, a peace that makes it possible to find territorial concessions and solid security guarantees.

But as I speak, it’s not as if nothing had happened in the past few weeks. The Americans have proposed something, the Ukrainians have said yes, and we support it. Now Russia must provide its response. If Russia says, I’m not ready for a ceasefire, it will have lied to the US President, it will have lied to all those it told it wanted peace, and we’ll have to act accordingly. If it says yes, we’ll have a ceasefire tomorrow. (…)

Are you going to speak to President Trump?

THE PRESIDENT – I spoke to him 24 hours ago, the night before yesterday.

Do you think he can modify his position? Or is he sticking with positions that are difficult to reconcile with those of the Europeans?

THE PRESIDENT – He wants to find agreements, and I completely respect him. He wants a comprehensive peace agreement – he’s the negotiator too. But let me put things back in the right order. There can be no peace agreement if there isn’t already an agreement on what he’s got from President Zelenskyy, which was a huge step forward by President Zelenskyy.

I say this very emphatically here: the first step, the one that – if I can put it like this – marks the beginning of everything, is the unconditional ceasefire that the Russians must accept.

So, no freezing of the ceasefire line, of the current front line?

THE PRESIDENT – But all the other issues are issues that come under a peace negotiation, which must subsequently be carried out, and they’ll take into account the military positions, the territorial issues and the security issues. But you can’t ask for this or that to be accepted while Russia continues bombing Kyiv. Put yourself in President Zelenskyy’s shoes: do you think he can make gestures of openness when his capital is currently being bombed? Let’s be reasonable. (…)

When Donald Trump says that Ukraine lost Crimea years ago, is he wrong? Is he playing into Russia’s hands?

THE PRESIDENT – No, he’s describing a factual situation. But is it our job to describe a factual situation? Since 2014, an army has conquered a territory, totally illegally, through violence and by killing people. That’s describing a factual situation, what he’s saying. Does that mean we should approve of it? No, in any case, not now. And it isn’t for us to do so, as I’ve always said, it’s up to Ukraine and its representatives to say that. So our collective job – which is what President Trump has committed to do – is to say “ceasefire”. (…)./.

MIL OSI Europe News –

April 29, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: How ICE is becoming a secret police force under the Trump administration
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lee Morgenbesser, Associate Professor, School of Government and International Relations, Griffith University

Secret police are a quintessential feature of authoritarian regimes. From Azerbaijan’s State Security Service to Zimbabwe’s Central Intelligence Organisation, these agencies typically target political opponents and dissidents through covert surveillance, imprisonment and physical violence.

In contrast to the regular police and armed forces, secret police primarily use preemptive repression to thwart threats to the government.

In Nazi Germany, for example, Gestapo informants penetrated all levels of society, producing an atmosphere of distrust among those against Adolf Hitler. In Uganda, Idi Amin’s State Research Bureau employed sophisticated spying equipment and intercepted mail at the post office to root out supposed saboteurs.

In Syria, Bashar al-Assad relied on the General Intelligence Directorate to oversee a network of torture centres. And in Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro has used the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (Sebin) to spy on opponents overseas, often running operations out of diplomatic missions.

Since US President Donald Trump took power in January, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has become a far more visible and fearsome force on American streets.

Though ICE is ostensibly still bound by constitutional limits, the way it has been operating bears the hallmarks of a secret police force in the making.

As an expert on authoritarian regimes, I’ve studied historical and contemporary secret police forces extensively across Africa, Asia and Europe. They typically meet five criteria:
- they’re a police force targeting political opponents and dissidents
- they’re not controlled by other security agencies and answer directly to the dictator
- the identity of their members and their operations are secret
- they specialise in political intelligence and surveillance operations
- they carry out arbitrary searches, arrests, interrogations, indefinite detentions, disappearances and torture.
How close is ICE to becoming a secret police force? Let’s consider each of these criteria.

Targeting dissidents

ICE has used the pretext of combating antisemitism to target dissidents. A branch of the agency previously used to target drug smugglers and human traffickers has reportedly been directed to scan social media for posts sympathetic to Hamas.

On March 8, ICE arrested the prominent pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, a legal resident. It was a similar story for Rumeysa Ozturk, a university student grabbed off the street on March 25 by ICE agents.

Trump has cited the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 as the legal pretext for ICE’s actions in these cases and others. The law allows the US government to deport anyone whose presence has “adverse foreign policy consequences” for the country.

Because Khalil and others are being targeted for their activism, legal scholars say the government appears to be “retaliating” against constitutionally protected free speech it disagrees with.

Directly controlled by a dictator

While ICE does not report directly to Trump, the agency is controlled by people who have shown intense loyalty to him.

ICE is part of the Department of Homeland Security, which is overseen by stalwart Trump ally Kristi Noem. She is supported by Tom Homan, a former ICE director who Trump appointed as his “border czar” in November 2024.

Despite a court order barring the deportations of alleged Venezuelan gang members to a prison in El Salvador, Homan has remained defiant:

We are not stopping. I don’t care what the judges think.

The pertinent question now is whether Noem or Homan would refuse to follow a dictate from Trump in the face of a direct court order.

Opaque operations

ICE agents are increasingly operating in secret. The individuals who took Ozturk off the street in a widely shared video claimed to be police officers, even though they were in plain clothes and face marks.

Similarly, ICE agents in plain clothes detained two men during a raid on a courthouse in Charlottesville, Virginia, on April 22. When two bystanders asked to see a warrant, they were ordered not to “impede” the agents’ lawful duties. ICE later said the two women would be prosecuted.

Also last week, ICE agents attempted to arrest a man at a Wisconsin courthouse without a warrant. After a judge intervened, she was arrested herself by the FBI and charged with two felonies.

This shroud of opacity has been accompanied by an end to local agency liaison meetings aimed at helping people seek answers to ICE’s actions.

Surveillance capabilities

ICE is organised into two distinct law enforcement components, giving it both political intelligence gathering and surveillance capabilities.

Its Homeland Security Investigations arm includes an intelligence division, while its Enforcement and Removal Operations arm uses third-party companies such as Geo Group, Giant Oak, and Palantir to conduct mass surveillance.

Most worryingly, ICE is trying to procure greater intelligence and surveillance capabilities by soliciting pitches from private companies to monitor threats across the internet.

According to a procurement document, contractors would be directed to focus on the backgrounds of social media users and use facial recognition capabilities to gather information on people. Criticisms of ICE itself would be monitored, too.

Unlawful policing

There has been a stream of reports exposing how ICE is conducting arbitrary searches, arrests, interrogations, and indefinite detentions.

Some of the most egregious reported examples include:
- entering primary schools under false pretences in search of undocumented students
- carrying out “collateral arrests”, that is detaining people not previously identified as targets during operations
- detaining tourists and visa holders for weeks for unknown reasons
- and disappearing US citizens without any meaningful process.
Since Trump’s inauguration, at least three people have died in ICE detention facilities, the latest in a string of fatalities in recent years.

Prolonged solitary confinement is reportedly widespread. UN experts say this can amount to torture.

Potentially expanded scope

Overall, the evidence shows ICE meets most of the criteria for being a secret police force. It has yet to target political opponents, which I define narrowly as members of the Democratic Party. And it is not directly controlled by Trump, although the current structure provides him with plausible deniability.

While the agency is far from resembling history’s most feared secret police forces, there have so far been few constraints on how it operates.

The worst may be yet to come. A budget bill making its way through Congress would provide ICE with up to US$175 billion (A$274 billion) in funding over the next decade. (Its current annual budget is US$9 billion, or A$14 billion.) This would supercharge its use of surveillance, imprisonment and physical violence.

When combined with a potential shift towards targeting US citizens for dissent and disobedience, ICE is fast becoming a key piece in the repressive apparatus of American authoritarianism.

Lee Morgenbesser does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. How ICE is becoming a secret police force under the Trump administration – https://theconversation.com/how-ice-is-becoming-a-secret-police-force-under-the-trump-administration-255019
MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –
April 29, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Nigerian National Sentenced to Prison for International Fraud Scheme that Defrauded Elderly U.S. Victims

Source: US State of California

A Nigerian national was sentenced on Friday to 97 months in prison for his role in a transnational inheritance fraud scheme.

According to court documents, Okezie Bonaventure Ogbata, 36, was a member of a group of fraudsters that sent personalized letters to elderly victims in the United States over the course of several years. The letters falsely claimed that the sender was a representative of a bank in Spain and that the recipient was entitled to receive a multimillion-dollar inheritance left for the recipient by a family member who had died overseas years before. Ogbata and his co-conspirators told a series of lies to victims, including that, before they could receive their purported inheritance, they were required to send money for delivery fees, taxes, and other payments to avoid questioning from government authorities. Ogbata and his co-conspirators collected money victims sent in response to the fraudulent letters through a complex web of U.S.-based former victims, whom the defendants convinced to receive money and forward to the defendants or persons associated with them. Victims who sent money never received any purported inheritance funds. In pleading guilty, Ogbata admitted to defrauding over $6 million from more than 400 victims, many of whom were elderly or otherwise vulnerable.

“The Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch will continue to pursue, prosecute, and bring to justice transnational criminals responsible for defrauding U.S. consumers, wherever they are located,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Yaakov M. Roth of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “This case is a testament to the critical role of international collaboration in tackling transnational crime. I want to thank our U.S. law enforcement partners, as well as those who assisted across the globe, including the Portuguese Judicial Police and Public Prosecution Service of Portugal, for their outstanding contributions to this case.”

“The long arm of the American justice system has no limits when it comes to reaching fraudsters who prey on our nation’s most vulnerable populations, to include the elderly,” said U.S. Attorney Hayden P. Byrne for the Southern District of Florida. “We will not allow transnational criminals to steal money from the public we serve. Individuals who defraud American consumers will be brought to justice, no matter where they are located.”

“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) has a long history of protecting American citizens from these types of schemes and bringing those responsible to justice,” said Acting Postal Inspector in Charge Steven Hodges of the USPIS Miami Division. “Today’s sentencing is a testament to the dedicated partnership between the Department of Justice’s Consumer Protection Branch, HSI and USPIS to protect our citizens from these scams.”

“It’s inconceivable to imagine any human being robbing from those who’ve spent a lifetime working and building a life, and then are duped out of it all,” said Special Agent in Charge Fransisco B. Burrola of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Arizona. “Together, with our law enforcement partners, we will not tolerate this kind of behavior – we will bring justice to those who have wronged and stolen from so many people.”

Senior Trial Attorney and Transnational Criminal Litigation Coordinator Phil Toomajian and Trial Attorneys Josh Rothman and Brianna Gardner of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch are prosecuting the case. USPIS and HSI investigated the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, Europol, and authorities from the UK, Spain, and Portugal all provided critical assistance.

If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This U.S. Department of Justice hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, is staffed by experienced professionals who provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim and identifying relevant next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly with appropriate agencies, and provide resources and referrals, on a case-by-case basis. Reporting is the first step. Reporting can help authorities identify those who commit fraud and reporting certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET. English, Spanish, and other languages are available.

More information about the department’s efforts to help American seniors is available at its Elder Justice Initiative webpage. For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts, visit its website at www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. Elder fraud complaints may be filed with the FTC at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/ or at 877-FTC-HELP. The Department of Justice provides a variety of resources relating to elder fraud victimization through its Office for Victims of Crime, which can be reached at www.ovc.gov.

MIL OSI USA News –

April 29, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Nigerian National Sentenced to Prison for International Fraud Scheme that Defrauded Elderly U.S. Victims

Source: United States Attorneys General 6

A Nigerian national was sentenced on Friday to 97 months in prison for his role in a transnational inheritance fraud scheme.

According to court documents, Okezie Bonaventure Ogbata, 36, was a member of a group of fraudsters that sent personalized letters to elderly victims in the United States over the course of several years. The letters falsely claimed that the sender was a representative of a bank in Spain and that the recipient was entitled to receive a multimillion-dollar inheritance left for the recipient by a family member who had died overseas years before. Ogbata and his co-conspirators told a series of lies to victims, including that, before they could receive their purported inheritance, they were required to send money for delivery fees, taxes, and other payments to avoid questioning from government authorities. Ogbata and his co-conspirators collected money victims sent in response to the fraudulent letters through a complex web of U.S.-based former victims, whom the defendants convinced to receive money and forward to the defendants or persons associated with them. Victims who sent money never received any purported inheritance funds. In pleading guilty, Ogbata admitted to defrauding over $6 million from more than 400 victims, many of whom were elderly or otherwise vulnerable.

“The Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch will continue to pursue, prosecute, and bring to justice transnational criminals responsible for defrauding U.S. consumers, wherever they are located,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Yaakov M. Roth of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “This case is a testament to the critical role of international collaboration in tackling transnational crime. I want to thank our U.S. law enforcement partners, as well as those who assisted across the globe, including the Portuguese Judicial Police and Public Prosecution Service of Portugal, for their outstanding contributions to this case.”

“The long arm of the American justice system has no limits when it comes to reaching fraudsters who prey on our nation’s most vulnerable populations, to include the elderly,” said U.S. Attorney Hayden P. Byrne for the Southern District of Florida. “We will not allow transnational criminals to steal money from the public we serve. Individuals who defraud American consumers will be brought to justice, no matter where they are located.”

“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) has a long history of protecting American citizens from these types of schemes and bringing those responsible to justice,” said Acting Postal Inspector in Charge Steven Hodges of the USPIS Miami Division. “Today’s sentencing is a testament to the dedicated partnership between the Department of Justice’s Consumer Protection Branch, HSI and USPIS to protect our citizens from these scams.”

“It’s inconceivable to imagine any human being robbing from those who’ve spent a lifetime working and building a life, and then are duped out of it all,” said Special Agent in Charge Fransisco B. Burrola of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Arizona. “Together, with our law enforcement partners, we will not tolerate this kind of behavior – we will bring justice to those who have wronged and stolen from so many people.”

Senior Trial Attorney and Transnational Criminal Litigation Coordinator Phil Toomajian and Trial Attorneys Josh Rothman and Brianna Gardner of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch are prosecuting the case. USPIS and HSI investigated the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, Europol, and authorities from the UK, Spain, and Portugal all provided critical assistance.

If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This U.S. Department of Justice hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, is staffed by experienced professionals who provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim and identifying relevant next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly with appropriate agencies, and provide resources and referrals, on a case-by-case basis. Reporting is the first step. Reporting can help authorities identify those who commit fraud and reporting certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET. English, Spanish, and other languages are available.

More information about the department’s efforts to help American seniors is available at its Elder Justice Initiative webpage. For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts, visit its website at www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. Elder fraud complaints may be filed with the FTC at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/ or at 877-FTC-HELP. The Department of Justice provides a variety of resources relating to elder fraud victimization through its Office for Victims of Crime, which can be reached at www.ovc.gov.

MIL Security OSI –

April 29, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: African Development Bank signs $3.2 billion Exposure Exchange with Inter-American Development Bank

Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:

WASHINGTON D.C., United States of America, April 28, 2025/APO Group/ —

The African Development Bank Group (www.AfDB.org) has signed a $3.2 billion Exposure Exchange Agreement with the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB), renewing a prior agreement originally executed between the two institutions in 2015. The agreement was signed in Washington DC, on the sidelines of the World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund Spring meetings.

This is the fourth exposure exchange undertaken by the African Development Bank with other Multilateral Development Banks, in the continuous pursuit of innovative ways of strengthening the capital adequacy and efficiency of Multilateral Development Banks, as well as boost their development lending capacity.

Since 2015, the African Development Bank has used these agreements to diversify lending within its sovereign portfolio and deploy capital effectively while preserving a resilient financial base. The tool ensures the African Development Bank remains agile, well-capitalized, and committed to innovation in support of development in Africa.

Today’s transaction follows previous successful agreements between the African Development Bank and other Multilateral Development Banks, including the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and Asian Development Bank.

The African Development Bank President Dr Akinwumi Adesina said, “This transaction underpins the African Development Bank’s forward-looking approach to capital and risk management.”

“We are pleased to continue our positive longstanding collaboration with Inter-American Development Bank in structuring and executing innovative financial solutions to align with the G20’s call for Multilateral Development Banks to work together as a system in expanding development impact to our member countries,” said Adesina.

Inter-American Development Bank President Ilan Goldfajn pointed to the success of the first agreement signed with the African Development Bank ten years ago. He said, “This new agreement marks yet another milestone in our strong and fruitful collaboration with the African Development Bank. Thanks to this operation we’re strengthening the financial resilience, creditworthiness, and financing capacity of both of our institutions. A win-win for all, that will benefit the people of Latin America and the Caribbean and Africa”.

Adesina added that Multilateral Development Banks should do more of such transactions because of their proven success and impact.

MIL OSI Africa –

April 29, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: ICE investigation leads to charges against Rwandan man for concealing role as perpetrator of genocide

Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

NEW YORK — An investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement resulted in charges against a Rwandan man for lying on his applications for a green card and United States citizenship by concealing his past role as a local leader and perpetrator of violence during the genocide in Rwanda in 1994.

As alleged, Faustin Nsabumukunzi, 65, who was living in Bridgehampton, New York, was a local leader with the title of “Sector Counselor” in Rwanda in 1994 when the genocide began. Between April and July of that year, members of the majority Hutu population persecuted the minority Tutsis, committing acts of violence including murder and rape. An estimated 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed during the three-month genocide. Nsabumukunzi was arrested April 24 on Long Island.

ICE Homeland Security Investigations New York acting Special Agent in Charge Darren B. McCormack; Matthew R. Galeotti, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; and John J. Durham, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York announced the charges.

“This defendant has been living in the United States for decades, hiding his alleged horrific conduct, human rights violations, and his role in these senseless atrocities against innocent Tutsis,” said ICE HSI New York acting Special Agent in Charge Darren B. McCormack. “The depraved conduct of which the defendant is accused represents the worst of humanity. As demonstrated through the tireless work of HSI New York agents, analysts, and task force officers, we will never tolerate the safe harboring of individuals linked to such unimaginable crimes.”

Acting SAC McCormack thanked United States Citizenship and Immigration Services personnel for their collaborative and assistance.

“This case is the epitome of HSI’s commitment to ensuring the United States is not a safe haven for human rights violators,” said Andre R. Watson, Assistant Director for National Security. “We will work tirelessly to identify, investigate and remove perpetrators of genocide, torture, war crimes and other human rights violations and to ensure justice for their victims.”

As alleged in the indictment, Nsabumukunzi used his leadership position to oversee the violence and killings of Tutsis in his local area and directed groups of armed Hutus to kill Tutsis. He is alleged to have set up roadblocks during the genocide to detain and kill Tutsis and to have participated in killings. According to court filings, Nsabumukunzi was subsequently convicted in absentia by a Rwandan court for genocide.

As further alleged, Nsabumukunzi applied for admission to the United States in 2003, applied for and received a green card in 2007, and later submitted applications for naturalization in 2009 and 2015. Nsabumukunzi is alleged to have lied to U.S. immigration officials in his immigration applications, including by falsely denying any involvement as a perpetrator of the Rwandan genocide. As a result of his ongoing efforts to conceal his actions during the genocide, Nsabumukunzi has been able to live and work in the United States since 2003.

“As alleged, the defendant participated in the commission of heinous acts of violence abroad and then lied his way into a green card and tried to obtain U.S. citizenship,” said Galeotti. “No matter how much time has passed, the Department of Justice will find and prosecute individuals who committed atrocities in their home countries and covered them up to gain entry and seek citizenship in the United States.”

“As alleged, Nsabumukunzi repeatedly lied to conceal his involvement in the horrific Rwandan genocide while seeking to become a lawful permanent resident and citizen of the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Durham. “For over two decades, he got away with those lies and lived in the United States with an undeserved clean slate, a luxury that his victims will never have, but thanks to the tenacious efforts of our investigators and prosecutors, the defendant finally will be held accountable for his brutal actions.”

Nsabumukunzi is charged with one count of visa fraud and two counts of attempted naturalization fraud. The defendant made his initial court appearance April 24 in the Eastern District of New York. If convicted, he faces a statutory maximum penalty of 30 years in prison.

ICE HSI New York’s Assistant Special Agent in Charge Long Island office investigated the case, with assistance from the Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center. Currently, HSI has more than 180 active investigations into suspected human rights violators and is pursuing more than 1,945 leads and removals cases involving suspected human rights violators from 95 different countries. Since 2003, the HRVWCC has issued more than 79,000 lookouts for potential perpetrators of human rights abuses, and stopped over 390 human rights violators and war crimes suspects from entering the U.S.

Members of the public who have information about former human rights violators in the United States are urged to contact U.S. law enforcement through the ICE Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE (1-866-347-2423) or internationally at 001-1802-872-6199. You can also email HRV.ICE@ice.dhs.gov or complete the online tip form.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

MIL OSI USA News –

April 29, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: Afreximbank launches US$3 Billion Revolving Intra-African Oil Import Financing Programme
Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:

CAIRO, Egypt, April 28, 2025/APO Group/ —

To address Africa’s persistent reliance on imported refined petroleum products, which accounted for an amount of US$30billion annually in petroleum import costs due to inadequate refining, African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) (www.Afreximbank.com) has launched a US$3 Billion Revolving Intra-African Oil Trade Financing Programme to finance the purchase of refined petroleum products by African and Caribbean oil buyers.

As a revolving facility, we expect it to finance about US$10 billion to US$14 billion of Intra-African petroleum imports. This programme seeks to leverage the growing refining capacity that Afreximbank has helped establish across the continent, while aligning with the objectives of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement, which includes facilitating intra-African trade, promoting industrialisation, and creating jobs on the continent.

By deploying innovative trade finance and supply chain solutions tailored to key stakeholders’ needs in terms of tenure, price format and logistics requirements, this initiative supports Afreximbank’s strategic goals of advancing energy security, strengthening regional value chains, and fostering economic resilience within the continent and the Caribbean.

Afreximbank is the largest financier of the Dangote refinery which commenced operations in January 2024 and is also supporting the financing of the 200,000 bpd Lobito Refinery development, building on the progress made on the 60,000 bpd Cabinda Refinery, which it also supported. In addition, the Bank has financed the refurbishment of the 210,000 bpd Port Harcourt Refinery, and recently approved financing in support of the development of Bua Refinery and Azikel Refinery, all in Nigeria. Through these investments, and the continual trade finance support for Société Ivoirienne de Raffinage (SIR), Cote d’Ivoire, Afreximbank is on its way to creating over 1.3 million bpd refining capacity and helping to convert the Gulf of Guinea from an exporter of crude oil into an important refining hub for the continent and the world.

Key products to be traded under the programme are refined petroleum products including but not limited to Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO), Jet Fuel, and Kerosene. The eligible exporters are refineries operating in Africa.

The US$3 billion Revolving Intra-African Oil Import Financing Programme is intended to mainly provide critical trade finance to oil traders (both African and international), banks, and Governments – represented by their Ministry of Finance or Ministry of Petroleum Resources/Energy – and state-owned enterprises mandated to import refined petroleum products, who seek to source refined products from African Refineries for onward consumption within the continent and export opportunities as may be applicable. Afreximbank, affiliated trading entity ATDC Minerals (ATMIN) will also participate actively in the trading and financing activities of the leading African oil trading companies with long term relationship with Afreximbank who are also expected to support this effort.

An approved applicant will be able to request utilization under the Global Limit within allocated sub-limits upon KYC clearance and satisfactory completion of conditions precedent as follows:
- Issuance/Confirmation of Letters of Credit or any acceptable trade instrument with refineries in Africa as beneficiaries
- Discounting of Letters of Credit or any acceptable trade instrument to the benefit of refineries in Africa
- Prepayment and direct advances to eligible refineries in Africa
Commenting on the launch, Professor Benedict Oramah, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors, Afreximbank, said that the programme “would galvanise efforts towards making the Gulf of Guinea a key refining hub. Whilst the programme will have a direct impact on the volume of the refined petroleum products produced and consumed in Africa, it will also have a multiplier effect on the downstream petroleum value chain as it will catalyse critical investments in shipping and marine logistics for intra and extra African trade of crude oil and refined products. The multiplier effect will also be seen in marine cargo insurance and other ancillary businesses within the sector. We want to see an increased proportion of the about 4 mbpd of crude oil produced in the Gulf of Guinea refined in Africa.”

Also commenting on the initiative, His Excellency Dr. Lazarus Chakwera, President of the Republic of Malawi, said:

“This programme is a clear demonstration of Africa’s resolve to take charge of its own energy future. We commend Afreximbank for this timely intervention, which stands to benefit African countries like Malawi by reducing import dependency, strengthening regional supply chains, and keeping more value within the continent. Most importantly, it will deliver real impact to our citizens by ensuring more stable and affordable access to refined petroleum products, which are essential to Malawians’ daily life and economic productivity.”

MIL OSI Africa –
April 29, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: Afreximbank announces specialized African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) training to empower African businesses

Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:

CAIRO, Egypt, April 28, 2025/APO Group/ —

To enable African businesses to fully capitalise on the opportunities presented by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) (www.Afreximbank.com) has announced a specialized training program designed to equip enterprises with a deep understanding of the agreement’s commercial implications and transformative potential.

Scheduled to take place in Abuja, Nigeria, from June 30 to July 2, 2025, the training program is designed to provide businesses with practical policy-relevant insights into the AfCFTA’s evolving regulatory and institutional landscape. It will help participants interpret key treaty instruments, ensuring compliance with new trade rules while enhancing their knowledge of regional integration and operational mechanisms. Additionally, the program will serve as a crucial platform for guiding both prospective and existing exporters on new trade developments, equipping them with the tools to navigate tariff and non-tariff barriers across the continent.

Conceived and implemented by Afreximbank in collaboration with the American University in Cairo (AUC) and the AfCFTA Secretariat, the training is expected to attract a diverse range of participants, including African corporates engaged in import and export activities, Trade Support Institutions such as Trade Promotion Organizations and Chambers of Commerce, Investment Promotion Agencies, Export Trading Companies, Financial Institutions, and the broader foreign trade community.

Participants will also benefit from tailored presentations on key Afreximbank products and initiatives that support the AfCFTA’s implementation, including the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS), Africa Trade Gateway (ATG), and various trade finance solutions.

Addressing critical knowledge gaps to unlock AfCFTA’s potential

Reflecting on the significance of the program, Dr. Yemi Kale, Group Chief Economist & Managing Director of Research at Afreximbank, emphasized that while the AfCFTA holds immense potential for Africa’s economic growth, its success hinges on the ability of businesses to fully understand and operationalize its provisions. However, limited understanding of its technical and operational aspects has prevented many businesses from fully leveraging its benefits.

“The AfCFTA is not just a policy framework—it is a catalyst for a structural shift in Africa’s economic landscape,” said Dr. Kale. “However, many African businesses are still grappling with limited awareness of the agreement’s technical provisions, trade protocols, and strategic benefits. This knowledge deficit has constrained their ability to compete effectively, expand their market reach, and optimize value chains across the continent.”

He further explained that without a solid grasp of the AfCFTA’s tariff schedules, rules of origin, customs cooperation, and dispute resolution mechanisms, even the most competitive enterprises risk missing out on critical growth opportunities.

“This training is about more than compliance; it is about empowerment. It equips participants not only to meet regulatory requirements but also to develop export strategies, diversify markets, and improve competitiveness.”

Tsotetsi Makong, Director Coordination and Programmes at the AfCFTA Secretariat, reinforced this point, stating:

“This training program will help African businesses seeking export opportunities overcome key challenges, including understanding African markets in depth, navigating market rules and compliance requirements, and optimizing cross-border product transportation. To fully harness the AfCFTA’s potential, it is essential to address these barriers and build the capacity of African companies to transition from local production for domestic consumption to a model that supports exports across the continent and beyond.”

He further highlighted Afreximbank’s commitment to the AfCFTA’s full implementation, stressing that by developing the necessary competencies and industrial capacity, all African nations can maximize the benefits of a single market. He called on both public and private sector stakeholders to deepen their understanding of the agreement’s operationalization to drive sustainable economic growth.

Afreximbank’s role in advancing the AfCFTA

As a key partner to the African Union in the implementation of the AfCFTA, Afreximbank has spearheaded multiple initiatives that enhance intra- and extra-African trade and investment. Leveraging the expertise of its Trade Intelligence Solutions Unit and Human Resources and Learning Department, the Bank serves as the anchor institution for the AfCFTA Training Program, ensuring that African businesses are well-equipped to thrive in the new trade environment. The upcoming training is the second edition and will also mark a milestone as one of the first major events hosted at the recently launched Afreximbank African Trade Centre (AATC) in Abuja. Purposely designed as a strategic hub for trade facilitation, investment promotion, and business collaboration, the AATC features state-of-the-art conference facilities, premium hospitality services, and a dynamic environment conducive to learning and networking .

By equipping African businesses with the knowledge and tools needed to navigate the AfCFTA, Afreximbank continues to play a pivotal role in unlocking Africa’s vast trade potential and driving economic transformation across the continent.

MIL OSI Africa –

April 29, 2025
MIL-OSI Video: Non-Proliferation, Financing for Development & other topics – Daily Press Briefing | United Nations

Source: United Nations (Video News)

Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

Highlights:
Financing for Development
Deputy Secretary-General
Victims of Terrorism Associations’ Network
Trust Fund in Support of Victims of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse
International Court of Justice
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Lebanon/Israel
Yemen
Sudan
Afghanistan
Myanmar
Security Council
International Day
Resident Coordinator – Samoa
Financial Contribution
Briefings Today

FINANCING FOR DEVELOPMENT
This morning, the Secretary-General, as you heard, spoke at the Economic and Social Council Forum on Financing for Development.
He said that, as we prepare for the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in Sevilla in July, we are facing some harsh truths: donors are pulling the plug on aid commitments, the Sustainable Development Goals are dramatically off track and high borrowing costs are draining away public investments.
But, the more dangerous truth is that collaboration is being questioned with the ongoing trade wars. The Secretary-General said trade is a prime example of the benefits of international cooperation, and trade barriers are a clear and present danger to the global economy and sustainable development.
These are tough times, he said, but it is in difficult periods that the imperative for responsible, sustainable investment is even more critical.

DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL
The Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed is in Montevideo, Uruguay. Today, she met with the President of Uruguay, Yamandú Orsi, to discuss the country’s development priorities and their alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals.
Later today, she will meet with several Government Ministers to discuss the partnership between the United Nations and Uruguay. She is also meeting youth groups, civil society, and of course the country team of the United Nations.
And over the weekend, she chaired the annual regional retreat with UN Resident Coordinators from across Latin America and the Caribbean.
Ms. Mohammed will leave Uruguay later today and will be back here tomorrow evening.

VICTIMS OF TERRORISM ASSOCIATIONS’ NETWORK
This morning, our friends at the Office of Counter-Terrorism launched the Victims of Terrorism Associations’ Network. This is an initiative that brings together victims of terrorism and victims’ associations from across the globe to drive collective action to support victims’ rights and needs.
The network aims to provide a safe space for victims and survivors of terrorism to support each other, build resilience and engage as advocates, as educators, and as peacebuilders.
The development of the network was supported by a financial contribution from Spain.
The network was launched during an event this morning – and it is already available on UN Webtv. More information on the website of the office of Counter-terrorism.

Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=28%20April%202025

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMJiomcK2rY

MIL OSI Video –

April 29, 2025

Category: Africa

Universal Periodic Review 49: UK Statement on Guinea

Updates to this page

Four cyclones

Nation-wide impact:

The damage

1

Stakeholder mapping

Review of existing policies and regulations

Identification of vulnerabilities (Stress Testing)

Principles for resilient infrastructure

Development of an Implementation plan

The roadmap for infrastructure resilience in Madagascar is a key strategic document, as it outlines a comprehensive action plan aimed at minimising disaster risks in the country,” he adds.

Advancing Infrastructure Resilience in Madagascar

Developing the plan

“With this new way of looking by zooming out, we have more of an overall vision of everything that makes infrastructure vulnerable,” Randrianandrasana Lila Norolalaina, Head of Disaster Risk Reduction at the Ministry of Education, says.

Interdependencies of Functions and Cascading Effects

Energy

Stress-testing analysis, Energy

“When we know the state of all our assets, then we will be better able to ensure proper maintenance, keep track of the hotspots, and manage all the gaps.”

Transport

Stress-testing analysis, Transportation

5 airports

9 of 57

16,292 km

“Raising awareness about the importance of norms is an important moment,” Ventsolalaina Ramilison, Head of Disaster Risk Reduction Department at CPGU / Madagascar said. “Now there is just the question of creating and strengthening a monitoring authority.”

Lessons for other countries

“Given that donors tend to pay the costs of reconstruction following a disaster in Madagascar, they also benefit when Madagascar reduces the extent and cost of those disasters,” Ventsolalaina Ramilison, Head of Disaster Risk Reduction Department at CPGU / Madagascar says.

“When we can prevent storms from destroying our water supply infrastructure every year, then we can begin to build more sustainably,” she said. “That gives us hope, because we want to escape these endless cycles of recovery.”

February 2010

75% of the population

1

Stakeholder mapping

Review of existing policies and regulations

Identification of vulnerabilities (Stress Testing)

Principles for resilient infrastructure

Development of an Implementation plan

“With that in mind, we need to bring together a greater number of stakeholders to identify the vulnerabilities of our infrastructure systems and propose solutions. Without a doubt, we need to explore new solutions that involve more stakeholders in the system” she added.

Advancing Infrastructure Resilience in Chile

Early start

The process

Recognising drought

Prioritization of Threats in Chile

Protecting water

Next steps

1.

2.

Distribution of hazards in micro-zones over the period 2000-2023

3.

Tonga

85,000 people

1

Stakeholder mapping

Review of existing policies and regulations

Identification of vulnerabilities (Stress Testing)

Principles for resilient infrastructure

Development of an Implementation plan

“The infrastructure resilience review process is already helping us to do that,” he said.

Advancing Infrastructure Resilience in Tonga

The process

Stress-testing of Critical Infrastructure against Identified Hazard, Tonga

“By prioritising resilience, the country can support sustainable economic growth, adapt to climate change, and protect communities, while minimising economic and human losses.”

Water sector

Hazard-related disruptions in Tonga’s water sector

TROPICAL CYCLONES:

VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS AND ASHFALL:

DROUGHTS:

TSUNAMIS:

Transport

“The infrastructure resilience review reminds us that we are not passive actors, but that to a much greater extent we are masters of our own destiny,” said Sione Pulotu ‘Akau’ola, CEO for Ministry of MEIDECC.

“In the long run, building resilience into our infrastructure will save us lives, destruction, and economic damage,” he said.

India and Egypt deliberate to strengthen ties through avenues of strategic collaboration in skill developmentBoth delegations expressed a shared commitment to creating a globally competitive, future-ready workforce

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi addresses YUGM Innovation conclaveOur endeavour is to empower the youth with skills that make them self-reliant and position India as a global innovation hub: PM

A bone from 108 million years ago

Tiny clues inside bones

From water to land

Urgent need to diversify

Cautious Canada vs. confident China

Emphasizing Canada’s differences

A different kind of engagement

India and Egypt deliberate to strengthen ties through avenues of strategic collaboration in skill development

Both delegations expressed a shared commitment to creating a globally competitive, future-ready workforce

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi addresses YUGM Innovation conclave

Our endeavour is to empower the youth with skills that make them self-reliant and position India as a global innovation hub: PM