NewzIntel.com

Category: Africa

  • MIL-OSI Africa: African safaris and colonial nightmares: a visit to artist Roger Ballen’s latest show

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Tinashe Mushakavanhu, Research Associate, University of Oxford

    Born in the US, Roger Ballen, the internationally renowned photographer, has lived in South Africa since the 1970s.

    He gained a cult following for his grotesque, surreal images of white poverty, captured on the rural fringes during apartheid. His work exposed not only the exploitation and marginalisation of his subjects but also the reality of apartheid’s failure to uplift even its privileged white minority.

    Lion’s Revenge is a living, moving sculpture with sound effects. Roger Ballen/Inside Out Centre For the Arts

    Over time, Ballen’s practice has expanded beyond photography into a hybrid realm of exhibition, installation and performance. His new Johannesburg space, the Inside Out Centre for the Arts, serves as a theatre for this experimentation.

    The name itself, Inside Out, is typically “Ballenesque”, evoking the psychological effect he seeks to instil in viewers: a blurring of perception and reality. His exhibition, End of the Game, is an arresting debut for the centre.

    Ballen is committed to challenging perspectives on African narratives. Designed as a platform for thought-provoking exhibitions and educational programmes, Inside Out supports a range of artistic practices, including photography, painting, sculpture, installation, drawing and film.

    On a recent visit to the centre, Ballen walks me through the exhibition. As a scholar of literature and visual cultures, I am fascinated with this epic engagement with colonial archives and the history of big game hunting in Africa since the 1700s.

    End of the Game. Inside Out Centre for the Arts

    Even though the show’s been up for over a year, there’s no rush to close it, Ballen tells me. It’s become the backdrop of many eclectic events at the centre – live tattooing, poetry performances, curatorial talks, music workshops, film screenings, panel discussions. The centre is also proving popular for school group visits.

    Read more: The real Johannesburg: 6 powerful photos from a gritty new book on the city

    End of the Game is a visual and psychological exploration of the African safari – an experience long entwined with adventure, exploration, and the exploitative legacies of colonialism. It delves into humanity’s deep-seated drive to control and assert dominance over nature and wildlife.

    A call to action

    Entering End of the Game, visitors are greeted by Tarzan posters and a room filled with photos, books and documentary material on colonial hunting. But down the stairs, the experience shifts dramatically.

    Inside Out Centre For the Arts

    Here, Ballen’s images merge with eerie, mechanised sculptures of taxidermied (stuffed) creatures and unsettling painted tableaus. It feels like a horror-infused natural history museum.

    Ballen blurs the line between documentary and constructed imagery, creating existential psychological dramas within haunting interiors.

    Through his depictions of people and animals on the fringes of existence, he invites us to confront both our own alienation from the natural world and also the devastating consequences of our destructive behaviour.

    Over the years, the scenes in Ballen’s photography have become increasingly elaborate and theatrical. His props, masks, drawings and sculptures have come to feature more prominently than people. The results often look more like mixed media collages than photographs.

    Some of these elements are present in End of the Game. It assembles historical artefacts, paintings, colonial and contemporary photographs, as well as carefully staged objects. The result is a critical interrogation of the ecological crisis to which we have contributed. In the context of climate change, the show stands as both a stark indictment and an urgent call to action.

    Beyond photography

    The impulse to compose images beyond the medium of the photograph is what leads Ballen to collect found objects. He explains the process this way:

    I am always trying to find things that don’t necessarily belong together and in making them belong together in a new way … It takes the spectator’s mind on a journey in another direction, which is important in art.

    Nothing is static. Everything is in constant motion. The exhibition is immersive. The viewer and the objects are circling each other. Walking through it feels like entering a jungle, the taxidermied animals look poised for confrontation.

    Hunter by Roger Ballen. Inside Out Centre for the Arts

    For Ballen, this encounter is both physical and psychological – are animals enemies or figures of beauty? Perhaps coexistence is the question at the work’s core. As he explains it:

    A central challenge in my career has been to locate the animal in the human being and the human being in the animal.

    As the Tarzan posters make clear from the beginning, the idea of Africa has been hyped through Hollywood clichés. The image of it as a wild continent to be tamed and conquered, an unspoiled paradise, or a playground, has persisted. The romance of the African bush has filled the imagination of many foreign writers.

    Kenyan writer Binyavanga Wainaina, in his essay How to Write About Africa, satirised this:

    Always use the word ‘Africa’ or ‘Darkness’ or ‘Safari’ in your title.

    Here, safari embodies the enduring thrill of conquest.

    Victor. Inside Out Centre for the Arts

    In the screen room, a collaged film is shown, made up of old hunting expedition clips found on YouTube. It is travel propaganda of famous hunting expeditions, led by colonialists and influential western figures.

    Ballen, a US-trained geologist, was drawn to South Africa to study and work in the mineral extraction field. His deep engagement with the earth’s structure, materials and processes conceptually frames this exhibition, blending the scientific with the surreal.

    The show sparks critical conversations on wildlife conservation, responsible tourism and environmental stewardship.

    Inside Out

    Inside Out was originally intended to be a photography centre, but during construction Ballen started imagining broader possibilities. It evolved into a multi-purpose venue that is a gallery, a theatre and an exhibition space, all in one.

    Funeral Wake. Roger Ballen/Inside Out Centre for the Arts

    However, the photography centre remains part of the plan. Ballen has bought the property next door, where the photography centre will now be established. Set to open in the last quarter of 2025, the centre will host photography exhibitions, talks and a bookstore, making it one of Africa’s few dedicated photography centres.

    – African safaris and colonial nightmares: a visit to artist Roger Ballen’s latest show
    – https://theconversation.com/african-safaris-and-colonial-nightmares-a-visit-to-artist-roger-ballens-latest-show-251302

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Wealthy Africans often don’t pay tax: the answer lies in smarter collection – expert

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Giovanni Occhiali, Research Fellow at the Institute of Development Studies, Institute of Development Studies

    Faced with some of the worse debt levels in over a decade, African countries are struggling to find ways to balance their books. Increasing revenue sources from their citizens is an obvious place to look.

    A good starting point for African countries would be to focus on the tax contribution of wealthy citizens. This is because the most under performing taxes across the African continent are those bearing on the income of wealthy individuals, namely personal income and property taxes.

    The reasons for this are two fold: People who are better off in some countries often remain invisible to tax authorities. This is even though they have higher tax liabilities. Compare this with citizens who have formal labour contracts. Think of public school teachers or supermarket clerks. Their taxes are withheld by their employers. This makes tax evasion impossible. Most taxes on personal income in Africa are paid by citizens in these forms of employment.

    In contrast, prior to 2015, only one of the top 71 Ugandan government officials and 17 of the country 60 most successful lawyers paid any personal income tax. Similarly, only 16% of all landlords identified in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, during a registration drive in 2021 had registered for taxes.

    This shows that wealthy Africans face lower effective tax rates than average citizens, replicating a trend already demonstrated for the relative tax burden of small and large companies.

    This situation is disheartening. But there are immediate steps that African revenue authorities can take to address this unfairness.

    Research led by the International Centre for Tax and Development, to which I have contributed, shows that revenue increases from wealthy citizens can be obtained by focusing on better enforcement of existing taxes rather than by introducing new ones or hiking tax rates.

    An effective approach to increase wealthy citizens tax contribution relies on three strategies:

    • their identification

    • a simplification of tax compliance processes, and

    • the effective enforcement of existing taxes.

    While these suggestions might seem banal, they can lead to some quick revenue gains: as much as US$5.5 million in Uganda or US$900,000 in a single Nigerian state in one year, or tripling property tax revenue collection in Sierra Leone.

    But these improvements require changes in the way African revenue authorities operate.

    Tax collection services need change of focus

    Revenue services in all African countries need to be better resourced. A typical tax officer on the continent might be responsible for as many as 10 times the number of taxpayers than a tax officer in the Global North.

    First, their efforts need to be redirected away from the registration of small informal businesses. These efforts have been shown to contribute little revenue in countries as diverse as South Africa and Sierra Leone.

    Instead their efforts should be directed a developing a definition of high-net-worth individual appropriate for their domestic context. In Uganda this includes criteria such as having performed land transactions of approximately US$300,000 over five years, or earning approximately US$150,000 in rental income in any given year.

    Due to its federal structure, criteria in Nigeria vary across states, for example including an yearly income above Naira 2 million in Borno and Kano state, with the threshold raising to Naira 15 million in Imo state, Naira 20 million in Niger state and Naira 25 million in Lagos state.

    However, in both countries criteria also cover less directly measurable assets, such as owning high-value commercial forestry or animal ranches in Uganda, or having received contracts from the government in Nigeria’s Kaduna state.

    Property taxes are especially important. Research in Ethiopia and Rwanda shows that investing in real estate represents one of the main strategies to store wealth when inflation and foreign exchange fluctuation make bank deposits unattractive.

    These properties then contribute to increasing the income of wealthy citizens who rent them out or resell them for profit. While we lack granular data on capital gains or rental income taxes, there are good reasons to think they are also significantly underperforming. Capital gains refers to the additional value which an investor accrues when disposing of assets such as houses or companies share previously bought at a lower price.

    Second, this should be followed by the creation of an office to follow the affairs of high net-worth individuals. This already happens for large taxpayers. Most countries, including the majority of anglophone African countries, have a dedicated office following the tax affairs of large companies active in their territory.

    Having dedicated resources for high net-worth individuals would be useful because using the international definition (a net worth of US$1 million) might be hard to operationalise. The reason for this is that most revenue authorities lack detailed data on assets owned by their taxpayers. Even when they know some information, such as the number of houses, estimates of their market value might be lacking.

    African countries are better off relying on data already in their possession as they seek to collect further useful information on their taxpayers. This allows the establishment of a set of multiple core and non-core criteria.

    Third, high-net worth individual units require substantial backing. In the first instance from revenue authorities’ senior management, who in turn needs to have the support of the government in pursuing often well-connected individuals. This backing is needed for actions as apparently easy as obtaining data from other government agencies, without which identification efforts could be quickly thwarted, and becomes crucial when its time to move to enforcement.

    However, a cooperative approach should be the initial choice. One approach is voluntary disclosure programmes with associated tax amnesties. These are useful to obtain information about the assets of wealthy citizens. Additionally, they contribute substantial revenue – as much as US$296 million in South Africa and US$192 million in Nigeria.

    Fourth, requiring candidates running for public office to obtain tax clearance certificates can also be an important source of information and revenue. This has been shown to work in both Uganda and Nigeria.

    This set of actions represents an optimal starting point for African countries looking to improve the tax contribution of wealthy citizens.

    Efforts to produce suitable guidance for wealth taxation for low-income countries by the United Nations, or to introduce a global wealth tax on billionaire by the Brazilian G20, are important to highlight the role of fiscal redistribution in addressing inequality. But many African countries are better off by first being bold about the basics of their tax systems, which can already make them more effective and progressive.

    – Wealthy Africans often don’t pay tax: the answer lies in smarter collection – expert
    – https://theconversation.com/wealthy-africans-often-dont-pay-tax-the-answer-lies-in-smarter-collection-expert-252437

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Secretary-General’s message on World Meteorological Day [scroll down for French version]

    Source: United Nations – English

    he dark predictions of meteorologists are coming to pass. Our climate is going up in flames. Every one of the last ten years has been the hottest in recorded history. Ocean heat is breaking records. And every country is feeling the effects – whether scorched by fires, swept by floods, or pummelled by unprecedented storms.
     
    The theme of this year’s World Meteorological Day – Closing the Early Warning Gap Together – reminds us that, in this new climate reality, early warning systems are not luxuries. They are necessities and sound investments – providing an almost ten-fold return. Yet, almost half the world’s countries still lack access to these life-saving systems. It is disgraceful that, in a digital age, lives and livelihoods are being lost because people have no access to effective early warning systems.

    The United Nations Early Warnings for All initiative aims for everyone, everywhere to be protected by an alert system by 2027. The world must come together, and urgently scale-up action and investment, to realize this goal.

    We need high-level political support for the Initiative within countries, a boost in technology support, greater collaboration between governments, businesses and communities, and a major effort to scale-up finance. Increasing the lending capacity of the Multilateral Development Banks is key. The Pact for the Future agreed last year made important strides forward, it must be delivered in full. So must the COP29 finance outcome.

    At the same time, we must intensify our efforts to tackle the climate crisis at source – through rapid and deep cuts to greenhouse gas emissions – to prevent it getting unimaginably worse. This year all countries must honour the promise to deliver new national climate action plans that align with limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

    In an era of climate disaster, every person on Earth must be protected by an early warning system as a matter of justice. Together, let’s deliver. 

    ***

    Les sombres prévisions des météorologues sont en passe de se réaliser. Notre climat s’embrase. Les dix dernières années ont été les plus chaudes jamais enregistrées dans l’histoire de l’humanité. Les océans connaissent des niveaux record de chaleur. Incendies ravageurs, inondations dévastatrices ou tempêtes sans précédent : aucun pays n’est épargné par les effets des changements climatiques.

    Cette année, la Journée météorologique mondiale est placée sous le thème « Combler ensemble les lacunes en matière d’alertes précoces », qui vient nous rappeler que, dans cette nouvelle réalité climatique, les systèmes d’alerte précoce ne sont pas un luxe. En plus d’être indispensables, ils représentent des investissements judicieux, puisque les bénéfices qui en découlent sont pratiquement dix fois supérieurs aux montants investis. Pourtant, près de la moitié des pays de la planète n’ont toujours pas accès à ces systèmes d’une importance vitale. À l’ère du numérique, il est déplorable que des personnes perdent la vie ou voient leurs moyens de subsistance anéantis faute d’avoir accès à des systèmes d’alerte précoce efficaces.

    L’initiative « Alertes précoces pour tous » de l’Organisation des Nations Unies vise à ce que chaque habitant de la planète soit protégé par un système d’alerte d’ici à 2027. La communauté internationale doit unir ses forces et accroître d’urgence ses efforts et ses investissements pour atteindre cet objectif.

    Il est primordial que chaque pays accorde à l’initiative un soutien politique de haut niveau, qu’un appui plus énergique soit offert sur le plan des technologies, que les gouvernements, les entreprises et les communautés resserrent leur coopération et que les financements connaissent un véritable bond. Il est également crucial d’accroître la capacité de prêt des banques multilatérales de développement. Le Pacte pour l’avenir, adopté l’an dernier, a permis de poser des bases solides ; il doit maintenant être appliqué pleinement. Il faut également concrétiser les engagements pris en matière de financement à la vingt-neuvième session de la Conférence des Parties à la Convention-cadre des Nations Unies sur les changements climatiques (COP 29).

    Dans le même temps, il nous faut redoubler d’efforts pour chercher à résoudre la crise climatique à la source, en réduisant rapidement et fortement les émissions de gaz à effet de serre, afin d’éviter que la situation n’empire dans des proportions inimaginables. Cette année, tous les pays doivent honorer leur promesse de présenter de nouveaux plans d’action nationaux pour le climat qui soient compatibles avec l’objectif consistant à limiter le réchauffement planétaire à 1,5 degré Celsius.

    À l’ère des catastrophes climatiques, il faut que chaque personne sur Terre soit protégée par un système d’alerte précoce ; il s’agit là d’une question de justice. Ensemble, donnons corps à cette ambition.

    ***
     

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Secretary-General’s video message for Earth Hour [scroll down for French version]

    Source: United Nations – English

    strong>Download the video:
    https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/downloads2.unmultimedia.org/public/video/evergreen/MSG+SG+/SG+EARTH+HOUR+21+FEB+25/3341592_MSG+SG+EARTH+HOUR+21+FEB+25.mp4

    Earth hour is about solidarity, hope, and the power of collective action.

    Every year, millions of people turn off the lights to illuminate the need for climate action.

    Today I ask that you are one of them.

    Earth needs you.

    Human-made climate calamity is here and now.  

    We’ve just had the hottest year, the hottest decade, and the hottest seas on record. And we’ve seen historic fires, storms and droughts as a result.

    Moving away from polluting fossil fuels – the leading cause of this chaos – towards renewable power holds immense promise for us all – it’s healthier, cheaper and more secure. 

    So please, join us – switch off your lights on March 22nd at 8:30 p.m. local time. 

    Give an hour to Earth.

    And use your power to push for a better world for us all.

    ***
    L’Heure pour la Terre symbolise la solidarité, l’espoir et le pouvoir de l’action collective.

    Chaque année, des millions de personnes éteignent les lumières en faveur de l’action climatique.

    Aujourd’hui, soyez l’une de ces personnes.

    La Terre a besoin de vous.

    Les catastrophes climatiques causées par l’homme sont déjà bien là.

    Cette année et cette décennie ont été les plus chaudes jamais enregistrées, et la température de la mer n’a jamais été aussi élevée. Il en résulte des incendies, des tempêtes et des sécheresses sans précédent.

    Les combustibles fossiles polluants étant la principale cause de ce chaos, le passage aux énergies renouvelables – plus saines, moins chères et plus sûres – suscite de grands espoirs.

    Comme nous, le 22 mars à 20 h 30, où que vous soyez, éteignez la lumière.

    Offrez une heure à la Terre.

    Et utilisez votre pouvoir pour promouvoir un monde meilleur pour tous.

    ***
     

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: African Development Bank, United Nations Development Programme, and Partners to host Regional Dialogue on Modernising Transparency and Accountability…

    Source: African Development Bank Group
    What:       High-Level Regional Dialogue on Public Finance Systems in Africa
    Who:        United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), African Development Bank Group (AfDB), United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), and the government of the Republic of Benin
    When:      25 – 26 March 2025;…

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: No child should be forced to choose between hunger and education, King Letsie III and African Development Bank President Adesina declare

    Source: African Development Bank Group
    A school feeding organization in Kenya, Food4Education, left King Letsie III of the Kingdom of Lesotho and the President of the African Development Bank Group, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, so impressed that they made impassioned appeals to governments and corporate leaders to do more to end classroom hunger. 

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Trouble at Tesla and protests against Trump’s tariffs suggest consumer boycotts are starting to bite

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Erin O’Brien, Associate Professor, School of Government and International Relations, Griffith University

    Getty Images

    When the United States starts a trade war with your country, how do you fight back? For individuals, one option is to wage a personal trade war and boycott products from the US.

    President Donald Trump has said no nation will be exempt from his tariffs, and this includes both Australia and New Zealand. His tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports, in particular, could hurt the sector in Australia, while New Zealand’s meat and wine exports to the US could also feel the effect.

    So far, political leaders have responded differently. Canada, Mexico and the European Union have imposed reciprocal tariffs on the US, while Australia has indicated it will not retaliate.

    But whether governments choose to push back or not, citizens in those and other countries are making their own stands. This includes artists such as renowned pianist András Schiff, who has cancelled his upcoming US tour.

    Most notably, collective outrage at the US president has led to a growing global boycott of Elon Musk’s Tesla due to his role in the Trump administration. Sales of new Tesla vehicles are down 72% in Australia and 76% in Germany. The share price has dropped by more than 50% since December 2024, with calls for Musk to step down as chief executive.

    Some governments are even encouraging consumer boycotts. The Canadian government, for example, has urged citizens to “fight back against the unjustified US tariffs” by purchasing Canadian products and holidaying in Canada.

    Canadians are clearly embracing this advice. Road trips to the US have dropped by more than 20% in the past month and US liquor brands have been removed from some Canadian stores altogether.

    This rise in calls for boycotts of American brands and companies is unsurprising in the Trump 2.0 era, where the lines between government and corporate America have become increasingly blurred.

    Political change by proxy

    When people want to protest a government policy, but have no political leverage because they’re not citizens of that country, boycotting corporations or brands gives them a voice. These actions are sometimes called “surrogate” or “proxy” boycotts.

    This form of “political consumerism”, where individuals align their consumption choices with their values, is now one of the most common forms of political participation in western liberal democracies.

    When France opposed the war in Iraq in 2003, US supporters of the war aimed boycotts at French imports. Consumers in the US, United Kingdom and elsewhere have boycotted Russian goods over the invasion of Ukraine, and targeted Israel over its military action and policies in Gaza and the West Bank.

    Most famously, protests against the apartheid regime in South Africa from the 1950s through to the 1990s helped isolate and eventually change its government.

    The current boycotts are not just protesting Trump’s trade war, of course. They are also about the role of unelected leaders from the corporate world, such as Musk and the heads of the Big Tech and social media companies, and their perceived self-interest and influence.

    Trump has responded angrily to consumer boycotts, calling the actions against Tesla “illegal”, which they are not. Indeed, political leaders like Trump often argue that consumer action, rather than government regulation, should be relied on to ensure corporations conform to social expectations.

    Ukrainians demonstrate in front of the Lukoil headquarters in Belgium over European imports of Russian fossil fuels, 2022.
    Getty Images

    How to wage a personal trade war

    Consumer boycotts do create change under certain conditions – typically when there is a contained problem that the targeted corporation has the power to solve.

    For example, consumer boycotts against Nestlé in the 1970s over false and dangerous marketing of powdered milk for infants led to changes in the firm’s marketing approaches. Boycotts of Nike products over sweatshop conditions for workers had a direct impact on the company’s bottom line and led to improvements.

    Things may still need to improve at Nestlé and Nike, but these boycotts show consumer pressure can catalyse corporate action. However, it is much harder – though not impossible – for boycott campaigns to succeed when the target is a government.

    Consumers boycotting American products can amplify the impact of their protest by also lobbying retailers. For example, if enough consumers stop buying a bottle of soft drink from the US, major supermarkets like Woolworths and Foodstuffs will stop buying thousands of bottles.

    There are also other ways to “vote with your wallet”. People can engage in “political investorism” by using their power as a shareholder, bank customer or pension-fund member to express their political views.

    After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, for example, investors sought to divest from Russian companies, and superannuation funds were pressured by their members to do the same.

    As consumers and investors, individuals can wage a personal trade war, sending a clear message. Trump may not be willing to listen to the leaders of allied nations, but if consumer and investor pressure is sustained and spreads globally, he may yet hear the voice of corporate America.

    Erin O’Brien receives funding from the Australian Research Council to examine consumer and investor activism for social change. She is affiliated with the Australian Political Studies Association.

    Justine Coneybeer receives funding from the Australian Research Council to investigate ethical investment.

    – ref. Trouble at Tesla and protests against Trump’s tariffs suggest consumer boycotts are starting to bite – https://theconversation.com/trouble-at-tesla-and-protests-against-trumps-tariffs-suggest-consumer-boycotts-are-starting-to-bite-252489

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Adelaide Hills water crisis: a local problem is a global wake-up call

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Holland, Principal Research Scientist, Water Security, CSIRO

    A dry farm dam in Montacute, Adelaide Hills, March 2025. Ilan Sagi.

    The Adelaide Hills are experiencing severe water shortages. The root cause? A prolonged dry period and not enough water tankers to meet unprecedented demand from people not connected to the mains water supply.

    Thousands of residents and farmers are hurting as dams, tanks and streams dry up. Water tankers are becoming a common sight, carting in desperately needed water. People are waiting weeks for expensive water deliveries.

    The South Australian government has set up emergency water collection points to cope with the demand from off-grid families. More water tankers have been secured. But despite recent rain, the situation is far from over.

    We found rainfall and flows into Adelaide’s reservoirs are at their lowest levels in 40 years. Reservoir levels have dropped to 44% – the lowest for more than 20 years.

    Adelaide is not currently at risk of running out of water; the state government built a desalination plant after the Millennium Drought. Production at the desal plant is four to six times higher than usual to meet demand. Without the desal plant and water from the River Murray, the city would be under severe water restrictions.

    But the crisis shows many off-grid families, farms and businesses need new options to plan for the future.

    Over the past 12 months, rainfall in parts of South Australia has been the lowest on record.
    Commonwealth of Australia 2025, Bureau of Meteorology

    Global water stress

    This is not the first time entire communities have run out of water.

    Cape Town in South Africa nearly ran out of water in 2018. The city of nearly 4 million people was weeks away from “Day Zero”.

    In Australia, several regional and rural country towns have hit their own Day Zero. Stanthorpe in Queensland officially ran out of water in January 2020. Truckloads of water were carted into town every day to meet residential demand.

    Scientists have coined a new term, “hydroclimate whiplash”, to describe the rapid swings between intensely wet and dangerously dry weather currently occurring across the globe. This climate volatility amplifies natural hazards such as flash floods, wildfires, landslides and disease.

    The January wildfires in Los Angeles happened when two wet winters were followed by an extremely dry autumn and winter, providing plenty of dry fuel for fire.

    These aren’t isolated events. The global water crisis didn’t go away.

    The bigger picture

    What’s happening in the Adelaide Hills – and in other very dry places worldwide – demonstrates the need for careful, long-term water security planning.

    The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6 is to “ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all”. Water stress already affects more than 2 billion people – more than a quarter of the world’s population.

    By 2030, the UN predicts 2 billion people will still be living without safely managed drinking water, 3 billion without safely managed sanitation, and 1.4 billion without basic hygiene services.

    For many, this is literally a life-or-death matter.

    Investing in water security

    CSIRO is collaborating with industry, government and research organisations on research to overcome drought and build resilience for regional Australia. Our researchers are testing how well each of these strategies might work in different regions during extended dry periods. We calculate how much water can be collected and stored during the driest periods on record.

    Rainfall over Norfolk Island, a subtropical island in the Pacific Ocean roughly 1,500km southeast of Brisbane, has declined by 11% since 1970, with long runs of dry years in recent decades. The future is likely to be drier still.

    Our Norfolk Island Water Resource Assessment explored ways to help the community determine how to adapt and build resilience to drought.

    Since this project finished in 2020, residential and commercial rainwater tanks have been upgraded and a new seawater desalination plant installed. Other options to diversify water supplies included sharing groundwater bores, capturing runoff in gully dams, managing vegetation water use, and storing water underground.

    Excess water from rainwater or recycled wastewater can sometimes be stored underground in natural reservoirs called aquifers for use during drought. This is called “water banking” or “managed aquifer recharge”. The technique has been developed over the past 20 years and used to safely store water underground across Australia and overseas.

    Brackish (salty) groundwater is a potential water source that could be unlocked during drought. A National Water Grid funded project is investigating ways to use groundwater that would normally be too salty, along with renewable energy to power inland desalination plants. The project is investigating the prospect of using brackish groundwater across Western Australia for the first time.

    Future generations are likely to face more severe water shortages.
    Rosie Sheba

    A call to action

    The Adelaide Hills water crisis is a microcosm of a global issue. It’s a reminder action is needed now to secure our water future. Not when the water runs out.

    Deeper groundwater bores, water tankers on standby and bigger water storages are all potentially part of the portfolio of emergency plans. And due to climate change, the Adelaide Hills water crisis will happen again if we are unprepared. It is a question of when, not if.

    We have also seen the catastrophic effects of drought in Los Angeles – a tinderbox waiting to burn, and insufficient water on hand to fight the fires. We can and must prepare for natural disasters today. These are not unforeseen consequences. They are not “unknown unknowns”. We know them today. We will have no excuse when this happens.

    By adopting more sustainable water management policies and practices in the longer term, we can make sure the spectre of Day Zero does not become real for more communities around the world.

    With thanks to CSIRO Senior Research Scientist and Hydrologist Matt Gibbs and Principal Experimental Scientist in Hydrogeology Andrew Taylor.

    Kate Holland receives funding from the Australian Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, and Department of Industry, Science and Resources.

    Craig T. Simmons has received funding for water research from various government and non-government organisations in the past. He is currently serving as Chief Scientist for South Australia.

    – ref. Adelaide Hills water crisis: a local problem is a global wake-up call – https://theconversation.com/adelaide-hills-water-crisis-a-local-problem-is-a-global-wake-up-call-251265

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Launch of Monash University’s Campus Cohesion research program

    Source: Murray Darling Basin Authority

    **CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY**

    I acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which we are meeting today, and I pay my respects to elders, past and present.

    I would also like to acknowledge: 

    • Vice Chancellor Sharon Pickering
    • Associate Professor David Slucki
    • Dr Susan Carland 
    • Hugh de Krestser, President of the Australian Human Rights Commission
    • Mr Aftab Malik, Special Envoy to Combat Islamophonia
    • My friends and colleagues, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus and Josh Burns 

    For a lot of Australians, October 7 and everything that’s happened since in Gaza and now in Lebanon feels like a world away.

    But for some Australians, it’s close to home.

    It feels different because it is different. 

    The people we see suffering on our television or on social media aren’t strangers to them. They know them. Or they know someone who knows them.

    All of that pain and helplessness manifests itself in different ways.

    I see it in my local community in Western Sydney and we’ve seen it here at Monash and at other universities across the country.

    Today, I thought I would tell you a story about how it’s affected one particular friend of mine. A Jewish friend.

    In the days after October 7, he rang me and told me how he felt afraid to send his son to school. 

    A few months later, he rang me again.

    This time he wanted me to know that before October 7 that his son’s best friend was a boy called Mohammed, and that he is still his best friend today. 

    He told me every week during soccer season he drops his son over at Mohammed’s house, and they go to training together. 

    And he also wanted me to know that next year, his son will celebrate his bar mitzvah, and Mohammed will be there too.

    There’s a lesson here in this, I think, for all of us.

    A lesson about the sort of country we really are. 

    About what we are like at our best.

    When you take the politics out of it. 

    People living and working and studying and playing soccer together.

    And that’s what the work that David and Susan are about to kick off is all about too – without the soccer bit.

    It’s such important work.

    At its core, it’s about something really simple, and that’s respect. About all of us being a little bit more like these two little boys.

    And being big enough to admit it.

    And see how we can do things better. 

    I want to thank Susan and David for your courage and your ambition in embarking on this work. 

    I know it isn’t easy. It’s a lot easier to say no at the moment than it is to say yes.

    And I want to thank you, Sharon, for funding this work. Without hesitation. 

    That is real leadership. 

    And what comes out of this research won’t just make Monash a better and a safer and a more welcoming place. 

    It will also help inform the work the Race Discrimination Commissioner is doing about racism in all its forms on every campus across the country. 

    That will help make every campus a better, safer and more welcoming place. 

    That’s how significant this work is, and that is why I wanted to be here today.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: African safaris and colonial nightmares: a visit to artist Roger Ballen’s latest show

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Tinashe Mushakavanhu, Research Associate, University of Oxford

    Born in the US, Roger Ballen, the internationally renowned photographer, has lived in South Africa since the 1970s.

    He gained a cult following for his grotesque, surreal images of white poverty, captured on the rural fringes during apartheid. His work exposed not only the exploitation and marginalisation of his subjects but also the reality of apartheid’s failure to uplift even its privileged white minority.

    Over time, Ballen’s practice has expanded beyond photography into a hybrid realm of exhibition, installation and performance. His new Johannesburg space, the Inside Out Centre for the Arts, serves as a theatre for this experimentation.

    The name itself, Inside Out, is typically “Ballenesque”, evoking the psychological effect he seeks to instil in viewers: a blurring of perception and reality. His exhibition, End of the Game, is an arresting debut for the centre.

    Ballen is committed to challenging perspectives on African narratives. Designed as a platform for thought-provoking exhibitions and educational programmes, Inside Out supports a range of artistic practices, including photography, painting, sculpture, installation, drawing and film.

    On a recent visit to the centre, Ballen walks me through the exhibition. As a scholar of literature and visual cultures, I am fascinated with this epic engagement with colonial archives and the history of big game hunting in Africa since the 1700s.

    Even though the show’s been up for over a year, there’s no rush to close it, Ballen tells me. It’s become the backdrop of many eclectic events at the centre – live tattooing, poetry performances, curatorial talks, music workshops, film screenings, panel discussions. The centre is also proving popular for school group visits.



    Read more:
    The real Johannesburg: 6 powerful photos from a gritty new book on the city

    End of the Game is a visual and psychological exploration of the African safari – an experience long entwined with adventure, exploration, and the exploitative legacies of colonialism. It delves into humanity’s deep-seated drive to control and assert dominance over nature and wildlife.

    A call to action

    Entering End of the Game, visitors are greeted by Tarzan posters and a room filled with photos, books and documentary material on colonial hunting. But down the stairs, the experience shifts dramatically.

    Here, Ballen’s images merge with eerie, mechanised sculptures of taxidermied (stuffed) creatures and unsettling painted tableaus. It feels like a horror-infused natural history museum.

    Ballen blurs the line between documentary and constructed imagery, creating existential psychological dramas within haunting interiors.

    Through his depictions of people and animals on the fringes of existence, he invites us to confront both our own alienation from the natural world and also the devastating consequences of our destructive behaviour.

    Over the years, the scenes in Ballen’s photography have become increasingly elaborate and theatrical. His props, masks, drawings and sculptures have come to feature more prominently than people. The results often look more like mixed media collages than photographs.

    Some of these elements are present in End of the Game. It assembles historical artefacts, paintings, colonial and contemporary photographs, as well as carefully staged objects. The result is a critical interrogation of the ecological crisis to which we have contributed. In the context of climate change, the show stands as both a stark indictment and an urgent call to action.

    Beyond photography

    The impulse to compose images beyond the medium of the photograph is what leads Ballen to collect found objects. He explains the process this way:

    I am always trying to find things that don’t necessarily belong together and in making them belong together in a new way … It takes the spectator’s mind on a journey in another direction, which is important in art.

    Nothing is static. Everything is in constant motion. The exhibition is immersive. The viewer and the objects are circling each other. Walking through it feels like entering a jungle, the taxidermied animals look poised for confrontation.

    For Ballen, this encounter is both physical and psychological – are animals enemies or figures of beauty? Perhaps coexistence is the question at the work’s core. As he explains it:

    A central challenge in my career has been to locate the animal in the human being and the human being in the animal.

    As the Tarzan posters make clear from the beginning, the idea of Africa has been hyped through Hollywood clichés. The image of it as a wild continent to be tamed and conquered, an unspoiled paradise, or a playground, has persisted. The romance of the African bush has filled the imagination of many foreign writers.

    Kenyan writer Binyavanga Wainaina, in his essay How to Write About Africa, satirised this:

    Always use the word ‘Africa’ or ‘Darkness’ or ‘Safari’ in your title.

    Here, safari embodies the enduring thrill of conquest.

    In the screen room, a collaged film is shown, made up of old hunting expedition clips found on YouTube. It is travel propaganda of famous hunting expeditions, led by colonialists and influential western figures.

    Ballen, a US-trained geologist, was drawn to South Africa to study and work in the mineral extraction field. His deep engagement with the earth’s structure, materials and processes conceptually frames this exhibition, blending the scientific with the surreal.

    The show sparks critical conversations on wildlife conservation, responsible tourism and environmental stewardship.

    Inside Out

    Inside Out was originally intended to be a photography centre, but during construction Ballen started imagining broader possibilities. It evolved into a multi-purpose venue that is a gallery, a theatre and an exhibition space, all in one.

    However, the photography centre remains part of the plan. Ballen has bought the property next door, where the photography centre will now be established. Set to open in the last quarter of 2025, the centre will host photography exhibitions, talks and a bookstore, making it one of Africa’s few dedicated photography centres.

    Tinashe Mushakavanhu 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. African safaris and colonial nightmares: a visit to artist Roger Ballen’s latest show – https://theconversation.com/african-safaris-and-colonial-nightmares-a-visit-to-artist-roger-ballens-latest-show-251302

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Wealthy Africans often don’t pay tax: the answer lies in smarter collection – expert

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Giovanni Occhiali, Research Fellow at the Institute of Development Studies, Institute of Development Studies

    Faced with some of the worse debt levels in over a decade, African countries are struggling to find ways to balance their books. Increasing revenue sources from their citizens is an obvious place to look.

    A good starting point for African countries would be to focus on the tax contribution of wealthy citizens. This is because the most under performing taxes across the African continent are those bearing on the income of wealthy individuals, namely personal income and property taxes.

    The reasons for this are two fold: People who are better off in some countries often remain invisible to tax authorities. This is even though they have higher tax liabilities. Compare this with citizens who have formal labour contracts. Think of public school teachers or supermarket clerks. Their taxes are withheld by their employers. This makes tax evasion impossible. Most taxes on personal income in Africa are paid by citizens in these forms of employment.

    In contrast, prior to 2015, only one of the top 71 Ugandan government officials and 17 of the country 60 most successful lawyers paid any personal income tax. Similarly, only 16% of all landlords identified in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, during a registration drive in 2021 had registered for taxes.

    This shows that wealthy Africans face lower effective tax rates than average citizens, replicating a trend already demonstrated for the relative tax burden of small and large companies.

    This situation is disheartening. But there are immediate steps that African revenue authorities can take to address this unfairness.

    Research led by the International Centre for Tax and Development, to which I have contributed, shows that revenue increases from wealthy citizens can be obtained by focusing on better enforcement of existing taxes rather than by introducing new ones or hiking tax rates.

    An effective approach to increase wealthy citizens tax contribution relies on three strategies:

    • their identification

    • a simplification of tax compliance processes, and

    • the effective enforcement of existing taxes.

    While these suggestions might seem banal, they can lead to some quick revenue gains: as much as US$5.5 million in Uganda or US$900,000 in a single Nigerian state in one year, or tripling property tax revenue collection in Sierra Leone.

    But these improvements require changes in the way African revenue authorities operate.

    Tax collection services need change of focus

    Revenue services in all African countries need to be better resourced. A typical tax officer on the continent might be responsible for as many as 10 times the number of taxpayers than a tax officer in the Global North.

    First, their efforts need to be redirected away from the registration of small informal businesses. These efforts have been shown to contribute little revenue in countries as diverse as South Africa and Sierra Leone.

    Instead their efforts should be directed a developing a definition of high-net-worth individual appropriate for their domestic context. In Uganda this includes criteria such as having performed land transactions of approximately US$300,000 over five years, or earning approximately US$150,000 in rental income in any given year.

    Due to its federal structure, criteria in Nigeria vary across states, for example including an yearly income above Naira 2 million in Borno and Kano state, with the threshold raising to Naira 15 million in Imo state, Naira 20 million in Niger state and Naira 25 million in Lagos state.

    However, in both countries criteria also cover less directly measurable assets, such as owning high-value commercial forestry or animal ranches in Uganda, or having received contracts from the government in Nigeria’s Kaduna state.

    Property taxes are especially important. Research in Ethiopia and Rwanda shows that investing in real estate represents one of the main strategies to store wealth when inflation and foreign exchange fluctuation make bank deposits unattractive.

    These properties then contribute to increasing the income of wealthy citizens who rent them out or resell them for profit. While we lack granular data on capital gains or rental income taxes, there are good reasons to think they are also significantly underperforming. Capital gains refers to the additional value which an investor accrues when disposing of assets such as houses or companies share previously bought at a lower price.

    Second, this should be followed by the creation of an office to follow the affairs of high net-worth individuals. This already happens for large taxpayers. Most countries, including the majority of anglophone African countries, have a dedicated office following the tax affairs of large companies active in their territory.

    Having dedicated resources for high net-worth individuals would be useful because using the international definition (a net worth of US$1 million) might be hard to operationalise. The reason for this is that most revenue authorities lack detailed data on assets owned by their taxpayers. Even when they know some information, such as the number of houses, estimates of their market value might be lacking.

    African countries are better off relying on data already in their possession as they seek to collect further useful information on their taxpayers. This allows the establishment of a set of multiple core and non-core criteria.

    Third, high-net worth individual units require substantial backing. In the first instance from revenue authorities’ senior management, who in turn needs to have the support of the government in pursuing often well-connected individuals. This backing is needed for actions as apparently easy as obtaining data from other government agencies, without which identification efforts could be quickly thwarted, and becomes crucial when its time to move to enforcement.

    However, a cooperative approach should be the initial choice. One approach is voluntary disclosure programmes with associated tax amnesties. These are useful to obtain information about the assets of wealthy citizens. Additionally, they contribute substantial revenue – as much as US$296 million in South Africa and US$192 million in Nigeria.

    Fourth, requiring candidates running for public office to obtain tax clearance certificates can also be an important source of information and revenue. This has been shown to work in both Uganda and Nigeria.

    This set of actions represents an optimal starting point for African countries looking to improve the tax contribution of wealthy citizens.

    Efforts to produce suitable guidance for wealth taxation for low-income countries by the United Nations, or to introduce a global wealth tax on billionaire by the Brazilian G20, are important to highlight the role of fiscal redistribution in addressing inequality. But many African countries are better off by first being bold about the basics of their tax systems, which can already make them more effective and progressive.

    The International Centre for Tax and Development, where Dr Giovanni Occhiali works, receives funding from the United Kingdom Foregin, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the Gates Foundation, and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad).

    – ref. Wealthy Africans often don’t pay tax: the answer lies in smarter collection – expert – https://theconversation.com/wealthy-africans-often-dont-pay-tax-the-answer-lies-in-smarter-collection-expert-252437

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Mind your language: The battle for linguistic diversity in AI

    Source: United Nations 2

    By Fabrice Robinet

    Culture and Education

    For two years, one international organization under the umbrella of the UN has been leading a relentless campaign in the corridors of global digital diplomacy. Its mission? To bring linguistic diversity to English-dominated artificial intelligence.

    With his signature geeky glasses and TED-Talk-style headset, Sundar Pichai looked straight out of a Silicon Valley incubator.

    That Monday, February 10, Google’s chief executive took the stage at the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in Paris. From the Grand Palais podium, he heralded a new golden age of innovation.

    “Using AI techniques, we added over 110 new languages to Google Translate last year, spoken by half a billion people around the world,” said the tech mogul, his eyes fixed on his notes. “That brings our total to 249 languages, including 60 African languages – more to come.”

    Delivered in a monotone, his statement barely registered among the summit’s attendees – an assembly of world leaders, researchers, NGOs, and tech executives.

    © Permanent Mission of Canada

    But for advocates of linguistic diversity in artificial intelligence, Mr. Pichai’s words marked a quiet victory – one achieved after two years of intense, behind-the-scenes negotiations in the arcane world of digital diplomacy.

    “It shows the message is getting through and tech companies are listening,” said Joseph Nkalwo Ngoula, digital policy advisor at the UN mission of the International Organisation of La Francophonie, in New York.

    Linguistic divide

    Mr. Pichai’s speech was a far cry from the linguistic missteps of early generative AI – a branch of artificial intelligence capable of creating original content, from text to images, music and animation.

    When OpenAI launched ChatGPT in 2022, non-English speakers quickly discovered its limitations.

    A query in English would generate a detailed, informative response. The same prompt in French? Two paragraphs, followed by a sheepish apology: “Sorry, I haven’t been trained on that,” or, “my model isn’t updated beyond this date.”

    Such a gap lies in the intricate mechanics of AI tools, which rely on so-called large language models (LLMs) like GPT-4, Meta’s LlaMA, or Google’s Gemini to digest vast troves of internet data that help them understand and generate text.

    But the internet itself is overwhelmingly Anglophone. While only 20 per cent of the world’s population speaks English at home, nearly half of the training data for major AI models is in English.

    Even today, ChatGPT’s responses in French, Portuguese, or Spanish have improved but remain less illuminating than their English counterparts.

    UN Photo/Elma Okic

    Sharper focus

    “The volume of available information in English is much greater, but it’s also more up to date,” said Mr. Nkalwo Ngoula. By default, AI models are conceived, trained, and deployed in English, leaving other languages struggling to catch up.

    The divide isn’t just quantitative. AI, when deprived of robust training in any given language, starts to “hallucinate” – generating incorrect or absurd answers with unsettling authority – much like an overconfident friend bluffing his way through trivia night.

    A classic AI hallucination consists of responding to a request for biographical details about a famous person by inventing a Nobel Prize or coming up with an odd parallel career, as in this example generated by ChatGPT, at the behest of UN News:

    UN News: ‘Who is Victor Hugo?’

    Hallucinating AI: “Victor Hugo, the 19th-century French writer, was also a passionate astronaut who contributed to the early design of the International Space Station.” 🚀😆

    Black box

    “It’s a black box absorbing data,” Mr. Nkalwo Ngoula explained. “The results might be formally coherent and logically structured, but factually, they can be wildly inaccurate.”

    Beyond factual errors, AI tends to flatten linguistic richness. Chatbots struggle with regional accents and language variations, such as Quebecois French or Creole languages spoken in Haiti and the French Caribbean.

    AI-generated French often feels sanitized, stripped of its stylistic nuances.

    “Molière, Léopold Sédar Senghor, Aimé Césaire, Mongo Beti – they’d all be turning in their graves if they saw how A.I. writes French today,” joked Mr. Nkalwo Ngoula.

    The issue runs deeper in multilingual countries, as in the diplomat’s native Cameroon, where youth commonly speak Camfranglais – a hybrid of French, English, Pidgin, and local languages.

    “I doubt young people could ask an AI something in Camfranglais and get a meaningful response,” he said. Expressions like “Je yamo ce pays” (I love this country) or “Réponds-moi sharp-sharp” (Answer me quickly) would likely leave A.I. models bewildered.

    UN Photo/Loey Felipe

    Shadow Campaign of La Francophonie

    Mr. Nkalwo Ngoula’s organization, La Francophonie – which brings together 93 states and governments around the use of French, representing more than 320 million people worldwide – has made this linguistic gap a centerpiece of its digital strategy.

    The group’s efforts culminated in last year’s UN Global Digital Compact, a framework for AI governance adopted by the Member States. From 2023 onward, La Francophonie leveraged its diplomatic network – including the influential Francophone Ambassadors’ Group at the UN – to ensure linguistic diversity became a core principle in AI policymaking.

    Along the way, unexpected allies emerged. Lusophone and Hispanic advocacy groups joined the fight, and even Washington sided with their cause. “The US defended language inclusion in AI development,” Mr. Nkalwo Ngoula noted.

    Their push paid off. The final Global Digital Compact explicitly recognizes cultural and linguistic diversity – an issue that had initially been buried under broader discussions on accessibility. “Our goal was to bring it to the forefront,” he said.

    The movement even reached Silicon Valley. At the UN Summit for the Future in September 2024, where the Compact was officially adopted, Sundar Pichai, Google’s CEO, surprised many by emphasizing the need for A.I. to provide access to global knowledge in multiple languages.

    “We’re working toward 1,000 of the world’s most spoken languages,” he pledged – a commitment he reaffirmed in Paris months later.

    Limits of the Global Digital Compact

    Despite these gains, challenges remain. Chief among them is visibility. “Francophone content is often buried by platform algorithms,” Mr Nkalwo Ngoula warns.

    Streaming giants like Netflix, YouTube, and Spotify prioritize popularity, meaning English-language content dominates search results.

    “If linguistic diversity were truly considered, a French-speaking user should see French-language films at the top of their recommendations,” he argued.

    The overwhelming dominance of English in AI training data is another hurdle sidestepped by the Compact, which also omits any reference to UNESCO’s Convention on Cultural Diversity – an oversight that, according to Mr. Nkalwo Ngoula, should be rectified.

    “Linguistic diversity must be the backbone of digital advocacy for La Francophonie,” Nkalwo Ngoula insisted.

    Given the pace of AI development, those changes can’t come a moment too soon.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Botswana’s Chinese learners embrace language through martial arts

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    The Confucius Institute at the University of Botswana (CIUB) hosted a cultural and language event on Friday, providing Chinese learners with a platform to practice speaking the language while exploring traditional Chinese martial arts.

    Held under the theme “Chinese Gongfu,” which refers to Chinese martial arts, the event introduced participants to the vocabulary of Chinese martial weapons, including knives, swords, spears, and whips, alongside basic martial arts movements. The interactive session aimed to enhance oral proficiency while deepening cultural understanding.

    “Hello, everyone. My name is Shen Chenggong,” said Keagile Sebetlela, a CIUB student, as he introduced himself in Chinese during an interview with Xinhua at the event.

    “I am interested in learning Chinese because, in my view, it has become one of the major international languages. I believe knowing Chinese can open many doors,” said Sebetlela, adding that he particularly enjoys writing Chinese characters, as the language differs from most others that rely on alphabets.

    Students Sharon Khumomotse and Lindiwe Lile Ramooki performed at the event, introducing themselves with their Chinese names before entertaining the audience with tongue twisters.

    “I’m a Chinese learner studying the language for three years. I work at a bank office,” said Ramooki in fluent Chinese.

    For Fidelity Monthe, who goes by the Chinese name Fei Di’an, learning the language is essential for growing her business.

    “I run a small business and have traveled to China to source products. The biggest challenge has been communication. Learning Chinese will help me expand my business and form partnerships with Chinese companies,” Monthe told Xinhua.

    She expressed a deep fascination with Chinese characters. “Writing Chinese feels like drawing. It’s almost like being an artist. But what I enjoy most is speaking the language and being able to converse with Chinese people. I’m also learning about Chinese culture and want to explore it further,” she added.

    Monthe and Sebetlela were among around 70 Chinese learners and teachers who participated in the two-hour event, which featured Chinese song performances, language games, and group discussions.

    Pu Durong, Chinese director of CIUB, likened the event to “English corners” in China, where language learners gather to practice speaking.

    “In China, we have English corners for practicing English. Here in Botswana, we have a Chinese corner for students to improve their speaking skills. These learners are very passionate about the language, because many plan to do business in China,” Pu said.

    CIUB, the first Confucius Institute in Botswana, was followed by a second institute launched in October 2023, at the Botswana International University of Science and Technology in Palapye, about 270 km northeast of Gaborone, the country’s capital.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China contributes to world meteorological early warning efforts

    Source: China State Council Information Office 2

    March 23 marks the 65th World Meteorological Day, with the theme of “Closing the Early Warning Gap Together.”
    Planet Earth faces unprecedented climate challenges. 2024 was the hottest year on record. Global warming has triggered frequent and intensified extreme weather events, which emphasizes the importance of early warning systems in disaster prevention and mitigation.
    In March 2022, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres launched the Early Warnings for All (EW4All) initiative.
    From global consensus to national action, China is implementing its National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy 2035 to build a climate-resilient society.
    “Ensuring universal access to meteorological early warning systems is not only a shared vision of the international community but also an important mission of China’s meteorological departments. China Meteorological Administration (CMA) will continuously enhance the meteorological science and technology, improve public services, deliver more robust scientific, institutional and governance support to achieve the goals of EW4ALL initiative, and contribute more wisdom and plans to building a community with a shared future for mankind,” said Chen Zhenlin, head of the CMA.
    CMA has made great efforts to step up meteorological disaster monitoring, forecasting, and warning as well as prevention and response capabilities.
    Today, the new-generation National Emergency Early Warning Information Release System disseminates 82 types of warning information to designated emergency responders within one minute, achieving 99.1 percent public coverage.
    “Enhancing meteorological science and technology capabilities underpins more timely, accurate and widespread early warning dissemination,” said Chen Zhenlin.
    China has effective early warning mechanisms such as Progressive Service and High-Impact Alert and Response systems. When high-impact hazards occur, each warning triggers immediate action, followed by confirmation to ensure closed-loop disaster prevention.
    Recently, Ko Barrett, deputy secretary-general of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said, “I love the focus on ensuring that the people and their safety are actually of central importance. ”
    China stands ready to work with fellow developing countries through professional training, visiting scholar programs, and research scholarships to enhance its shared capacity for climate resilience.
    China’s Fengyun meteorological satellite data services now cover 133 countries and regions, achieving an 80 percent global service satisfaction rate.
    Celeste Saulo, secretary-general of the WMO, highlighted the critical role of China’s upcoming satellite launch in advancing global early warning capabilities.
    In 2024, CMA and Vietnam Meteorological and Hydrological Administration (VNMHA) shared rainfall observation data from meteorological stations in China-Vietnam bordering areas, supporting decision-making for local governments on both sides, in particular county- and prefecture-level governmental agencies in disaster mitigation and response work.
    The joint development work by CMA and Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has resulted in an Early Warning Supporting System tailored for Pakistan. The system features a cloud-based open platform and toolbox series covering local information access, numerical weather prediction (NWP) models, artificial intelligence (AI) models, severe weather identification algorithms, early warning information dissemination, etc., enabling swift and effective tracking of meteorological disasters.
    Given the theme of this year’s World Meteorological Day, I think China has already made progress in closing the early warning gap, said Somses Sieglinde, a meteorologist from Namibia.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Backgrounder: Federal government invests in community buildings across Canada

    Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation

    Ontario

    Algonquins of Pikwakanagan Health Centre Renovations

    Replace the wood siding and wood frame windows with triple-paned windows, and increasing the basement insulation. The heating will be upgraded to an energy efficient heat pump, which provides significant GHG savings. The propane unit will remain, providing back up support in the case of extreme cold temperatures. Energy saving will also come from upgrading to low flow plumbing fixtures and lighting to LEDs. Accessibility will be improved by retrofitting the bathroom and upgrading the ramp to the building to meet code. A wing of the Centre will be retrofitted to improve accessibility with wider hallways and larger door frames.

    $2,989,125

    Ayr

    Ontario

    North Dumfries Net Zero Arena Project

    The Township of North Dumfries is embarking on an exciting project to construct a new state-of-the-art ice arena. This facility aims to provide a modern, accessible, and energy-efficient space for ice sports and community events. The project includes a full-sized ice rink, seating for spectators, locker rooms, and multipurpose rooms for community use.

    The goal is to create a hub for local sports teams, recreational leagues, and public skating, fostering a sense of community and promoting healthy, active lifestyles. The new arena will serve residents of all ages, from young children learning to skate to seniors participating in recreational activities. By incorporating sustainable building practices and energy-efficient technologies, we aim to minimize the environmental impact and ensure long-term operational cost savings.
    This project will not only enhance the quality of life for North Dumfries residents but also attract visitors and events, boosting local economy and community spirit.

    $5,000,000

    Beamsville

    Ontario

    The Next Chapter – Vineland Library

    The Town of Lincoln will retrofit and expand the public library in Vineland. The branch, built in 1996, is showing signs of wear and aging. It is the only public space on the East side of Lincoln and is currently visited by over 38,000 each year.  Lincoln is experiencing significant planned residential growth, and the increased population will include newcomers, seniors and children at risk, who require space to meet and connect.
    This project will include a 6000 sq foot addition, including new study and community spaces and a place for the local archives, a green retrofit complying with the zero-carbon building design standard v4, and will improve the accessibility of the branch to 2024 AODA (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act) standards.

    The upgraded library will provide inclusive space for residents to access library programs and services and be a model of Net Zero design and construction in the Niagara Region.

    $2,000,000

    Blood 148

    Alberta

    Unlocking Energy Efficiency Potential for Blood Tribe Employment and Skills Training (BTEST) Building

    Improve the comfort and efficiency of the facility and the success of programming by lowering energy consumption, reducing operating costs and demonstrating energy efficiency leadership.
    Works include upgrading lights to LED, improving insulation and sealing of windows and doors, and building out a solar array. The expected energy efficiency improvements from these projects is 32.4%.

    $307,119

    Bonnechere Valley

    Ontario

    Eganville Community Arena GHG Reduction and Energy Efficiency Upgrades

    Replace refrigeration equipment, install a 272 kW solar array, upgrade to LED lighting, improve air tightness and optimize the Building Automation System (BAS) for better climate control.
    These measures aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, lower operational costs, and ensure the arena remains a vital community space for activities and events.

    $1,000,000

    Breton

    Alberta

    Carolyn Strand Civic Centre Energy Retrofit Improvements

    Replace the outdated HVAC system with a high-efficiency heat pump and upgrade interior lighting with LED fixtures and a control panel, which will reduce energy consumption by 54.5%. An accessible ramp will also be installed to ensure all community members, including those with mobility challenges, can access the services.

    $527,625

    Brokenhead Ojibway Nation Reserve

    Manitoba

    Brokenhead Ojibway Nation Community Hall

    Convert the existing kitchen into a commercial-grade kitchen, install an energy efficient backup generator for emergency power, improve HVAC and audio-visual systems, and accessibility within the building based on CSA standard. Energy efficiency upgrades will feature an air source heat pump, ductwork repairs, demand-controlled ventilation, and repairing the kitchen’s heat recovery ventilator (HRV), leading to a 47.1% reduction in energy consumption and carbon emissions.

    $996,368

    Burlington

    Ontario

    Skyway Community Centre and Park

    Build a new facility that will exceed the Ontario Building Code (OBC) and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) for accessibility requirements. This new community centre will feature a revitalized park which includes a baseball diamond, natural playground, arena, program rooms and an indoor walking track. This will be a low carbon operating facility which aligns with the City’s goal of being a net carbon operation by 2040.

    $1,000,000

    Caledon

    Ontario

    Low Carbon Electric Heating Retrofits and Building Automation System Expansion at Caledon East Community Complex

    Retrofit end-of-life natural gas heaters to electric radiant heaters in two arenas and a garage bay at the Caledon East Community Complex. Expand existing building automation system (BAS), as well as optimize the remaining assets which span the remaining 95,962 ft2 of original floor space at the complex. The retrofitted heaters and expanding the BAS system will result in energy savings of 944,583 ekWh and abate 131 tonnes of CO2e from entering the atmosphere.

    $336,688

    Cape Breton Regional Municipality

    Nova Scotia

    Going Green in 2023 2023

    Install a new refrigeration system which will utilize significant green energy and carbon  reductions measures and put in place solar  panels as the primary energy source. This will lead to greater efficiency and significantly reduced utility rates and will also be part of a net-zero objective. Building renovations will assist with greater accessibility.

    $1,000,000

    Edmonton

    Alberta

    Pimatisiwin Bridge Housing Renovation

    The Pimatisiwin Bridge Housing Renovation Project will rehabilitate and transform a former tavern space into a comprehensive support hub featuring 44 bridge housing units, a commercial kitchen, office space, conference rooms, spiritual space, and accessible washrooms. This project will serve individuals experiencing chronic homelessness by providing 24/7 accommodations, meals, showers, and wrap-around services. Residents will receive culturally sensitive support, helping them stabilize and transition to permanent housing. The renovated space will accommodate over 100 people daily, offering holistic care, including cultural, spiritual, and healthcare services. This project directly supports Edmonton’s unhoused population, particularly Indigenous individuals, and promotes long-term housing solutions.

    $5,000,000

    Edmonton

    Alberta

    Terra Centre 146 Street Renovation

    Terra Centre recently purchased a building to accommodate the expansion of our programmes. Terra Centre is instrumental in raising the standard of living for minority families in Edmonton by being the only organization solely dedicated to pregnant and parenting teen mothers.

    By reducing energy consumption and operating costs, we can ensure that services remain free for teen parents and their families. The agency has implemented many strategies to achieve this goal:

    – Energy Efficiency Upgrade: HRV Replacement, Built-Up Roof System Replacement, Windows, Skylight and Storefront Replacement, LED Lighting Fixture Upgrade.
    The retrofit plan includes enhancing accessibility in the building to welcome more employees, clients, and members of the public, thereby expanding access to more people who require service – Accessibility Retrofits: Accessible family washrooms, Ramps (Exterior and Interior), Automatic Doors, Accessible Reception Desk.

    $1,000,000

    Edmonton

    Alberta

    North Glenora Community League – Net Zero Retrofit

    Improve the energy efficiency of the Community Leagues buildings and retrofit them to net zero. This project will eliminate the carbon emissions of the Community League, act as a demonstration for energy retrofits for residents, improve community climate resilience by providing emergency shelter from extreme weather, and increase the accessibility of the League buildings.

    $752,113

    Edmonton

    Alberta

    Avonmore Community League – Hall Building – Stepped Pathway to Net Zero

    Reduce annual energy consumption by 87.3% (45,880 kWh), reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions by 89.4% (10.1 tCO2e), improve climate resilience, and work towards removing accessibility barriers. This will be achieved with a building envelope retrofit, reduction of natural gas consumption, electric heating and cooling, renewable energy generation, and accessibility enhancements.

    $406,667

    Edmonton

    Alberta

    Ritchie Community Hall Replacement Project

    Replace the hall to align with community needs and municipal requirements. With a secured development permit, support from various organisations and access to 552 memberships and over 30 businesses, the league is shovel ready and feasible. The building currently serves as an affordable space for charities and non-profit organisations to provide affordable programs to young families and cultural groups. The new hall will also better serve houseless residents.

    $4,287,392

    Edmonton

    *Announced on March 21, 2025

    Alberta

    Crestwood Hall HVAC and Envelope Upgrades

    Correct stucco cladding, windows and doors, and heating and air conditioning systems.
    This will also support the long term goal of becoming NetZero in an incremental and financially responsible way. This project will cut energy use by 44%, and prepare the building for full electrification.

    $396,000

    Edmonton

    *Announced on March 21, 2025

    Alberta

    Edmonton’s Food Bank (EFB) Solar Array Project (Main Building)

    Reduce the operating costs for EFB yearly by at least $70,000 and reduce the carbon emissions (GHG) associated with the operation of EFB by 225 tCO2. Funding will also create a sustainable and prosperous community by reduced costs and reinvestment into the local economy through things like food purchases and programs.

    $482,160

    Georgina

    Ontario

    Energy, Accessibility, and Climate Resiliency Retrofit of Sutton Arena

    Improve the energy efficiency, accessibility, and climate resiliency of the facility by retrofitting the building envelope and equipment to reduce energy usage by over 26%, upgrading the elevator and flooring to meet accessibility standards, and implementing low impact development features in the parking lot to mitigate climate risks. The project will improve the enjoyment and usability of the space for the community by improving temperature controls and occupancy comfort, improving indoor air quality and accessibility, and building in climate resiliency.

    $1,118,412

    Grand Cache

    Alberta

    Aseniwuche Winewack Nation of Canada (AWN) Tawow Centre Retrofit

    Reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and operational costs while expanding programming for the community. Key upgrades will include optimizing heating and cooling systems, improving insulation, replacing windows and lighting with energy-efficient alternatives, and enhancing air quality.
    The retrofit will benefit over 500 AWN members, including youth, elders, and families.

    $399,700

    Hamlet of Kugaaruk

    Nunavut

    Wellness Centre Renovation and Expansion

    Renovate and expand the Centre to better serve the rapidly growing community, with a programming based on Inuit traditions. The Hamlet will install a new kitchen and additional food storage to support the Elders lunch and soup kitchen programs that provide services for the most vulnerable. To better serve expecting mothers and early families through the Canadian Prenatal Nutrition Program, a 25 m² expansion is planned. Additionally, the project will include a solar and battery energy storage system, enabling the Centre to operate essential services in emergencies and reducing reliance on diesel-powered electricity.

    $2,998,331

    High Prairie

    Alberta

    High Prairie Friendship Centre Retrofit

    Improve the building envelope and HVAC systems, as well as implement rooftop solar. These upgrades will significantly reduce energy consumption, lower operating costs, promote climate resiliency, improve accessibility and building comfort, and ensure vital community services for years to come.

    $1,350,995

    Kingston

    Ontario

    Isabel Turner Library Renovation

    Isabel Turner Library is a 32,000 sq. ft public library constructed in 1997 and serves as a critical community hub in the west-end of Kingston. The retrofit project will involve aggressive decarbonization measures, energy efficiency upgrades, and site-wide accessibility improvements, including:

    • Extensive building mechanical upgrades (i.e. new high efficiency heat pumps) 
    • Full lighting replacement from fluorescent to LEDs
    • Modifications to public and staff entrances to make them fully accessible 
    • Washroom renovations to make them accessible and a new universal washroom 
    • General accessibility improvements, including: colour contrasting floors and walls, improved circulation, elevator repairs, low reach shelving, integrated assistive devices, and wayfinding
    • Building envelope improvements (water sealing).

    $1,000,000

    Kingston

    Ontario

    Solar PV Array – Rideau Heights Community Centre

    Retrofit the facility with a net-metered photovoltaic array on the roof and in the adjacent parking lot.

    $1,294,560

    Kitchener

    Ontario

    Quad Gymnasium at RBJ Schlegel Park

    The new 33,800 sq. ft. gymnasium will be Kitchener’s first facility of this kind, designed to competition standards for pickleball, basketball, indoor cricket, volleyball, and badminton. Located at the intersection of Huron Road and Fischer-Hallman Road, the facility is in the rapidly growing southwestern area of Kitchener, an area that has historically lacked sufficient recreational infrastructure. Just a 10-minute drive from Highway 401 and near other arterial routes the facility will be easily accessible by many, with an expected 150,000 local and non-local visitors in the first year with numbers expected to grow. The gymnasium will operate as a Net-Zero facility, making it one of the most environmentally sustainable recreation centers in Ontario. This will be achieved through a combination of advanced geo-thermal and solar photovoltaics as well as sustainable material selection such as cross-laminated timber wall systems, which significantly reduce the building’s carbon footprint.

    $2,000,000

    Lac Brome, Quebec (formerly known as Knowlton)

    Quebec

    Lac Brome Museum Expansion – New Building

    Construction a 6000 sq.ft., 2-story building to expand museum displays/public spaces and to provide access during winter to museum and public events.  The climate-controlled building will have an elevator, disabled-friendly washrooms and ground-floor exhibits.

    $2,211,089

    Lindsay

    Ontario

    Ampere’s Community STEAM Space

    Ampere is undertaking a green and inclusive retrofit to create a community STEAM space in Lindsay, Ontario.

    Currently, this 13,248 sq.ft. facility is largely inaccessible with poor energy efficiency. Retrofits will help create a safe, energy efficient, and inclusive multi-purpose learning and activity space. Its ambitious goals include:
    – Green measures (target  65% energy savings, -90% in annual GHG emissions): Adding insulation and curtain walls, upgrading windows and exterior doors, upgrading HVAC, installing LED lighting
    – Accessibility measures (exceeding the highest accessibility standards): Installing exterior/interior ramps, non-slip flooring, elevator, and accessible doors.

    This project will primarily benefit underserved/high needs groups in rural Ontario, including people experiencing poverty, Indigenous peoples, people living with disabilities, newcomers, and seniors.

    $2,000,000

    Little Current

    Ontario

    Fuel Electrification and Solar Net Metering at NEMI Municipal Library

    Offset existing propane and heating oil fuel consumption through installation of cold temperature air-source heat pumps as the new primary heating source, while retaining some of the existing heating system for backup and peak heating demand during extreme cold weather. Other ventilation, HVAC control and building envelope improvements are planned to increase occupant comfort and reduce issues around shoulder season heating with existing heating systems.

    $97,362

    London

    *Announced on March 20, 2025

    Ontario

    Shelter from the Heat: Creating a Community Forestry Centre for Southwestern Ontario

    Transform a 1940s Veterans facility into an energy-efficient, solar-powered, climate-resilient centre for community forestry programs aimed at combating climate change, particularly extreme heat, through tree planting and other nature-based solutions. The centre will offer a variety of free, publicly accessible programs, events, and services.

    $2,195,115

    London

    Ontario

    LOSC BMO Sports Centre Green Retrofit Project

    Retrofit windows and minimize energy loss, and update outdated mechanical systems and HVAC equipment to optimize performance and reduce environmental impact. The project will provide a more eco-friendly facility, benefiting the London community and its 600,000+ annual visitors by improving comfort and lowering operational costs.

    $600,000

    Madeira Park,  Sunshine Coast Regional District, Area A

    British Columbia

    Pender Harbour Community Hall  Renovation & Upgrade Project

    Replace the rafters and roof of the Hall with the goal of extending the life of the building and reduce GHG emissions by upgrading insulation, installing LED lighting and an ERV. The project will enable a solar panel array on the roof. The project will improve accessibility by installing automatic door opener at the main entrance which will complement the accessibility ramp donated by a local business. The project will reduce operating costs by reducing energy consumption and making the Hall more accessible for stakeholders.

    $532,059

    Mississippi Mills

    Ontario

    Reducing the Carbon Footprint: Museum Retrofit

    Improve energy efficiency, reduce the carbon footprint of the MVTM, and increase long-term viability of the site through investments in grid-connected solar PV, high-efficiency electric heat pumps, improved thermal performance, electrical system upgrade, and WIFI-enabled computerized energy management.

    $800,000

    Montréal

    Quebec

    Project Second Chance –  Enhancing Community Inclusion, Integration and Support Services to Ex-Inmates

    Expand the Maison Belfield facility by approximately 8% by removing walls between the living room, kitchen, and dining areas to create a more open and functional environment and enhance public accessibility to group meetings, social events, and rehabilitation activities.

    $294,455

    Montréal

    Quebec

    The Oasis in Transformation: together for an inclusive and sustainable environment for the families of our community

    Renovation of the backyard to better manage rainwater and reduce its impact on the building. To improve accessibility, plans include renovating common areas, automating one of the entrance doors, and installing a weather-protected universal access ramp. Improvements to insulation, windows, doors, the air conditioning and heating system, and lighting are also planned.

    $550,000

    Montréal

    *Announced on March 19, 2025

    Quebec

    Montreal North Sport Centre

    Build the sports section of the arena, which includes a double gymnasium, a gymnastics area, a walking track, locker rooms, bleachers, and administrative offices for the organizations.

    $15,000,000

    Municipality of Pictou

    Nova Scotia

    MARSA Expansions

    Expand kitchen and greenroom/storage, deck, and improve energy and climate and accessibility.

    $202,840

    Nepean

    Ontario

    Mamaawi Lodge: Expanding Green Spaces for an Inclusive Future

    The Mamaawi Lodge Expansion project involves a substantial addition to cultural performance and education facility, addressing the growing demand for its programming. The expansion will add 457.7 m² to the existing 442 m² pavilion, creating space for an artisan marketplace, office, makerspace, classroom, storage, washrooms, and more.

    Upgrades to the current pavilion will include refinishing the event space, energy-efficient lighting, new AV and stage systems, and enhancements to the building envelope such as re-cladding, new windows, doors, insulation, and barriers. A new heat pump, septic system, and hydro service upgrades will further improve sustainability.
    This expansion enhances the organization’s ability to offer culturally immersive and educational experiences, benefiting Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities by promoting cultural understanding and reconciliation.

    $5,000,000

    Norfolk County

    Ontario

    Reducing CO2 Emissions: Port Rowan Community Centre Retrofit

    Install a new roof with insulation, solar panel installation with battery storage, HVAC improvements, building envelope upgrades, and enhanced accessibility features.

    $1,510,000

    Oka

    Quebec

    Renovation of Juliette Huot Place

    Modernize and make this seniors’ reception center more environmentally friendly. The work will include demolishing and rebuilding the entrance ramp for better accessibility, replacing doors and windows with more energy-efficient models, adding gutters and roof ventilators, and improving insulation. The project also includes decontaminating and removing a buried oil tank, installing an electric furnace, and making various repairs to the building envelope.

    $442,008

    Ottawa

    Ontario

    African, Caribbean & Black Wellness Resource Centre: Breaking Barriers

    Install energy-efficient windows, lighting, and HVAC systems to reduce the building’s environmental impact and operational costs. Install automatic, wheelchair-accessible doors and an exterior ramp, ensuring ease of access for all members of the community, especially those with mobility impairments. The subfloors will be upgraded to smooth, safe vinyl flooring, improving traction and significantly reducing the risk of accidents.

    $237,699

    Percé

    Quebec

    Renovation of the Charles Robin heritage barn (built in 1780) into the Percé community Art Centre

    For 16 years, the Percéides Festival has been a major cultural player in the region, offering programming for all audiences. As a long-term tenant of the Charles Robin heritage building, Les Percéides wants to restore this venue’s artistic and community vocation by restoring and redeveloping it into the Percé Art Centre, offering cutting-edge cultural, community, and educational activities year-round, aimed at all ages. The winterized building will be accessible and serve the various communities of Greater Percé and the Gaspé Peninsula so they can meet and develop social and multidisciplinary activities. The renovated building will include various accessible spaces such as a meeting room, a community kitchen for events, a community café, a screening room, artist residencies, and an exhibition hall.

    $2,000,000

    Pictou County, District 10:   Coalburn, Greenwood, Kirmount, McLellans Brook, McLellans Mountain

    Nova Scotia

    Ivor MacDonald Deep Energy Retrofit Project

    Reduce the building emissions (by over 85%) from the Ivor MacDonald Community Arena by making vast improvements to the properties envelope, mechanical, lighting, and renewable energy systems. Targeted upgrades include converting aging oil and wood boilers to an efficient closed-loop geothermal heating system, installing ductless heat pumps, adding a 75kW solar PV array, replacing fluorescent lighting with LED, upgrading controls, and increasing wall insulation. In total the project looks to reduce total on-site energy use by 87%.

    $200,000

    Qualicum Beach

    *Announced on March 22, 2025

    British Columbia

    Ravensong Aquatic Centre Expansion Project

    Double the size of the current facility, connecting rural and urban residents of the Oceanside, BC area with publicly accessible, affordable aquatics programming. This improve community services while meeting the Canada Green Building Council’s Zero Carbon Standard V4.The new facility includes a new pool area and modernized change rooms.

    $7,000,000

    Rothesay

    New Brunswick

    The Rothesay Intergenerational Centre – Phase 2

    The Rothesay Intergenerational Centre (RIC) – phase 2 project is to refurbish and repurpose the 50-year-old Rothesay Arena as a multiuse recreation facility serving the broad Rothesay community and the nearby town of Quispamsis (total population ±35,000).
    The existing rink boards and ice plant will be removed and a new multipurpose floor installed suitable for a variety of sports, recreation and cultural activities. The existing structure and select components of the building will be retained and a new, energy-efficient building envelope and HVAC system added. The facility will be upgraded to universal design standards (barrier free). Usage will be intergenerational responding to the needs of a growing senior’s population, active adults and emerging needs of newcomers. Sited adjacent one of our neighbourhoods under stress and within walking distance of a second, this facility is expected to provide wellness opportunities for youth and adults otherwise unserved or underserved.

    $7,000,000

    Saint-Félix-de-Valois

    Quebec

    Energy renovation and remodelling of the old Presbytery

    Modernization, roof repair, replacement of the heating and ventilation system, renovation of the sanitary blocks and redefinition of the storage and office spaces so that the building complies with the building code will allow the rehabilitation of the premises to accommodate community organizations, to preserve an important element of the built, religious and historical heritage of the community while improving the accessibility of the building and its ecological footprint in order to make it a truly green, inclusive and accessible community building.

    $1,300,000

    Saint Theresa Point First Nation # 298

    Manitoba

    Saint Theresa Point First Nation Daycare Solar Project

    Retrofit the St. Theresa Point First Nation Daycare building with a grid tied solar photovoltaic system. The 50.6 kW solar PV system is designed to reduce carbon emissions and overall carbon footprint. The solar system will create ~55,900 kWh or 98% of the electricity requirements, lowering operating expenses by ~$6000/year that can to go towards equipment, toys, lunches and even additional staff to meet the constant demand.

    $255,332

    Sault Ste. Marie

    Ontario

    John Rhodes Community Centre Energy Retrofit and Accessibility Project

    Replace the existing roof to support solar panel installation, upgrading the roof condenser and air handling units for better HVAC efficiency, converting the entire facility to LED lighting and solar panel installation. These changes aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and operating costs, aligning with Canada’s climate goals. Additionally, accessible bleachers will be installed in the hockey arena to create an inclusive environment for families, seniors, and individuals with disabilities.

    $1,000,000

    Seine River First Nation

    Ontario

    Seine River Community Centre Renovations

    Retrofit the 20-year old gymnasium / community centre, that includes replacing the diesel boiler with a geothermal system, adding a solar panel array and replacing windows, and improving accessibility of the building by installing a wider entryway with a concrete apron.

    $2,998,863

    St. John’s

    Newfoundland and Labrador

    Kilbride Lions Community Centre: Deep Energy Retrofit & Renewal Project

    The City of St. John’s is undertaking a comprehensive retrofit of the Kilbride Lions Community Centre to improve energy efficiency, accessibility, and safety. This project will focus on deep energy retrofits, including upgrades to insulation, heating systems, and lighting, key accessibility upgrades, such as the installation of a gender-neutral accessible washroom and an elevator and, critical safety upgrades, including modernizing outdated electrical systems to address long-overdue maintenance issues.

    These improvements target an 80% reduction in energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, aligned with the City’s climate action plans, while also promoting inclusivity and safety. The project will benefit all residents, especially vulnerable populations such as indigenous households, single-parent families, and those experiencing energy poverty in the community.

    $1,000,000

    Surrey

    British Columbia

    North Surrey  Indigenous Learning Centre

    The North Surrey Indigenous Learning Centre is a new construction project designed to support the cultural, educational, and social needs of the Kwantlen, Katzie, and Semiahmoo First Nations. The Centre will feature workshops, classrooms, and gathering spaces, fostering cultural knowledge sharing and Indigenous traditions like wood carving. Designed with a focus on sustainability and accessibility, the fully electrified building will meet Zero Carbon Building standards and feature energy-efficient systems. The Centre will also offer the broader Surrey community an opportunity to learn about and engage with First Nations culture, enhancing cultural exchange and inclusivity.

    $2,000,000

    Temiskaming Shores, Timiskaming District

    Ontario

    Waterfront Pool & Fitness Centre Energy & GHG Retrofit

    Upgrade the regional health and wellness facility, which is the only indoor aquatic and fitness facility within a 75 km radius, providing essential services to seniors, low-income families, and other vulnerable populations, and improve thermal comfort by modernizing HVAC system. This will achieve a 32% improvement in energy efficiency.

    $810,160

    The Magdalen Islands

    Quebec

    Musée de la Mer des Îles-de-la-Madeleine: Geothermal upgrading and climate resilience

    Improve the performance of the envelope to save energy. Subsequently, an increase in auxiliary power will be necessary to relieve the overstressed geothermal units in the friable soil of the archipelago by about 40%. The new auxiliary system will consist of overhead VRV (Variable Refrigerant Volume) units to complement the geothermal system.

    $116,766

    Thessalon

    Ontario

    The Town of Thessalon Sustainability Initiative: Enhancing Energy Efficiency and Accessibility at the Thessalon Memorial Arena and Thessalon Curling Club

    This transformative project aims to modernize the Thessalon Memorial Arena and Curling Club by installing an energy-efficient CO2 refrigeration plant and implementing a suite of energy conservation measures, including electric resurfacing equipment, space temperature setbacks, and ice temperature optimization. The project will reduce electrical consumption by 35.3% and lower CO2e emissions by 42.4%, supporting Canada’s climate goals. Additionally, key accessibility upgrades, such as automatic door openers, improved washrooms, and ramp modifications, will ensure that the facility is inclusive for all community members. These improvements will safeguard the arena’s future, ensuring it remains a vital recreational hub for Town of Thessalon, Thessalon First Nation and many other surrounding communities.

    $2,000,000

    Thunder Bay

    *Announced on March 19, 2025

    Ontario

    Science North Thunder Bay: A Net Zero Attraction and Home for Science in Northwestern Ontario

    Build a net-zero science centre attraction in Thunder Bay, designed to the Canadian Green Building Council’s Zero Carbon Building Standard (V4) and provide accessible community services to 67,500 people annually, including populations experiencing higher needs.

    $20,000,000

    Toronto

    Ontario

    YMCA Bridletowne Neighbourhood Centre

    This is a new mixed-use community and recreation centre, owned by the YMCA of Greater Toronto, will contain a combination of health, fitness and child programming along with leased spaces for local community social and health services. The facility will be roughly 14,000 m2 and brings together numerous local small United Way community agencies alongside large established organizations like Scarborough Health Network (SHN) to weave health and well-being into this forward-thinking model of caring for all ages at all stages of their wellness journey.

    The project is targeting LEED certification, Toronto Green Standard Tier 2, and Fitwel – making it an example of healthy and climate-smart development. The current design includes ultra-efficient energy systems and low-carbon materials, and GICB funding will allow the project to achieve Zero Carbon Standard certification by eliminating fossil fuels and offsetting any residual emissions associated with the project.

    $9,000,000

    Toronto

    Ontario

    Central YMCA energy infrastructure retrofit

    Implement a variety of repairs and retrofit measures to significantly reduce energy consumption and GHG emissions, which will ultimately result in a 38% reduction in fuel consumption, 32% reduction in fuel cost, and 49% reduction in carbon emissions.

    $1,060,152

    Toronto

    Ontario

    Oshawa YMCA energy infrastructure retrofit

    This is an existing, 5,794 sqm mixed-use community and recreation centre owned by the YMCA of Greater Toronto. It brings together the local community and features a wide range of health and fitness facilities and programs, childcare, and day camps. However, as an older building, the building currently contains a number of inefficient systems and building features, resulting in higher energy consumption and GHG emissions, as well as increased fuel cost.

    The project will implement a variety of repairs and retrofit measures to significantly reduce energy consumption and GHG emissions, which will ultimately result in a 40% reduction in fuel consumption, 34% reduction in fuel cost, and 60% reduction in carbon emissions. With these measures funded through the GICB program, this project is an excellent example of retrofitting existing buildings to convert them into modern, high-performance facilities.

    $1,000,000

    Toronto

    Ontario

    Parkdale Activity-Recreation Centre (PARC) Community Hub Revitalization and Energy Saving Retrofit

    Replace the windows and the roof, insulating walls and replace the 25-year-old rooftop HVAC units with a new, highly efficient centralized HVAC (VRF) system. Accessibility and fire safety systems will conform to the highest standards. The renovation will not only improve energy efficiency, accessibility, and safety but will reduce GHG emissions, make PARC more resilient to climate change and reduce the risks and costs associated with it.

    $500,000

    Toronto

    Ontario

    Westend YMCA energy retrofit

    Implement a variety of repairs and retrofit measures to significantly reduce energy consumption and GHG emissions, which will ultimately result in a 39% reduction in fuel consumption, 32% reduction in fuel cost, and 44% reduction in carbon emissions.

    $414,624

    Town Of Bancroft

    Ontario

    The Green Ice Initiative:  Accessible and Sustainable Upgrades to the North Hastings Community Centre

    Upgrade to the Thermalcare refrigeration system, which is safer and offers up to a 41% reduction in energy costs, and install a universal washroom addressing the lack of accessible facilities in the arena.

    $1,944,217

    Town of Main Brook

    Newfoundland and Labrador

    Moving Towards a Green Future – Revitalizing Community Spaces

    Retrofit an existing municipal storage and warehousing building to become a multi-purpose building that enhances community engagement and interactions, attracts guests, visitors and new families, and supports diverse and underserved local groups with a focus on mental health, aging in place, education and entertainment for youth.

    $230,323

    Town of Olds

    Alberta

    Olds Men’s Shed and Community Arts Hub: Activating the former Town of Olds Operations Shop

    Renovate the interior of the building to ensure it is safe, accessible, and functional as a community building while improving energy efficiency, lowering carbon emissions and enhancing climate resilience. A Community Arts Hub would offer space for local artists to gather, create and share their talents through various projects and cultural events. The Hub would also be a place for community members to come together to engage in art creation, appreciate art, and participate in other cultural activities.

    $199,824

    Town of Whitby

    * Announced on March 14, 2025

    Ontario

    55+ – Feasibility Study / HVAC Upgrades & Interior Renovations

    Upgrade the Seniors Activity Centre HVAC systems, including new air handling units, rooftop unit condensers, replacement of hot water tanks, and building automation system upgrades.

    $798,486

    Township of Johnson

    Ontario

    Johnson Township Community Centre Green Efficiency Updates

    Improve the ice making plant, HVAC system, bathrooms, showers, lighting, and enclosure tightness. The installation of automation solutions and replacement of equipment long past its useful life, will reduce consumption, limit water usage, and reduce product waste throughout the building. This will increase energy efficiency’s by approximately 25%, reduce GHG emissions by approximately 35%, reduce costs by $45,000, and reduce water consumption by a minimum of 660,000 gallons annually.

    $1,309,728

    Trenton

    Ontario

    Wooler Schoolhouse Project

    The Wooler Schoolhouse Project will renovate the heritage 1915 Wooler Schoolhouse in Quinte West, Ontario to return it community service as a modernized, sustainable, climate change resilient, and accessible recreation facility. Renovations will include an addition to provide elevator access and a second emergency exit.
    The Schoolhouse’s 2.8-acre property will be developed to support outdoor recreational and cultural activities identified by the community. 

    The Project is led by the non-profit Wooler and Area Community Organization that will operate the renovated Schoolhouse to provide inclusive, affordable, local access to recreational programs and spaces for community events, services missing in the area since the demolition of the Wooler Town Hall in 2012.
    The revitalized Schoolhouse will become a sustainable platform for community engagement, economic development, preservation of history, and cultural events, including meeting the needs of underserved area youth and seniors.

    $1,000,000

    Village of Memramcook

    *Announced on March 21, 2025

    New Brunswick

    Memramcook Recreation Centre

    Build a sustainable recreation centre in the rural linguistic minority community. This centre will be a modern and inclusive space, designed to meet the needs of vulnerable groups such as at-risk youth, newcomers, seniors, people with disabilities, and low-income families. The centre will offer affordable and accessible programming. The project aligns with Canada’s net-zero carbon energy goals, aiming for net-zero energy performance.

    $6,000,000

    Waterloo

    Ontario

    MSCC Energy and Accessibility Retrofit

    Reductions Energy/GHG by electrification of (natural) gas heating systems, energy recovery, lighting, controls, and new roofing. Accessibility and inclusivity is enhanced with a new universal washroom, and automatic door operators. Community service offering is increased with a new arena dehumidifier with air conditioning.

    $2,399,582

    Westport

    Ontario

    WTC Communication Center GHG Reduction & Energy Efficiency Upgrades

    The Westport Community Arena Energy Efficiency and Sustainability Upgrades project aims to enhance the facility’s energy performance and environmental impact through a series of targeted measures. These include optimizing dehumidifier controls, installing air-source heat pump water heaters, implementing night temperature setbacks, and upgrading to LED lighting with occupancy sensors. Additionally, the project will integrate a hydronic forced-air bleacher heating system using reclaimed heat, and install a solar photovoltaic system on the roof. These upgrades will reduce energy consumption by 98.6%, lower operational costs, and decrease greenhouse gas emissions by 96.1%, benefiting the entire Westport community by providing a more sustainable and cost-effective recreational facility. The project will also improve accessibility, indoor air quality and comfort for users, ensuring a healthier and more enjoyable environment for all.

    $2,000,000

    Winnipeg

    *Announced on March 21, 2025

    Manitoba

    Le Musée de Saint-Boniface Museum Energy & Envelope Upgrade

    Replace windows, and mechanical systems including HVAC system with heat pumps, new ductwork, controls and energy recovery ventilators.

    $1,000,000

    Winnipeg

    *Announced on March 19, 2025

    Manitoba

    Riverview Community Centre –  Comprehensive Green Energy Retrofit: Interior & Exterior

    Replace mechanical systems and interior and exterior components that have exceeded their functional lifespan. These upgrades will improve energy efficiency, reduce operating costs, and prepare the centre to serve the community in a carbon-constrained future.

     $924,079

    Yellowknife

    Northwest Territories

    Endacho Healing Lodge

    Build a new, energy efficient and eco-sensitive Endacho Healing Lodge that will be built as a place of harmony with the land and water. In this place, Indigenous people who have suffered trauma can heal by connecting with their culture and the land through a combination of traditional and western healing methods.  The Lodge is designed to integrate into the natural contours of the land, incorporating energy efficiency technology proven effective and sustainable in the northern environment.

    $7,000,000

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Human Rights Day should be a time for reflection

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    While many have been looking forward to the long weekend provided by Human Rights Day, its commemoration should not only provide an opportunity to connect with loved ones but should also inspire the nation to reflect on the gains the country has made.

    “What is important as we’re about to celebrate Human Rights Day is that we should be a proud nation and country given where we come from,” Deputy Director-General for Court Administration at the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DOJ&CD), Lucky Mohalaba told SAnews, in a recent interview with the South African Government news agency. 

    March 2025 marks over six decades since the painful events of 21 March 1960 where 69 lives were lost in the Sharpeville Massacre. The massacre came to be as a result of citizens choosing to protest against the then pass laws of the apartheid government.

    Lives were lost and many were injured not only in that massacre in Gauteng, but across the country as a whole.

    When the country attained democracy in 1994, government declared 21 March as a national day to commemorate Human Rights Day. The month of March was also declared as Human Rights Month.

    “[We ought to remember] the atrocities that were committed against the people of this country who were fighting for their rights. Given the forcefulness of the then regime to deny the people of this country their rights, whether it be in [the] health sector, education and so on, we should be very proud about where we come from, and the victories that we scored in 1994.

    “At the present moment we should take leave in terms of our constitutional dispensation as South Africans and be proud of the Constitution which offers every one of us our rights as enshrined in the Bill of Rights. I think that should be celebrated given the dark history of this country,” Mohalaba told SAnews.

    Contained in South Africa’s Constitution, the Bill of Rights is a cornerstone of democracy and “enshrines the rights of all people in our country and affirms the democratic values of human dignity, equality and freedom.”

    Among its tenets is that everyone is equal before the law and that the state may not unfairly discriminate directly or indirectly against anyone on one or more grounds, including race, gender, sex, ethnic or social origin, amongst others.

    The Bill of Rights also states that everyone has inherent dignity and the right to have their dignity respected and protected.
    The DDG’s comments come as Deputy President Paul Mashatile is set to deliver the Human Rights Day keynote address in the Eastern Cape today.

    The Deputy President will deliver the address on behalf of President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Derrick Ferreira Stadium in Kariega which is located within the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality.

    Human Rights commemorative events this year are being held under the theme, “Deepening a Culture of Social Justice and Human Rights”.

    “This is a call for a renewed and strengthened commitment from all levels of society, to accelerate practical solutions in driving inclusive growth and job creation, to reduce poverty and tackle the high cost of living, and to build a capable, ethical and developmental State,” the Presidency said in a statement on Wednesday.

    In its statement, it stated that this is an important day, which also honours 35 people who were killed on 21 March 1985, when apartheid police targeted community members after a funeral in Uitenhage and KwaLanga.

    This year, government chose Kariega to host the national commemoration as the State’s initiative to rotate national days, allowing communities across all provinces to pay tribute to those who lost their lives during the liberation struggle.

    According to the Presidency, it also provides an opportunity to reflect on and evaluate the progress made towards building a non-racial, non-sexist, democratic, and united nation.

    Constitutionalism 

    Mohalaba added that government is committed to promoting constitutionalism.

    “What we can say to South Africans as the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development is that the department is still committed, led by the Minister [Mamoloko Kubayi], to ensure that we promote constitutionalism across the country.

    “We are still committed to ensuring that people have access to justice using the facilities we have such as the courts and also reviewing apartheid legislation,” he said. 

    Mohalaba’s comments come as discussion documents into the Criminal Procedure Act of 1977 that were released for comment in February with the closing date for public input set for 31 March 2025.

    The act makes provision for procedures and related matters in criminal proceedings.

    The documents were released by the South African Law Reform Commission (SALRC). The review seeks to address systemic challenges in the Act, particularly in relation to provisions that deal with arrest, bail, alternative dispute resolution, and victim participation in the criminal justice process.

    READ | Deadline for comments into CPA discussion papers looms 

    The review seeks to address systemic challenges in the Act, particularly in relation to provisions that deal with arrest, bail, alternative dispute resolution, and victim participation in the criminal justice process.

    “Those are matters that the department is really looking into, and I think [that for us] is to celebrate but at the same time, the laws that we have as a nation, we urge the nation to ensure that we protect these victories. [What we are saying] to the citizens of this country is that this department being at the centre of constitutionalism, is still committed to ensuring that the laws that have been passed by Parliament and signed off by the State President are applied to the fullest,” he explained.

    The DDG said that government is committed to building a better South Africa.

    “We are committed to work with the public at large to say that as we celebrate Human Rights Day. This department and government in particular, is committed to building a strong, united nation going forward for generations to come,” he said. – SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Kariega residents share their reflections on Human Rights Day

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    The residents of Kariega in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality have shared their thoughts on the significance of Human Rights Day, emphasising the importance of freedom, self-expression, and government accountability. 

    Speaking to SAnews, 17-year-old Luphumelo Hini from KwaNobuhle said Human Rights Day represented her ability to express herself freely and pursue her dreams without restrictions.

    “Human Rights to me means that we are able to express ourselves in different ways, we are able to live our lives freely, we are able to follow and fulfil our dreams and do a whole lot of things that many people who do not have human rights and are not given freedom are not able to do,” Hini said. 

    She added that the presence of Deputy President Paul Mashatile at the event made her feel recognised. 

    “It means a lot for me for the Deputy President to come and address us because it means he acknowledges us, and he realises the importance of Human Rights Day. It just shows that he has the spirit of Ubuntu,” she said.

    Similarly, 29-year-old Sinethemba Krweda expressed his appreciation for the Deputy President’s attendance, noting that young people are eager to learn about the government’s role in protecting their rights.

    “We do have rights as people. The first right is that we are free and can move freely, unlike during the apartheid era. We are also able to study and further our education. We appreciate that the Deputy President is here so he can hear our concerns, particularly regarding the high unemployment rate among the youth,” Krweda said.

    Speaking ahead of the main event, Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane reiterated the provincial government’s commitment to improving the living conditions of communities as South Africa marks Human Rights Day.

    Mabuyane emphasised that the day is not just about remembrance but also the tangible efforts made to transform people’s lives.

    “To us, this is not just about celebrating or commemorating Human Rights Day – it’s about what we are doing to change people’s lives here. If you look around, you can see the … challenges that our people still facing. But we are doing our level best to turn the tide,” Mabuyane said.

    The area has been among the hardest hit by natural disasters, further exacerbating socio-economic struggles. However, the Premier assured residents that government has a concrete plan to support affected communities. 

    “We have a plan to ensure that we rescue our people out of these kinds of challenges,” he said.

    Mabuyane welcomed the visit by the Deputy President to the province, saying his presence reinforces government’s commitment to ensuring that historically marginalised communities are not left behind.

    “The people of this area must know that they are part of the history of our country, and they must feel the presence of the government,” he said.

    Deputy President Mashatile is set to deliver the keynote address at the 2025 Human Rights Day commemoration event. 

    The programme began with a visit to James Ndulula Primary School, followed by a wreath laying ceremony at Langa Memorial in Kariega. 

    Meanwhile at the main event the festivities began with lively performances that had the crowd dancing and cheering in anticipation of the Deputy President’s speech.

    This year’s Human Rights Day commemorative events are being held under the theme, “Deepening a Culture of Social Justice and Human Rights”.

    The theme calls for renewed commitment from all levels of society to accelerate practical solutions for inclusive growth, job creation, poverty reduction, and addressing the high cost of living while building a capable, ethical, and developmental state.

    South Africa commemorates Human Rights Day annually on 21 March in remembrance of the Sharpeville Massacre of 1960, where 69 anti-apartheid protesters were killed by apartheid police. 

    The day also honours the 35 people killed on 21 March 1985 in Uitenhage and KwaLanga when apartheid police targeted community members after a funeral. – SAnews.gov.za 

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Minister commits to better access to quality sporting facilities

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    Friday, March 21, 2025

    The Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, has emphasised the importance of investing in school sports to provide young people with opportunities and prevent delinquency.

    The Minister officially handed over a newly built multi-purpose sports facility at the James Ndulula Primary School on Friday, as part of the Human Rights Day commemorations in Kariega, Eastern Cape. 

    The Deputy President Paul Mashatile was also present during the handover ceremony before his address at the main Human Rights Day event at the Derrick Ferreira Stadium. 

    Speaking at the school, Minister McKenzie said: “I believe that a kid in sport is a kid out of court. We have many young people in conflict with the law because they have nothing to do. When we say we want to fix school sport, we have to start with facilities.”

    “What you see here today is what you will see throughout the country. We are going to fix all the facilities where our children can train and play. It is their right to have proper facilities because when they get to university, they compete against children who come from top-paying schools and are at a disadvantage,” the Minister said. 

    The Minister highlighted that human rights extend beyond physical rights and include access to quality sporting facilities. 

    “The right to have good sporting facilities is also a basic human right for our children,” he stated.

    He further committed to prioritising historically neglected areas in schools and ensuring a diverse range of sporting opportunities for learners. 

    “I am going to concentrate on the areas that were neglected before. We are going to have tennis courts and all these other facilities in our schools going forward,” he said. – SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: President attends Namibian presidential inauguration

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    Friday, March 21, 2025

    President Cyril Ramaphosa has undertaken a working visit to the Republic of Namibia to attend the inauguration of the President-Elect, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah.   

    The inauguration ceremony coincides with the nation’s 35th Independence Day and will take place at the Independence Stadium in Windhoek.

    The working visit provides an opportunity to reaffirm the strategic nature of the cordial bilateral relations between South Africa and Namibia and further consolidate bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

    Nandi-Ndaitwah will make history when she is inaugurated as that Southern African country’s first female President on Friday.

    Presidential Spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said on Thursday, at a briefing on the President’s upcoming events, that the two countries enjoy “excellent bilateral relations” because of the “deep fraternal and historic relationship cemented during the fight against colonialism and apartheid”.

    “Namibia’s stability and interrelated ties with South Africa make the country a natural strategic partner, not only in the Southern African Development Community but also in the broader African Union context and globally.

    “President Ramaphosa is looking forward to working closely with the new President of Namibia and government to advance mutual political economic interests and the integration of the African continent.

    “Both countries pursue Africa’s renewal, South-South cooperation and the promotion of a rules based international system,” Magwenya said. – SAnews.gov.za

    His Excellency President 

    @CyrilRamaphosa

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Deputy President calls for action to tackle unemployment, inequality

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    Deputy President Paul Mashatile has called for urgent and sustained efforts to address unemployment and inequality, describing them as fundamental human rights issues.

    Speaking at the national Human Rights Day commemoration in Kariega, the Deputy President acknowledged South Africa’s economic progress but said the country’s 31.9% unemployment rate remained an indicator of persistent socio-economic challenges.

    “The pursuit of a just and equitable society is a complex endeavour. While South Africa has experienced notable economic growth through expanding economic participation, the harsh reality of a 31.9% unemployment rate starkly reveals our ongoing struggle against poverty and inequality,” he said. 

    The Deputy President stressed this was not just an economic issue but a matter of fairness and human rights, requiring collective action from all sectors of society. 

    “This is not merely an economic issue, it represents a fundamental matter of human rights and fairness, demanding concerted and sustained effort from all of us. The lack of economic and employment opportunities has a direct correlation to poverty, and it exacerbates inequality,” the Deputy President said.

    He highlighted the government’s efforts to create economic opportunities through policy and legislative measures, citing key employment programmes that have benefitted millions of young people.

    “Government is working to create more opportunities for all citizens through various policy and legislative frameworks. Programmes such as the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative (PYEI) are providing work experience to over 1.5 million young people, 70% of whom are women,” he said. 

    Other initiatives like the National Skills Fund Disabilities Programme and the Social Employment Fund also address youth unemployment. 

    The Deputy President emphasised that government remains committed to strengthening the safety net for the most vulnerable in society and will leave no one behind. 

    Against the backdrop of Human Rights Day, he underscored the significance of youth engagement in shaping South Africa’s democracy. 

    Across the country, he said, young people continue to step forward to shape the future of the nation’s democracy, ensuring that the rights enshrined in the Constitution are not just theoretical but truly lived.

    He lauded young leaders participating in the Mandela-Sobukwe Leadership Camp at Nelson Mandela University, an initiative supported by the Departments of Higher Education and Training and Health.

    “This leadership programme is about more than just discussions it is about preparing young leaders to champion civic engagement, ethical leadership, and economic justice in their institutions and communities,” he said.

    Reflecting on the theme “Deepening a Culture of Social Justice and Human Rights,” the Deputy President emphasised the need to equip young people with the necessary tools and platforms to effect meaningful change. 

    “We must ensure that we continue to empower young people with the correct tools, platforms, and opportunities to become the leaders of tomorrow – leaders who, like Nelson Mandela and Robert Sobukwe, do not just accept the status quo but actively work to transform it for the better,” he said. 

    Deputy President Mashatile commended young people nationwide for their efforts in advocating for justice and progress. 

    “I commend the young people in this programme, whom I am told are here in the stadium and all those across the country who continue to fight for dignity, justice, and progress. South Africa’s future is in your hands, and today, we celebrate your voices, your leadership, and your unwavering commitment to human rights,” he said. 

    Building a just society

    The Deputy President said building a just society involves ensuring continued access to critical services such as electricity, water, housing and sanitation to improve the quality of life for citizens.

    He noted that government has made substantial progress towards achieving these rights. Between 2011 and 2022, access to water rose to 88.5%, while access to improved sanitation reached 80.7%.

    “We are also working to increase access to affordable housing through initiatives such as First Home Finance, which is about the provision of serviced sites for qualifying beneficiaries, small-scale affordable rentals, and other strategic interventions that go beyond legislative measures to address the 2.4 million housing backlog,” he said. 

    Land expropriation

    The Deputy President underscored the nation’s land reform agenda as a crucial step in addressing historical injustices, as it acknowledged that land dispossession remains one of the most lasting and difficult legacy of the apartheid era.

    He said the Expropriation Act, signed into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa in January this year, signifies a shift towards a more inclusive approach to land ownership, incorporating the principle of ‘public interest’ in land acquisition, and demonstrating a commitment to social justice and redress.

    “We would like to reiterate that South Africa, as a sovereign state, would not disregard its policies and activities aimed at rectifying historical injustices due to external pressure. We are confident that we have chosen the correct path to establishing an equitable society, and we will not deviate from it,” the Deputy President said. 

    This year’s Human Rights Day commemorative events were held at the Derrick Ferreira Stadium, in Kariega under the theme “Deepening a Culture of Social Justice and Human Rights”.

    The theme calls for renewed commitment from all levels of society to accelerate practical solutions for inclusive growth, job creation, poverty reduction, and addressing the high cost of living while building a capable, ethical, and developmental state.

    South Africa commemorates Human Rights Day annually on 21 March in remembrance of the Sharpeville Massacre of 1960, where 69 anti-apartheid protesters were killed by apartheid police. The day also honours the 35 people killed on 21 March 1985 in Uitenhage and KwaLanga when apartheid police targeted community members after a funeral. – SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI China: Chinese peacekeepers to South Sudan win championship in UNMISS Peacekeeper Challenge 2025-03-21 17:47:31 Chinese peacekeeping infantry battalion to South Sudan won the championship in a Peacekeeper Challenge organized by the Nepalese peacekeeping contingent according to the plan of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

    Source: People’s Republic of China – Ministry of National Defense

      By Zhang Xin and Li Xiangyun

      BEIJING, Mar. 21 — According to the plan of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), the Nepalese peacekeeping contingent organized a Peacekeeper Challenge and invited all troop-contributing countries to participate in. A total of 31 teams from 13 countries and units competed in the challenge.

      The Peacekeeper Challenge mainly consists of military sports events with Nepali characteristics, such as “rope bridge crossing” and “mountain moving”. Compared with their counterparts from other troop-contributing countries, the Chinese peacekeepers are less familiar with most of the events, which is new to them.

      But, team members of the Chinese peacekeeping infantry battalion demonstrated good tactical qualities and teamwork skills in the face of unfamiliar subjects and complex rules. In the end, they won the first and second places in the group competition with their outstanding teamwork skills and excellent military qualities.

      It is reported that since its deployment to the mission area in December last year, the Chinese peacekeeping infantry battalion has actively participated in various military competitions organized by UNMISS. This has laid a solid foundation for better handling emergencies, reducing mission risks, and carrying out tasks such as patrols, guard, and civilian protection in a more efficient way.

    loading…

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) announces 2nd Edition of The Prize for Publishing in Africa

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

    CAIRO, Egypt, March 22, 2025/APO Group/ —

    Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX), an intervention by African Export–Import Bank (Afreximbank) (www.Afreximbank.com) invites African publishers of trade books to apply for the second edition of the CANEX Book Factory Prize for Publishing in Africa.

    The initiative, developed in partnership with Narrative Landscape Press Limited, underscores the commitment of Afreximbank through the CANEX Book Factory to showcasing of the literary and publishing value chain in Africa, and developing literary talent across the continent and its diaspora. The inaugural edition saw Cassava Republic Press, win the Prize in 2024 for the “Female Fear Factory: Unveiling Patriarchy’s Culture of Violence,” by Pumla Dineo Gqola.

    The CANEX Book Factory Prize for Publishing in Africa is designed to celebrate and recognise the outstanding contributions of African publishers and authors to the literary world. The total prize fund is $28,000, with $20,000 awarded to the winner and $2,000 distributed to each of the four finalists. The prize is open to trade books published by Africa-domiciled publishers in the year preceding the prize, in one or more of the official languages of the African Union: Arabic, English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Swahili, and any other African language.

    Submissions will be judged on the quality of writing, editing and production. Priority will be given to books printed and produced on the African continent, as well as to books published in indigenous African languages. Interested publishers should visit https://apo-opa.co/4hsvFVy to register, with entries open from 17 March – 30 April 2025.

    The CANEX Book Factory is an annual programme of events under Afreximbank’s Creative Africa Nexus initiative. This year’s programme will culminate in an awards ceremony at the fourth edition of the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF) (https://apo-opa.co/4hwpf7R), Africa’s premier trade and investment event, taking place in Algiers, Algeria from 4 – 10 September 2025.

    During the week-long fair, more than 2,000 exhibitors, including businesses from the African continent and globally, will be showcasing their goods and services to the visitors and buyers while exploring opportunities and exchanging information. This is projected to translate into over US$44 billion in trade and investment deals.

    Mrs. Kanayo Awani, Executive Vice President, Intra African Trade and Export Development, Afreximbank, said, “We are delighted to announce the 2025 CANEX Book Factory Prize for Publishing in Africa. Building on last year’s successful edition, this landmark initiative celebrates African publishing excellence. Through the CANEX Book Factory, we aim to put a spotlight on the enormous contribution of African authors and publishers to Africa’s cultural identity and economy.”

    Dr Eghosa Imasuen, co-founder of Narrative Landscape Press Limited and Programme Manager for the CANEX Book Factory, said, “The first edition of the Prize greatly underscored the necessity of this intervention in the publishing value chain in Africa. We are grateful to Afreximbank and CANEX for their ongoing support of African publishing. We are excited to launch this second edition, and we hope to see submissions from more publishers across the continent than in the inaugural edition.”

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Secretary-General’s message on World Water Day [scroll down for French version]

    Source: United Nations – English

    he theme of this year’s World Water Day reminds us of a cold, hard truth: glacier preservation is essential for security, prosperity, and justice.

    Glaciers are nature’s vaults, holding a precious resource: nearly 70 per cent of all freshwater on Earth.

    As glaciers melt, they quench the thirst of communities, sustain ecosystems, and support agriculture, industry, and clean energy.  But scorching temperatures are draining these vaults at record speed – from the Himalayas to the Andes, from the Alps to the Arctic.

    Deadly floods are being unleashed, impacting billions of people, in cities and rural areas alike.  Low-lying communities and entire countries are facing existential threats, while competition for water and land is aggravating tensions. 

    Glaciers may be shrinking, but we cannot shrink from our responsibilities.

    The Pact for the Future, agreed by countries last September, commits countries to ambitious action to protect, restore and sustain the world’s glaciers and strengthen community resilience. I have also appointed a Special Envoy on Water to strengthen international cooperation on the sustainable management of freshwater resources.

    Action this year is critical.  Every country must deliver strong national climate action plans – or NDCs – aligned with limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

    Funding for climate adaptation and resilience must increase, supported by reform of the international financial architecture to unlock sustained and massive climate finance.
    Together, let’s act to preserve these frozen lifelines for humanity.

    ***
    Cette année, le thème de la Journée mondiale de l’eau nous rappelle une dure réalité : la préservation des glaciers est essentielle pour la sécurité, la prospérité et la justice.

    Les glaciers sont des réservoirs naturels qui renferment une ressource précieuse : près de 70 % de toute l’eau douce de la planète.

    En fondant, les glaciers étanchent la soif des populations, alimentent les écosystèmes et soutiennent l’agriculture, l’industrie et l’énergie propre. Or, les températures caniculaires assèchent ces réservoirs à une vitesse record, de l’Himalaya aux Andes, en passant par les Alpes et l’Arctique.

    Des inondations meurtrières se déchaînent dans les zones urbaines et rurales, frappant des milliards de personnes. L’existence même des populations vivant dans des zones de faible élévation, voire de pays entiers, est menacée, tandis que la concurrence pour l’eau et les terres aggrave les tensions.

    Si les glaciers reculent, nous, nous ne pouvons pas reculer devant nos responsabilités.

    En adoptant le Pacte pour l’avenir en septembre dernier, les pays se sont engagés à prendre des mesures ambitieuses pour protéger, restaurer et préserver les glaciers de la planète et améliorer la résilience des populations. J’ai également nommé une Envoyée spéciale pour l’eau, qui a pour mission de renforcer la coopération internationale dans le domaine de la gestion durable des ressources en eau douce.

    Il est indispensable d’agir cette année. Chaque pays doit mettre en œuvre de solides plans d’action nationaux pour le climat, ou des contributions déterminées au niveau national, qui cadrent avec l’objectif consistant à limiter à 1,5 degré Celsius le réchauffement planétaire.

    Il faut augmenter le financement de l’adaptation et de la résilience face aux changements climatiques et l’accompagner d’une réforme de l’architecture financière internationale qui permette de débloquer un financement durable et massif de l’action climatique.
    Ensemble, agissons afin de préserver ces poumons gelés pour toute l’humanité.
     

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI China: Xi’s special envoy attends inauguration of Namibian president

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

    WINDHOEK, March 22 — Chinese President Xi Jinping’s special envoy Peng Qinghua on Friday attended the inauguration of Namibian President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah in Windhoek, the capital of Namibia.

    Peng, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China, also met with President Nandi-Ndaitwah to discuss bilateral relations.

    During their meeting, Peng conveyed Xi’s warm congratulations on and best wishes for Nandi-Ndaitwah’s inauguration and the 35th anniversary of Namibia’s independence, which coincided with the inauguration.

    Peng highlighted the profound traditional friendship between China and Namibia, noting that this year also marks the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

    Peng said China is willing to take this opportunity to continue close high-level exchanges with Namibia, enhance political mutual trust, deepen practical cooperation and bolster international coordination, so as to carry forward the China-Namibia comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership for the benefit of the two peoples.

    Nandi-Ndaitwah thanked Xi for sending a special envoy to attend her inauguration and asked Peng to convey her cordial greetings to the Chinese president. She spoke highly of Namibia-China relations, thanked China for its long-standing support and assistance to Namibia, and expressed the hope for the deepening of the friendly cooperation between the two countries in various fields.

    Dignitaries and representatives from nearly 30 countries and international and regional organizations attended the inauguration.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Meet the 2024 ACT Australians of the Year

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    2024 ACT Australian of the Year Joanne Farrell

    The four winners of the 2024 ACT Australian of the Year Awards are as diverse as they are inspiring.

    There’s Joanne Farrell, a champion for females working in construction; Ebenezer Banful OAM, a volunteer and multiculturalism advocate; Caitlin Figueiredo, a young political changemaker; and Selina Walker, an emerging Ngunnawal elder and leader.

    The ACT winners will join the other state and territory recipients as finalists for the national awards announcement on 25 January 2024.

    Take a look at the winners and find out more about their work.

    2024 ACT Australian of the Year – Joanne Farrell

    Joanne (Jo) Farrell is a champion for females in the construction industry.

    In 2020, she founded Build Like a Girl, a not-for-profit program that supports girls and women to work in trades.

    Build Like a Girl matches females with pre-apprenticeship and entry-level training, then mentors them to secure work in the construction industry.

    As the general manager of Kane Constructions ACT, Jo has pushed for a better gender balance.

    Jo works closely with government, peak industry bodies, unions, training organisations and building contractors to help them recruit, train and employ women in trade roles.

    She also led construction of Strathnairn Charity House, a project designed and mostly built by women, which was auctioned in March 2023. Proceeds from the sale were distributed to local charities.

    2024 ACT Senior Australian of the Year – Ebenezer Banful OAM

    Ebenezer Banful OAM arrived in Australia over 30 years ago.

    He has since dedicated himself to helping others understand Ghanaian and African values, promoting multiculturalism and helping newly arrived communities integrate into Canberra.

    He helped found the Companion House community organisation that supports survivors of persecution, torture and other war-related trauma.

    Ebenezer has served on numerous committees advocating for multiculturalism. He has volunteered at nearly every National Multicultural Festival and set up Radio Ghana Hour, a community station focused on Ghanaian life and culture, for which he is program coordinator and presenter.

    Respected in his community, Ebenezer’s efforts have helped create harmony and understanding.

    2024 ACT Young Australian of the Year – Caitlin Figueiredo

    Changemaker Caitlin Figueiredo is determined to give young people a say in politics.

    In 2015, she worked to bring young people’s voices into parliament through a national youth advisory council.

    This led to her election to the Australian Youth Affairs Coalition (AYAC) board.

    She revitalised and transformed AYAC, which represents 4.5 million young Australians, creating a more diverse board that better represented young people.

    Empowering the next generation of female politicians, she co-founded a political leadership group called Girls Take Over Parliament. It connects with young women from all political parties and enables them to receive support and training from a bipartisan lens.

    Caitlin has also addressed the United Nations about the Sustainable Development Goals; this previous work establishing youth structures on gender equality is ongoing.

    Image courtesy of The Canberra Times

    2024 ACT Local Hero – Selina Walker

    Ngunnawal woman Selina Walker is a respected emerging elder and leader whose integrity has supported Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and reconciliation across the ACT.

    Selina continues her grandmother Aunty Agnes Shea’s legacy of influencing and driving change with her unwavering efforts.

    Since 2018, Selina has promoted reconciliation as co-chair of the ACT Reconciliation Council.

    As a founding member of Yerrabi Yurwang Child and Family Aboriginal Corporation, she helps improve outcomes for Aboriginal families and children, especially those in out-of-home care.

    Selina advocates for Indigenous people within the justice system as a member of the ACT Victims of Crime and Justice Committee and has held roles to improve all children’s educational outcomes in the Catholic school system.

    A kinship carer, Selina was awarded Barnardos’ 2017 ACT Mother of the Year.

    Get ACT news and events delivered straight to your inbox, sign up to our email newsletter:


    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China, Zambia sign economic, technical cooperation agreement

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

    LUSAKA, March 21 — China and Zambia signed an agreement on Friday for economic and technical cooperation, marking another step in strengthening the longstanding and mutually beneficial relationship between the two countries.

    The agreement was signed by Charge d’Affaires of the Chinese Embassy Wang Sheng and Zambian Minister of Finance and National Planning Situmbeko Musokotwane.

    The agreement outlines the framework under which new China-aided projects will be implemented in the future.

    In his remarks, Wang said the agreement is another example of the strong cooperation between the two governments.

    He said both governments have identified priority projects, including the construction of three additional milling plants to enhance food security in Zambia, with work set to begin this year. China has already built three such plants in the country.

    Wang also announced that a team of experts would soon arrive in Zambia to conduct a feasibility study on establishing 300 small solar-powered piped water systems to help alleviate water shortages. Moreover, a program for the supply of HIV testing kits and medication would be implemented to support public health services in Zambia.

    “For a long time, China has adhered to an approach that emphasizes sincerity, real results, amity and good faith with Africa. We understand the importance of honoring commitments, and all pledges will be fulfilled,” he said.

    He said negotiations on revitalizing the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) railway line were progressing, with major breakthroughs expected in the coming weeks.

    According to Wang, China has been a steadfast friend to Zambia since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1964, providing support for various infrastructure projects over the years.

    While expressing appreciation for China’s unwavering support and solidarity with Zambia over the years, Musokotwane said the signing of the agreement underscored both countries’ commitment to fostering economic growth and technical advancement.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Top Pacific diplomats ready for direct talks on Bougainville independence

    By Leah Lowonbu, Stefan Armbruster and Harlyne Joku of BenarNews

    The Pacific’s peak diplomatic bodies have signalled they are ready to engage with Papua New Guinea’s Autonomous Government of Bougainville as mediation begins on the delayed ratification of its successful 2019 independence referendum.

    PNG and Bougainville’s leaders met in the capital Port Moresby this week with a moderator to start negotiations on the implementation of the UN-supervised Bougainville Peace Agreement and referendum.

    Ahead of the talks, ABG’s President Ishmael Toroama moved to sideline a key sticking point over PNG parliamentary ratification of the vote, with the announcement last week that Bougainville would unilaterally declare independence on September 1, 2027.

    The region’s two leading intergovernmental organisations — Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) and Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) — have traditionally deferred to member state PNG on discussion of Bougainville independence as an internal matter.

    But as a declaration of nationhood becomes increasingly likely and near, there has been a subtle shift.

    “It’s their [PNG’s] prerogative but if this matter were raised formally, even by Bougainville themselves, we can start discussion on that,” PIF Secretary-General Baron Waqa told a press briefing at its headquarters in Fiji on Monday.

    “Whatever happens, I think the issue would have to be decided by our leaders later this year,” he said of the annual PIF meeting to be held in Solomon Islands in September.

    Marked peace deal
    The last time the Pacific’s leaders included discussion of Bougainville in their official communique was in 2004 to mark the disarmament of the island under the peace deal.

    Waqa said Bougainville had made no formal approach to PIF — a grouping of 18 Pacific states and territories — but it was closely monitoring developments on what could eventually lead to the creation of a new member state.

    PNG Prime Minister James Marape (second from left) and Bougainville President Ishmael Toroama (right) during mediation in the capital Port Moresby this week. Image: Autonomous Government of Bougainville/BenarNews

    In 2024, Toroama told BenarNews he would be seeking observer status at the subregional MSG — grouping PNG, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia’s FLNKS — as Bougainville’s first diplomatic foray.

    No application has been made yet but MSG acting Director-General Ilan Kiloe told BenarNews they were also keeping a close watch.

    “Our rules and regulations require that we engage through PNG and we will take our cue from them,” Kiloe said, adding while the MSG respects the sovereignty of its members, “if requested, we will provide assistance” to Bougainville.

    “The purpose and reason the MSG was established initially was to advance the collective interests of the Melanesian countries, in particular, to assist those yet to attain independence,” he said. “And to provide support towards their aim of becoming independent countries.”

    Map showing Papua New Guinea, its neighboring countries and the Autonomous Region of Bougainville. Map: BenarNews

    The 2001 peace agreement ended more than a decade of bloody conflict  known as the Bougainville crisis, that resulted in the deaths of up to 15,000 people, and laid out a roadmap for disarmament and the referendum in 2019.

    ‘We need support’
    Under the agreement, PNG retains responsibility for foreign affairs but allows for the ABG to engage externally for trade and with “regional organisations.”

    “We need countries to support us, we need to talk to those countries [ahead of independence],” Toroama told BenarNews last September.

    The referendum on independence was supported by 97.7 percent of Bougainvillians and the outcome was due to be ratified by PNG’s Parliament in 2020, but was deferred because of the covid-19 pandemic.

    Discussions by the two parties since on whether a simple or two-thirds majority vote by parliamentarians was required has further delayed the process.

    Toroama stood firm on the issue of ratification on the first day of discussions moderated by New Zealand’s Sir Jerry Mataparae, saying his people voted for independence and the talks were to define the “new relationship” between two independent states.

    Last week, the 15 members of the Bougainville Leaders Independence Consultation Forum issued a statement declaring PNG had no authority to veto the referendum result and recommended September 1, 2027 as the declaration date.

    Bougainville Leaders Consultation Forum declaration setting September 1, 2027, as the date for their independence declaration. Image: AGB/BenarNews

    “As far as I am concerned, the process of negotiating independence was concluded with the referendum,” Toroama said.

    Implementation moderation
    “My understanding is that this moderation is about reaching agreement on implementing the referendum result of independence.”

    He told Marape “to take ownership and endorse independence in this 11th Parliament.”

    PNG’s prime minister responded by praising the 25 years of peace “without a single bullet fired” but warned Bougainville was not ready for independence.

    “Economic independence must precede political independence,” Marape said. “The long-term sustainability of Bougainville must be factored into these discussions.”

    “About 95 percent of Bougainville’s budget is currently reliant on external support, including funding from the PNG government and international donors.”

    Proposals to reopen Rio Tinto’s former Panguna gold and copper mine in Bougainville, that sparked its civil conflict, is a regular feature of debate about its economic future.

    Front page of the Post-Courier newspaper after the first day of mediation on Bougainville’s independence this week. Image: Post-Courier/BenarNews

    Marape also suggested people may be secretly harbouring weapons in breach of the peace agreement and called on the UN to clarify the outcome of the disarmament process it supervised.

    “Headlines have come out that guns remain in Bougainville. United Nations, how come guns remain in Bougainville?” Marape asked on Monday.

    “You need to tell me. This is something you know. I thought all guns were removed from Bougainville.”

    PNG relies on aid
    By comparison, PNG has heavily relied on foreign financial assistance since independence, currently receiving at about US$320 million (1.3 billion kina) a year in budgetary support from Australia, and suffers regular tribal violence and massacres involving firearms including assault rifles.

    Bougainville Vice-President Patrick Nisira rejected Marape’s concerns about weapons, the Post-Courier newspaper reported.

    “The usage of those guns, there is no evidence of that and if you look at the data on Bougainville where [there are] incidents of guns, it is actually very low,” he said.

    Further talks are planned and are due to produce a report for the national Parliament by mid-2025, ahead of elections in Bougainville and PNG’s 50th anniversary celebrations in September.

    Republished from BenarNews with permission.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: General Assembly Adopts Texts, Marks International Day for Elimination of Racial Discrimination

    Source: United Nations General Assembly and Security Council

    The poison of racism remains in the veins of global institutions, laws and everyday practices and must be fought in all its forms, speakers urged the General Assembly today, as the body commemorated the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in addition to taking action on three draft texts.

    One of these, the draft resolution titled “Permanent neutrality of Turkmenistan” (document A/79/L.59), was introduced by that country’s representative.  She affirmed neutrality as a fundamental principle of her nation’s foreign policy — “a beacon of peace, stability and constructive engagement in the international community for three decades”.  The Assembly then adopted the draft resolution without a vote.

    By the text, the Assembly called on Member States to respect and support this status of Turkmenistan and to respect its independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.  It further welcomed the decision of the Government of Turkmenistan to host an international forum, in December 2025, devoted to the International Year of Peace and Trust, the International Day of Neutrality and the thirtieth anniversary of the permanent neutrality of Turkmenistan.

    The Assembly also adopted without a vote the draft decision titled “United Nations Pledging Conference for Development Activities” (document A/79/L.61).  By its terms, the Assembly decided to convene the next such Conference in 2026.  Also adopted without a vote was the draft decision titled “Speakers for the opening segment of the ‘World Social Summit’ under the title ‘the Second World Summit for Social Development’” (document A/79/L.65).

    International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

    At the outset of the meeting, Philémon Yang (Cameroon), President of the General Assembly at its seventy-ninth session, recalled that peaceful protesters stood against injustice in Sharpeville, South Africa, 65 years ago.  While 69 lives were lost that day, “their courage ignited a movement — one that continues today,” he stated.  And, on the sixtieth anniversary of the adoption of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination — to which 182 Member States are party — he said:  “We must recommit to its provisions that prohibit racial discrimination in all its forms.”  Further, he called on the international community to “take decisive action to enforce antidiscrimination laws and ensure they are effective”.

    Urging States to invest in inclusive education, raise public awareness and challenge harmful stereotypes, he emphasized that the fight against racial discrimination is not just a moral duty, but essential to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.  And, while Africa has long carried the weight of historical injustice, he stressed that the continent is also a beacon of resilience and leadership that “has shown the world how to successfully end abhorrent examples of institutional racism and bigotry”.  The international community must therefore listen to African voices and fully integrate their perspective into global anti-racism efforts.  Additionally, he called on the next generation to “carry forward the fight against racial discrimination with hope and determination”.

    Speaking next was Courtenay Rattray, Chef de Cabinet of the Executive Office of the Secretary-General, who said that the poison of racism is the toxic legacy of historic enslavement and colonialism.  Today, it continues to corrupt communities and erode the foundations of justice, stoked by “growing inequalities and algorithms that capitalize on polarizing content”, he stated.  Forged amidst the civil rights and anti-Apartheid movements of the 1960s, the Convention remains a beacon of hope.  Calling for its universal ratification, he urged business leadership, civil society and everyday people to take a stand against racism in all its forms.

    Ilze Brands Kehris, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, then emphasized that race, colour, descent or origin must never silence people, block their opportunities, make them targets or endanger their lives.  While the Convention was a milestone treaty, she warned that “we once again find ourselves in a period of turmoil” — with racism still permeating institutions, social structures and everyday life in all societies.  While diversity is profoundly human and enriches societies, “because of it, millions of people are treated as sub-human”, she stated.  Condemning the resurgence of nationalist populism and ideologies of racial superiority, she called today’s gathering an opportunity for States, national human-rights institutions, civil society, the private sector and United Nations entities to commit to concrete steps to combat the scourge.

    Echoing calls for universal ratification, Michał Balcerzak (Poland), Chair of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, also encouraged Member States to recognize the competence of his Committee to receive individual communications to provide effective access to justice for victims.  “Formal ratification is essential, but not sufficient,” he said, noting that various provisions were included in the Convention to address historical injustice and structural racism — such as the obligation to adopt special or affirmative measures.  “We witness today the challenging of these measures in many countries,” he pointed out, calling on States and judicial bodies to protect them.  He added:  “Racist and xenophobic discourse are not only increasing, but also encouraged by some politicians and public figures.  This is not the time to remain silent.”

    For her part, Sarah Lewis, Associate Professor at Harvard University, noted that she is “the descendant of enslaved men and women from, we believe, Ghana and Nigeria, and also from slave owners who came from the United Kingdom”.  While this anniversary is a chance to salute the extraordinary progress made to confront racial discrimination, she emphasized that “much more is needed today in many parts of the world to combat injustice”.  Stressing that the racial divide around the world is built on the fiction of racial superiority, she cited ignorance — for example, that slavery could ever be construed as beneficial for the skills it taught the enslaved.  She recalled the words of civil-rights leader Frederick Douglass, who spoke of internalized narratives that seemed to justify inequity, making the case for the power of culture as an overlooked tool for ending racism.  “He said it might take over 150 years for society here, and around the world, to understand these ideas,” she observed.

    During the ensuing discussion, South Africa’s delegate recalled that, “on this day 65 years ago”, people gathered around police stations in his country without carrying the dompas — the document that restricted the movement of people based on their race.  During this peaceful protest, Apartheid security forces and police opened fire on a crowd in Sharpeville, killing 69 and injuring 130.  “Most were shot in the back,” he said.  While the equal enjoyment of human rights is a basic principle of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights — adopted in 1948 — he noted that, in 1965, “it was obvious that this was not a universal understanding”.  This is why the global community recognized the need to establish international law to protect human rights, regardless of race.  The Convention, he recalled, remains the only active legal instrument against racism and racial discrimination.

    Echoing those sentiments, the representative of Equatorial Guinea, speaking for the African Group, stressed the need to address contemporary forms of racism and new forms of slavery, such as human trafficking.  All States must eliminate systemic barriers and racial discrimination faced by people of African descent in housing, healthcare, education and other sectors.  Further, global reparatory justice is crucial for equitable sustainable development.  In a similar vein, Jamaica’s delegate, speaking for the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), said that the injustice of the transatlantic slave trade lingers and affects the lives of people of African descent today.  He also expressed concern about “the growing incitement of hatred and intolerance, including through the use of new and emerging technologies”.

    Echoing that, the representative of Greece, speaking for the Group of Western European and Other States, affirmed the collective “responsibility to address all factors that ignite racist harassment, hate speech, hate crimes and all other forms of incitement”.  Moreover, nationalist and populist ideologies and rhetoric that erode social cohesion have no place in societies.  The representative of Fiji, speaking for the Asia-Pacific Group, strongly condemned racial profiling and negative stereotyping on any grounds and against any persons.  Meanwhile, Suriname’s delegate, speaking for the Group of Latin America and Caribbean Countries, expressed solidarity with all victims of racial discrimination around the world.  He further highlighted the intersection of racial and gender discrimination, calling for gender-responsive policies. 

    However, the representative of the Russian Federation recalled that the international community is far from consensus on fighting racism, with the various documents and decisions adopted by the General Assembly lacking support from Western countries.  “We all know that, in Europe, discrimination flourishes,” she said, spotlighting bans on studies in one’s native language and on participating in elections.  Condemning Western Governments for “turning a blind eye” to their racist, xenophobic and colonialist pasts, she voiced support for the objectives of the Second International Decade for People of African Descent.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Security Council Press Statement on Attack against United Nations Mission in South Sudan

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

    The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Christina Markus Lassen (Denmark):

    The members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the attack perpetrated on 7 March against the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) in Nasir, Upper Nile State, by the White Army.  In the attack, two United Nations helicopters conducting an evacuation came under fire, resulting in the death of a crew member, injuries to two others and the loss of South Sudanese lives.

    The members of the Security Council expressed their deepest condolences and sympathy to the family of the UN personnel killed.  They also expressed their condolences to the United Nations Mission in South Sudan.  They further expressed their deepest condolences to the families of the deceased and to the people of South Sudan for the lives lost.

    The members of the Security Council reiterated that attacks against peacekeepers may constitute war crimes and reminded all parties of their obligations under international humanitarian law.  They called for those responsible for the attacks to be held accountable.  The members of the Security Council called on all parties to the 2018 peace agreement to refrain from further violence and engage in national dialogue to restore and maintain peace.  They underscored that dialogue and negotiation remain the only means for resolving differences and called upon the leadership of all the parties to the Revitalised Transitional Government of National Unity to immediately de-escalate tensions.

    The members of the Security Council reiterated their full support for UNMISS and further stressed the importance of UNMISS having the necessary capacities, and the support of the Revitalised Transitional Government of National Unity to fulfil its mandate in full and without interference or obstruction, and in line with the status of forces agreement, and promote the safety and security of the United Nations peacekeepers, pursuant to Security Council resolution 2729 (2024).

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Canada provides funding to respond to crises in Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo

    Source: Government of Canada News (2)

    March 21, 2025 – Ottawa, Ontario – Global Affairs Canada

    Canada recognizes that the world is grappling with increasing geopolitical uncertainty, with conflicts spanning several continents impacting millions of people. This is why Canada is dedicated to doing its part to support those in need by collaborating with trusted and reliable partners on international assistance efforts.

    Today, the Sudanese people continue to bear the brunt of the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, which started in April 2023. More than 12.8 million people have been forced to flee as they faced unspeakable human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law. And in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the escalating violence has displaced hundreds of thousands of people across the eastern DRC and exacerbated the longstanding humanitarian crisis.

    To address the needs of the people affected by these conflicts, the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development, today announced that Canada is providing more than $116 million in humanitarian, development and peace and security assistance funding for Sudan ($75 million) and the DRC (more than $41 million).

    In Sudan, this includes:

    • $60 million in humanitarian assistance funding, bringing the total funding of Canada’s humanitarian response in Sudan to $64 million in 2025; this funding is being provided to the UN, the Red Cross and NGO partners to deliver life-saving assistance, including food, protection, health, water, sanitation and hygiene services
    • $5 million in development assistance funding to enhance the dignity and safety of survivors of conflict-related sexual violence and to strengthen the capacity of health care providers in the clinical management of rape survivors and psychological first aid services
    • $10 million in peace and security funding to protect civilians and humanitarian workers and facilitate the delivery of much needed humanitarian assistance in conflict-affected areas by reducing the threat of explosive ordnance contamination

     In the DRC, this includes:

    • over $26 million in humanitarian assistance funding, bringing Canada’s humanitarian response in the DRC to more than $42 million in 2025; this funding is being provided to the UN, the Red Cross and NGO partners to deliver life-saving assistance, including food, protection, health, water, sanitation and hygiene services
    • $15 million in development assistance funding to strengthen the capacity of national institutions and local civil society to protect conflict-affected women and girls from gender-based violence, to provide holistic care to sexual- and gender-based violence survivors and to support displaced families in their transition from emergency food assistance to sustainable food sources and livelihoods        

    Canada calls on all parties to these conflicts to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, in accordance with their obligations under international humanitarian law. They must allow and facilitate safe, rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian assistance for civilians in need. Canada also urges them to promote accountability for international humanitarian law and human rights law violations. Canada continues to call on all parties to immediately cease hostilities and to conduct negotiations in good faith on a peaceful resolution through inclusive dialogue.

    MIL OSI Canada News –