Category: English

Source: APO

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Upon High Instructions of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Morocco reopened its Embassy in Damascus last Sunday, with all its administrative services resuming their activities.

HM the King had announced in His speech to the 34th Summit of the League of Arab States, held on May 17 in Baghdad, the Kingdom’s decision to reopen its Embassy in Damascus, which was closed in 2012, affirming that this move “will contribute to opening up broader prospects for the historical bilateral relations between our countries and our peoples in the two brotherly nations”.

The Sovereign also reiterated the Kingdom’s unchanging historic position on Syria, as expressed in the letter sent by His Majesty the King to President Ahmed Acharaa, namely support for the valiant Syrian people in their quest for freedom, security and stability, and commitment to the preservation of Syria’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

On the same day, Syrian Foreign Minister Assaad Al-Chaibani expressed his country’s thanks and gratitude for the decision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI to reopen the Moroccan Embassy in Damascus.

The reopening of the Embassy took place with a view to completing the administrative procedures and rehabilitation work necessary for its transfer to a new headquarters, in line with the new momentum of Moroccan-Syrian ties.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Kingdom of Morocco – Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates.

Source: APO

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At the invitation of the Speaker of the National Assembly, H.E. Saara Kuugongelwa, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi addressed today the Parliament of Namibia. This special gesture from the Namibian side made Prime Minister’s State Visit to Namibia even more meaningful.

2.​ Addressing the Parliament, Prime Minister conveyed greetings from the “Mother of Democracy” and the largest democracy in the world to the members of the august House and to the friendly people of Namibia. Recalling the historic ties between the two countries and their shared struggle for freedom, Prime Minister paid tribute to the legacy of Dr. Sam Nujoma, the founding father of Namibia. He noted that the democratic values and principles championed by the founding fathers of the two countries continue to illuminate the path of progress in both countries. He lauded the role of the government and people of Namibia in deepening democracy in the country.

3. Prime Minister thanked the people of Namibia for bestowing on him their highest national honor. He noted that this special gesture was a tribute to the achievements of the Indian and Namibian democracies. As sentinels of freedom, equality and justice, he called upon the two countries to work for the betterment of the Global South, so that the voices of its people are not just heard, but their hopes and aspirations are fully realized. He underlined that India will always work for the progress of Africa, as it had done during its presidency of the G-20 when the African Union was made a permanent member of the group. He stated that India was privileged to share its development experience with Namibia and other countries in the continent. India remains committed to building capacity, developing skills, promoting local innovation and supporting Africa’s Agenda 2063.

4. Prime Minister thanked the Speaker for the honor extended to him. He called for greater people-to-people interaction between the two countries so that the two democracies ever prosper. “Let our children not only inherit the freedom we fought for, but also the future we will build together.” – he said as he concluded his address. Full text of Prime Minister’s address may be seen here.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of External Affairs – Government of India.

Source: APO

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The President of the Human Rights Council, Ambassador Jürg Lauber (Switzerland), has announced the appointment of Mr. Max du Plessis of South Africa to serve as an independent member of the Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran. Mr. du Plessis replaces Ms. Shaheen Sardar Ali of Pakistan on the three-member investigative panel and joins Ms. Sara Hossain of Bangladesh and Ms. Viviana Krsticevic of Argentina. Ms. Hossain serves as chair of the Fact-Finding Mission.

The Human Rights Council established the Fact-Finding Mission with resolution S-35/1 of 24 November 2022, adopted at a special session, to “investigate alleged human rights violations in the Islamic Republic of Iran related to the protests that began on 16 September 2022, especially with respect to women and children”. The three-person Mission was further requested to “establish the facts and circumstances surrounding the alleged violations and collect, consolidate and analyse evidence of such violations and preserve evidence, including in view of cooperation in any legal proceedings”.

The mandate of the Fact-Finding Mission was subsequently extended for one year with resolution 55/19 of 4 April 2024 entitled “Situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran.” 

In April 2025, with its resolution 58/21, the Council extended the Fact-Finding Mission’s mandate for an additional year and expanded its scope to, among other things, thoroughly and independently monitor and investigate allegations of recent and ongoing serious human rights violations in Iran. This resolution requests the Fact-Finding Mission to present a report to the Human Rights Council at its 61st session in February/March 2026, and to present an oral update, to be followed by an interactive dialogue, to the United Nations General Assembly at its 80th session (2025-2026).

Mr. du Plessis is a South African barrister and academic whose career has been characterised by his involvement on justice and human rights issues. He has a Bachelor of Laws from the University of South Africa and the University of Natal (South Africa), completed his Master of Laws at the University of Cambridge (United Kingdom) and completed his PhD studies at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa).

His legal career began in 2000 when he became an advocate at the High Court of South Africa. His expertise in international, administrative, and constitutional law lead to a role as a senior research fellow in the International Crime in Africa Programme at the Institute for Security Studies. Mr. du Plessis has practiced law in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and has been a visiting expert at the International Criminal Court.

Throughout his career Mr. du Plessis has been an adjunct professor at the University of Cape Town and Nelson Mandela University. He also served as a visiting professor at Law Futures Centre, Griffith University (Australia), Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict, Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford (United Kingdom), St. John’s College, University of Cambridge (United Kingdom), the London School of Economics (United Kingdom), Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University (United States), and others.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations: Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

Source: APO

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The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Police, Mr Ian Cameron, has received the directive from the Speaker of the National Assembly, Ms Thoko Didiza, mandating three committees to consider, on an urgent basis, in terms of their respective mandates, the wide-ranging allegations regarding security matters that have implications for the country’s national security made by the KZN Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, and then report to the National Assembly.

”The mandate is clear and the committee will endeavour to urgently conclude the necessary processes to determine the parameters, format and structure of the envisaged process,” Mr Cameron emphasised.

But of outmost importance is the need for urgency in finalising modalities to set the process in motion. To this end, a legal opinion, which has already been requested, is necessary to ascertain the best possible approach.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.

Source: APO

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The Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration today welcomed the announcement by the Minister of Finance, Mr Enoch Godongwana, to institute three critical spending reviews aimed at improving the efficiency, integrity and developmental impact of government expenditure.

The reviews, announced during the minister’s budget vote debate, will focus on standardising the remuneration of executives and board members of public entities, auditing and eliminating ghost workers and investigating the persistent underspending and delivery failures associated with infrastructure conditional grants at the provincial and municipal levels.

The Chairperson of the committee, Mr Jan de Villiers, said these reviews are not only welcome but long overdue. They echo the committee’s consistent calls for a professionalised public service, one that is results-based, provides value for public money, and adopts a zero-tolerance approach to corruption, waste and political patronage. “We support the development of a standardised remuneration framework for public entity executives and board members. Salaries must be fair, transparent and directly linked to the entity’s mandate, complexity and performance. There can be no justification for exorbitant pay packages where service delivery is in crisis or entities are failing,” said Mr de Villiers.

On the issue of ghost workers, the Chairperson reaffirmed the committee’s view that this is not a minor administrative flaw but a form of organised, systemic corruption that siphons off public funds and undermines trust in the state. “These are not invisible names on paper – these are real funds stolen from the public. The committee calls for these audits to lead to consequences. We want to see prosecutions, dismissals and systemic reform. The committee will continue to monitor this process closely, and a joint oversight meeting with Treasury and the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) is scheduled for the third quarter of 2025,” he said.

The committee also welcomed broader government efforts to professionalise the state, including the digitisation of human resource and payroll systems, the introduction of lifestyle audits and the rollout of skills audits within departments. This followed a briefing by the DPSA and the National School of Government this morning on government’s progress in digitising the public service and aligning training and upskilling with departmental needs.

“The creation of a professional, merit-based and non-partisan public service is both constitutionally mandated and essential to improving service delivery for all South Africans. Skills audits are particularly critical as they allow us to assess whether departments are staffed appropriately and whether officials have the qualifications and competencies needed to fulfil their mandates,” said Mr de Villiers.

Responding to this morning’s briefing, the Chairperson said digitisation and upskilling will help empower officials and drive improved service delivery, particularly in under-resourced areas. “We must know not just who is employed in the public service, but whether they are fit for purpose. Skills audits, alongside digital transformation and standardised pay, create an opportunity to reconfigure departments to meet the needs of the public better. Where upskilling is required, it must be supported. Where restructuring is needed, it must be done responsibly,” he said.

The committee remains committed to actively overseeing these reviews, focusing on results rather than rhetoric. We are planning a joint meeting with the Department of Public Service and Administration and National Treasury in the third quarter of 2025 to obtain further updates, including a detailed progress update on the ghost worker audit, implementation of lifestyle audits and alignment between performance and pay in the public sector, as well as consequence management for those involved in fraud and maladministration.

“We will not allow these reviews to become another policy gesture. They must be executed with urgency, rigour and public accountability,” the Chairperson said.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.

Source: APO

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H.E. President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea today received H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, Chairperson of the @_AfricanUnion Commission & his accompanying delegation that included Deputy Chairperson @DCP_Haddadi & Chief of Staff @souefmo_elamine at the State House in Malabo, ahead of the 7th Mid-Year Coordination Meeting (MYCM) of the AU, RECs, & RMs, scheduled for 10–13 July 2025.

The Chairperson expressed appreciation to President Obiang for the warm welcome graciously hosting the Meeting & for his continued support for the work of the Union. President Obiang reaffirmed his Government’s full readiness to host the MYCM.

Convened under the auspices of the AU Commission & the Government of Equatorial Guinea, the Meeting will bring together the AU Bureau, Heads of RECs, senior AUC officials, AU specialized bodies, and institutional partners to advance continental coordination and integration.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Union (AU).

Source: APO

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Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi paid homage to the Founding Father and the First President of Namibia, Dr. Sam Nujoma at the Heroes Acre memorial.

Prime Minister remembered Dr. Sam Nujoma as a visionary leader who devoted his life to the struggle for Namibia’s independence. As the first President of free Namibia, Dr. Nujoma made inspiring contribution to the country’s nation making. His legacy continues to inspire people across the world.

Dr. Sam Nujoma was a great friend of India. His august presence during the establishment of the first ever-diplomatic mission of Namibia [SWAPO at that time] in 1986 in New Delhi will always be cherished and fondly remembered by the people of India.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of External Affairs – Government of India.

Source: APO

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Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi is paying a State Visit to Namibia. On the occasion, the President of Namibia, H.E. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah conferred on Prime Minister the highest civilian award of Namibia – Order of the Most Ancient Welwitschia Mirabilis. He is the first Indian leader to be given this award.

​Accepting the award, Prime Minister dedicated the honor to the 1.4 billion people of India and to the historic and enduring ties between India and Namibia. Prime Minister expressed his heartfelt gratitude to President Nandi-Ndaitwah and the people of Namibia for the accolade.

The conferment of the award on Prime Minister is a milestone in the bilateral ties between India and Namibia and stands as a font of inspiration for the younger generations in both countries to take this special bilateral partnership to greater heights.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of External Affairs – Government of India.