Category: MIL-OSI

Posted on

Qatar Looks Forward to Hosting DPoA MTR for Least Developed Countries in March

Source: Government of Qatar

New York, June 25, 2026

The State of Qatar has affirmed its aspiration to host the High-Level Midterm Review Meeting of the Doha Programme of Action (DPoA MTR) in March 2027, as a positive step to enhance cooperation with the least developed countries and support their efforts in addressing challenges.

This came in a statement delivered by HE Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations, Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani during the joint thematic event on the midterm review of the implementation of the Doha Programme of Action for Least Developed Countries, held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

Her Excellency began her statement by noting that the event provided a vital platform for discussing critical issues and exchanging visions and ambitious aspirations regarding the goals of the High-Level Midterm Review Meeting of the Doha Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries, scheduled to be held in Doha from March 25 to 27. She pointed out that the discussions highlighted the interconnected challenges facing the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), reviewed the progress made in implementing the Doha Programme of Action within the current global development landscape, and addressed the obstacles hindering implementation, including energy insecurity, structural fragility, worsening debt situations, fragile infrastructure, and the need to build resilience to climate change and disaster risks.

Her Excellency commended the valuable contributions and broad participation that characterized the event, reflecting the paramount importance of advancing the Doha Programme of Action and its pivotal role in supporting growth and prosperity in the LDCs.

She also noted that Qatar’s hosting of the Fifth United Nations Conference on the LDCs embodies its unwavering commitment to supporting the issues of these countries and reflects its leading role in hosting major international events under the auspices of the United Nations. 

Her Excellency pointed that the conference was characterized by positive momentum and reflected a genuine desire to provide the LDCs with ambitious measures and innovative global partnerships. In this context, She reiterated that translating the ambitious measures and commitments embodied in the Doha Programme of Action for the LDCs into practical actions is of paramount importance to achieving the desired transformation.

Her Excellency highlighted that Qatar, through the Qatar Fund for Development, signed two agreements last year with the Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries, and Small Island Developing States, within the framework of the Doha Programme of Action, with a contribution of USD 21 million. These agreements aim to build resilience in the LDCs and establish a food reserve system to help address food insecurity among the most vulnerable communities worldwide.

HE Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani also highlighted Qatar’s hosting last December of the High-Level Meeting of Least Developed Countries (LDCs), under the theme: “Building ambitious global partnerships for a sustainable and resilient exit from the LDC list,” stemming from its firm belief in the importance of international partnerships to support LDCs.

During the joint thematic event, Her Excellency emphasized that the DPoA MTR scheduled for March 2027 will be a crucial juncture for assessing achievements, identifying gaps, renewing solidarity with LDCs, and strengthening partnerships and initiatives that ensure the full and effective implementation of the Doha Development Agenda. This will deliver tangible results that drive sustainable development and provide real momentum for the remaining period of the Agenda.

Posted on

As limitações da rede elétrica africana ganham destaque à medida que os mercados regionais avançam rumo à integração

Source: Africa Press Organisation – Portuguese –

Prevê-se que a procura de eletricidade em África quase duplique para 2 291 TWh até 2050, exigindo um investimento estimado de 30 mil milhões de dólares em infraestruturas de transmissão e rede elétrica para desbloquear e integrar nova capacidade de produção. No entanto, em todo o continente, as redes elétricas têm dificuldade em acompanhar o ritmo da rápida expansão dos projetos de fornecimento e do aumento da procura.

Na Nigéria, as repetidas falhas generalizadas da rede elétrica, ainda em fevereiro de 2026, sublinham a fragilidade das infraestruturas de transmissão envelhecidas. Na África Oriental, falhas nas torres ao longo da linha Loiyangalani-Suswa, com 428 km, bloquearam temporariamente a produção da Lake Turkana Wind Power — a maior instalação eólica de África. Entretanto, as pressões decorrentes do crescimento da procura estão a acelerar em toda a África do Norte, onde se prevê que o consumo de eletricidade aumente cerca de 50 % até 2035, impulsionado pela urbanização, pelos projetos de dessalinização e pelos aumentos de temperatura relacionados com as alterações climáticas.

Apesar destas limitações, o investimento na produção continua a acelerar em toda a África, particularmente em energias renováveis, sistemas de conversão de gás em eletricidade e sistemas híbridos. No entanto, sem um investimento equivalente em transmissão e interligação, grande parte desta nova capacidade corre o risco de ficar subutilizada ou ociosa. Este desequilíbrio crescente entre a produção e a capacidade da rede está a impulsionar um foco mais acentuado no planeamento a nível do sistema e na conceção de mercados regionais — questões que serão centrais na conferência «Power Africa Today», recentemente lançada no âmbito da African Energy Week 2026. A plataforma reunirá decisores políticos, empresas de serviços públicos, investidores e promotores para explorar de que forma a interligação regional, os quadros de comércio transfronteiriço e as estruturas de financiamento podem alinhar melhor o crescimento da produção com a expansão da rede.

Os mercados de energia experimentam reformas

A par dos desafios de infraestruturas, o setor elétrico africano está a passar por uma reforma de mercado gradual — mas desigual. A maioria dos países ainda opera sistemas verticalmente integrados, dominados por empresas de serviços públicos estatais, mas um número crescente está a introduzir quadros competitivos para atrair capital privado e melhorar a eficiência.

O Zimbábue abriu o seu mercado de eletricidade à participação privada total nas áreas da produção, transmissão e distribuição em 2025, com o objetivo de atrair 9 mil milhões de dólares em novos investimentos. A África do Sul está a avançar com um dos programas de expansão da rede mais ambiciosos do continente, com planos para 14 500 km de novas linhas de transmissão e 133 000 MVA de capacidade de transformadores até 2034, a par de mecanismos concebidos para atrair financiamento privado. Entretanto, o Quénia introduziu regulamentação de acesso aberto que permite aos produtores independentes de energia transportar eletricidade diretamente para vários consumidores, redefinindo a forma como os ativos de produção interagem com a rede.

A integração regional continua fragmentada

Os esforços para ligar os sistemas elétricos fragmentados de África estão a avançar, embora a ritmos diferentes consoante as regiões. Na África Austral, o programa RETRADE SAPP do Banco Mundial, aprovado em 2025, está a investir 12 milhões de dólares para reforçar a integração das energias renováveis e a capacidade de transmissão em 12 Estados-Membros. Na África Oriental, a «Autoestrada Elétrica» Etiópia–Quénia–Tanzânia encontra-se agora em fase de operações experimentais com uma capacidade de até 2 000 MW, marcando um passo significativo rumo a uma rede regional mais interligada.

A África Ocidental também está a avançar para uma integração mais profunda, com a sincronização permanente do Pool Elétrico da África Ocidental prevista para 2026. Analistas, incluindo a African Finance Corporation, defendem que essa sincronização é fundamental para desbloquear o potencial hidroelétrico em grande escala e a procura industrial em toda a região. A longo prazo, a sincronização total entre os pools de energia da África Oriental e da África Austral — prevista para o final de 2026 — poderá criar um dos maiores corredores transfronteiriços de comércio de eletricidade do mundo.

Distribuído pelo Grupo APO para African Energy Chamber.

Media files

Baixar .tipo

Posted on

Africa’s Grid Constraints Come into Focus as Regional Markets Push Toward Integration

Source: APO

Africa’s electricity demand is projected to nearly double to 2,291 TWh by 2050, requiring an estimated $30 billion in transmission and grid infrastructure investment to unlock and integrate new generation capacity. Yet across the continent, grid systems are struggling to keep pace with rapidly expanding supply pipelines and rising demand.

In Nigeria, repeated nationwide grid collapses as recently as February 2026 underscore the fragility of aging transmission infrastructure. In East Africa, tower failures along the 428 km Loiyangalani-Suswa line temporarily stranded output from Lake Turkana Wind Power – Africa’s largest wind installation. Meanwhile, demand growth pressures are accelerating across North Africa, where electricity consumption is expected to rise by around 50% by 2035, driven by urbanization, desalination projects, and climate-related temperature increases.

Despite these constraints, generation investment continues to accelerate across Africa, particularly in renewables, gas-to-power and hybrid systems. However, without equivalent investment in transmission and interconnection, much of this new capacity risks being underutilized or stranded. This growing imbalance between generation and grid capacity is driving a sharper focus on system-wide planning and regional market design – issues that will be central to the newly launched Power Africa Today conference at African Energy Week 2026. The platform will bring together policymakers, utilities, investors and developers to explore how regional interconnection, cross-border trading frameworks and financing structures can better align generation growth with grid expansion.

Power Markets Experiment with Reform

Alongside infrastructure challenges, Africa’s electricity sector is undergoing gradual – but uneven – market reform. Most countries still operate vertically integrated systems dominated by state utilities, but a growing number are introducing competitive frameworks to attract private capital and improve efficiency.

Zimbabwe opened its electricity market to full private participation across generation, transmission and distribution in 2025, targeting $9 billion in new investment. South Africa is advancing one of the continent’s most ambitious grid expansion programs, with plans for 14,500 km of new transmission lines and 133,000 MVA of transformer capacity by 2034, alongside mechanisms designed to crowd in private financing. Kenya, meanwhile, has introduced open access regulations enabling independent power producers to wheel electricity directly to multiple off-takers, reshaping how generation assets interface with the grid.

Regional Integration Remains Fragmented

Efforts to connect Africa’s fragmented power systems are progressing, though at different speeds across regions. In Southern Africa, the World Bank’s RETRADE SAPP program, approved in 2025, is deploying $12 million to strengthen renewable integration and transmission capacity across 12 member states. In East Africa, the Ethiopia–Kenya–Tanzania Electricity Highway is now in trial operations at up to 2,000 MW, marking a significant step toward a more interconnected regional grid.

West Africa is also moving toward deeper integration, with permanent synchronization of the West Africa Power Pool expected in 2026. Analysts, including the African Finance Corporation, argue that such synchronization is critical to unlocking large-scale hydropower potential and industrial demand across the region. Longer term, full synchronization between the Eastern and Southern African power pools – targeted for the end of 2026 – could create one of the world’s largest cross-border electricity trading corridors.

Building Bankable Financial Architectures

While interconnection is advancing, infrastructure alone is not enough to create investable electricity markets. Investors consistently cite the lack of standardized offtake structures, creditworthy counterparties, and cross-border payment guarantees as key barriers to scaling capital deployment.

New models are emerging to address these constraints. Africa GreenCo, operating across Zambia, Namibia and South Africa, is helping to aggregate independent power producers under a single creditworthy intermediary, standardizing power purchase agreements and reducing counterparty risk. At a broader level, AUDA-NEPAD estimates that Africa requires around $30 billion in additional investment to complete priority transmission corridors and establish three fully interconnected regional trading blocs by 2030.

“Interconnected electricity markets are the foundation of Africa’s industrial future,” said NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber. “The question at Africa Energy Week is not whether integration is possible – the evidence is already there. The question is which regulatory frameworks and financial structures will get projects to financial close, and which markets will be ready when capital is looking to move.”

The Power Africa Today conference will run alongside AEW 2026, taking place October 12–16 in Cape Town, and will focus on the regulatory, financial and infrastructural architecture needed to build interconnected electricity markets capable of attracting institutional capital and delivering reliable, cross-border power at scale.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.

Media files

.

Posted on

Les contraintes du réseau électrique africain au cœur des débats alors que les marchés régionaux s’orientent vers l’intégration

Source: Africa Press Organisation – French

La demande en électricité de l’Afrique devrait presque doubler pour atteindre 2 291 TWh d’ici 2050, ce qui nécessitera environ 30 milliards de dollars d’investissements dans les infrastructures de transport et de réseau afin de libérer et d’intégrer de nouvelles capacités de production. Pourtant, à travers le continent, les réseaux électriques peinent à suivre le rythme de l’expansion rapide des sources d’approvisionnement et de la hausse de la demande.

Au Nigeria, les pannes répétées du réseau à l’échelle nationale, survenues encore récemment en février 2026, soulignent la fragilité d’une infrastructure de transport vieillissante. En Afrique de l’Est, des pannes de pylônes le long de la ligne Loiyangalani-Suswa, longue de 428 km, ont temporairement bloqué la production de Lake Turkana Wind Power, la plus grande installation éolienne d’Afrique. Parallèlement, les pressions liées à la croissance de la demande s’accélèrent en Afrique du Nord, où la consommation d’électricité devrait augmenter d’environ 50 % d’ici 2035, sous l’effet de l’urbanisation, des projets de dessalement et des hausses de température liées au climat.

Malgré ces contraintes, les investissements dans la production continuent de s’accélérer à travers l’Afrique, en particulier dans les énergies renouvelables, la production d’électricité à partir du gaz et les systèmes hybrides. Cependant, sans investissements équivalents dans le transport et l’interconnexion, une grande partie de cette nouvelle capacité risque d’être sous-utilisée ou de devenir « bloquée ». Ce déséquilibre croissant entre la production et la capacité du réseau conduit à accorder une attention accrue à la planification à l’échelle du système et à la conception des marchés régionaux – des enjeux qui seront au cœur de la conférence « Power Africa Today », récemment lancée dans le cadre de l’African Energy Week 2026. Cette plateforme réunira des décideurs politiques, des services publics, des investisseurs et des développeurs afin d’étudier comment l’interconnexion régionale, les cadres d’échanges transfrontaliers et les structures de financement peuvent mieux aligner la croissance de la production sur l’extension du réseau.

Les marchés de l’électricité expérimentent des réformes

Parallèlement aux défis liés aux infrastructures, le secteur électrique africain connaît une réforme progressive – mais inégale – du marché. La plupart des pays exploitent encore des systèmes verticalement intégrés dominés par des services publics d’État, mais un nombre croissant d’entre eux mettent en place des cadres concurrentiels pour attirer les capitaux privés et améliorer l’efficacité.

Le Zimbabwe a ouvert son marché de l’électricité à une participation privée totale dans les domaines de la production, du transport et de la distribution en 2025, avec pour objectif 9 milliards de dollars de nouveaux investissements. L’Afrique du Sud met en œuvre l’un des programmes d’extension du réseau les plus ambitieux du continent, avec des projets visant à construire 14 500 km de nouvelles lignes de transport et à atteindre une capacité de transformation de 133 000 MVA d’ici 2034, parallèlement à des mécanismes destinés à attirer les financements privés. Le Kenya, quant à lui, a introduit une réglementation d’accès ouvert permettant aux producteurs d’électricité indépendants d’acheminer directement l’électricité vers plusieurs clients, redéfinissant ainsi la manière dont les actifs de production s’interfacent avec le réseau.

L’intégration régionale reste fragmentée

Les efforts visant à interconnecter les réseaux électriques fragmentés de l’Afrique progressent, bien qu’à des rythmes différents selon les régions. En Afrique australe, le programme RETRADE SAPP de la Banque mondiale, approuvé en 2025, consacre 12 millions de dollars au renforcement de l’intégration des énergies renouvelables et des capacités de transport dans 12 États membres. En Afrique de l’Est, l’« autoroute électrique » Éthiopie-Kenya-Tanzanie est désormais en phase d’essai à une puissance pouvant atteindre 2 000 MW, ce qui marque une avancée significative vers un réseau régional davantage interconnecté.

L’Afrique de l’Ouest s’oriente également vers une intégration plus poussée, la synchronisation permanente du Pool électrique d’Afrique de l’Ouest étant prévue pour 2026. Des analystes, dont l’African Finance Corporation, affirment qu’une telle synchronisation est essentielle pour libérer le potentiel hydroélectrique à grande échelle et répondre à la demande industrielle dans toute la région. À plus long terme, la synchronisation complète entre les pools électriques d’Afrique de l’Est et d’Afrique australe – prévue pour fin 2026 – pourrait créer l’un des plus grands corridors transfrontaliers d’échange d’électricité au monde.

Mettre en place des architectures financières viables

Si l’interconnexion progresse, les infrastructures ne suffisent pas à elles seules à créer des marchés de l’électricité attractifs pour les investisseurs. Ces derniers citent régulièrement l’absence de structures d’achat standardisées, de contreparties solvables et de garanties de paiement transfrontalières comme des obstacles majeurs à l’augmentation des investissements.

De nouveaux modèles voient le jour pour remédier à ces contraintes. Africa GreenCo, qui opère en Zambie, en Namibie et en Afrique du Sud, contribue à regrouper les producteurs d’électricité indépendants sous l’égide d’un seul intermédiaire solvable, ce qui permet de normaliser les contrats d’achat d’électricité et de réduire le risque de contrepartie. À un niveau plus large, l’AUDA-NEPAD estime que l’Afrique a besoin d’environ 30 milliards de dollars d’investissements supplémentaires pour achever les corridors de transport prioritaires et mettre en place trois blocs commerciaux régionaux entièrement interconnectés d’ici 2030.

« Les marchés de l’électricité interconnectés constituent le fondement de l’avenir industriel de l’Afrique », a déclaré NJ Ayuk, président exécutif de l’African Energy Chamber. « La question posée lors de l’Africa Energy Week n’est pas de savoir si l’intégration est possible – les preuves en existent déjà. La question est de savoir quels cadres réglementaires et quelles structures financières permettront de mener les projets à leur terme financier, et quels marchés seront prêts lorsque les capitaux chercheront à s’investir. »

La conférence «Power Africa Today» se tiendra en marge de l’AEW 2026, qui aura lieu du 12 au 16 octobre au Cap, et se concentrera sur l’architecture réglementaire, financière et infrastructurelle nécessaire à la mise en place de marchés de l’électricité interconnectés, capables d’attirer des capitaux institutionnels et de fournir une énergie transfrontalière fiable à grande échelle.

Distribué par APO Group pour African Energy Chamber.

Media files

Posted on

Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs Holds Telephone Conversation with Acting President of Venezuela

Source: Government of Qatar

Doha | June 25, 2026

HE Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani held Thursday a telephone conversation with HE Acting President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez.

HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs expressed the State of Qatar’s solidarity with the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in the wake of the two earthquakes that struck the country. He offered his sincere condolences and heartfelt sympathy to the families of the victims, the government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, and its friendly people, wishing a speedy recovery to the injured.

Posted on

Minister of State at Ministry of Foreign Affairs Holds Phone Call with Foreign Minister of Venezuela

Source: Government of Qatar

Doha | June 25, 2026

HE Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al Khulaifi held a phone call on Thursday with HE Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Yvan Gil.

During the call, they discussed cooperation relations between the two countries and ways to strengthen and develop them, in addition to the latest developments in the Latin America region.

HE the Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also expressed the State of Qatar’s solidarity with the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in the wake of the two earthquakes that struck Venezuela. He offered sincere condolences and heartfelt sympathy to the families of the victims, the government and people of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, wishing the injured a speedy recovery

Posted on

Advisor to Prime Minister, Spokesperson of Ministry of Foreign Affairs Takes Part in Gulf-Mediterranean Summit

Source: Government of Qatar

Rome | June 25, 2026

Advisor to the Prime Minister and Official Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Majed Mohammed Al Ansari participated in the Mediterranean and Gulf Summit organized by the Italian Institute for International Affairs in Rome, Italy.

Dr. Al Ansari spoke during two main sessions, titled “Mediation Paths After the Iran-Israel-Gulf Crisis” and “Regional Hotspots Post-Iran: Palestine and Lebanon.

“Discussions addressed current regional developments and their impact on the region’s security and stability, as well as the role of dialogue and mediation in containing crises and strengthening regional cooperation.

During his remarks, Dr. Al Ansari emphasized that recent developments in the region, including the understandings reached between the United States and Iran, necessitate the development of a more comprehensive and cooperative regional security architecture based on dialogue, diplomacy, and confidence-building among the region’s countries. This would contribute to addressing common challenges and enhancing regional security and stability.

He also stressed the importance of maintaining the security and stability of waterways, particularly the Strait of Hormuz, as a cornerstone of global energy security and trade.

He emphasized that the stability of these vital waterways not only benefits the countries of the region but also extends to international partners, especially European countries, given the interconnectedness of their economic and trade interests with the region’s security and stability.

Dr. Al Ansari pointed out that achieving sustainable stability in the region requires strengthening diplomatic channels and dialogue, and developing frameworks for regional and international cooperation that serve the common interests of the region’s countries and their partners, and contribute to consolidating security and prosperity at both the regional and international levels.

It is worth noting that the sessions addressed the latest developments in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, international and regional efforts aimed at de-escalation and supporting stability, besides discussing the future of the region in light of the rapid geopolitical shifts and their repercussions on regional and international security, and prospects for strengthening Gulf-European relations and expanding areas of cooperation between the two sides.

Posted on

Radisson Hotel Group shapes the future of healthcare meeting design

Source: APO

Radisson Hotel Group (RHG) (www.RadissonHotels.com) is helping drive a new era in healthcare meeting planning, contributing to the industry’s evolution from operational event delivery to a structured, strategic discipline focused on improving scientific exchange, decision-making, and healthcare outcomes.

The findings emerge from the Radisson Hotel Group Knowledge Exchange: Healthcare Planning, Design and Strategy Summit held in Florence, Italy, where 75 experts from across the pharmaceutical, healthcare agency, and venue production sectors came together to explore the future of healthcare meeting design. Built to drive tangible outcomes, the two-day summit centered on collaborative working sessions and practical workshops that translated industry insights into actionable frameworks, rather than a traditional conference format.

The resulting report identifies a clear industry shift: healthcare meetings are increasingly being recognized not as standalone events, but as strategic communication systems that require structured design, measurable methodologies, and continuous improvement.

“Healthcare meetings are no longer simply logistical exercises—they are strategic communication platforms that can drive measurable educational, scientific, and organizational outcomes,” said Muriel Poulenc, Senior Director, Sales Strategy at Radisson Hotel Group. “Across the industry, we are seeing growing recognition that better outcomes require more than flawless execution. They require structured design, integrated workflows, and a more deliberate approach to how meetings are planned, delivered, and measured. The organizations embracing this shift will be best positioned to create meaningful impact.”

Healthcare meeting design is becoming a discipline

A central theme emerging from the Florence summit is the growing professionalization of healthcare meeting planning. As regulatory requirements, stakeholder expectations, and organizational complexity continue to increase, the industry is moving toward shared methodologies, frameworks, and measurement systems that support more consistent and effective outcomes.

Building on discussions first initiated at the 2025 Knowledge Exchange, participants worked to translate industry insight into practical, repeatable tools designed to improve meeting effectiveness, compliance, and stakeholder engagement. The report argues that healthcare meetings should no longer be viewed as isolated events, but as intentionally designed systems that support learning, collaboration, and decision-making across the healthcare ecosystem.

The healthcare meeting planner is becoming a decision architect

As healthcare meetings become more complex, the role of the planner is evolving beyond coordination and logistics. The report highlights the emergence of meeting planners as strategic decision architects, responsible for aligning stakeholders, structuring workflows, and helping organizations make better decisions throughout the planning lifecycle.

Workshop discussions revealed that many organizational challenges, including delays, inefficiencies, and rework, are often the result of fragmented decision-making rather than execution shortcomings. Participants concluded that better meetings depend on better decision structures, greater alignment, and earlier strategic involvement from planners.

AI won’t fix healthcare meetings. Better systems will

While artificial intelligence (AI) continues to dominate industry conversations, the Florence summit challenged the assumption that technology alone will solve healthcare meeting challenges. According to discussions and data presented during the summit, while AI adoption across the industry is high, relatively few organizations are achieving its full value. Participants agreed that the real challenge is not technology adoption, but the integration of AI into coherent workflows, governance models, and decision-making systems.

The report identifies fragmented processes, disconnected workflows, and inconsistent planning structures as some of the industry’s most significant barriers to progress. In many organizations, as much as 40–60% of planning activity remains focused on non-value-creating work.

To address these challenges, RHG advocates for the adoption of structured methodologies, including Lean Six Sigma, Agile, and Sprint thinking, to redesign healthcare meeting planning around flow, efficiency, and measurable outcomes.

Build. Measure. Learn.

One of the report’s key contributions is the introduction and exploration of the Meeting Flow Efficiency Ratio (MFER), a framework designed to measure the balance between value-creating activity and reactive planning effort. The model demonstrates how organizations can increase productive planning time by improving workflow design, reducing friction, and creating greater alignment across teams and stakeholders.

The report also reinforces the need to move beyond one-off event thinking toward a continuous engagement model. This evolution is particularly important given the report’s finding that 66% of healthcare professionals change their clinical practice or prescribing behavior following participation in industry-sponsored symposia, highlighting the significant influence healthcare meetings can have on professional decision-making and patient outcomes.

An industry ready to evolve

A panel featuring senior leaders from Inizio Engage XD, MCI, Emota, and Open Audience reinforced the report’s conclusions.

Drawing on longitudinal industry data spanning 2018 to 2026, the panel identified a common challenge: not structural failure, but structural inertia. While participation remains strong and investment continues, many traditional meeting formats have failed to evolve alongside changing expectations and technological capabilities.

The report concludes that the future of healthcare meetings will belong to organizations that combine methodology, intelligent orchestration, and strategic design to create more impactful, measurable, and scalable engagement.

By combining sector expertise, collaborative industry engagement and methodology-driven approaches, Radisson Hotel Group continues to support the advancement of healthcare meeting design and contribute to the ongoing development of the discipline globally.

Read the full report here (https://apo-opa.co/4alYzGl).

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Radisson Hotel Group.

Media Contact:    
Roberto Tamayo 
Director Global PR, Social Media & Influencer Marketing
Roberto.tamayo@radissonhotels.com

Amber April
Manager, Global Corporate PR
Amber.april@radissonhotels.com

Connect with Radisson Hotels on:
LinkedIn: https://apo-opa.co/3SpgeXu
TikTok: https://apo-opa.co/4eJtFZA
Instagram: https://apo-opa.co/4vqxn1n
Facebook: https://apo-opa.co/4vqmSv2
YouTube: https://apo-opa.co/4uU2e5q
WhatsApp: https://apo-opa.co/3SMtLIF
X: https://apo-opa.co/4gFppgm

About Radisson Hotel Group: 
Radisson Hotel Group is a rapidly expanding international hotel group, operating in EMEA and APAC with more than 1,600 hotels in operation and under development in +100 countries. The Group’s overarching brand promise is Every Moment Matters with a signature Yes I Can! service ethos.

The Radisson brand portfolio includes Radisson Collection, art’otel, Radisson Blu, Radisson, Radisson RED, Radisson Individuals, Park Plaza, Park Inn by Radisson, Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, and Prize by Radisson — brought together under one commercial umbrella brand, Radisson Hotels.

Radisson Rewards (https://apo-opa.co/3R5O3fL) is Radisson Hotel Group’s loyalty program, which delivers an elevated experience that makes Every Moment Matter, counting more than 29 million members. As the most streamlined program in the sector, members enjoy exceptional advantages and can access their benefits from day one across a wide range of hotels in Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Asia Pacific.

Radisson Meetings (https://apo-opa.co/4oKXIVo) provides tailored solutions for any event or meeting, including hybrid solutions, placing guests and their needs at the heart of its offer. Radisson Meetings is built around three strong service commitments: Personal, Professional, and Memorable, while delivering on the brilliant basics and being uniquely Carbon Compensated.

At Radisson Hotel Group, we care for people, communities, and planet (https://apo-opa.co/4eGTsBB) and aim to be Net Zero by 2050 based on the approved Science Based Targets. With unique solutions such as carbon-compensated Radisson Meetings, we make sustainable hotel stays easy. To facilitate sustainable travel choices, all our hotels are becoming verified on Hotel Sustainability Basics.

The health and safety of guests and team members remain a top priority for Radisson Hotel Group. All properties across the Group’s portfolio are subject to health and safety requirements, ensuring we always care for our guests and team members.

For more information, visit our corporate website www.RadissonHotels.com 

Media files

.

Posted on

Morocco’s hidden history: archaeology, DNA and carbon dating rewrite the story of the ancient world

Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Hamza Benattia, Prehistory, University of Cambridge

For decades, stories about the ancient Mediterranean have centred on the grand cultures of Greece, Rome, Phoenicia and Egypt. North-west Africa seldom enters the picture before the arrival of Phoenician traders on the Moroccan coast about 3,000 years ago.

But archaeology is now revealing a different story.

Long before the first Phoenician ships (from today’s Middle East) sailed the western Mediterranean (between today’s north Africa and southern Europe), communities in what is now Morocco were farming and herding animals. They were also crossing the Strait of Gibraltar and participating in long-distance exchanges.

Map of the study area. Author provided

Over the past decade, I’ve worked on archaeology projects across Morocco. We’ve been investigating the origins of farming, long-distance exchange and the emergence of complex societies there. In my most recent study, I brought together archaeological evidence, radiocarbon dates and genetic data spanning nearly three millennia.

The study reveals that between roughly 3800 and 500 BCE – a period that saw the construction of Stonehenge, the flourishing of New Kingdom Egypt and the rise of Phoenician maritime trade – north-west Africa was not a marginal frontier. It was a crossroads linking the Mediterranean, Atlantic and Saharan worlds.

This has important implications for how we understand Africa’s past. For too long, interpretations of the continent’s history have underestimated the complexity and dynamism of its societies. By bringing north-west Africa back into the picture, archaeology is helping to correct that imbalance and reveal a richer, more interconnected reality.

A centre of multiple worlds

Geography helps explain why north-west Africa occupied such a strategic position in Mediterranean prehistory. The Strait of Gibraltar, which separates present-day Morocco and Spain, is only about 14km wide at its narrowest point. It served as a natural corridor linking Africa and Europe.

Strait of Gibraltar from Africa. Hamza Benattia, CC BY

Far from being isolated, communities in today’s northern Morocco were embedded in long-distance networks for millennia. They maintained contacts with Iberia and other Atlantic regions and they interacted with Saharan populations. Later, they engaged with Mediterranean traders and settlers.

They were not passive participants in these exchanges. Archaeological evidence increasingly suggests that local communities actively participated in the networks that connected the western Mediterranean.

Early farmers and innovation

Farming was present in north-west Africa from at least 5400 BC, during the Neolithic period when agriculture was spreading across much of the western Mediterranean.

By around 3800 BC, communities in what is now Morocco were practising increasingly intensive farming and animal husbandry. One striking example is Oued Beht. At this large open-air settlement people cultivated crops, raised livestock and stored surplus food in hundreds of large underground pits.

Painted pottery from Oued Beht. OBAP

Recent excavations reveal this was no small farming village. Covering around ten hectares, Oued Beht is among the largest agricultural settlements known in prehistoric Africa. The site may have supported a population of more than a thousand people, pointing to a level of organisation rarely documented in north-west Africa at this time.

These developments coincided with broader environmental changes, including the Sahara gradually becoming a desert. The dryness may have encouraged communities to invest more heavily in agriculture, food storage and long-term settlement in order to adapt to a less predictable environment.

Read more: A 5,000-year-old farming society in Morocco fills a major gap in history – north-west Africa was a central player in trade and culture

At the same time, there’s clear evidence of interaction with Iberia, the peninsula that includes today’s Spain and Portugal. Shared painted pottery styles, together with ivory and ostrich eggshell objects, point to regular contacts across the Strait of Gibraltar. These local communities were already active participants in wider networks of exchange.

New influences and local continuity

During the third millennium BC, north-west Africa became part of the wider Bell Beaker phenomenon. It takes its name from distinctive bell-shaped drinking vessels which appear across a network of communities that stretch across Atlantic Europe and the western Mediterranean.

Beaker vessel. Wikimedia Commons

For decades, the presence of Bell Beaker pottery in the region was interpreted as evidence that local communities were simply adopting cultural innovations from Europe.

Yet in Morocco, Bell Beaker objects are found alongside distinctive local traditions. This suggests local communities were selectively integrating new elements into existing cultural frameworks.

Copper objects from Morocco. Ignacio Montero

This was clearly a process of exchange, adaptation and local agency.

The elusive Bronze Age

The second millennium BC remains one of the least understood periods in north-west African prehistory. In Iberia, large, fortified settlements and clear social hierarchies emerge. The archaeological record in north-west Africa is more fragmentary.

Even so, there are important clues.

Burial practices such as stone-built cist graves point to changes in social organisation. At sites like Kach Kouch, there is evidence for settled farming communities with round houses, storage facilities and animal herding.

Ballintober sword found in Morocco. Claudia Plamp

There are also signs of long-distance connections continuing into this period. For example, a bronze sword recovered from the bed of a river in northern Morocco has close parallels in the British Isles. This suggests links extending far beyond the Mediterranean.

Encounters with the Phoenicians

By the early first millennium BC, Phoenician traders and settlers from the eastern Mediterranean – today’s Lebanon – began establishing settlements along the north African coast. Traditionally, this has been interpreted as a process of colonisation, with local populations as passive recipients of a more advanced culture.

Recent archaeological evidence challenges this.

Aerial image of the hilltop settlement at Kach Kouch, Morocco. Hamza Benattia, CC BY

At sites like Kach Kouch, local communities continued their own architectural traditions and lifestyle. They selectively adopted new elements, like wheel-made pottery and iron tools.

Kach Kouch and other settlements suggest that these societies negotiated encounters with incoming groups. They incorporated new ideas into existing cultural traditions on their own terms.

The arrival of the Phoenicians, then, did not mark the beginning of complex societies in Morocco. It was a new chapter in a much longer history of interaction, adaptation and exchange.

Read more: Discovery of a 4,000-year-old Bronze Age settlement in Morocco rewrites history

These advances reflect decades of work by Moroccan and international research teams. Much remains for archaeologists to do. Large parts of the region are still underexplored and new discoveries have the potential to transform our understanding even further.

What is already clear, however, is that the prehistory of north-west Africa is a story of local communities actively shaping their own place in the ancient world.

– Morocco’s hidden history: archaeology, DNA and carbon dating rewrite the story of the ancient world
– https://theconversation.com/moroccos-hidden-history-archaeology-dna-and-carbon-dating-rewrite-the-story-of-the-ancient-world-279226