September 21, 2021

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Honors Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Former Executive Director of UN Women, With 2021 Global Goalkeeper Award

Foundation also recognizes three additional Goalkeepers Global Goals award winners who are taking action to help achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals

SEATTLE, Sept. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today announced Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, former United Nations under-secretary-general and executive director of UN Women, as the winner of the 2021 Global Goalkeeper Award. As part of its annual Goalkeepers campaign, the foundation also announced the winners of three additional Goalkeepers Global Goals Awards.

“By shining a light on the pandemic’s disproportionate impact on women and girls, former Under-Secretary-General Mlambo-Ngcuka has ensured that global and local efforts to battle COVID-19 must take into account the acute disparities they face,” said Melinda French Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “She exemplifies the leadership we need in the fight for gender equality around the world.”

The 2021 Global Goalkeeper Award recognizes a leader who has driven progress on a global scale toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This year’s award is being presented to Mlambo-Ngcuka for her unwavering global leadership on gender equality and continued advocacy to address the pandemic’s disproportionate impact on women and girls. Mlambo-Ngcuka, a former deputy president of South Africa, has dedicated her life to advancing social justice and working with civil society organizations. During her tenure as executive director of UN Women, she led work to strengthen and expand partnerships with government, male allies, and the media, all in service of advancing SDG 5, which aims to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. Mlambo-Ngcuka played a vital role in helping to spearhead and deliver the Generation Equality Forum in July 2021, which helped mobilize more than $40 billion in commitments from member states, the private sector, philanthropies, and civil society to drive transformative change for women and girls around the world.

This year’s three additional Goalkeepers Global Goals awards were given to Fairooz Faizah Beether of Bangladesh, Jenifer Colpas of Colombia, and Satta Sheriff of Liberia. Each awardee was recognized for their work supporting the Global Goals in their local communities.

The 2021 Changemaker Award, which celebrates an individual who has inspired change using personal experience or from a position of leadership, recognizes Fairooz Faizah Beether of Bangladesh for her work promoting good health and well-being (SDG 3). Beether is the co-founder of the Moner School, an online platform that aims to raise awareness around mental health and ensure equal access to mental health care across the country.

The 2021 Progress Award, which celebrates an individual who supports progress via a science, technology, digital, or business initiative, recognizes Jenifer Colpas of Colombia for her work to improve access to clean water and sanitation (SDG 6). Colpas is the co-founder and executive director of Tierra Grata, a social enterprise that develops low-cost, easy-to-install solutions providing access to clean energy, safe water, and sanitation services to rural communities in Colombia.

The 2021 Campaign Award, which celebrates a campaign that has raised awareness or built a community by inspiring action and creating change, recognizes Satta Sheriff of Liberia for her work to promote gender equality (SDG 5). Sheriff is the founder and executive director of Action for Justice and Human Rights (AJHR), a youth-led NGO founded to advocate and ensure access to justice and respect for human rights in Liberia, focusing particularly on helping women and girls.

“Disparities everywhere continue to worsen due to the impacts of COVID-19,” said Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “This year, we are especially honored to recognize four leaders whose work demonstrates that progress is possible, even in the most difficult of times.”

“These award winners show how women are leading the way in coming up with the innovative solutions needed to rebuild our communities and nations,” said Mark Suzman, CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “This year’s winners continue to inspire us as they work tirelessly to create a more equal, resilient, and compassionate world.”

The announcement of the Goalkeepers Global Goals Awards winners follows last week’s release of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s fifth annual Goalkeepers Report. This year’s report, co-authored by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates, shows that disparities caused by COVID-19 remain stark, and those who have been hardest hit by the pandemic will be the slowest to recover. Fortunately, amidst the challenges of the past year, the world stepped up to avert some of the worst-case scenarios. In the report, the co-chairs highlight the “breathtaking innovation” that was only possible because of global collaboration, commitment, and investments over decades. They acknowledge that averting the worst-case scenarios is commendable, yet they note it’s not enough. To ensure a truly equitable recovery from the pandemic, they call for long-term investments in health and economies—like the ones that led to the rapid development of the COVID-19 vaccine—to propel recovery efforts and get the world back on track to meet the Global Goals.

Biographies, images, and a film of the Goalkeepers Global Goals award winners can be downloaded at: www.gatesfoundation.org/goalkeepers/about-event/awards

About the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Mark Suzman, under the direction of Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates.

About Goalkeepers
Goalkeepers is the foundation’s campaign to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (Global Goals). By sharing stories and data behind the Global Goals through an annual report, we hope to inspire a new generation of leaders—Goalkeepers who raise awareness of progress, hold their leaders accountable, and drive action to achieve the Global Goals.

About the Global Goals
On September 25, 2015, at the United Nations headquarters in New York, 193 world leaders committed to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (Global Goals). These are a series of ambitious objectives and targets to achieve three extraordinary things by 2030: end poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and fix climate change.

Project Everyone, co-creators of Goalkeepers, was founded by writer, director, and SDG Advocate Richard Curtis with the ambition to help achieve the Global Goals through raising awareness, holding leaders accountable, and driving action. Find out more at www.project-everyone.org.

Media Contact: media@gatesfoundation.org

September 21, 2021

La Fondation Bill & Melinda Gates honore Mme Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, ancienne directrice exécutive d’ONU Femmes, avec le prix mondial 2021 Global Goalkeeper Award

La Fondation décerne également le prix Goalkeepers Global Goals à trois autres lauréates, qui prennent des mesures pour aider à atteindre les Objectifs de développement durable des Nations Unies

SEATTLE, 21 septembre 2021 /PRNewswire/ — La Fondation Bill & Melinda Gates a annoncé aujourd’hui que Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, ancienne secrétaire générale adjointe des Nations Unies et directrice exécutive d’ONU Femmes, a remporté le prix 2021 Global Goalkeeper Award. Dans le cadre de sa campagne annuelle Goalkeepers, la Fondation a également annoncé les gagnants de trois autres prix Goalkeepers Global Goals Award.

« En mettant en lumière l’impact disproportionné de la pandémie sur les femmes et les filles, l’ancienne Secrétaire générale adjointe Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka a veillé à ce que les efforts mondiaux et locaux pour lutter contre la COVID-19 prennent en compte les disparités aiguës auxquelles elles sont confrontées », a déclaré Melinda French Gates, coprésidente de la Fondation Bill & Melinda Gates. Elle incarne le leadership dont nous avons besoin dans la lutte pour l’égalité des sexes dans le monde. »

Le prix 2021 Global Goalkeeper Award récompense un leader qui a fait progresser les Objectifs de développement durable (ODD) à l’échelle mondiale. Le prix de cette année est remis à Mme Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka pour son leadership mondial indéfectible en matière d’égalité des sexes et son plaidoyer continu visant à contrer l’impact disproportionné de la pandémie sur les femmes et les filles. Mme Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, ancienne vice-présidente de l’Afrique du Sud, a consacré sa vie à promouvoir la justice sociale et à travailler avec les organisations de la société civile. Au cours de son mandat de directrice exécutive d’ONU Femmes, elle a dirigé des travaux visant à renforcer et à élargir les partenariats avec le gouvernement, les alliés masculins et les médias, afin de faire progresser l’ODD 5, qui vise à atteindre l’égalité des sexes et à permettre à toutes les femmes et filles de bénéficier d’une autonomie. Mme Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka a joué un rôle essentiel dans l’organisation et la direction du Generation Equality Forum en juillet 2021, qui a permis de mobiliser plus de 40 milliards de dollars d’engagements des États membres, du secteur privé, des philanthropes et de la société civile afin de favoriser un changement transformateur pour les femmes et les filles du monde entier.

Cette année, les trois autres prix Goalkeepers Global Goals Award ont été remis à Fairooz Faizah Beether du Bangladesh, Jenifer Colpas de Colombie et Satta Sheriff du Libéria. Chaque lauréate a été reconnue pour son travail en faveur des Objectifs mondiaux dans sa communauté locale.

Le prix 2021 Changemaker Award, qui rend hommage à une personne qui a inspiré le changement grâce à son expérience personnelle ou à un poste de direction, récompense Fairooz Faizah Beether du Bangladesh pour son travail de promotion de la santé et du bien-être (ODD 3). Fairooz Faizah Beether est la cofondatrice de Moner School, une plateforme en ligne qui vise à sensibiliser la population à la santé mentale et à assurer un accès égal aux soins de santé mentale partout au pays.

Le prix 2021 Progress Award, qui rend hommage à une personne qui soutient le progrès au moyen d’une initiative scientifique, technologique, numérique ou commerciale, récompense le travail de Jenifer Colpas de Colombie pour améliorer l’accès à l’eau potable et à l’assainissement (ODD 6). Jenifer Colpas est la cofondatrice et directrice générale de Tierra Grata, une entreprise sociale qui développe des solutions peu coûteuses et faciles à installer offrant un accès à l’énergie propre, à l’eau potable et aux services d’assainissement aux communautés rurales de Colombie.

Le prix 2021 Campaign Award, qui célèbre une campagne qui a permis de sensibiliser la population ou de bâtir une communauté en incitant à la prise de mesures et en générant des changements, rend hommage à Satta Sheriff du Libéria pour son travail en faveur de l’égalité des sexes (ODD 5). Satta Sheriff est la fondatrice et la directrice exécutive d’une ONG dirigée par des jeunes gens : Action for Justice and Human Rights (AJHR). Fondée pour promouvoir et garantir l’accès à la justice et le respect des droits de l’homme au Libéria, cette ONG cible en particulier les femmes et les filles, et tente de leur apporter son soutien.

« Les disparités continuent de s’aggraver partout en raison des répercussions de la COVID-19 », a déclaré Bill Gates, coprésident de la Fondation Bill & Melinda Gates. « Cette année, nous sommes particulièrement fiers de récompenser quatre leaders dont le travail démontre que des progrès sont possibles, même dans les moments les plus difficiles. »

« Les lauréates de ces prix montrent que les femmes sont des leaders dans l’élaboration de solutions novatrices pour rebâtir nos collectivités et nos nations », a déclaré Mark Suzman, PDG de la Fondation Bill & Melinda Gates. Les lauréates de cette année continuent de nous inspirer alors qu’elles travaillent sans relâche pour créer un monde plus équitable, plus résilient et plus compatissant. »

L’annonce des lauréates des Goalkeepers Global Goals Awards fait suite à la publication, la semaine dernière, du cinquième rapport annuel de la Fondation Bill & Melinda Gates sur les gardiens de but : le Goalkeepers Report. Le rapport de cette année, rédigé conjointement par Bill Gates et Melinda French Gates, montre que les disparités causées par la COVID-19 demeurent criantes et que les personnes les plus durement touchées par la pandémie seront les plus lents à se rétablir. Heureusement, confronté aux défis de l’année passée, le monde s’est mobilisé pour éviter certains des scénarios les plus catastrophiques. Dans le rapport, les coprésidents soulignent « l’innovation spectaculaire » qui n’aurait pas été possible sans les efforts de collaboration et d’engagement et les investissements mondiaux réalisés au fil des décennies. Les auteurs du rapport, s’ils reconnaissent qu’il est louable d’avoir évité les pires scénarios, font remarquer que cela n’est pas suffisant. Les coprésidents appellent à des investissements à long terme dans la santé et les économies, comme ceux qui ont mené au développement rapide du vaccin contre la COVID-19, afin de s’assurer que les pays se rétablissent de la pandémie de manière véritablement équitable, de stimuler les efforts de rétablissement et de remettre le monde sur la bonne voie pour atteindre les Objectifs mondiaux.

Les biographies, les images et un film des lauréates du prix Goalkeepers Global Goals Award peuvent être téléchargés à l’adresse suivante : www.gatesfoundation.org/goalkeepers/about-event/awards

À propos de la Fondation Bill & Melinda Gates
Guidée par la conviction que chaque vie a une valeur égale, la Fondation Bill & Melinda Gates s’efforce d’aider tous les individus à mener une vie saine et productive. Dans les pays en développement, elle vise à améliorer la santé des populations et à leur donner la possibilité de se sortir de la faim et de l’extrême pauvreté. Aux États-Unis, elle cherche à faire en sorte que tous les individus, en particulier ceux qui ont le moins de ressources, aient accès aux opportunités dont ils ont besoin pour réussir à l’école et dans la vie. Basée à Seattle, dans l’État de Washington, la Fondation est dirigée par le PDG Mark Suzman, sous la direction de Bill Gates et de Melinda French Gates.

À propos de Goalkeepers
Goalkeepers est la campagne de la Fondation pour accélérer les progrès vers les objectifs de développement durable (Objectifs mondiaux). En partageant les histoires et les données qui sous-tendent les Objectifs mondiaux par le biais d’un rapport annuel, nous espérons inspirer une nouvelle génération de dirigeants – des Goalkeepers qui sensibilisent au progrès, tiennent leurs dirigeants responsables et incitent à l’action pour atteindre les objectifs mondiaux.

À propos des Objectifs mondiaux
Le 25 septembre 2015, au siège des Nations unies à New York, 193 dirigeants du monde entier se sont engagés à atteindre 17 objectifs de développement durable (Objectifs mondiaux). Il s’agit d’une série d’objectifs et de buts ambitieux visant à réaliser trois choses extraordinaires d’ici 2030 : mettre fin à la pauvreté, lutter contre les inégalités et l’injustice, et remédier au changement climatique.

L’agence Project Everyone, co-créatrice de Goalkeepers, a été fondée par le scénariste, réalisateur et défenseur des Objectifs de développement durable, Richard Curtis, avec l’ambition de contribuer à la réalisation des Objectifs mondiaux par la sensibilisation, la responsabilisation des dirigeants et la conduite d’actions. Pour en savoir plus, consultez le site www.project-everyone.org.

Contact pour les média : media@gatesfoundation.org

September 21, 2021

Nine Chad Villagers Killed in Jihadist Assault

Nine people have died in an attack on a village in the Lake Chad area that is plagued by violence led by jihadist groups, a local governor and an NGO said Tuesday.

The region borders Niger, Nigeria and Cameroon, and fighters from Boko Haram and a rival splinter group, the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP), have used it for years as a haven from which to attack troops and civilians.

“Elements from Boko Haram attacked Kadjigoroum and killed nine people and set fire to the village” on Sunday night, regional governor Mahamat Fadoul Mackaye told Agence France-Presse by telephone.

Chadian authorities use the Boko Haram label to refer to both militant groups.

The head of a local NGO confirmed the attack and death toll at the village, asking not to be identified.

In August, 26 soldiers died in a Boko Haram raid on marshy Lake Chad’s Tchoukou Telia island, about 190 kilometers (120 miles) north of the capital, N’Djamena.

In March 2020, 100 Chadian troops died in an attack on the lake’s Bohoma peninsula, prompting an offensive the following month led by Chad’s then-President Idriss Deby Itno.

After pursuing the militants deep into Niger and Nigeria, Deby said there was “not a single jihadist anywhere” on the Chadian side of the lake region.

The attacks, however, have increased against the army and civilians.

Deby was killed in April 2021 during fighting against rebels in the north and was succeeded by his son, Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, as the head of a military junta.

Source: Voice of America

September 21, 2021

HRW: Kenya Has Failed to Protect Women, Girls From Abuse During Pandemic

A prominent human rights group has accused Kenya’s government of failing to adopt preventive measures to protect women and girls during pandemic lockdowns and curfews. Human Rights Watch says the government failed to ensure access to health, economic, and social support services, adding to an increase in sexual and other forms of abuse against women and girls.

In a 61-page report entitled “I had nowhere to go,” Human Rights Watch documented how the government failed victims of gender-based violence as the government introduced lockdowns, issued restrictions of the movement of people to combat the spread of the coronavirus.

Agnes Odhiambo is human rights researcher on Women’s Issues. Speaking Tuesday at a press conference in Nairobi, she said the pandemic has increased violence against women, as they were confined to their homes.

“Women were at increased risk of violence because of increased social isolation spending a lot of time in the home, in the house being stuck with someone who is abusing you. Many women did also not get information on how they could get help during lockdowns,” Odhiambo said. “The breakdown of community structures for support and networks in communities also means that many women did not have somewhere to go and get help.”

Human rights watch investigators spoke to 13 survivors, community workers, experts and officials working with the police program meant to combat violence against women.

Victims told the rights group they were sexually abused, faced beatings and were thrown out of their homes. Young girls were forced to marry at a younger age and to undergo female genital mutilation.

The investigators found that most survivors did not report the abuse to the authorities because they believed they would not receive assistance.

Others believed they would have to bribe authorities to get assistance and could not pay.

Beverline Ongaro works at the office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights. She told journalists they would work with Kenyan authorities to ensure survivors get protection and justice.

“It provides us with an insight on the barriers survivors face and what needs to be done by duty barriers from survivors perspective and ultimately for the government to comply with its human rights obligations as under treaties and under Kenyan law particularly the constitution,” said Ongaro. “Allow me to reiterate that when we tolerate GBV [gender-based violence], it violates the human rights of the survivors and also their humanity.”

Kenya’s government has passed a number of laws in response to gender-based violence. It also has established guidelines for responding to such violence by police, specialized medical personnel, and justice officials.

But perpetrators of these abuses often find a way to around the rules, using money and connections.

Human Rights Watch is calling on the government to build a solid rights-based framework to protect and give justice to women and girls in the future.

Source: Voice of America

September 21, 2021

US: Ethiopia, Tigray Actors Can Avoid Sanctions by Ending Conflict

The U.S. government is urging the Ethiopian government, rebel group Tigray People’s Liberation Front, and other warring factions to end the conflict in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region and allow humanitarian aid to reach millions in need of assistance. Unless the conflict stops, key officials could be facing U.S. travel and financial sanctions.

Speaking at an online press briefing Monday, Bryan Hunt, the acting deputy assistant secretary for East Africa, said the U.S. government wants to see an end to the 10-month conflict in Tigray.

“If the government of Ethiopia and the TPLF take meaningful steps to enter into talks for a negotiated cease-fire and allow for unhindered humanitarian access, a different path is possible, and the United States is ready to help mobilize assistance for Ethiopia to recover and revitalize its economy. Those meaningful steps include accepting African Union-led mediation efforts, designating negotiation teams, agreeing to negotiations without preconditions, and accepting an invitation to initial talks,” he said.

Hunt also said the parties should allow convoys of trucks carrying humanitarian aid to reach Tigray and restore essential services to the region.

On Friday, U.S. President Joe Biden signed an executive order that paves the way for sanctions on Ethiopian government officials, Eritrea and other groups involved in the Tigray conflict.

Hunt said other tools to press for a peaceful resolution to the conflict have failed.

“This conflict has already sparked one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world today, with more than five million people requiring assistance, of which over 900,000 are already living in famine conditions. For far too long, the parties to this conflict have ignored international calls to initiate discussions to achieve a negotiated cease-fire and the human rights and humanitarian situations have worsened,” he said.

The U.S. government said the sanctions program will not affect personal remittances to non-sanctioned persons, humanitarian assistance, and international and local organizations’ activities.

Ethiopian army troops invaded Tigray last November, following months of rising tension between the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Tigray’s ruling party, the TPLF.

Erik Woodhouse, deputy assistant secretary for the U.S. State Department’s Counter Threat Finance and Sanctions Bureau, said the sanctions aim to warn sides to find a solution to the conflict rather than using the military.

“Sanctions are a tool that seek to change the behavior of the targets. These measures impose tangible costs on human rights abusers and perpetrators of conflict. By imposing such costs, the United States seeks to send a signal that such actions are not without consequence,” he said.

Professor Chacha Nyaigotti Chacha, a specialist in diplomacy and international relations at the University of Nairobi, said sanctions are not always effective.

“Some of the leadership, when such sanctions are threatened to be applied, they don’t care. So, sanctions may not work because the idea of a sanctioning, the idea of stopping opportunities from a flowing country which you are sanctioning is to make them feel the pinch then change their trend. But sometimes they don’t care,” said Chacha.

In a letter to Biden, Prime minister Abiy defended his actions in Tigray, saying his government has stabilized the region and addressed humanitarian needs amid a hostile environment created by the TPLF.

Source: Voice of America