Mohamed Idris Named African Union Permanent Observer to the UN
Idris's previous roles include serving as Egypt's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador to Ethiopia, and Permanent Representative to the African Union.
Jun 25, 2025
Egyptian diplomat Mohamed Idris has been appointed as the African Union's (AU) permanent observer to the United Nations and will also serve as head of the AU's mission in New York. The appointment was received as a vote of confidence in Egyptian diplomatic capabilities within both regional and international institutions.
Idris brings extensive experience in multilateral diplomacy, particularly in matters of peace, security, and development across the African continent. His previous roles include serving as Egypt's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador to Ethiopia, and Permanent Representative to the African Union. He is currently a member of the UN Secretary-General's High-Level Advisory Board on Effective Multilateralism, which is tasked with evaluating the UN's peacebuilding architecture.
The announcement comes at a time when Egypt continues to play a central role in African affairs. The country currently holds a seat on the AU Peace and Security Council and remains active in promoting peacekeeping and post-conflict recovery efforts. Egyptian leadership in African development was further underscored by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi's stewardship of the AU's Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development file and his ongoing chairmanship of the AUDA-NEPAD Steering Committee.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CairoScene
10 hours ago
- CairoScene
Mohamed Idris Named African Union Permanent Observer to the UN
Idris's previous roles include serving as Egypt's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador to Ethiopia, and Permanent Representative to the African Union. Jun 25, 2025 Egyptian diplomat Mohamed Idris has been appointed as the African Union's (AU) permanent observer to the United Nations and will also serve as head of the AU's mission in New York. The appointment was received as a vote of confidence in Egyptian diplomatic capabilities within both regional and international institutions. Idris brings extensive experience in multilateral diplomacy, particularly in matters of peace, security, and development across the African continent. His previous roles include serving as Egypt's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador to Ethiopia, and Permanent Representative to the African Union. He is currently a member of the UN Secretary-General's High-Level Advisory Board on Effective Multilateralism, which is tasked with evaluating the UN's peacebuilding architecture. The announcement comes at a time when Egypt continues to play a central role in African affairs. The country currently holds a seat on the AU Peace and Security Council and remains active in promoting peacekeeping and post-conflict recovery efforts. Egyptian leadership in African development was further underscored by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi's stewardship of the AU's Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development file and his ongoing chairmanship of the AUDA-NEPAD Steering Committee.
Mada
13 hours ago
- Mada
Palestinian families secure trucks, humanitarian warehouses, enabling first aid distribution to households in months
Palestinians in northern Gaza received notifications to collect household aid from United Nations warehouses for the first time in months on Thursday, after dozens of trucks carrying vital supplies entered the strip under the protection of clans and families yesterday. The trucks safely reached warehouses operated by the World Food Program (WFP) and other international organizations in Gaza City. The distribution of aid has become a site of tension between Israel and humanitarian organizations in recent months as Israel has imposed a total blockade on Gaza and starvation has become pervasive. Israel initially blocked the most effective aid distribution mechanism — the UN distributing aid via households — sowing chaos at bakeries that were subject to theft and overcrowding. Israel then abetted the theft of trucks leaking the delivery route to thieves and targeting security forces tasked with securing supplies. Then, with humanitarian aid all but choked off, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation — a shady joint venture with ties to American and Israeli intelligence and military figures — had complete sway over distribution. Since the foundation began operations in May, at least 549 people have been killed while attempting to get food in what Palestinians have described as 'aid traps.' The entrance of trucks on Wednesday through the Zikim border crossing came after consultations among northern Gaza's clans and families to ensure the safe passage of the trucks, Hosny al-Mughanny, the head of the Higher Commission for Tribal Affairs, told Mada Masr. Residents were deployed around the Khaldi and Tawam neighborhoods — areas previously targeted by looters. 'We issued instructions to all clans and families in northern Gaza to stand united against the gangs and looters, to spread out in groups in areas where trucks have previously been obstructed and respond firmly to anyone who attempts to come near,' he said. According to Mughanny, a prior meeting had taken place between the commission in northern Gaza and several relief organizations, including the WFP, resulting in an agreement to collaborate to ensure the safe arrival and distribution of aid to storage facilities. Yazan Ahmed and several young men in his family joined the groups protecting Wednesday's convoy. Some climbed onto the trucks, while others formed human chains in locations along the convoy routes. 'Some looters tried to approach the convoy routes, but we immediately dealt with them and forced them to go back to where they came from,' Ahmed told Mada Masr. 'People are literally dying of hunger because of aid thieves. Prices keep rising because they steal the aid and then resell it at exorbitant prices.' The Sahm unit, affiliated with Hamas's security forces and tasked with protecting aid convoys, issued a warning on Wednesday urging residents to stay clear of the trucks. The unit said any interference would be met with force, either by its members or by the clans securing the aid. Following the successful delivery, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military to provide a plan within 48 hours to prevent the 'takeover' of aid by Hamas. The order came after Israel halted aid deliveries to Gaza and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich threatened to quit the government if immediate action was not taken to stop aid from reaching the group, an unnamed Israeli official told Channel 12. Nahed Shehaiber, the head of the Private Transport Association in Gaza, told Mada Masr that the Israeli military has routinely obstructed the delivery of aid to warehouses by forcing trucks to stop in certain areas, facilitating their looting by armed gangs. While none of the 45 trucks that entered northern Gaza on Wednesday was looted, he said, about 70 trucks let in through the south were intercepted and stripped of their contents by armed gangs in southern Khan Younis. The trucks were intended for WFP warehouses in central Gaza. Shehaiber called for the model implemented in the north to be extended to the south to ensure aid reaches those in need throughout the strip. On Thursday, some residents began receiving messages from international organizations notifying them to collect aid. Adham Hassan said he was contacted by Anera, an international NGO, and instructed to visit their Sheikh Radwan office in northern Gaza City to pick up a bag of flour — the first time he has received such a message in over three months.
Al-Ahram Weekly
19 hours ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Fertiliser manufacturers stay positive - Economy - Al-Ahram Weekly
Fertiliser companies are considering the use of oxygen in combustion processes to reduce gas consumption, in addition to increasing reliance on carbon dioxide recovery for use in ammonia production, Khaled Abul-Makarem, chairman of the Chemicals and Fertilisers Export Council (CEC), told Al-Ahram Weekly. The move follows the Ministry of Petroleum's announcement that it is activating its emergency supply plan after the suspension of gas imports from the east of the Mediterranean. Natural gas is a raw material in the production of nitrogen fertilisers, accounting for more than 70 per cent of inputs, according to Abul-Makarem. Egypt imports around 800 million to one billion cubic feet of gas daily from Israel's Tamar and Leviathan fields under a 15-year agreement to help cover its gas deficit of 3.5 billion cubic feet. The two Israeli fields suspended production for a few hours after the beginning of the reciprocal attacks between Iran and Israel. Egypt's fertiliser factories are currently operating at partial capacity depending on the amount of gas available to each plant and leading them to schedule production more carefully and minimise waste, Abul-Makarem explained. There is ongoing communication with the Ministry of Petroleum to ensure the delivery of the minimum supply required for production, he added. On Saturday, Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouli said that this year Egypt will host three floating storage regasification units (FSRUs) for liquefied natural gas (LNG). He emphasised that this is not a result of the recent Iranian-Israeli conflict but rather the outcome of efforts that began more than six months ago, according to a cabinet statement. Following last summer's supply crisis, promises were made to develop a comprehensive five-year solution. In June 2024, the country's fertiliser factories faced gas shortages that led companies like Abu Qir Fertilisers to shut down its three plants due to shortages in the natural gas supply. Madbouli confirmed that by July this year Egypt will have three LNG regasification vessels injecting gas into the national grid to meet the country's needs and not only to handle high summer consumption but also to support industrial demand. He added that LNG regasification is a transitional solution. As Egyptian gas production stabilises and increases, the government plans to gradually phase out dependence on regasification vessels, he said. The government had responded to the recent crisis more effectively due to lessons learned over previous months, Abul-Makarem said. Local consumption of fertilisers ranges between five to six million tons annually, he added. Domestic factories meet most of the local demand, especially for nitrogen fertilisers, and there is only minimal reliance on importing certain compound and potash fertilisers that are not produced locally, he added. About 35 per cent of fertiliser production is consumed domestically and the rest is exported, Abul-Makarem said. France, Italy, and Spain are among the main European importers of Egyptian fertilisers. In Africa, the key markets include Kenya, Sudan, and Ethiopia. In Asia, Egypt exports to India, Bangladesh, and Turkey, while Brazil and Mexico are the primary markets in Latin America. If fertiliser prices rise in the local market, this will increase the cost of food production, in addition to directly affecting agricultural and food industries tied to crop production, Abul-Makarem warned. He added that rising prices will also increase the pressure on the government to subsidise fertiliser prices or reallocate export priorities to serve the local market. He said that the current gas crisis has opened the door to a black market for fertilisers, with some traders exploiting the situation by stockpiling them and inflating prices. However, the government is working to counter these illegal practices, he added. He explained that exporters are now negotiating with clients to reschedule delivery dates and reprioritise production for stable, long-term markets, while also negotiating with shipping and insurance companies to reduce the impact of rising costs. He added that if gas supplies return to normal, the factories will work to compensate for the recent shortages by aiming to match or exceed last year's export revenues, which reached about $3 billion. Sherif Al-Gabali, chairman of the Chamber of Chemical Industries at the Federation of Egyptian Industries, told the Weekly that factories will benefit from the current halt by conducting maintenance on their production lines. He explained that the crisis mainly affects nitrogen fertiliser production, which is produced by around six factories. Al-Gabali anticipates that natural gas levels will return to normal next month, which will restore production to its normal levels and positively impact the Egyptian economy. * A version of this article appears in print in the 26 June, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
