Latest news with #peacebuilding
Forbes
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Intelsat Joins Film Star Forest Whitaker In Utopian Peacemaking Pilot
The colossal satellite operator Intelsat has joined forces with actor and humanitarian star Forest ... More Whitaker to power an array of peace centers across 3 continents. Shown here is a Russian rocket about to carry an Intelsat satellite into orbit. AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read STR/AFP via Getty Images) Behind the scenes of his sensational filmmaking life, Forest Whitaker is the director of a fascinating pilot project aimed at fostering generations of young peacemakers stretching from Africa to Europe to North America. A decade after the utopian, Oscar-winning film star started constructing a web of peace-building centers on three continents, Intelsat is joining his mission by providing the satellite operator's high-speed internet connections to supercharge these outposts. Intelsat CEO Dave Wajsgras tells me in an interview that Whitaker 'has personally been involved and has done amazing things for thousands and thousands of people around the world.' The geosynchronous satellite giant, he says, is now beaming broadband Web access to an archipelago of outposts the Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative has built across Uganda and South Sudan. These tech-powered oases provide courses on the basic building blocks of peace mediation and conflict resolution, along with primers on universal human rights enshrined in the UN Charter and the UN's own goal of a war-free world in an imagined future. Intelsat CEO Dave Wajsgras says he initially got hooked up with Forest Whitaker's utopian peace ... More project on the sidelines of the United Nations. The Oscar-winning film star Whitaker is also a UNESCO Special Envoy for Peace (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) Wajsgras, himself a remarkable philanthropist, says he initially connected with Whitaker, who's becoming a pole star in the cosmos of independent humanitarian projects, on the sidelines of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. 'Forest is a UNESCO Special Envoy for Peace and Reconciliation, working closely with UNESCO.' 'I am on the [UNESCO-founded]The Broadband Commission, jointly set up with the heads of vanguard internet technology outfits planet-wide, is aimed in part at overcoming the 'digital divide,' or the barricades that still separate the global citizens who have access to the internet and those who don't. With a fleet of super-satellites positioned in orbit more than 35,000 kilometers above the Earth, Intelsat's constellation can provide gateways to the cybersphere from virtually any point on the planet, Wajsgras says, including the ten peace and learning centers that Whitaker has already christened across East Africa. Intelsat's super-satellites, orbiting 35000 kilometers above the planet, are now beaming broadband ... More internet connections to Forest Whitaker's peace and learning centers across Africa With Intelsat's next-generation satellite dishes and Whitaker's peace instructors, these outposts have become beacons of hyper-technology and anti-war activism, with the aim of radiating their waves of pacifism outward. Some centers founded by Whitaker focus on training and transforming youths who have fled the armed conflicts in South Sudan to turn them into powerful prophets of future harmony. One of his peace outposts has begun gradually reshaping the Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement—a way station for teenagers fleeing the battlefronts of South Sudan for sanctuary in Uganda—partly through providing Web-connected laptops and courses on building peaceful enclaves that promote freedom of speech and cross-cultural dialogues. Leaders of the Whitaker peace coalition say this sanctuary is the result of Uganda's liberal open border policies toward refugees, and that their pacifist outreach is ultimately aimed at halting—step-by-step—conflicts across the region. Outstanding activists who emerge here, like their counterparts at Whitaker's peace citadels in Seine-Saint-Denis, outside Paris, and in Tijuana, Mexico, might join the group's Youth Peacemaker Network, which spans the continents. Intelsat's creating launch pads for these nascent peacemakers to lift off into cyberspace is also part of its crusade to one day enable all eight billion global citizens to crisscross the Web, Wajsgras tells me. Intelsat aims to help overcome the globe's digital divide - between the 5.5 billion people plugged ... More into the Web, and the 2.6 billion others still stranded outside - via its expanding fleet of broadband satellites (Photo by: Alan Dyer/VWPics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) The International Telecommunication Union, the UN's specialized agency for digital technologies, reports that while 5.5 billion people are now plugged into the World Wide Web, 2.6 billion others are still stranded outside of the global network. Statista says that in 'Norway 99 percent of the population used the internet as of February 2025.' 'North Korea,' the group adds, 'was at the opposite end of the spectrum, with virtually no internet usage penetration among the general population, ranking last worldwide.' Africa lies somewhere in between, the Geneva-headquartered ITU says, with an estimated 38 percent of the population now integrated into the Web. Intelsat's opening cyber-ports for Whitaker's brigades of peacemakers is part of a greater mission to connect the continent. Melissa Longo, the scholarly writer and researcher, and onetime journalist, who is now Intelsat's global media relations manager, tells me in an interview that the Titan-size satellite operator has joined forces with Africa Mobile Networks to provide Net connections to more than 10 million people across Africa. Plummeting launch rates to loft broadband satellites into orbit, she adds, are enabling Intelsat to offer these new explorers hyper-cheap sojourns across the borderless worlds of the Web. Intelsat leader Dave Wajsgras, meanwhile, says he envisions a long-term alliance with Forest Whitaker and his expanding matrix of peace-builders. 'We are just honored to be a small part of what Forest and his team are accomplishing,' as the movement to promote peace unfolds, he says. The techno-utopian Wajsgras also suggests that this novel approach to generating generations of peace activists by powering them with leading-edge technologies and the vision of a conflict-free cosmopolitan globe are just part of the prospects for universal internet access to remake the world. As this super-internet's potential to speed new ideas—across peace centers, cities and continents—to co-design a more perfect, paradisiacal planet evolves, he muses, 'The impact on civilization will no doubt be more significant in a positive way and happen at a much faster pace.'
Zawya
6 days ago
- Politics
- Zawya
African Union Chairperson appoints H.E. Évariste Ndayishimiye, President of the Republic of Burundi, as his Special Envoy for the Sahel region
The Chairperson of the African Union, H.E. João Lourenço, President of the Republic of Angola, is pleased to announce the appointment of H.E. Évariste Ndayishimiye, President of the Republic of Burundi and African Union Champion for Youth, Peace and Security, as his Special Envoy for the Sahel region. The Chairperson of the African Union is most grateful to H.E President Évariste Ndayishimiye for accepting this strategic political assignment in the collective interest of the Union. President Ndayishimiye will spearhead the renewed African Union's high level diplomatic support and collaborative efforts aimed at addressing the prevailing security and humanitarian challenges in the Sahel. The Special Envoy's mandate covers intensifying engagements with the governmental authorities, opinion leaders, regional actors and organizations, civil society and all relevant stakeholders to foster dialogue, build consensus, and promote comprehensive strategies towards durable peace and stability within the Sahel region. President Ndayishimiye brings with him very rich political experience, and impeccable credentials of resolute commitment to Pan-Africanism, regional integration and cooperation. The appointment reflects the African Union's steadfast commitment to supporting peacebuilding and regional cooperation in one of Africa's most critical regions. The Chairperson of the African Union has expressed full confidence in President Ndayishimiye's ability to advance the Union's vision through his distinguished leadership and deep understanding of the continent's complex dynamics. In effect, this appointment is to foster the African Union's drive to permanently silence the guns and promote peace, security, stability, and political dialogue in the Sahel region. The Chairperson of the African Union therefore calls on the AU Commission, the AU Mission in the Sahel (MISAHEL); all stakeholders and the international community to extend support to the Special Envoy, who is expected to immediately commence his engagements in the region. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Union (AU).
Zawya
6 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
African Development Bank Approves $17 Million to Rebuild Conflict-Affected Northern Mozambique
The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank ( has approved a $17 million grant to support recovery and resilient-building efforts in conflict-affected northern Mozambique's Cabo Delgado province. The funding will support the Resilient Investment for Socio-Economic Empowerment, Peace, and Security (RISE-PS) Project, a bold new initiative to tackle the root causes of fragility through targeted economic empowerment. It will directly create 24,000 jobs, with 60% of opportunities earmarked for young people aged 18 to 35, and 50% reserved for women. Cumulatively, over 100,000 people are expected to benefit from the initiative. Since 2017, violent extremist attacks in Cabo Delgado have killed at least 4,500 people and displaced more than one million. Approximately 4,965 small businesses have been destroyed, leaving communities without livelihoods. Youth unemployment currently stands at 25% in the province, with 35% of young women neither employed nor enrolled in education or training. "This is about more than economic recovery – it's about giving young people a reason to believe in their future,' said Babatunde Omilola, Manager for Human Capital, Youth and Skill Development at the African Development Bank's Regional Office for Southern Africa. 'The project emphasizes youth as peacebuilding agents, unlocking their potential through skills development, entrepreneurship, and decent work opportunities to drive economic stabilization efforts.' A cornerstone of the RISE-PS project is the creation of a Peace and Security Investment Hub, coordinated by Mozambique's Northern Integrated Development Agency (ADIN). "This hub will coordinate development work across the region and create investment opportunities for both public and private partners," said Macmillan Anyanwu, the Bank's Acting Country Manager for Mozambique. "By including local communities in planning and implementing projects — such as letting them choose which infrastructure gets rebuilt — we ensure development truly serves those who need it most." Comprehensive Support for Vulnerable Populations Rehabilitation of 150 community facilities, including 30 schools, 45 youth centers, 14 health posts, 10 rural markets, and 33 water systems -- providing immediate employment for 4,500 vulnerable youth and women Training for over 9,200 individuals in market-oriented vocational skills, with 2,000 women and youth-led enterprises receiving grants to restart destroyed businesses, and 5,400 local micro-enterprises equipped to expand or consolidate operations. Construction of a climate-smart SME village in the Afungi Industrial Hub, designed to accommodate 100 small and medium enterprises with modern facilities, including warehouses, workshops, and business incubation centers Private sector partnerships, including TotalEnergies and ExxonMobil, to provide 1,055 youth with 6-month internships, targeting 70% permanent job placement The total value of the project stands at $28 million, including the African Development Bank's $17 million grant through its Transition Support Facility, $4.2 million from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), $2.4 million from Germany, $3.1 million in parallel financing from private sector partners, and $1.3 million counterpart contribution from the Government of Mozambique. MozParks, the national developer of sustainable economic zones, will lead the SME village construction, drawing on 23 years of experience that has attracted $4 billion in investments and created over 12,000 jobs nationwide. The project's conflict-sensitive design specifically targets the drivers of violent extremism. Research shows that 40% of young men join rebel movements due to a lack of economic opportunities. At the same time, women face additional vulnerabilities, including limited education and high rates of gender-based violence. Implementation begins on 1 September 2025, under the leadership of the Government, with UNDP as the implementing partner. The project will run until August 2029. ADIN will serve as the executing agency, with enhanced institutional support to strengthen its coordination role across northern Mozambique, which is home to 11.6 million people. Recent security improvements, and a reduction in the number of internally displaced persons from over one million to 635,000 present an opportunity for sustained development investments and renewed investor confidence. The RISE-PS project aligns with Mozambique's National Development Strategy (2025-2044) and the African Union's Agenda 2063, contributing to Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 1 - No Poverty; SDG 4 - Quality Education; SDG 5 - Gender Equality; SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth). It also aligns with the African Development Bank's Strategy for Addressing Fragility and Building Resilience (2022-2026), the Bank's Country Strategy Paper 2023-2028 for Mozambique, its Ten-Year Strategy 2024-2033, and many other strategies or action plans on jobs, gender, skills, private sector development and nutrition. In particular, the Bank's Jobs for Youth in Africa strategy 2016-2025 aims to create 25 million jobs and positively impact 50 million African youth by 2025. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB). About the African Development Bank Group: The African Development Bank Group is Africa's premier development finance institution. It comprises three distinct entities: the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Development Fund (ADF) and the Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF). On the ground in 41 African countries with an external office in Japan, the Bank contributes to the economic development and the social progress of its 54 regional member states. For more information:
Zawya
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Zawya
Dialogues strengthen Unity women's role in peace and security
In South Sudan, entrenched patriarchal norms and the effects of years of conflict continue to hinder women from participating in peacebuilding and governance. Early marriages, widespread gender-based violence, and exclusion from decision-making remain real hurdles for the implementation of their substantially increased and meaningful inclusion in matters that matter. The slow progress does not, however, deter women in Unity State from advocating for their rights and building informal networks of influence at the grassroots level. Some, like the young teacher Elizabeth Nyatab, are prepared to play the long game - if that is what it takes. 'I encourage parents to educate their daughters, because without schooling, it will be difficult also for future generations of women to play prominent roles in decision-making, We have no choice but to break the cultural norms that confine many of us to the domestic sphere,' she said. In fact, Ms. Nyatab made her point on behalf of a group of women leaders representing local authorities, state institutions and civil society groups. Together, they, and other similar small groups, were presenting their findings resulting from discussions on how to increase women's real participation in peace, security and other processes of public interest. Of much such interest are South Sudan's first post-independence elections, another subject that sparked lively debate during a week of civic engagement activities in Bentiu, Rubkona and Rotriak/Lalop. While many saw elections as a path to legitimacy and stability, others voiced concerns about prevailing insecurity and political divisions. 'If our country wants credible elections, political detainees must be released and the army united under one national command. Conditions for the free and fair participation for all are also essential for this dream to come true,' opined Angelina Nyawuora Turoal, former Chairperson of a network of civil society organizations in Rubkona. The dialogue sessions were conducted by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and counted on the support of its Electoral Affairs Division. 'This week of conversations made it clear that women, on the rise and challenging norms in Unity State and elsewhere, must have their voices heard. And there is more, because their words need to be acted on as well,' concluded Alexandre Marie Rose Fernande Alexandre, a Civil Affairs Officer serving with the UN peacekeeping mission. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).
The Independent
14-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
DOGE guts almost an entire department with one weekend email
The U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) has been shut down by the White House and remnants of Elon Musk's DOGE initiative, with staff being fired via email. This marks the second attempt to close the federally-funded nonprofit, whose mission involved peacebuilding work in global conflict zones like South Sudan, Iraq, and Afghanistan. The initial attempt in March was blocked by a federal judge but later overturned by an appeals court, paving the way for the latest mass firings. Critics, including a former spokeswoman, condemned the shutdown as constitutional overreach, noting USIP was authorised and funded by Congress, not the Executive Branch. The closure of USIP is part of a broader pattern where the administration has sought to dismantle or scale back agencies established by Congress, including attempts to target the Department of Education and FEMA.
