Author: staff reporter

Movie star and ocean activist Jason Momoa was designated the UN Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Advocate for Life Below Water today at a major conference mobilizing global support for an ocean besieged by the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and rampant pollution. 

The UN Ocean Conference, co-hosted by Portugal and Kenya and attended by thousands of ocean advocates from business, civil society and government – including several Heads of State – will advance progress on science-based solutions to ensure better management and conservation of the ocean and its resources. The conference, which is aligned to SDG 14, life below water,  stresses the critical need for scientific knowledge and marine technology to build ocean resilience, and is expected to culminate in a negotiated political declaration. 

The Aquaman actor, who has worked with Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii and rePurpose Global, described how humbled he felt to be entrusted with the responsibility to promote ocean health: “With this designation, I hope to continue my own journey to protect and conserve the ocean and all living things on our beautiful blue planet, for our generation and the generations to come.” 

The native Hawaiian with Polynesian roots, who has long championed the rights of people of island nations, described how growing up on one of the world’s most beautiful archipelagos ingrained in him a reverence for the ocean and nature that has only deepened over the years “For me, the ocean is an ancient teacher, a guide and a muse. It is also existential. Without a healthy ocean, life on our planet as we know it would not exist.” 

Momoa, who is the star of Aquaman and the upcoming sequel, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, made remarks ahead of the Youth and Innovation Forum, where he arrived on a boat to receive the Nature Baton from the UN Special Envoy for the Ocean, Peter Thomson. Momoa then handed the baton to youth representatives before they, in turn, passed it to the UN Secretary-General. The Nature Baton, a global collaboration for the ocean’s wellbeing, has shone a spotlight on the need for action to save the world’s ocean, and is a metaphor for the journey ocean champions have taken this year from Brest to Nairobi for the UN Environment Assembly, to Palau for the Our Oceans Conference, and for World Environment Day in Stockholm, on the road to Lisbon. 

 United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohamed, and the African Union Commission Deputy Chairperson, H.E. Dr. Monique Nsanzabaganwa, on Thursday welcomed, as co-Chairs, the inaugural AU-UN Periodic Coordination Meeting.

This inaugural AU-UN Periodic Coordination Meeting provided a platform to gather momentum for the re-invigorated collaboration by the two organizations for the successful rollout of the agreed thematic priority areas for implementation in the current year 2022 and beyond to address the priorities of the African continent in light of the challenges posed by the COVID 19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine Conflict.  

The meeting reviewed the proposed matrix on the “AU-UN thematic priorities areas” drawing on the outcomes of the Africa RCP Annual Meeting held in Nairobi on 28 February and chaired by the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, as well as the AU-wide Working Group on Africa RCP held on 24 June 2021 under the leadership of the AUC Deputy Chairperson, while fine-tuning the proposed joint work plan of the respective 8 Opportunity and Issue-Based Coalitions (O/IBCs) of the Africa Regional Collaborative Platform (RCP). 

The AU-UN Annual Meeting recommitted to redouble their efforts to move forward the AU-UN Framework on the Implementation of Agenda 2063 and 2030 Agenda, and AU-UN Framework for Enhanced Partnership on Peace and Security in Africa to support African countries in fast-tracking transitions from the socioeconomic response to the challenges of COVID-19 to the longer-term recovery efforts of the African continent. In this context, African Union Commissioners and their UN counterparts from the Economic Commission for Africa, the United Nations Development Program as well as the respective departments of the United Nations Secretariat agreed on enhanced coordination to achieve the common goals of the two agendas, 2063 and 2030.

The United Nations Deputy Secretary-General and the African Union Deputy Chairperson agreed to convene the African Union-United Nations Coordination Meetings periodically and before the end of the year.

Experts have said BRICS cooperation is injecting impetus into global development and helping build a community with a shared future for mankind.

BRICS, an emerging-market group which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, represents approximately 40 percent of the global population and accounts for about 25 percent of the global economy.

Pursuant to the National Payments Systems Regulation, 2021, Pesapal Uganda has received a Payment System Operator license from the Bank of Uganda.

Pesapal has been at the forefront of the Digital Payments revolution in Africa for over a decade. By leveraging technology to make financial services affordable, convenient, and secure, Pesapal is empowering tens of thousands of merchants and millions of consumers in markets across Africa to thrive.

According to Pesapal Uganda Country Director Martin Barungi: “At Pesapal, we give people and businesses better ways to pay and get paid. Now, with the Bank of Uganda’s regulatory greenlight, we will be able to hunker down in our continued effort to change the face of digital financial services in Uganda as a key stakeholder of its financial ecosystem.”

The authorization, he said, gives Pesapal a license to drive cashless transactions and related benefits, including financial inclusion and convenience, by simplifying the processing of payments and expanding how, what type and how fast businesses can get paid and access their funds.

“We are delighted to have received the license from Bank of Uganda as this development sets us on course to revolutionize the digital payment ecosystem with innovative, convenient and secure digital financial services,” Ms. Emmy Rono, Pesapal Uganda Country Manager noted.

“Consumers, in any context – shoppers, tourists, visitors, and businesses can make multi-currency transactions (UGX, USD etc.), from any scheme (Visa, Mastercard, American Express etc.) – either online, in a 3-D Secure environment, or in store, using the Pesapal POS machine, seamlessly.”

Pesapal’s vision is to Empower Africa to access affordable, convenient, and secure digital financial services that drive sustainable growth. We believe this formal foray into the Pearl of Africa, the source of the Nile, is a fitting step towards this future.