Month: March 2021

Global leaders unite in urgent call for international pandemic treaty

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25 heads of government and international agencies come together in extraordinary joint call New treaty would signal high-level political action needed to protect the world from future health crises The international community should work together “towards a new international treaty for pandemic preparedness and response” to build a more robust global health architecture that will protect future generations, world leaders said in a commentary published today in several newspapers around the world. “There will be other pandemics and other major health emergencies. No single government or multilateral agency can address this threat…

Morocco, Top Importer of Tunisian Dates with 20.7 Thousand Tonnes

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Morocco remains the leading importer of Tunisian dates with 20.7 thousand tonnes during the season from October 1 to March 15, according to the Tunisian Inter-professional Date Group (GID). “Tunisia exported dates to around 82 countries, including Morocco which represents the first destination with 20.7 thousand tonnes, followed by Italy (6,700 tonnes), France (6,400 tonnes) and Germany (5,900 tonnes)”, GID Director General Samir Ben Slimane said in statements to the press. Tunisia also exported its dates to Malaysia (5.6 thousand tonnes), Spain (4.2 thousand tonnes), Indonesia (3.8 thousand tonnes), Turkey…

Libya and Tunisia sign official agreement to resume customs work at Ras Jedir

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Director-General of the Libyan Customs Authority, Suliman Ali, signed an official agreement with his Tunisian counterpart Youssef Zouaghi on Wednesday to revive the work and service of customs at the port of Ras Jedir, the Libya Observer reports. The Tunisian authorities stated that a solution has been found to the problems relating to the flow of goods and travellers between both countries and to facilitate the ease of bilateral procedures at the border crossing, the same source said. Both sides agreed to organize a joint customs committee with a view…

Challenge One: First satellite Made in Tunisia launched

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Tunisia is the first country in the Maghreb and the sixth in Africa to manufacture its own satellite for the Internet of Things. The first home-made satellite was launched into space on Monday March 22, opening up new local prospects for young engineers who are moving abroad in droves. Tunisia is the first country in the Maghreb and the sixth in Africa to manufacture its own satellite, after South Africa, Egypt and Ghana, according to the specialised website Space in Africa.  Challenge One, designed for the Internet of Things (the…

Tunisia gets World Bank support to develop catastrophe insurance market

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Tunisia is to get World Bank support and funding to help it develop its catastrophe insurance market and cover people and assets against the impacts of disasters and climate-related events, the World Bank reported. Tunisia currently has a very low level of insurance penetration (around 2%) and so the World Bank, alongside the French Development Agency (AFD), are financing $50 million each, for a total of $100 million into a project to strengthen and enhance disaster and climate resilience in Tunisia. Key among the initiatives is the development of a…

Libyan-Tunisia fund for Libyan reconstruction being considered: Libyan-Tunisian Businessmen Council

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Abdelhafid El Sakroufi, the head of the Supreme Council of Libyan Tunisian Businessmen (SCLTB), an organization that represents one group of Libyan and Tunisian business leaders, stated that the Council is working on a Tunisian-Libyan fund for the reconstruction of Libya, with Tunisian and Libyan funds, as well as international funds. He indicated that boosting investment between Tunisia and Libya basically requires changing investment laws, Libya Herald reported. El-Sakroufi also said that Libya intends to recruit 3,000 Tunisian teachers and medical staff through international cooperation. Speaking to Tunisian media Thursday,…

FM visits project site of China-aided diplomatic academy

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Foreign Minister Othman Jerandi accompanied by Chinese Ambassador to Tunisia Zhang Jianguo made an inspection visit to the Tunisian diplomatic academy, a China-aided project under construction. During the Monday visit, the Tunisian foreign minister expressed his admiration for the quality of the work and praised the efforts made, through such projects, by China in contributing to the development of Tunisia. Zhang Jianguo said the program is not only an important symbol of the friendly cooperation between China and Tunisia, but also a model project for the joint development of human…

“The Man Who Sold His Skin” nominated for Academy Awards

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Kaouther Ben Hania’s film “The Man Who Sold His Skin” was put forward for best foreign-language film ahead of the April 25 Oscars ceremony in Hollywood. The film, starring Italian actress Monica Bellucci alongside Syrian Yahya Mahyani and Belgian Koen De Bouw, tells the story of a Syrian refugee who allows a tattoo artist to use his back as a canvas in order to get to Europe. Ben Hania said she hoped the Oscar nomination would lead to more support for cinema and filmmakers in Tunisia. The French-Tunisian director, 43,…

World Bank allocates $300mln to help Tunisia fight poverty

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Tunisia will be allocated $300 million by the World Bank to help about 1 million poor families in Tunisia which suffer from economic and social problems that have led to an increase in protests against social injustice, the World Bank said on Monday. “The only condition for this support is transparency and that support is to go directly to poor families”, World Bank MENA Vice President Ferid Belhaj said after a meeting with President Kais Saied. He also stated WB’s keenness to help Tunisia recover its stolen assets located in…

Canada and WHO join efforts to strengthen newborn health in Tunisia in the context of COVID-19

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With support from the Government of Canada, WHO is working to strengthen newborn health care in Tunisia as part of its ongoing work in the area of reproductive health, WHO office said in a press release. This critical support of 500 000 Canadian dollars will boost efforts to strengthen capacity-building for health workers using specialized medical equipment for neonatal services. It will also support newborn health care services of Tunis maternity and neonatal centre, the neonatal service at Charles Nicolle hospital, and the service of neonatology at the Hédi Chaker…