Author: eradmin

The United Nations is urging reforms that make it easier for migrants to send money back to their home countries, as it observes its annual International Day of Family Remittances.

“Migrants have shown their continued commitment to their families and communities during the pandemic with more remittances transfers made digitally than ever before,” Gilbert Houngbo, president of the U.N.’s International Fund for Agricultural Development, said in a statement. “Unfortunately, families in rural and remote areas — where remittances are a true lifeline — battle to access cash outlets or even more convenient alternatives such as mobile money accounts. Governments and the private sector need to urgently invest in rural digital infrastructure to address this.”

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres used his own statement to call for remittance fees to be set “as close to zero as possible,” and for those in the industry to “foster the financial inclusion of migrants and their families.”

“Looking forward, we must continue efforts to support and protect migrants, who — as the COVID-19 pandemic has made clear — play such an important role in keeping essential services and the economy at large running in many parts of the world,” Guterres said.

Data from the World Bank showed remittances to low- and middle-income countries hit $540 billion in 2020, a decline of 1.6% from the previous year. It said last month it expects the amount of money sent to those countries to increase by 2.6% this year and 2.2% in 2022.

Latin America and the Caribbean saw an increase of 6.5% in remittances received last year, according to the World Bank, followed by 5.2% in South Asia and 2.3% percent in the Middle East and North Africa.

Remittances declined 7.9% to East Asia and the Pacific, and 9.7% to Europe and Central Asia. Remittances to sub-Saharan Africa rose 2.3%, not counting Nigeria, which saw the amount of money sent there by migrants plummet 28%.

India, China, Mexico, the Philippines, Egypt and Pakistan were the top destinations for migrants to send money in 2020.

Migrants working in the United States, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland and Germany sent the most money home, according to the World Bank.

Worldwide, the U.N. says there are 200 million migrant workers who send money to support more than 800 million family members, and that in 2020, 75% of that money was spent on “immediate needs.”

The United Nations has set a target for those facilitating remittances to charge no more than a 3% fee. But the World Bank said that at the end of last year, the global average fee to send home $200 was 6.5%.

Source: Voice of America

Khartoum, June 16(SUNA)-The President of the Transitional Sovereignty Council(TSC), Gen. Abbdul-Fattah Al Burhan received Tuesday at the Republican Palace credentials of Issa Ahmed Issa as Ambassador of Eritrea to Sudan resident in Khartoum and credentials of the new Kenyan Ambassador resident in Khartoum.

The Eritrean Ambassador expressed in a press statement following the hand-over ceremonies his pleasure to work in Sudan, pointing out that his mission comes at time the region is experiencing delicate developments .

He said would exert his utmost efforts on cooperation with the concerned bodies in Sudan to develop and cement relations between the two countries as ewll as consolidating ties of friendship and common understanding

While the Kenyan ambassador said that he would work with the relevant circles in Sudan to explore ways and means that link the two brotherly countries.

Source: Dehai Eritrea Online

Zimbabwean prison authorities released New York Times freelancer Jeffrey Moyo on Wednesday, one day after the High Court in Bulawayo granted him bail.

Police arrested the 37-year-old in May, alleging he helped two of the U.S. newspaper’s journalists illegally enter Zimbabwe.

Moyo’s attorney, Doug Coltart, a Zimbabwean human rights lawyer, said Moyo should have been released a day earlier, but prison officials noted a problem with the warrant of liberation.

Speaking from Bulawayo via a messaging app, Coltart voiced anger about his client being detained an extra day.

“It’s a typical tactic which is used to extend the detention of prisoners after they have been granted bail, which is why the legal team specially requested to see the warrant of liberation before leaving the Magistrates Court,” Coltart said. “That request was denied, which is why when prison officials started claiming that there was an error on it late in the evening last night (Tuesday) again, the legal team requested to see the warrant of liberation. That request was again denied.”

Government officials were not immediately available to comment on Moyo’s case.

Moyo was arrested on May 26, along with a Zimbabwe Media Commission official, Thabang Manhika, for allegedly processing fake accreditations for two South Africa-based Times journalists who entered Zimbabwe last month and have since been deported.

Western diplomats and international press freedom groups voiced concerns about the arrests.

A lower court had denied Moyo and Manhika bail, saying they were a danger to national security because they helped U.S. journalists interview Zimbabweans without the government’s permission.

“The state papers on appeal essentially admit that the grounds they advanced for opposing (Moyo’s) bail in the magistrates court were baseless and frivolous and essentially they do not have any case against and that he is not a national security threat as they alleged,” Coltart said.

The government has dismissed accusations that Zimbabwe is disregarding media freedom.

On social media, The Information Ministry secretary, Ndabaningi Mangwana, said Moyo and Manhika had been arrested for breaking immigration laws.

Tabani Moyo of the Media Institute of Southern Africa — who is no relation to Jeffrey Moyo — said he welcomed Jeffrey Moyo’s release and was looking forward to the trial.

“Trial of Jeffrey Moyo is a trial on fairness in that you are only guilty when proven such,” he said. “Fairness is a key element in discharge of our judiciary services. So we are saying it’s fairness on trial that he is out on bail. It is the first step in that process. And we hope that to the conclusion of the case, fairness will be at the center of the trial as it should be to every Zimbabwean.”

No trial dates have been set for Manhika and Moyo. The two men face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

Source: Voice of America