Day: 16 December 2018

On Monday, December 10, the Ministry of Public Health of Lebanon organized the official delivery of computer equipment for the Department in charge of Primary Health Centers and its 185 health centers located throughout the country. This action aims to contribute to the improvement of universal health coverage.

The Consul of Monaco in Lebanon, Mr. Bechara El Khoury, represented the Principality at this event. He expressed the satisfaction of the Government of Monaco to support the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health through this project, and emphasized that Public Health is the first sector of intervention of the Monegasque Cooperation in Lebanon, with particular attention given maternal and child health in vulnerable areas.

Present at the presentation, Dr Raghed Assi, Director of the Social Development and Local Development Program of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP Lebanon), said: “This contribution is appreciated by both UNDP and the beneficiaries. The primary health care centers are in the front line to deal with the consequences of the Syrian crisis on Lebanon We thank the Principality of Monaco for all its support and we hope to collaborate again in 2019 “.

This action closes a project initiated in 2014 by UNDP Lebanon with the support of the Directorate of International Cooperation, entitled “Implementation of integrated plans and services for well-being and health”.

The 3rd Meeting of the Signatories (MOS3 Sharks) of the Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Sharks organized by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, was closed today by Robert Calcagno, Director General of the Institute oceanographic, Albert I Foundation er , Prince of Monaco and President of the meeting, in the presence of Isabelle ROSABRUNETTO, Director General of Department of External Relations and Cooperation.

In his address, Mr. Calcagno welcomed the success of the meeting by highlighting “the constructive spirit in which the work has taken place and the commitment of all for the sharks, these former masters of the oceans today in unfortunate If this Memorandum of Understanding is legally non-binding, it is nonetheless very relevant and active. ”

He also welcomed the compromise between the United States, the European Union and Monaco so that, following the proposal of the Principality, the sea angel (Squatina squatina) be added to the list of protected species.

Seven other species have been added to the list of Memoranda of Understanding, which means that they should benefit from increased international cooperation to improve their conservation.

The Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Sharks is under the umbrella of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS).

HE Ms. Carole Lanteri, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Principality to the United Nations Office in Geneva, paid a courtesy call on Michelle Bachelet, the new United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

On this occasion, the Ambassador and the High Commissioner spoke about the Principality’s commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights, especially for the most vulnerable (children, women, disabled people).

HE Mrs. Carole Lanteri also recalled the cooperation initiated for many years between the Prince’s Government and the Office of the High Commissioner, which is reflected in particular by the payment of voluntary contributions that reached, in 2018, an overall amount of €60,000.

Michelle Bachelet welcomed some recent developments in the Principality in the field of human rights, including the creation in 2013 of the Office of the High Commissioner for the Protection of Rights, Freedoms and Mediation and, more recently, the implementation of in place of the Committee for the Promotion and Protection of Women’s Rights.

She also congratulated Monaco for his commitment during his 3rd Universal Periodic Review, held November 12, 2018.

The Ambassador and the High Commissioner finally exchanged on the various UN mechanisms for evaluating national human rights policies, which may have a positive impact on the evolution of practices and normative development in the countries examined.

As a reminder, the High Commissioner for Human Rights is appointed by the UN Secretary-General. He heads the Office of the High Commissioner, whose mandate entrusted to him by the General Assembly is to promote and protect all human rights.

To this end, it supports the implementation of international human rights standards in the field, assists governments in fulfilling their obligations and encourages individuals to assert their rights. Moreover, it is objectively speaking about human rights violations around the world.

On Wednesday, December 5, Barbados became the 141st state to establish diplomatic relations with the Principality of Monaco.

The Permanent Representatives to the United Nations, HE Elizabeth Thompson and HE Isabelle Picco, signed joint communiqués committing the two States to further develop their bonds of friendship and cooperation.

Barbados, a small island developing state in the Caribbean, has been a member of the United Nations since 1966.

Both of them are very involved in ocean issues and the law of the sea in particular, and the Permanent Missions of both countries often advocate similar positions within the United Nations, raising the voice of small states to common concerns about future of the Planet.