12 ° C
Profile

Day: 3 January 2022

How Monaco supports the world’s poorest countries

by: Stephanie Horsman
03/01/2022

Monaco’s contribution to the developing world doubled in less than a decade to reach €22 million in 2020, according to a new report by IMSEE, and the Principality continues to give generously despite the global pandemic.

A new ‘Focus’ report by Monaco’s statistical agency IMSEE reveals that in the two-year period between 2018 and 2020, the Principality took part in around 150 projects, financing 90 partners in their role to aid developing nations in a time of need as well as to assist with these country’s longer term development goals.

Established in the 2000’s, Official Development Assistance (ODA) is a United Nations policy that allows countries like Monaco to support developing nations in the form of grants, thus preventing them from becoming over-indebted.

From 2011 to 2020, the amount of money dedicated to this kind of assistance doubled from roughly €11 million in 2011 to over €22 million in 2020. The steep rise in aid mainly started in 2015 with the adoption of the UN’s Sustainable Development Agenda and, with the exception of a small -3.3% decrease in 2016, it has been on the rise since.

From 2018 to 2020, the Monegasque government mobilised €58.3 million for ODA, 81% managed by the DCI under the framework of the Strategic Cooperation Plan. The budget for the plan was raised by over 50% in these years compared to the previous three year plan from 2015 to 2017.

In real terms, this equates to about €500 per year per Monaco resident. Through this scheme, Monaco has provided concrete assistance to more than 2.4 million people around the world.

Health care takes up the largest portion of the budget at 32.2%, equalling €13.6 million and helping a million people. Food security projects are next at 20.1% of the budget, costing €8.5 million and positively affecting 1.2 million people. Education is close behind with 18.7% of aid going towards those purposes, then socio-economic integration with 18.2%. The remaining 10.8% goes towards the broadly titled “other” category, which includes help for job creation, civil protection, keeping vulnerable children safe, and fights against pandemics, amongst other things.

African nations are the primary receivers of this scheme and, for governmental purposes, they are sectioned into three zones. West Africa and the Sahara receive 44% of all aid, southern and East Africa get 29%, and the Maghreb and Mediterranean regions see 27%.  

The Covid crisis intensified troubles in many of these regions and, coupled with natural disasters and political conflicts, made emergency aid top of the list. A total of €3,077,383 in emergency funding was handed out in 2020, with Covid-related assistance taking the lion’s share at €2,937,383, or 95.5% of the total allotted. These monies were distributed to 82 partners to be dispersed as needed.

The victims of the Beirut explosion also benefitted, as did the people of Madagascar who suffered floods and mudslides, as well as the victims of the Albanian earthquake.

Exceptionally, and closer to home, the Monaco government also stepped up to assist those affected by Storm Alex in 2020, donating €4 million to the impacted area.

In all, Monaco’s financial assistance to developing countries and to those in need packs a big punch for a nation of just 39,511 people.

 

 

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

 

 

 

 

Monaco’s Black Jack wins Sydney Hobart Yacht Race

by: Stephanie Horsman
03/01/2022

The gruelling 2021 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race was marked by strong winds and rough seas, but it was Monaco Yacht Club registered Black Jack that took home the title with a time of just over two days and 12 hours.

It wasn’t the fastest race time the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race has ever clocked, but it was good enough to awards a prize after two days of brutal conditions. With its Monaco flag, Peter Harburg’s Black Jack was the first to cross the finish line in the notoriously tough event, winning with a time of two days, 12 hours, 37 minutes and 17 seconds.

Organised by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia since 1945, and supported by the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, the 2021 version put racers through their paces with relentless seas, shifting winds and strong opposing currents.

The course, which runs for 628 nautical miles (1,163 km) is traditionally hailed as one of the world’s hardest due to choppy seas, often accompanied by severe weather. This year’s race saw 36 of the 88 competitors forced to retire.

Benoit Falletti (Rolex Australia), Peter Harburg and Mark Bradford. Photo credit: Rolex/Andrea Francolini

In the slowest time since 2004, Black Jack had been in a three-way battle down Tasmania’s east coast beating out LawConnect, who came in second, and third place SHK Scallywag 100.

“It was tough in the beginning. The first 30 hours were pretty rugged,” Black Jack skipper Mark Bradford said. “We had a tough race with both the other (supermaxis). We dropped Scallywag at the end for a bit but she came back and LawConnect was right there the whole way.”

Black Jack Sail No: 525100, Owner: Peter Harburg, Skipper: Mark Bradford, Design: Reichel/Pugh 100. Photo credit: Rolex/Andrea Francolini

Black Jack claimed line honours for the Sydney to Hobart back in 2009 under the name Alfa Romeo, finished fifth in the 2019 edition of the race, and came in a close second to Wild Oats XI in 2018, missing the top spot by a mere 28 minutes.

Owner Harburg was not on the boat this year, saying he would “let the crew do what they do best”, but greeted it at Constitution Dock in Hobart after their win.

 

Photo credit: Rolex/Andrea Francolini

 

 

 

France cuts self-isolation period for the fully vaxed

by: Stephanie Horsman
03/01/2022

Fully vaccinated people who test positive for Covid in France will now only be required to isolate for seven days rather than 10 in an effort prevent another halt to the economy.

New year, same old virus. Covid is still dominating the news, conversations and government policies, though now the tides seem to be changing on how to handle the crisis in France.

Whereas fear, lockdowns and shop closures were the primary features of the earlier reactions to the pandemic, 2022’s version is more focused on trying to get things on track.

Despite the Omicron variant and its record-breaking number of cases in France, the government has lowered the 10-day isolation period for double jabbed people down to seven, with a get out-of-jail-free card after only five days if the infected person can show a negative PCR or antigen test. Additionally, there is no required quarantine for fully inoculated people who have been in close contact with a person who has tested positive.

The decisions come from a government juggling public health concerns with economic ones, and is allowing for a “benefit-risk balance aimed at ensuring the virus is controlled while maintaining socio-economic life,” a statement from the French Ministry of Health said.

The statement went on to say that the virological data emerging is showing “the incubation period of Omicron appears to be faster than previous variants, favouring a possible reduction in the length of isolation.”

The unvaccinated who test positive are still required to self-isolate for a full 10-day period, with the possibility of shortening the duration with a negative PCR or antigen test. A weeklong quarantine for unvaccinated close contacts remains in effect, and is ended only upon the receipt of a negative test.

Over the weekend, France joined the unenviable club of nations whose Covid cases topped 10 million. Only six countries have the dubious honour, including the United States, India, Brazil, Russia and the UK.

French health authorities reported 219,126 new cases on Sunday, the fourth day running with more than 200,000 cases.

President Emmanuel Macron said in his New Year’s Eve address that the next few weeks would be hard, but that he was not inclined at the moment to impose harsher restrictions. The only new measure is that children from the age of six will now be required to wear masks in public, as opposed to aged 11.

Meanwhile, in fully vaccinated students 12 years and older, staff and teachers are now required to take a PCR or antigen test immediately upon learning of being in close contact with a positive case but are not required to isolate if tested negative. Testing is required on days two and four after being alerted as well. The same protocol applies for students under 12, despite not being inoculated.

 

 

Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

 

 

Onlooking Clement sees AS Monaco progress in cup

by: Luke Entwistle
03/01/2022

Decimated by Covid and injury, AS Monaco still managed to ease past Quevilly-Rouen in the Coupe de France on Sunday to seal their place in the round of 16.

The club has experienced great upheaval in the past week, firstly with the sacking of manager Niko Kovac and then by a Covid outbreak, which put seven first-team players into self-isolation. Stephane Nado, stepping in to take charge of the side for this game, must therefore have been proud to witness a professional 3-1 victory against an often stubborn, well-drilled Quevilly-Rouen team.

Sofiane Diop, Axel Disasi and Benoit Badiashile were amongst those absent due to Covid, as Monaco fielded a youthful side with an average age of just 23-years-old. For academy products Felix Lemarechal and Yllan Okou in particular, this was an opportunity to shine in front of the incoming Philippe Clement, who looked on from the stands.

AS Monaco had Radoslaw Majecki to thank early-on, as the Polish goalkeeper made a smart save with his feet to deny Duckens Nazon an opener. Wissam Ben Yedder then spurned a glorious opportunity to open the scoring, but after being put through one-on-one, he could only hit straight at the keeper.

But the French international wouldn’t be denied for long, as just minutes later, Myron Boadu, who was a livewire all night, was felled in the box and a penalty was given. Ben Yedder stepped up and gave Monaco the lead with a well-hit penalty that was just out of the reach of the Quevilly-Rouen keeper, who had gone the right way.

Kevin Volland doubled Monaco’s lead just moments later, converting a beautiful reverse pass from Ben Yedder by chipping it over the on-rushing goalkeeper. The game looked dead as a contest but it was resuscitated just minutes later as Kalidou Sidibe’s sumptuous curling strike from outside the box halved the deficit going into half-time.

Volland doubled-up early in the second-half, with a carbon-copy of Sidibe’s goal. Boadu and Gelson Martins had the chance to extend Monaco’s lead, but the game remained 3-1. Sidibe was sent off later-on for Quevilly-Rouen, in what is rumoured to be Bruno Irles final game as manager before moving onto Troyes.

The travelling Monaco fans were in good voice throughout the fixture, paying homage to the recently departed Kovac by singing his name on multiple occasions.

Ben Yedder also thanked his former manager in a post-match tweet in which he said, “Thank you to coach Kovac for having led us this far, and we hope to go further for him.”

Nado, stepping into Kovac’s shoes, didn’t broach the subject of his recently sacked colleague, as the elephant in the room went unaddressed. He was, however, full of praise for his side. “The boys were professional, conscientious and very engaged.”

Nado is likely to finish his blink-and-you-miss-it stint as manager with a 100% win percentage, as Clement’s arrival is expected to be announced imminently. The Belgian’s debut on the sidelines will undoubtedly come in next Sunday’s trip to Nantes, in what is a must-win Ligue 1 fixture.

 

 

Photo source: AS Monaco

 

 

 

Vanderson joins AS Monaco

by: Luke Entwistle
03/01/2022

Brazilian defender Vanderson has joined ASM from Gremio for an €11 million fee, amidst heavy interest from around the continent including AC Milan and Brentford.

The transfer was finally wrapped up on Saturday after weeks of speculation and he will provide competition for Ruben Aguilar and Djibril Sidibe at right-back. Vanderson’s arrival could, however, prompt the departure of one of the pair, be it this month or in the Summer.

His arrival has been a poorly-kept secret, with the Brazilian posting a picture of himself in the Principality before being pictured outside the club’s training centre in La Turbie. Signing a five-year-deal, the 20-year-old is viewed as a long-term project, but his strong performances in last season’s Copa Libertadores demonstrate his ability to contribute to Monaco’s success in the here and now.

Sporting Director Paul Mitchell expressed his delight at having wrapped up the transfer, saying, “Vanderson is a talented and ambitious young player who has chosen Monaco despite interest from several top clubs.”

Meanwhile, Vanderson said he was excited at the move: “I am very happy to have this opportunity to be part of a great project. I would like to thank the club for the trust it has placed in me.” He says he eyes success at Monaco and is eager to contribute immediately, adding, “I am determined to work to integrate as quickly as possible and bring my qualities to the group.”

Although ineligible for Sunday’s win against Quevilly-Rouen, the Brazilian will be hoping to be part of incoming manager Philippe Clement’s first Ligue 1 match-day squad for the trip to Nantes next Sunday.