Day: July 18, 2022

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Geospatial Industry Luminary Hired as Senior Strategic Advisor at AAM, a Woolpert Company

MELBOURNE, Australia, July 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Zaffar Sadiq Mohamed-Ghouse, Ph.D., a global geospatial leader, has joined the leadership team at AAM, a Woolpert Company. Mohamed-Ghouse will serve as a senior advisor for strategy and innovation within Woolpert’s geospatial leadership team, further strengthening the global geospatial company’s services and capabilities.

Zaffar Sadiq Mohamed-Ghouse, Ph.D., has joined AAM, a Woolpert Company.

Mohamed-Ghouse brings more than 25 years of experience with international engineering consultancies, working across government, academic, research and corporate sectors. He has held senior leadership roles at multilateral geospatial organisations, including United Nations Global Geospatial Information Management-Networks and World Geospatial Industry Council, and has led multimillion-dollar projects for state and federal government clients in Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. A professor at universities in India and Australia, Mohamed-Ghouse outlines how spatial sciences improve the built environment.

Woolpert’s Asia Pacific Vice President and AAM Managing Director Brian Nicholls said that Mohamed-Ghouse’s extensive geospatial consulting expertise will provide Woolpert clients with tailored, impactful solutions.

“Zaffar has demonstrated his ability to deliver positive change throughout the industry, and we look forward to working with him, learning from him and building on his expertise and experience,” Nicholls said.

AAM was acquired by Woolpert in 2021. Woolpert Senior Vice President Joseph Seppi said the addition of Mohamed-Ghouse provides a strategic advantage for the company and greatly benefits its clients around the world.

Mohamed-Ghouse spoke of the opportunities he sees in joining Woolpert.

“This is an amazing, diverse, multicultural team with varied technical skills and expertise,” Mohamed-Ghouse said. “I look forward to working with this group and expanding our broad service portfolio to advance the geospatial industry.”

About AAM, a Woolpert Company
AAM, a Woolpert Company, is a geospatial technology company, specialising in collection, analysis and integration of geospatial information. AAM believes that digital maps and measurement make our world a better place. By capturing, measuring and presenting geospatial data, AAM helps clients make more informed decisions in an increasingly complex world. Woolpert is the premier architecture, engineering, geospatial (AEG) and strategic consulting firm, with a vision to become one of the best companies in the world. Founded in 1911, Woolpert has been America’s fastest-growing AEG firm since 2015. The firm has 1,900 employees and 60 offices on four continents. Visit aamgroup.com and woolpert.com.

Media Contacts:
Steven Henderson, +61 431 090 338, s.henderson@aamgroup.com; and Jill Kelley, 937-531-1258, jill.kelley@woolpert.com

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UNESCO-Huawei Technology-enabled Open Schools for All Project Progress Reviewed in Cross-country Seminar

The three-year project is being implemented in Ghana, Ethiopia, and Egypt to ensure the continuity and quality of learning under normal and crisis situations.

SHENZHEN, China, July 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ —  A three-day cross-country seminar hosted in Accra, Ghana on the subject of the Technology-enabled Open Schools for All (TeOSS) project drew to a close on July 7.

A three-day cross-country seminar hosted in Accra, Ghana on the subject of the Technology-enabled Open Schools for All (TeOSS) project drew to a close on July 7. Following the official launch of the TeOSS project on 25 November 2021, the seminar was co-organized by Huawei and UNESCO as part of the project’s implementation phase. The event included a progress report on the first phase of the project, including results so far, and discussed the implementation of the second phase.

Following the official launch of the TeOSS project on 25 November 2021, the seminar was co-organized by Huawei and UNESCO as part of the project’s implementation phase. The event included a progress report on the first phase of the project, including results so far, and discussed the implementation of the second phase.

UNESCO is assisting the Ministries of Education and other partners in Egypt, Ethiopia, and Ghana with the delivery of the three-year TeOSS project, which will run until August 2023. Developed under the framework of the UNESCO-Huawei Funds-in-Trust, the project spans the design, pilot testing, and scaling-up of open technology-enabled school systems. Including curricula, teacher-student interaction, and social care, these systems will be accessible in schools, homes, and other venues, ensuring education continuity and quality even if a crisis such as the pandemic occurs.

“There three axes to steer the digital revolution, which are all reflected in this project: to ensure connectivity for all; to build free, public digital learning content and platforms; and to focus on how technology can enhance pedagogical innovation and change,” said Stefania Giannini, Assistant Director-General for Education, UNESCO.

Planned in close collaboration with the governments of Egypt, Ghana, and Ethiopia and aligned with their respective national strategies, each TeOSS project has been developed to meet specific local needs.

In Egypt, an ICT skills framework has been developed for teachers and students in K12 schools. Digital courseware development experts and primary and junior high school teachers will receive training, and a National Distance Learning Centre will be established for use by educators nationwide to ensure continuity in professional development.

“Since Egypt launched its new system, the President has provided unprecedented commitment to modernize the country’s education model,” said Dr. Hanem Ahmed, Head of International Cooperation for the Minister of Education and Technical Education of the Arab Republic of Egypt on behalf of H.E. Dr. Tarek Shawki, Minister of Education and Technical Education of the Arab Republic of Egypt.

The TeOSS project in Ethiopia is focusing on ICT infrastructure build-out to connect pilot schools, train teachers and students, and build a Learning Management System integrated with a Teacher Training Platform.

“The project perfectly aligns with Ethiopia’s national strategies regarding the need to use ICT and digital content in our system. We will also scale up this system by adopting and customizing all activities according to the local context,” said Dr. Zelalem Assefa, CEO of ICT and Digital Education for the Ministry of Education of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.

In Ghana, the focus is on creating digital content for all subjects, as well as providing training for teachers and students of primary and junior high schools. The project is also building an e-repository that teachers can use to upload content and which learners can access online and offline with little or no supervision.

“We need to be able to embrace technology to enhance our education delivery. If we want to be able to achieve SDG-4, we need digital platforms as an enabler and leverage to achieve that,” said John Ntim Fordjour, Deputy Minister of Education, on behalf of H.E. Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, Minister of Education of the Republic of Ghana.

TeOSS is aligned with the Tech4Education domain of Huawei’s digital inclusion initiative TECH4ALL, which aims to drive education equity and quality with technology, and is working to enhance digital access, improve digital skills, and develop high-quality courses. Huawei ICT Academy program is designed to help cultivate ICT talent by improving digital skills.

“To achieve global education equity and share education resources, Huawei has launched the comprehensive one-stop service platform ‘Huawei Talent’,” said Zhang Jing, Senior Director of Huawei Education Talent Ecosystem, Huawei ICT Academy Development. “To bridge the gap between talent supply and demand in the digital era, Huawei is building talent alliances, improving skills, developing talent standards, and promoting the value of talent to help the world become more digital.”

Technology is already demonstrating intrinsic value in transforming education, a value that will continue to grow in the future.

“Digital technology has become a new driver of productivity that supports innovation in education models, the transformation of education methodologies, and smarter education environments,” said Kevin Zhang, CMO of ICT Infrastructure for Huawei. “We are exploring how to apply AI, such as computer vision, natural language processing, and speech processing, to education. Innovative technology can help solve the world’s most pressing challenges. And we must continue working together to innovate.”

The collaborative and innovative approach of the TeOSS project is helping to create inclusive, equitable, and quality education for all and underpin lifelong learning opportunities. It will empower nations to rethink education and underpin a new generation of digital schools and digital learners.

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المراكز الثقافية تقيس رضا الزوار فورياً

مدينة الكويت, 17 يوليو / تموز 2022 /PRNewswire/ —

ضمن سعيها الدؤوب والمستمر نحو رفع مستوى الخدمات وضمان تجربة مثالية للضيوف ، استحدثت إدارة المراكز الثقافية تجربة جديدة في مركز الشيخ جابر الأحمد الثقافي ومركز الشيخ عبدالله السالم الثقافي عبر نشر عدداً من الأجهزة الخاصة بقياس مدى رضى الزوار في ٢٠ موقع ونقطة تم توزيعها بدقة كي تعطي إنطباعاً واضحاً لكل مرفق على حدة وتساعد الزوار على تقييم تجربتهم في كل مرة تتجدد بها زياراتهم وذلك على غرار ما تتبعه كبرى الشركات والمواقع العالمية كمطار هيثرو ومطار حمد الدولي .

JACC and ASCC Measure Visitors' Satisfaction On The Spot

 قياس الأداء للزوار ..السعي لابتسامة دائمة

الرصد الفوري لآراء الزوار يعطي انطباعاً حقيقياً وواقعياً حول التجربة مما يساعد الكوادر الإدارية على تحسين الخدمات وتفادي السلبيات في كل مرة وهو الهدف الأساسي في إستراتيجية التطوير المستمرة ، الدراسات المتخصصة في هذا المجال تؤكد على أن الهفوات المتعلقة بمعظم الأعمال لا يمكن رصدها سوى من قبل العميل وهذا من شأنه أن يساهم بشكل كبير بتقييم دقيق لمستوى تجربة الزيارة للمراكز وهذا ما يهدف إليه المسؤولون بجعلها ذكرى لاتنسى

الزائر يبدي رأيه .. إذاً هو يهتم لأمرك

  يميل الإنسان بطبيعته للرغبة بإبداء رأيه وهذا ما أكدته إحدى الدراسات بأنه 89٪ من المستجيبين للمشاركة بالتقييمات يريدون تقديم تعليقات لتجاربهم الخاصة وهو ما يجعل مهمة جمع التعليقات في غاية السهولة ، قد تكون ثواني قليله تلك التي يستغرقها الزائر بتقييم التجربة بينما تبقى النقطة الإيجابية حاضرة في ذهنه وتنم عن إهتمام المسؤولين برأيه ، ففي كل مرة يتم فيها إستخدام النظام تعني بأنه هناك زائر مهتم بإيصال رأيه بشكل واضح ومفهوم ويحمل ولاء للمكان الأمر الذي يعزز التجربة ويقدم فرصة لتحليل الاهتمامات واتخاذ قرارات أفضل في المستقبل .

Jaber Al-Ahmed Cultural Center Logo

أكثر من خمسة آلاف مشارك خلال أسبوع

في الفترة التجريبية للنظام الجديد وخلال سبعة أيام قدمت من خلالها المراكز عروض متنوعة وقامت مجموعة كبيرة من الزوار تجاوز عددهم الخمسة آلاف زائر بتقييم زيارتهم للمراكز الثقافية ما يشكل قوة تعزيزية إضافية لوسيلة التقييم السابقة عن طريق الرسائل النصية والتي تعطي فرصة للتقييم بشكل مستفيض

ويسعى القائمون على المراكز الثقافية دائماً للإستماع الى الاقتراحات وتصحيح الأخطاء والتطوير المستمر للمرافق كافة .

مركز الشيخ جابر الأحمد الثقافي هو معلم معماري وثقافي في قلب مدينة الكويت أفتتح عام ٢٠١٦ ويهدف لتسليط الضوء على الفنون والإبداعات المحلية والعالمية ويشكل مركزاً وطنياً للثقافة في البلاد ، يتكون من ٤ مباني بتصميم جذاب مستوحى من الجواهر وتحتوي على مسارح ، قاعات للمؤتمرات والحفلات والمعارض والمطاعم محاطة بحدائق ومسطحات خضراء

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Report: Eritrean Refugees Relocated from Addis Ababa to Dangerous Area

Aid group Refugees International has expressed concern about the reported relocation of more than 100 Eritrean refugees from areas near Addis Ababa to camps on the unstable border between Ethiopia’s Amhara and Tigray regions.

Ethiopian authorities are accused of targeting Eritrean refugees by arresting them in the capital and sending them back to the country’s restive north.

Abdullahi Halakhe is the Refugees International senior advocate for East and Southern Africa.

“For the last few days, Eritrean refugees who have been living in Ethiopia for some time now and so the government rounded up these refugees who are in Addis Ababa and (put them) in several buses and took them back to Amhara region. The Amhara region and the Tigray region border each other and there is tension,” said Halakhe.

Amhara and Tigrayan forces have been fighting over land and other long-standing disputes.

About 20,000 Eritrean refugees lived in two refugee camps in the Tigray region before the war between Ethiopia’s government and Tigrayan rebels broke out in November 2020.

After Eritrean and Tigrayan forces allegedly attacked the camps, many of the refugees fled to the Amhara and Afar regions, with others moving to the capital Addis Ababa.

In late 2020, Ethiopian authorities carried out a similar operation targeting Eritrean refugees in the capital, sending them to Adi Harush and Mai Ani in the Tigray region at the height of the war.

Halakhe said in many ways, Eritrean refugees are the most vulnerable group in Ethiopia.

“They are caught between the Eritrean government tracking them because it paints a bad image about their country and the warring parties inside Ethiopia also targeting them, as such they are probably most difficult position, so death, sexual violence, and so many other egregious human rights and humanitarian violations have been visited upon them,” said Halakhe.

Last year Human Rights Watch said Eritrean forces and Tigray militias committed killings, rape and other abuses against Eritrean refugees.

Ethiopia hosts at least 140,000 Eritreans who fled hardship and persecution in their home country.

Refugees International, an organization which promotes human rights and the protection of refugees, is calling on Ethiopian authorities to respect its laws and protect Eritrean refugees from those who wish to harm them.

Source: Voice of America

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Congolese Intelligence Agents Detain US Journalist

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s intelligence service has detained U.S. journalist Stavros Nicolas Niarchos after he allegedly approached armed groups in the country’s southeast, a senior government official said Sunday.

Local civil-society groups such as RECN quoted in local media said that Niarchos and a Congolese journalist were arrested in the southeastern city of Lubumbashi on Wednesday and taken to the capital Kinshasa.

A senior government official who requested anonymity confirmed to AFP on Sunday that the Congolese intelligence agency ANR is holding Niarchos in Kinshasa.

The 33-year-old journalist, who writes for U.S. magazines The Nation and The New Yorker, had made contact with armed groups including the Bakata Katanga militia, the official said.

“He made movements that were never previously reported to the authorities,” the official explained, noting that the government “must be vigilant” after the murder of two United Nations experts in 2017.

The U.N. had hired experts American Michael Sharp and Swedish-Chilean Zaida Catalan to probe violence in the Kasai region of central DRC, where they were kidnapped and killed.

“The Congolese authorities have no interest in keeping an American journalist,” the senior government official said, adding that he may be released on Tuesday.

Niarchos traveled to the DRC to report on nature conservation, the economy and culture for The Nation magazine, according to the journalist’s official accreditation seen by AFP.

Neither The Nation nor the United States embassy in Kinshasa were immediately available for comment.

Source: Voice of America

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Multilateral Efforts Needed to Reverse Climate Crisis, Secretary-General Says, Stressing Choice between ‘Collective Action or Collective Suicide’

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message to the Petersburg Dialogue, in Berlin today:

Eight months ago, we left COP26 [twenty-sixth conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change] with 1.5°C on life support. Since then, its pulse has weakened further. Greenhouse gas concentrations, sea level rise and ocean heat have broken new records. Half of humanity is in the danger zone from floods, droughts, extreme storms and wildfires.

No nation is immune. Yet, we continue to feed our fossil fuel addiction. What troubles me most is that, in facing this global crisis, we are failing to work together as a multilateral community. Nations continue to play the blame game instead of taking responsibility for our collective future.

We cannot continue this way. We must rebuild trust and come together — to keep 1.5°C alive and to build climate-resilient communities. Promises made must be promises kept. We need to move forward together on all fronts — mitigation, adaptation, finance, [and] loss and damage.

To protect people and the planet we need an all-of-the-above approach that delivers on each of these pillars of the Paris Agreement — at pace and at scale. Time is no longer on our side. First, we need to reduce emissions now. Everyone needs to revisit their nationally determined contributions.

We need to demonstrate at COP27 that a renewables revolution is under way. There is enormous potential for a just energy transition that accelerates coal phase-out with a corresponding deployment of renewables.

The agreement with South Africa last November sets a good precedent. Partnerships under discussion with Indonesia and Vietnam are also significant. They embody the potential of working together in a multilateral and collaborative spirit.

But, let me be clear: these efforts should be additional — not a replacement — to the support that developing countries need to ensure their transition to a net-zero and climate-resilient future. I look to the G7 [Group of Seven] and the G20 [Group of 20] to show leadership — on NDCs [nationally determined contributions], on renewables and on working together in good faith.

Second, we must treat adaptation with the urgency it needs. One in three people lack early warning systems coverage. People in Africa, South Asia and Central and South America are 15 times more likely to die from extreme weather events. This great injustice cannot persist. Let’s ensure universal early warning systems coverage in the next five years, as a start. And let’s demonstrate how we can double adaptation finance to $40 billion a year and how you will scale it up to equal mitigation finance.

Third, let’s get serious about the finance that developing countries need. At a minimum, stop paying lip service to the $100 billion a year pledge. Give clarity through deadlines and timelines and get concrete on its delivery. And let’s ensure that those who need funding most can access it.

As shareholders of multilateral development banks, developed countries must demand immediate delivery of the investments and assistance needed to expand renewable energy and build climate-resilience in developing countries. Demand that these banks become fit for purpose.

Demand that they change their tired frameworks and policies to take more risk and dramatically improve their dismal private investment mobilization ratio of 29 cents to the dollar. They should increase funding that does not require sovereign guarantees. And they should use partnerships and instruments to take on risk that will unleash the trillions of dollars of private investment we need. Let’s show developing countries that they can rely on their partners.

Fourth, loss and damage has languished on the side-lines for too long. It is eroding the trust we need to tackle the climate emergency together. I have seen first hand the impact of sea level rise, crippling drought and devastating floods. Loss and damage are happening now. We need a concrete global response that addresses the needs of the world’s most vulnerable people, communities and nations. The first step is to create a space within the multilateral climate process to address this issue including on finance for loss and damage.

This has to be the decade of decisive climate action. That means trust, multilateralism and collaboration. We have a choice. Collective action or collective suicide. It is in our hands. Thank you.

Source: United Nations