CAIRO – Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigration Abu Bakr Hafni Mahmoud asserted that Egypt continues cooperation with peoples of the African continent, taking into account new challenges facing African countries.
This came during his participation, on behalf of Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, in a ceremony, held by Kemet Boutros Ghali Foundation for Peace and Knowledge, to hand out its award to Mozambican activist, politician and human rights activist Graça Machel, wife of the late South African leader Nelson Mandela.
Machel delegated her daughter Josena Machel to receive the award on her behalf.
The Foreign Ministry, in a statement on Friday, said that the deputy foreign minister shed light on the humanitarian role played by Machel over many decades, and her support of issues related to the African continent and the world, topped by combating poverty and sparing children from the horrific repercussions of armed conflicts.
He also underlined her sustained effort to provide healthcare for women and children and defend women’s rights and empowerment.
Machel received regional and international appreciation for her long struggle for human values, a matter that “deservedly” qualified her to gain the respect of many international institutions and bodies, he further noted.
Machel is an international advocate for women’s and children’s rights. She is a member of the Africa Progress Panel (APP), a group of ten distinguished individuals who advocate at the highest levels for equitable and sustainable development in Africa.
As a panel member, she facilitates coalition building to leverage and broker knowledge, and convenes decision-makers to influence policy for lasting change in Africa.
