Date: 18 February, 2003
By: UN News Service
======================================================
[Q U O T E OF THE A R T I C L E]
======================================================
"With a grip on rinderpest, Pakistan will now be able to export more
livestock, contributing to increased income and food security in rural areas
and helping to reduce poverty in a country that earns about 12 per cent of
its foreign exchange from livestock trade."__________________
Pakistan has declared itself "provisionally free" from the deadly cattle
plague rinderpest, the United Nations announced today in Rome.
"Even three years ago freeing Pakistan from rinderpest was a dream," said
Peter Roeder, Secretary of the Global Rinderpest Eradication Programme
(GREP), led by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization
(<"http://www.fao.org/">FAO).
For a country to declare itself provisionally free from rinderpest, a highly
infectious viral disease that can destroy entire populations of cattle and
buffalo, it must prove that there has been no outbreak for at least two
years. It must also have stopped vaccination and have a surveillance system
in place, according to the rules overseen by the Office International des
Epizooties in Paris.
The last cases of rinderpest in Pakistan were detected in October 2000 in a
buffalo farm near Karachi, FAO said. Recent massive movements of buffaloes
and some cattle from Pakistan to Afghanistan and Iran have not been
accompanied by rinderpest, supporting the declaration that the country is
provisionally free from the plague.
"With Pakistan's success, there is growing confidence that the whole of Asia
is now free from rinderpest for the first time in millennia," said Mr.
Roeder. He cautioned, however, that "Pakistan still has much to do to
achieve the final status of freedom from rinderpest infection."
With a grip on rinderpest, Pakistan will now be able to export more
livestock, contributing to increased income and food security in rural areas
and helping to reduce poverty in a country that earns about 12 per cent of
its foreign exchange from livestock trade.
In the mid-1990s, a rinderpest outbreak swept through the northern areas of
Pakistan, killing tens of thousands of cattle, buffalo and yak. This
initiated Pakistan's eradication programme, which started in 1995 with
assistance from FAO.
2003-02-18 00:00:00.000
________________
For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news
*************************************************************
2) LAWMAKERS FROM BENIN & NIGER DISCUSS CHALLENGES
From: UNDP Newsfront
Date: 24 February, 2003
By: UNDP Newsfront Staff
=======================================================
[Q U O T E OF THE A R T I C L E]
=======================================================
"The two delegations welcomed the opportunity to discuss common concerns and
expressed hope that they could meet on a regular basis. They urged UNDP to
continue its support for democratic governance in Africa, including ways to
improve communications tools"
____________________
Monday, 24 February 2003: Parliamentarians from Benin and neighbouring Niger
met recently in Cotonou, capital of Benin, to exchange experiences and
discuss ways to make their institutions more effective. The event was
organized by UNDP to help strengthen African parliaments and support
democratic governance.
Members of Benin's National Assembly have been pursuing ways to improve
budget oversight and analysis of public finances, an area that the National
Assembly of Niger is also looking to strengthen. UNDP is supporting a
project to help lawmakers in Niger bolster this aspect of their work.
Assembly members from Niger are undertaking grassroots consultations about
decentralization laws that have posed difficulties. They are seeking ways to
improve communication with citizens to explain the workings of the Assembly
and encourage discussion on key national issues.
"The meeting enabled members of both National Assemblies to exchange ideas
and offers the potential for greater regional cooperation," said Mikiko
Sasaki, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Benin.
The event was held in the same spirit of cooperation that marked the forum
of African parliamentarians that endorsed the New Partnership for Africa's
Development (NEPAD) in Cotonou in October, said Ms. Sasaki. NEPAD promotes
democratic governance, respect for human rights, an economic and legal
framework to encourage private sector investment, and access to
international markets for African products.
The two delegations welcomed the opportunity to discuss common concerns and
expressed hope that they could meet on a regular basis. They urged UNDP to
continue its support for democratic governance in Africa, including ways to
improve communications tools.
The parliamentarians also expressed interest in ways to improve contact with
constituents to better represent their interests and promote better
understanding of political, economic and local issues.
________________
For further information please contact Selomey Yamadjako, UNDP Benin, or
Nicholas Gouede, UNDP Communications Office.
**************************************************************
3.) THIRD WORLD NETWORK's HORMEKU SAYS REJECT WTO PROPOSALS
From:
http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=33157
(Passed to ICDA by Mr.Sam Bensah, ACP Secretariat, Brussels)
Date: 22 February, 2003
By: Ghana News Agency (GNA)
=======================================================
[Q U O T E OF THE A R T I C L E]
=======================================================
"At the Cancun Meeting, the final decision would be taken on whether to
include a competition policy in the WTO, he said adding that, since the Doha
meeting, the developed countries had deliberately undermined efforts to
address issues of interest to Africa."
________________
Dr. Tetteh Hormeku, Head of Programmes of the Third World Network
(TWN-Africa), on Thursday called on the government to reject proposals for
new rules to be adopted by the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
He said the proposals for the new agreements in the areas of investment,
competition and government procurement, should not be adopted since they
would undermine the development efforts of the country.
Negotiations in the WTO in reality are built around the adoption of a
particular version of policy and legislation to the benefit of the developed
countries, he said.
"Under each of these, the aim of the developed countries is to remove
policies in developing countries, which allow them to determine areas of
their economies foreign investors should operate in and how domestic
enterprises are to be encouraged vis-à-vis the foreign investor".
Dr. Hormeku was addressing the end of a week's public forum, discussions,
trainings and briefings on trade policy issues in Ghana organised by the
Network.
He said the government procurement legislation before Parliament when passed
would have serious repercussions on the economy.
"If we can get our Ministers to say no to these policies then we can make a
headway," he said adding that, "the steps we can take to diversify the
economy, they are the same steps the WTO is preventing us to take".
Dr. Hormeku noted that pressure for the adoption of the proposals was
becoming greater as the 5th Ministerial Conference in Cancun, Mexico in
September 2003 approached.
At the Cancun Meeting, the final decision would be taken on whether to
include a competition policy in the WTO, he said adding that, since the Doha
meeting, the developed countries had deliberately undermined efforts to
address issues of interest to Africa.
Dr. Hormeku said what the country needed were policies to support domestic
production and not an African Growth and Opportunity Act AGOA".
Many African countries have already been designated eligible for AGOA, he
noted and said African governments must not pursue the initiative since that
would mean accepting all the unfair measures in the WTO.
The WTO should address problems existing in the agreements, which are
harming African and other developing countries, Dr. Hormeku said.
Mr Gyekye Tanoh, a Social Activist, said moves for liberalisation in the
WTO, which had a negative impact on developing countries, should be stopped.
He called for equitable international trade rules, the implementation of the
Doha Mandate to address the public health problems and independence for
developing countries to pursue policies appropriate to their needs.
________________
All Rights Reserved, 1994-2003, © Copyright GhanaHomePage
***************************************************************
4.) INDIAN PREMIER SUGGESTS STEPS TO REVITALIZE NAM
From:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?artid=384
71869
Date: 24 February, 2003
By: Times of India Staff
=======================================================
[Q U O T E OF THE A R T I C L E]
=======================================================
"democratisation of international financial institutions, constructive
North-South engagement and South-South co-operation would be NAM's main
economic plank."
__________________
KUALA LUMPUR: India today proposed a five-point political and economic
strategy for revitalisation of Non-Aligned Movement by taking a "close hard"
look at global realities.
Addressing the NAM summit which began here today, Prime Minister Atal Bihari
Vajpayee said NAM should have a clear consensus on key issues of common
concern which unite rather than divide the 116-nation grouping.
Outlining the strategy, he said while multilateralism, combating global
terrorism and reform of the UN would be its political elements,
democratisation of international financial institutions, constructive
North-South engagement and South-South co-operation would be NAM's main
economic plank.
"The Movement," he said, "should concentrate on issues that unite, rather
than divide it. In a Movement of 116 members, it is inevitable there are
some differences or even disputes but we would be losing time, energy and
focus if we involved ourselves in these issues."
On Iraq, which is the focus of the summit, the Prime Minister said India
wished for its peaceful resolution while supporting the multilateral route
of the UN to address this issue.
At the same time, he said weapons of mass destruction do need to be
eliminated and it is essential that Iraq complied fully with the obligations
it has accepted, including disarmament, and that it co-operated fully in
implementing Security Council Resolution 1441.
___________
(c) Times of India, 2003
****************************************************************
5.) VAJPAYEE CALLS FOR UNITY AT THE WTO
From:
http://www.bday.co.za/bday/content/direct/1,3523,1290936-6098-0,00.html
Date: 24 February, 2003
By: Business Day Staff
======================================================
[Q U O T E OF THE A R T I C L E]
=======================================================
"Per capita incomes were falling while unemployment surged in many
developing nations because "the systems and processes of the global economy,
dominated by developed countries, are not sensitive to the needs of the
developing countries", the Indian leader said. "
________________
KUALA LUMPUR Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee yesterday urged
members of the 114nation Non-Aligned Movement to band together within the
World Trade Organisation (WTO) to prevent rich countries from reaping all
the spoils of globalisation.
Vajpayee, sharing a podium with the leaders of Indonesia, SA and Thailand,
said the mostly developing nonaligned states contributed "barely 20%" of the
world's gross domestic product, despite being home to roughly 55% of the
global population.
"We cannot be blind to the fact that (globalisation) has not rewarded most
developing countries with growth and development," Vajpayee told a business
forum ahead of a two-day summit of the movement in Kuala Lumpur starting
today.
Per capita incomes were falling while unemployment surged in many developing
nations because "the systems and processes of the global economy, dominated
by developed countries, are not sensitive to the needs of the developing
countries", the Indian leader said.
Vajpayee said members of the movement should unite within the WTO to
guarantee their access to markets, combat trade pacts that undermine their
development and ensure that developed nations carry out their WTO
commitments.
"Our sheer numbers suggest that we can influence decisions at the WTO to
promote our collective interests," Vajpayee said.
Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri, who leads the world's most
populous Muslim nation, said that nonaligned countries seemed "politically
preoccupied with disarray and economically left far behind".
"The notion of co-operation appears to be a must," she said.
Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said that differences were
"inevitable" in a group as large as the movement, but that disputes would
not help their people.
"We must put aside disagreement, but push forward actions and cooperation
based on trust," Thaksin said, noting that Asian countries could boost
financial co-operation by establishing an Asian bond market.
Thailand has been actively campaigning for a fund to invest in bonds traded
in Asia, to increase capital flow in the region, stabilise Asian currencies
and reduce governments' reliance on global markets. Sapa-AFP
________________
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in any manner, the information provided through this service and does not
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