Weekending Sunday, 4 November 2007

AID TO INTERNALLY DISPLACED MUST ADDRESS PEACEBUILDING AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

29 OCTOBER 2007 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are an important and often neglected component of peacebuilding, according to a new study by the Brookings Institution and the University of Bern. “Conflicts can relapse if some of the particular concerns of IDPs aren’t addressed,” said Elizabeth Ferris, co-director of the Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement. Around the world, 25 million people are considered internally displaced, forced to leave their homes because of conflict, persecution or natural disasters. Because they do not cross national borders, IDPs are not considered refugees and receive far less international attention and support than those who are. Even after peace is achieved, IDPs often “fall into vacuums of responsibility,” observed Francis Deng, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General for the Prevention of Genocide and Mass Atrocities. Displaced populations must be integrated into peace processes, participating in official peace accords when possible, and taking part in peace initiatives at local levels. At a briefing on the report at UN Headquarters on Monday, Lazarous Kapambwe, Zambia’s Ambassador to the UN, noted that what international aid IDPs do receive is often inefficient or misplaced. “We should not have a ‘one size fits all’ strategy,” he said, highlighting the plight of those in IDP camps in Darfur, who receive food from international aid organizations but not the means to cook it. “If we bring dry beans into a refugee camp which is in the desert, we are expecting the women to move tens of kilometers to go and look for firewood to transform that food into edible products,” Kapambwe said. “We are providing an opportunity for those women to be raped by the Janjaweed.” Deng agreed that environmental degradation is a serious problem facing displaced populations. “One of the immediate impacts of IDP camps, especially large camps, as we had in Rwanda and Burundi – they really devastate the immediate territory,” he told MediaGlobal. “On the whole, internal displacement does affect the environment significantly.”

AFRICAN FARMERS NEED ACCESS TO FERTILIZERS AND OTHER AGRICULTURAL INPUTS

30 OCTOBER 2007 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: Farmers in much of sub-Saharan Africa produce far less than their counterparts in other regions of the developing world. In 2006, Africa claimed 16 of the planet’s 18 hungriest countries. This is partly due to a lack of fertilizer and other agricultural inputs taken for granted by farmers in wealthier nations, experts say. “This is a major, major problem,” Jan Low, the International Potato Center’s Regional Leader for sub-Saharan Africa, told MediaGlobal. For potatoes, an important cash and food security crop in many regions, “the productivity you get if you have access to fertilizers is tremendous,” she said. Yet many smallholder farmers are trapped in cycles of poverty. Low yields decrease their incomes, making the fertilizers that would boost production impossible to buy. Among countries in the region “there is an initiative to organize as a group and start making bigger orders” of fertilizer, Low said, adding that “with the emphasis on biofuels the demand for fertilizer worldwide has skyrocketed and has driven the prices up.” Under-fertilized crops strip nutrients from the soil, forcing farmers to clear new land. “If you increase productivity of one hectare of land, you need less land, or in the future you’ll go less into what’s remaining of virgin land,” Nicolaus Cromme of the Common Fund for Commodities told MediaGlobal. “I’m happy, and I think all of us in agriculture are happy that people are finally beginning to realize that you can’t feed Africa without improving the input sector,” Low said. “We’ve seen a lot of movement from a number of initiatives in that area.”

WOMEN FARMERS IN GAMBIA DEMAND REVIEW OF LAND LAWS

1 NOVEMBER 2007 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: The Country Director of Action Aid International called on the Gambian government to review the Land Act of 1955 with the aim of accommodating the needs of women farmers throughout the nation. Dr. Kujejatou Manneh-Jallow is advocating allocating more funds to the agricultural sector with a special budget for the support of women’s activities. “Our cereal banking schemes integrate the school feeding program in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and encourage the World Food Programme (WFP) to purchase food for schools and emergencies from the banks managed by communities,” she said. Fatou Jassey-Kuyateh, a deputy for the Vice President, noted she was deeply moved by these efforts. “The theme for this campaign, ‘land right for women’, is very apt and timely. The FAO estimates that globally women grow 80 percent of the food we eat, yet only 10 percent of them own land. In the Gambia, women constitute over 65 percent of the people engaged in farming and of course, 50 percent of our population. Therefore, any support designed towards the development of this section of our society is indeed in the right direction,” Jassey-Kuyateh said. She added that the Gambian government welcomes the idea and will work to create an environment in which this and similar initiatives will be promoted. “This will significantly contribute to the achievement of our development objectives and the overall advancement of women in this country,” she said.

ASIAN COUNTRIES’ PREFERENCE FOR BOYS OVER GIRLS WILL HAVE SEVERE SOCIAL CONSEQUENCES

1 NOVEMBER 2007 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: Asian countries’ preference for boys over girls is likely to have severe social consequences in coming years, warns a series of studies issued by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). “The imbalanced SRB [sex ratios at birth] phenomenon has increased over the past 15-20 years, and its impact will become much more noticeable around 10 years from now when the male/female gap becomes more significant among people of marriage age,” William Ryan of UNFPA told MediaGlobal. “Even then the impact will not be isolated – it will compound existing social problems such as trafficking and violence against women. These problems, and pressures that limit women’s autonomy, will impact negatively on development, as do any constraints on women’s equal participation.” India and China have the most dramatic imbalance between the births of boys and girls due to prenatal son selection. Both countries are currently stepping up efforts to address this issue, but authors of the report say more concerted measures to promote gender equality are urgently needed. The report also notes that Vietnam and Nepal are poised to encounter the same scenario unless action is taken soon. “South Korea has seen a significant reduction of its SRB, which was among the world’s highest 10 to 15 years ago,” Ryan explained. “Data on other countries is limited. There are indications that SRB is also high in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. UNFPA intends to investigate the extent of son selection in other Asian countries where there are indications that it could be on the rise,” he added.

ILO ROAD PROJECT IN LIBERIA SET TO EXPAND BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

2 NOVEMBER 2007 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: The International Labor Organization (ILO) began constructing a road project in Liberia in partnership with the Liberian government, with funding from the government of the Netherlands. There are three roads being constructed under the plan, the first of which is an 11-kilometer road linking four different counties. It is set to be completed by March 2008. The construction of the road not only employs workers from the local community, but it also promises to bring significant business opportunities to the area through increased trade. Providing jobs for a total of 150 laborers, the project is also ensuring that their employment is sustainable. “We are not only providing short-term employment for them, but they have been trained as maintenance crew to replace the expatriates when the project is completed,” said ILO senior technical advisor Kwaku Osei-Bonsu. Aside from building the roads, the stated goal of the project is to “create stability by providing livelihood through the use of local resources in road rehabilitation and maintenance.”

WORLD BANK APPROVES US$20 MILLION FOR MALAWI DEVELOPMENT

2 NOVEMBER 2007 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: The World Bank recently announced its approval of the First Poverty Reduction Support Credit (PRSC-1) to Malawi for $20 million. Provided through the International Development Association (IDA), the grant is the first of three annual PRSCs for Malawi. According to the World Bank, the aim of the grant is to support the government in instituting the requisite institutional and policy related reforms to implement the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS). Its plan is to “improve the functioning of agricultural markets, create a conducive environment for the private sector, and improve payroll management and external financial accountability of the government.” Also central to the grant is the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). “The PRSC series is a central pillar of the Bank’s efforts to support implementation of the MGDS,” said Malawi Country Manager Timothy Gilbo. “This is a [crucial] step towards the goals outlined in the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness,” he added. Although this is the first PRSC grant given to Malawi by the World Bank, Malawi has made noteworthy progress in many areas of poverty reduction, showing sustained economic growth in the past few years.

CHINA AND AFRICA STEP UP DEVELOPMENT DIPLOMACY TOWARD SOUTH-SOUTH COOPERATION

4 NOVEMBER 2007 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan and envoys of African countries got together in Beijing on Sunday to celebrate the first anniversary of the Beijing Summit of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum. Addressing a grand reception, Tang said the Beijing Summit has drawn up the blueprint for China-Africa cooperation and opened a new chapter in the friendly relations of the two sides. Over the past year, various follow-up programs have been carried out, Tang said, adding that political trust has been strengthened and substantial cooperation expanded. Advancing solidarity and cooperation with Africa is a long-term strategic plan for China and development diplomacy has guided China’s African policy. China will continue to join hands with African countries to carry on the spirit of the Beijing Summit, deepen traditional friendship, promote common development and advance the new type of China-Africa strategic partnership, he said, according to a report issued by the Xinhua agency. Cameroonian Ambassador to China Eleih-Elle Etian, also dean of the African Diplomatic Corps in China, regarded the Beijing Summit as an innovative and historic conference, laying a new foundation for China’s cooperation with African countries. According to statistics, trade volume between China and Africa reached $55.5 billion in 2006, up nearly 40 percent year-on-year. China is Africa’s third largest trade partner, while Africa is an important destination for overseas investment made by Chinese enterprises.