The 4th Africa Forum
In early November, African leaders met with representatives of various political, economic and social fields for the fourth Africa Forum in Abuja, Nigeria. The conference with the title “Barriers to partnership – and how to overcome them” was hosted by Nigerian President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Germany’s President Horst Köhler. In his opening speech, Köhler spoke of the impact the global financial crisis will have on developing nations and their future. He noted that, since the onset of the crisis, western countries adopted a more closed off, protectionist stance. Leading industrialised nations are experiencing serious economic and political vulnerability for the first time in many years. Köhler pointed out the effects the financial problems will spawn in Africa, if aid is cut back in a time in which conflicts on the African continent are once again escalating. On the other hand, Köhler said, crises are opportunities for change. Köhler emphasised the importance of trust between developing and industrialised countries. He urged governments of established and emerging donor nations to pay attention to these matters. Moreover, Germany’s head of state expressed his hope that the Doha Development Round of trade conclusions might yet be concluded this year. He called for a development-friendly, multilateral trade regime aimed at supporting least developed countries. Köhler, a former managing director of the International Monetary Fund, stressed that many poor countries depend on commodities and have a special need for investments in infrastructure and education. Köhler appealed to the governments of industrialised and developing countries alike to rise to their specific responsibilities for ensuring peace, reducing poverty and adapting to climate change. He stressed that the problems we are facing today are human-made and can thus also be solved by human beings. Köhler does not hold executive powers in Germany, his role is largely a ceremonial one. He launched the series of Africa Forums to boost German-African cooperation. Last year’s event was held in Germany, the one before in Ghana.
(so)

Suez Canal suffers from Somalian piracy
Major shipping companies are increasingly avoiding the risk of piracy ordering their vessels to sail around Africa rather than passing through the Suez Canal. The Danish company Moeller-Maersk, Europe’s largest shipowner, for instance, has diverted 83 tankers around the Cape of Good Hope. After Somalian pirates hijacked the Sirius Star, a Saudi supertanker, the industry is becoming more cautious. Less traffic in the Suez Canal, however, is troublesome for Egypt. Last year, the earnings from the canal were $ 5.2 billion. As D+C/ E+Z was going to press, NATO-leaders were assessing the situation, considering whether armed intervention could help to stem the risks of sailing Somalian shores. Russia offered to cooperate with NATO on the matter. Germany’s Federal Government expressed itself in favour of allowing military vessels more rights when controlling ships. According to an Egyptian official, African countries do not command the military force to stem piracy, though the EU, the USA and some Asian countries were considered strong enough. In late November, the pirates aboard the Sirian Star were demanding $ 25 million in ransom. The Saudi government, however, was opposed to ne­gotiations as paying hostage-takers might be an encouragement to take more hostages.
(dem)

German support for reforms in Guatemala
Judicial and police reform, budgetary matters and better schooling, in particular for indigenous, rural girls, are the focus issues of German-Guatemalan cooperation. That was agreed in talks held by Karin Kortmann, Germany’s parliamentary secretary for development in Guatemala City. Germany will double its support to this Central American country to € 58 million in the next three years. Kortmann emphasised the need for civil society and parliament to put checks on the administrative branch of government and warned that dispair and deprivation among indigenous people would undermine development.
(dem)

Global Health Watch 2 demands rethink of development paradigm
The People’s Health Movement, a global network of civil society groups and academics, has published its second alternative global health report. The „Global Health Watch 2“ (GHW2) assesses social and political dimensions of health and demands a new approach to making development policy. The present development paradigm, it is said, has failed and only exacerbated social disparities. The GHW2 analyses the effects of political decisions and actions of key-players such as the World Health Organisation (WHO), the World Bank or the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The report expresses special skepticism towards the Gates Foundation, which is one of the biggest donors for global health programmes. It is consequently one of the most influential players in shaping international health care policy, yet it does not underlie any democratic control. Moreover, the foundation is pushing for a high-tech approach to health care, neglecting societal causes of diseases and disabilities. The report does not only highlight the negative aspects of health care, however. Rather, it also discusses positive examples of how civil society can contribute to improving health conditions world wide.
(eli)

»» http://www.ghwatch.org/ghw2/ghw2_report.php

Burmese blogger to stay imprisoned for decades
The Burmese military-junta sentenced a prominent blogger to over 20 years in prison. The 28 year old Nay Myo Kyaw (aka Nay Phone Latt) regularly posted blogs on the hardships of living under an authoritarian regime and restrictions on the freedom of speech on his website. The young man ran several internet cafés in Rangun and is a member of the opposition party „National League for Democracy“ of Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been under house arrest for years. Reporters without Borders and the Burmese Media Association spoke of an unusually tough judgment. Both organisations appealed to bloggers all over the world to show solidarity by putting a photo of Kyaw on their websites and demanding his release.
(eli)

International reality of declining aid
In this year’s report on „The reality of development aid“, the German non-governmental organisations Welthungerhilfe (formerly known as German Agro-Action) and terre des hommes criticised the global cutback on official development assistance (ODA) from $104.4 billion in 2006 to $103.7 billion last year. This decline means that donors have once more moved further away from their goal of spending 0.7 % of their gross national income on development aid, the only exceptions being Norway, Sweden, Luxemburg, Denmark and the Netherlands. Peter Mucke, the managing director of terre des hommes, pointed out that ODA will probably decline even further as an effect of the global financial crisis. However, he added that poli­tical bail-out plans for the banking sector showed that „money can be mobilised quickly if there is a political will to do so“.
(so)

Restricted freedom The Nicaraguan government accuses non-governmental organisations of practicing money-laundry and being „imperialistically controlled“ from abroad. In response, the Germany-based NGOs terre des hommes and medico international appealed to Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega, challenging such accusations. The government specifically criticised women’s projects – and among them, a partner organisation of terre des hommes (Photo). Both terre des hommes and medico international have worked with local initiatives on the issues like education, health care and democracy for over 30 years. In the 1980s, they solidarised with Ortega’s governing Sandinista Party, which was being put under pressure by the “Contra” rebels who enjoyed support from the USA. Today, medico international states: “We urgently appeal to the government to stop the intimidation of Nicaraguan and international organisations and to instead opt for dialogue and cooperation.” Ortega was voted into power in 2007, but many of his former supporters disagree with his style of government. Donor governments accuse him of restricting the peoples’ freedoms. Independent observers agree, but stress that the same was true of Ortega’s predecessors. Ortega himself rates any criticism from abroad as foreign interference in domestic affairs. (so)

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