|
|
|
|
World News Briefly Noted November 29, 2006
South Africa... will seek to silence its critics and paper over internal
rifts with a major new strategy to combat AIDS. The HIV and AIDS
strategic plan for 2007-11 will be unveiled by Health Minister Manto
Tshabalala-Msimang and Vice-President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka on Friday in
a show of unity that belies deep divisions within government ranks. Nconde
Xundu, head of the health ministry's HIV/AIDS section said the plan to be
launched on World Aids Day would steer clear of setting specific goals on
supplying drugs for the 5.5 million South Africans affected by the disease
but would include a target "for a reduced number of inceptions." [Agence
France Presse/Factiva]
Uruguay filed Tuesday a complaint against Argentina at the International
Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, the Fundacion Centro de
Derechos Humanos y Ambiente said Thursday. The environmental and human
rights group said in a statement that the complaint is about the
roadblocks Argentine activists staged against a controversial pulp mill
project on the Uruguayan side of the border with Argentina. The project
last week won a $1.2 billion funding by the World Bank's International
Finance Corporation and its Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency. [Dow
Jones/Factiva]
The European Commission decided on Wednesday to recommend a partial
suspension of Turkey's negotiations to join the EU after it failed to open
its ports to EU member Cyprus, EU sources said. The recommendation was
brought forward by one week from December 6 in an effort to avoid leaks
after talks brokered by the EU's Finnish presidency on the Cyprus trade
issue failed on Monday. [Reuters/Factiva]
Ulrich Zachau, a World Bank veteran from Germany, has been appointed the
World Bank's Turkey director. According to World Bank President Paul
Wolfowitz, Turkey has two priorities, education and providing
opportunities for the private sector to develop. [Turkish Daily News and
The New Anatolian (Turkey)/Factiva]
The number of recorded HIV/AIDS infections in Shanghai has jumped by well
over 70 percent this year compared with 2005, a sharper rise than the rest
of China, state media said Wednesday. In the first 11 months of this year,
the city recorded 621 new cases of HIV/AIDS infections, 74 percent higher
than the full year total of 356 new cases during 2005. [Xinhua (China) and
Agence France Presse]
Governments and international agencies are failing to meet their goals of
providing treatment for AIDS and HIV in the developing world, a group of
leading advocates for AIDS patients, the International Treatment
Preparedness Coalition says in a new report. The United Nations and the
Group of 8 industrialized nations have set universal access to AIDS
medicines as a goal for 2010, planning to have 9.8 million people in
treatment by that time. But given current trends, the world will fall five
million short of that goal, the coalition said. The shortfall is
particularly glaring when it comes to women and children, the researchers
found. [The New York Times/Factiva]
The UN General Assembly's human rights committee voted Tuesday to delay
action on a declaration to protect the rights of native peoples, dealing a
blow to indigenous rights advocates who have been campaigning for a UN
resolution for many years. The new UN Human Rights Council, based in
Geneva, approved the declaration on June 29 and recommended that the
192-member General Assembly adopt it. But the draft failed to pass its
first hurdle in the assembly's human rights committee. [The Associated
Press/Factiva]
Wealthy Islamic nations have agreed to pool their alms into a global fund
to be used to help pull Muslim countries out of poverty, Malaysia's leader
said Tuesday. Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who chairs the
57-member Organization of Islamic Conference, said an agreement was
reached in principle, and a panel of experts will soon flesh out details
of a proposed international zakat (the Islamic concept of tithing and
alms) organization. He told The Associated Press the proposed zakat
organization for international development was an initiative led by
Malaysia, together with the Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and
the Islamic Development Bank. The proposal is still in its infancy, but
steps are being taken to get support of all OIC nations, he said. [The
Associated Press/Factiva]
Norway, the world's biggest aid giver per capita, on Tuesday pressured the
World Bank and the International Monetary Fund to stop linking credits to
liberal economic policy and privatization. Norway's International
Development Minister, Erik Solheim said recipient countries must have the
right to pursue their own economic policies and not be forced into liberal
agendas and privatization to gain access to foreign aid. Speaking at a
seminar on the terms of foreign aid, he said the notion of privatization
and what should be in state hands and privately owned varied across the
developed world and that sometimes poor countries give private individuals
rights to public goods by selling state assets. Aid agency Oxfam, which
helped organize the seminar, said economic policies pursued by the IMF and
the World Bank often undermine national policy-making, delay aid flows and
fail to deliver benefits to poor people. James Adams, deputy head of the
World Bank, said the Washington-based lender was becoming more flexible
and has learned from experience that governments must take responsibility
for policies to make them work. [Reuters/Factiva]
In a letter published in The Financial Times, European Commissioner for
Trade, Peter Mandelson and European Commissioner for Development and
Humanitarian Aid, Louis Michel write that the FT’s report that the EU
wishes to detach aid from trade is precisely the opposite of their policy
and actions (‘Brussels rejects moves to link trade with aid,’ November
28). They write: “The economic partnership agreements that we are
negotiating with African, Caribbean and Pacific countries are about using
trade to support development and they are backed up by a very substantial
development assistance package. The EU has already agreed to put a steeply
increased amount of EPA-related assistance on the table under the next
European Development Fund (EUR 22 billion for a period of six years). …
The EU has always said that the negotiations on EPAs would move hand in
hand with agreements on funding. This balance is crucial and it is why we
have resisted a process that makes one aspect dependent on the other. …”
[The Financial Times (UK)]
British Finance Minister Gordon Brown and US Treasury Secretary Henry
Paulson believe that a deal is "within reach" to tear down global trade
barriers, Paulson told business leaders in London on Tuesday. The powerful
finance chiefs, speaking at the Confederation of British Industry's annual
conference, had already issued a plea on Monday to breathe new life into
the collapsed Doha round of trade talks. [Agence France Presse/Factiva]
Vietnam's national assembly on Tuesday ratified the country's admission to
the World Trade Organization, a key step in bringing one of the world's
last communist states into the global economy. The WTO on November 7 gave
Vietnam the green light to become its 150th member, a step that will be
formalized 30 days after Hanoi informs the Geneva-based group of the
widely expected legislative approval. [Agence France Presse/Factiva]
|
World News - Briefly Noted November 28, 2006
Sub-Saharan Africa counted 38 million unschooled children in 2004,
according to an education report presented Monday in Dakar by the United
Nations Cultural, Scientific And Educational Agency (UNESCO). "Sub-Saharan
Africa remains home to half of the world's out-of-school children,
although their number fell from 43 million to 38 million over 1999-2004,"
said the report, indicating more than half of them are girls. Michelle
Neuman, UNESCO adviser on early childhood care and education, also told
delegates at the presentation of the African regional report that "80
percent of unschooled children live in rural areas". One critical problem,
she said, was the shortage of good teachers. [Agence France
Presse/Factiva]
Angola needs to explore in a diversified way its mineral resources, to
attract more investment and increase its sources of income, suggested
Wednesday in Luanda, a World Bank senior official, Gotthard Walser while
delivering a lecture on "Mining policies- World Bank Perspectives," in the
ambit of the international seminar on Other Countries Mining Sectors
Legislative Experience. According to Gotthard Walser, currently there are
many business groups from Europe, America and Africa interested in
investing strongly in other minerals and not only on traditional products
such as diamonds and oil. Africa, and Angola in particular, might attract
more investors if they explore in a more diversified way the mineral
resources, for being a region with a large potential in the mining sector.
[Angola Press Agency/Factiva]
Inflation remains a potential problem for the global economy, the
International Monetary Fund's Chief Economist, Raghuram Rajan said on
Monday at a World Bank conference in Mexico City. "The fact that labor
markets around the world are pretty tight, especially in the
industrialized countries, and the fact that growth is probably not going
to slow down that much, suggests that inflation may remain on the horizon
for central bankers," Rajan said. The general IMF forecast remained for a
strong world economy, supported by an extremely benign financial
environment and lower oil prices, Rajan said. However, the IMF was
concerned with low levels of investment in emerging market countries, with
the exception of China, Rajan said. [Reuters/Factiva]
The World Bank will send an appraisal mission to Baku in December to take
care of the water supply development project, Azer-press learned from
governmental sources. The team will carry out the final evaluation of the
project and estimate the total costs; the loan to provide will be
calculated based on their findings. The World Bank Board of Directors is
expected to approve the project the total costs of which are estimated at
$700 million in early 2007. [Azer-Press (Azerbaijan)/Factiva]
Conflict in Lebanon this summer cost the country's agriculture, fisheries
and forestry industry around $280 million and left many farmers heavily
indebted, according to a UN damage assessment report issued on Monday. The
conflict between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas hit agriculture
directly, with crops, livestock and equipment damaged by the bombing, the
United Nations Rome-based Food and Agriculture Organisation said.
[Reuters/Factiva]
The World Bank will loan Romania $180 million for road and railways
improvements, according to an agreement signed Monday. The funds will help
fulfill "an urgent need to speed up the improvement of infrastructure to
raise productivity and sustain growth," the Bank said in a statement. The
project's objective is to reduce transport costs through the improvement
of national roads and railways networks during the first years of European
Union accession, with Romania lagging behind EU states in the transport
area. [The Associated Press/Factiva]
Turkey's EU membership ambitions were thrown into doubt on Monday after
the failure of last-ditch negotiations aimed at resolving a dispute
between Ankara and Cyprus. Finland, which holds the rotating EU
presidency, said its talks with Turkey and Cyprus over an EU customs
accord had collapsed and that the European Commission would now consider
whether to recommend partial suspension of Ankara's membership talks until
further notice. [Agence France Presse/Factiva]
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development on Monday
slammed the Russian government for its expansion into key economic sectors
and raised concern about the “seemingly insatiable appetite” of Gazprom,
its state-run energy giant. In a critical report on the Russian economy,
the OECD also said that the Kremlin’s expansion into key economic areas
was a “disturbing trend” that “bodes ill” for the country’s growth.
Instead of concentrating on market reforms, the government had been
increasingly focused on tightening the state’s grip on what it deemed to
be strategic sectors, which include aviation, media and finance, as well
as energy. [The Financial Times (UK)]
Despite public rhetoric that new trade agreements with some of the world's
poorest countries are a development tool, in private the EU is insisting
on excluding aid from the negotiations. Internal documents seen by The
Financial Times confirm that the European Commission has rejected attempts
to link the two in the so-called economic partnership agreements with
70-plus mostly former colonies. A leaked letter from Stefano Manservisi,
head of the development directorate, and Karl Falkenburg, deputy head of
trade, to Fijian trade minister Kaliopate Tavole reveals Brussels' tough
negotiating stance. They call for aid and EPAs to be "mutually
reinforcing" but kept separate. [The Financial Times (UK)]
Governments and humanitarian aid agencies would save billions of dollars
currently earmarked for disaster relief, to say nothing of human lives, if
they tilted budgets towards crisis preparedness, said Johan Schaar, the
Red Cross special representative for tsunami operations, during a visit to
Indonesia. For every dollar spent on risk reduction, about $10 would be
saved in relief and reconstruction costs, according to the International
Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent. The Red Cross estimates that
4 percent of the $10 billion a year spent on humanitarian aid goes on
disaster preparedness. It is recommending that this figure should more
than double to 10 percent. [The Financial Times (UK)]
South Korea plans to kill cats and dogs to try to prevent the spread of
bird flu after an outbreak of the deadly H5N1 virus at a chicken farm last
week, officials said. Animal-health experts, however, questioned the
policy when there was no definitive scientific evidence to suggest that
cats or dogs could pass the virus to humans. Quarantine officials have
killed 125,000 chickens within a 500-meter radius of the outbreak site in
Iksan, about 250 kilometers south of Seoul, the Agriculture Ministry said
Monday. Officials began slaughtering poultry on Sunday, a day after they
confirmed that the outbreak was caused by the H5N1 strain. [The Wall
Street Journal Asia/Factiva]
|
| INDIA CAN USE DIVERSITY, DEMOCRACY TO MITIGATE RISKS TO GROWTH
World Economic Forum’s India Economic Summit Opens Today in New Delhi
New Delhi , India - A range of imposing hurdles lie along India's path to development, including the need to transform its swelling population of young people into a skilled pool of labour and to prevent the scourge of AIDS from sapping their productivity. Increasingly, scarce water is perhaps India's most serious challenge of all. Yet, the very diversity of the Indian nation and the vigour of its democracy are potential wellsprings of the innovation needed to mitigate these risks and turn India into a world leader in solving such problems.
"Every risk is an opportunity for innovation and change," said Palaniappan Chidambaram, Minister of Finance of India, addressing the opening plenary of the World Economic Forum's 22nd India Economic Summit. "Risk gives the impetus to bring about technological change. Therefore, I would regard these risks not merely as risks but as opportunities to move ahead at a swifter pace."
The India Economic Summit is being held in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) from 26 to 28 November and brings together more than 600 business, political and civil society leaders from over 30 countries. The theme of this year's summit is "Meeting New Expectations," reflecting the increased emphasis on the role of state governments and public-private partnerships in fulfilling India's future growth objectives.
"Water poses the greatest challenge to India," Chidambaram told participants and fellow panellists. "We waste an enormous amount of water. That has to stop." While funds are being given to India's cities to help address their water problems, he doubted whether the government had a good national policy on water. While Chidambaram called for greater investment in desalination plants to address shortages in coastal areas, other panellists called for policies to improve the nation's aquifers, modernize irrigation and discourage the growth of water-intensive crops in dry areas. Others suggested that new mechanisms need to be devised to make sure that water consumers bear the true cost of this vital resource. "India has earned the right to dream big in this arena," said Ralph R. Peterson, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, CH2M HILL Companies, USA.
Energy, oil in particular, is another area in which India is particularly vulnerable, the panellists said. India is at least lucky, said Mohamed A. Alabbar, Chairman, Emaar Properties, United Arab Emirates, in that it lies within a pipeline of the world's most energy-rich region, the Middle East. But given the rising cost of energy imports, India cannot hesitate to pursue alternative forms of energy, the panellists said, and to reduce energy waste. "Our intensity of energy usage has to come down," said R. Seshasayee, Managing Director, Ashok Leyland, India and President, Confederation of Indian Industry.
But panellists also blamed speculation in oil for higher volatility in prices that discourage investment in alternative energy supplies. Chidambaram said high oil prices and high volatility are robbing India of at least 1% of economic growth a year. "The world must come to terms with this fact: that oil-producing countries are exploiting the requirements of oil-consuming countries," he said, suggesting that the two sides work together to keep oil prices within a range of US$ 40 a barrel.
What India cannot accept, Chidambaram said, are demands of the West to curb its energy use in order to reduce global environmental damage, implying that it is hypocritical for developed countries to make such demands of developing nations. Instead, he said, Western nations should make sure that India and other developing countries have access to cleaner energy, environmentally friendly technologies and funding. Still, panellists said the problem of how to ensure that India's growth does not come at the expense of the environment would require tackling the social dimension of growth. Nandan M. Nilekani, President, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Infosys Technologies, India, stressed the need to shape India's urbanization in a more environmentally friendly way, while Seshasayee noted that protecting the environment would mean reducing the burden placed on it by the rural poor. "Poverty and environmental degradation are very closely linked," he said.
Improving education remains a priority for India, however, as a way of ensuring that its growing population of young people become a demographic dividend and not a demographic liability. Seshasayee emphasized the need to reduce attrition in India's primary and secondary schools, while Nilekani recommended improving the quality of education in India's universities.
Fortunately for India, there is a growing willingness to address and discuss the country's problems with HIV and AIDS infection. The government has publicly broached the topic, admitting that India has an HIV problem. But arresting the pandemic will require overcoming traditional taboos. "We have to be more open about sex," said Chidambaram.
India's growing income disparity is another long-term problem, but panellists were confident it would not translate into social unrest among its growing young population, saying the nation's often parlous democracy provided a palliative. "If you don't have democracy, there is a grave danger of social unrest," said Chidambaram. "But our democracy is a great pressure valve."
Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman, World Economic Forum, concluded the opening plenary, saying , "In today's complex world with enormous challenges and tremendous risks, you survive best by being in the driver's seat and not being driven. Our discussions at the India Economic Summit have shown us that India is definitely becoming more and more a master of its own destiny and a driver of global geoeconomic and geopolitical agendas."
Co-chairs of the India Economic Summit are Mohamed A. Alabbar, Chairman, Emaar Properties, United Arab Emirates; Mukesh D. Ambani, Chairman, Managing Director, Reliance Industries, India; Peter Bakker, Chief Executive Officer, TNT, Netherlands; Graham Mackay, Chief Executive, SABMiller, United Kingdom; Nandan M. Nilekani, President, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Infosys Technologies, India; and Michael Rake, International Chairman, KPMG, United Kingdom.
|
World News - Briefly Noted November 24, 2006
Africa must overcome its lack of infrastructure, expand farming and brighten its investment climate in order to tackle poverty and realize its growth potential, Cameroon's Prime Minister, Ephraim Inoni said at a meeting of African economy and finance ministers on Thursday. He also stressed the need to improve Africa's business and regulatory climate to draw more foreign investment, adding Africa must seize the opportunity to unleash its huge economic potential, echoing recent calls made by senior International Monetary Fund officials. [Reuters/Factiva]
Ecuadorian presidential candidate Rafael Correa said on Thursday that if elected he plans to minimize financial ties with the International Monetary Fund and World Bank and would seek an extension of maturities in order to repay them. [Reuters/Factiva]
Talks between Brazilian state-controlled energy company Petrobras and its Bolivian counterpart YPFB over the price Brazil pays for Bolivian natural gas concluded on Thursday without a deal. In a statement, YPFB said the companies will meet again between Dec. 4 and Dec. 8. Officials from YPFB and Petrobras have been negotiating since early June, when the Bolivian government announced it wanted to increase the price energy-hungry Brazil pays for Bolivian natural gas by as much as 75 percent. [Reuters/Factiva]
The World Bank will give $26.9 million to Central Asian countries to implement Central Asian AIDS project till 2010. The initiative was presented in Washington, DC at the HIV/AIDS meeting for Caribbean countries, Vice Prime Minister of Kyrgyz Republic Tynychbek Tabyldiev said during a press conference. The regional meeting of Central Asian countries will be held in December of 2006 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, in order to discuss HIV/AIDS project implementation-related issues. [Kyrgyz National News Agency "Kabar" (Kyrgyzstan)/Factiva]
EU leaders met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday in an effort to improve cooperation and overcome strains over energy and trade. The EU executive commission had hoped to begin talks for a new partnership with Russia to replace a 1997 deal. But a veto by Poland -- upset over a Russian import ban on Polish meat and plant products -- means those negotiations must wait. [The Associated Press/Factiva]
The German government, which has put the issue of trade in natural resources at the top of the agenda of its G8 presidency, wants to convince transition countries to join an international monitoring system. Germany wants to further develop a framework that was pioneered a few years ago by the UK and Norway - the EITI. The German development ministry is confident that China and other BRIC countries will join the initiative. Still, the Germans want more: The EITI standards are to be extended to other sectors, including lumber, fishing, and mining. [Süddeutsche Zeitung (Germany)/Factiva]
The Korea Institute for International Economic Policy predicted Friday that South Korea could create up to 300,000 new jobs in the short term if it signs a free trade agreement with the EU. A deal would also likely allow South Korea to expand its gross domestic product by 2.02 percent in the short term, Senior Researcher, Kim Heung-Jong said in the report at a public hearing to discuss a possible trade deal with the 25-nation bloc. [Agence France Presse/Factiva]
Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov on Thursday ordered his ministers to work out a joint position on Russia's energy strategy within a week, a day after the cabinet failed to agree on whether to raise domestic gas prices. He said the issue would be on the government's agenda next Thursday. [Reuters/Factiva]
International Monetary Fund Managing Director Rodrigo Rato said Thursday the world's financial sector needs to better appraise changes in the global economy by incorporating wider risk assessments. Low volatility in foreign-exchange markets, rapid economic growth worldwide, low and stable inflation and benign conditions in financial markets have resulted in limited risk assessments at a time of dramatic transformation in global financial markets, Rato said at a ceremony in which Madrid's College of Economists. [Dow Jones/Factiva]
The European Central Bank should keep raising interest rates as the economy of the dozen Euro nations sustains its expansion, the International Monetary Fund said in a confidential report to European finance ministers. In the report, IMF officials predict that inflation in the Euro area will remain above the 2 percent ECB ceiling next year and economic growth will only moderate from the 2.5 percent pace of this year, the best in six years. Actual growth in 2007 is more likely to exceed the projection than fall short, the report said. [The International Herald Tribune and Bloomberg/Factiva]
|
| EU MEMBERSHIP WILL CONNECT CIVILIZATIONS, SAYS TURKISH PM
World Economic Forum in Turkey opens with debate on Turkey’s future in Europe
Istanbul, Turkey, – Turkey’s joining the European Union will be an important contribution to global peace and prosperity, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a keynote address to participants in the opening session of the World Economic Forum in Turkey November 23 2006. “Turkey’s membership in the EU will be an important example of how an alliance of civilizations can be achieved,” he declared. But there are those who do not see the benefits, he acknowledged. Nevertheless, the prime minister stressed that, “We should work together so we can achieve world peace and push out global terror and the clash of civilizations.”
More than 400 business, government, media, academic and civil society leaders are participating in the two-day meeting under the theme “Connecting Regions – Creating New Opportunities”. This is the second World Economic Forum meeting to be held in Turkey since 1998. Said Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum: “We are here at a moment when the region is more and more characterized by instability but Turkey is characterized more and more by stability.”
Prime Minister Erdogan also stressed that Turkey is pushing ahead with deep economic, political and social reforms, which are essential if the country is to qualify for EU membership. The impact of these structural reforms has already been felt, he said. “It is a silent revolution.” His government would continue the responsible management of the economy that resulted in 7.6% growth last year and brought inflation and public spending under control. “We have not compromised on our fiscal discipline and will not in the future,” Erdogan promised.
As a result, “Turkey is going through an incredible economic, political and social transformation,” said Ali Babacan, Minister of the Economy of Turkey, and Chief Negotiator for the European Union. “What is most important is that Turkey has been the owner of this transformation. Ownership has been the key to success.” Through its reforms, Turkey is sending a strong signal that democracy, secularism, Islam and economic growth can co-exist, Babacan reckoned.
Negotiations between Turkey and the EU began last year. During the session, panellists discussed the status of the talks. The situation is “very positive”, said Joaquín Almunia, Commissioner, Economic and Monetary Affairs, European Commission, Brussels. But “some reforms have not advanced as quickly as we hoped.” The main problem is the Cyprus question, Almunia added. “If the questions linked to Cyprus are not solved, this will affect the overall negotiations.” Turkey has undergone “drastic” economic reforms as part of its commitment to EU membership, said Ferit F. Sahenk, Chairman, Dogus Holding, Turkey. “We have done our bit.” Turkey has ambitions to be a regional economic power, he continued. “We are becoming a bridge between East and West and between North and South as well. The EU and Turkey will be a great partnership but we have to understand each other a little more.”
Relations between the EU and Turkey have come under strain since the accession talks began. Hanzade Dogan, Chief Executive Officer, Dogan Newspaper Publishing, Dogan Media Group (DYH), Turkey, pointed out that five years ago, the support for EU membership among Turkish people was around 70%. One recent survey indicated that public support had dropped to only 30%. A major reason for the collapse is the Cyprus issue, Dogan said. After accepting the UN plan to resolve the problem, Turkish people were dismayed that Greek Cypriots rejected it in a referendum and Cyprus joined the EU. “We cannot just say it is an illusion of double standards,” Dogan said. “This has caused the Turkish public to lose faith.” To galvanize the negotiations, Europe must present a more appealing vision. “It is now for the EU to sell the idea of a strong, globalized Europe not just to the Turkish people but to the people in Paris.” Rather than focus on small agendas, Europe must look at the big, long-term picture, Dogan concluded.
Despite the roadblocks, Babacan said that Turkey would not walk away from its negotiations with the EU. “We will always be there to talk.” From his perspective as leader of a country that recently joined the EU, Valdas Adamkus, President of Lithuania, said that the road to membership is painful. But he denied that double standards have been applied to Turkey. Such allegations are “nothing but false illusions”, he added. “The success of the negotiations will depend on the resolve and courage of people to make the necessary but not always popular decisions. There is a long way to go, but I have no doubt that one day the EU will welcome Turkey into the family.” The President concluded: “Europe needs Turkey and Turkey needs Europe.”
|
Haiti Qualifies For Debt Relief, Says World Bank
"The World Bank's International Development Association (IDA) and the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) have determined that Haiti qualifies for
debt relief under the enhanced Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC)
Initiative by reaching the decision point under the Initiative. Haiti
becomes the 30th country to reach its decision point under the Initiative.
Haiti will receive interim debt relief from certain creditors, but in
order to qualify for irrevocable debt relief at the completion point,
Haiti will be implementing a broad set of reforms. In particular, Haiti
has launched and is expected to implement an economic program supported by
the IMF's Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PGRF), prepare and
implement a Poverty Reduction Strategy for at least one year, and
implement key structural and social reforms, including in the areas of
economic governance and debt management. In addition to HIPC debt relief,
the Republic of Haiti will be eligible for Multilateral Debt Relief
Initiative (MDRI) assistance when it reaches the HIPC completion point.
This will further increase the resources available to the Government in
order to reduce poverty. ...
Caroline Anstey, the World Bank Country Director for the Republic of
Haiti, said: 'The objective of debt relief is to free up resources to
reduce poverty. The Haitian authorities have recently introduced important
reforms in economic governance. Sustaining and building on those
improvements will be needed to ensure that resources are used effectively,
efficiently and transparently to improve the delivery of education, health
and basic services for poor people. ..." [Caribbean Net News/Factiva]
"... A donor conference for Haiti, a country in which 70 percent of its
active population is unemployed, will take place in Madrid on November 30,
noted the IMF and the World Bank. ..." [Agence France Presse/Factiva]
|
EU, African Ministers Seek Common Stand On Immigration
European and African ministers agreed Wednesday on the need for further
cooperation on illegal immigration, but talks in the Libyan capital
stumbled on the funding of development projects.
The two-day conference organized by the European Union and the African
Union was expected to conclude on Thursday with a joint roadmap 'covering
the whole range of migration issues,' according to EU officials. Themes
include 'legal migration flows, illegal immigration, migration and
development, protection of refugees, as well as larger problems of peace,
security and human rights', they said. ...
But talks became bogged down Wednesday over an initiative proposed by
Morocco to create a 'joint fund with voluntary contributions' for the
financing of development projects in African countries. Moroccan Foreign
Minister Mohamed Benaissa told AFP the idea was supported by African
countries but not by European representatives who proposed instead a
system of micro-financing like in Spain and France. Franco Frattini, Vice
President of the European Commission -- the EU's executive arm -- said the
European labor market needed to be opened to migrant African workers via a
system of quotas determined by each country's needs. ..." [Agence France
Presse/Factiva]
"... Frattini told the meeting the bloc intended to provide African
countries with information on job opportunities in Europe and support
initiatives on so-called labor matching, which provides workers in places
where employers need staff. The EU would also try to ensure migrants
learned host country languages. But return of migrants to Africa 'should
remain a part of the efforts of all states to manage migration,' he said,
adding voluntary returns should be encouraged as far as possible. ..."
[Reuters/Factiva]
"... BBC correspondents say progress could become deadlocked over
financial proposals. Libya has called on the EU to give Africa $10 billion
a year for development projects to prevent people from leaving their
countries. Libyan Foreign Minister Abdelrahmane Chalgham said the
development money was needed to combat poverty, which was fuelling
migration, and the problem could not be solved by repressive measures
alone. ..." [BBC News Online]
"... The conference, which ends Thursday, was also to adopt a join EU-AU
action plan to combat the slave trade, especially in women and children.
German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schäuble called on Europeans and
Africans to work together against illegal immigration. He added that
offers of temporary migration could help to deal with the problem. ..."
[Deutsche Welle (Germany)/Factiva]
|
Briefly Noted November 22, 2006
Almost two thirds of South African black women entrepreneurs, more than 1
million business owners overall, have no access to credit or loans and
represent a lucrative new market, a World Bank study found on Tuesday.
‘We've been speaking to a few of them (banks) and saying: ‘If you mean
business and want to grow your business financing in the coming years, you
can't ignore this market,’ said Natalie Africa, a Senior Program Officer
at the International Finance Corp., the World Bank's private sector arm.
Some 38 percent of black South African women are formally banked compared with 44 percent of black men and 94 percent and 91 percent, respectively,
of white men and white women, according to the joint study by the IFC,
South Africa's Department of Trade and Industry and Finmark Trust.
[Reuters/Factiva]
The World Bank said on Tuesday it has approved a $220 million loan to
Argentina to fund public health programs. In a statement, the Bank said
the loan is intended to help the South American country improve its health
care systems, promote healthy lifestyles and improve the efficiency of its
public health programs. [Reuters/Factiva]
India and China on Tuesday signed a joint declaration on a wide range of
issues, covering bilateral relations, commercial and economic exchanges,
mutually beneficial cooperation, defense cooperation, settlement of
outstanding issues, trans-border cooperation, scientific and technological
cooperation, cultural exchanges and international coordination. China and
India are committed to making the positive development and diversification
of bilateral relations in recent years an irreversible trend, said the
declaration released during Chinese President Hu Jintao's state visit to
India. The two sides agreed to hold regular Summit-level meetings, in each
other's countries and in multilateral forums, it said, noting that
high-level exchanges between Governments, Parliaments and political
parties played an important role in expanding overall bilateral
cooperation. [Xinhua (China)/Factiva]
Russian gas executives and some state officials pressed on Tuesday for a
steep increase in domestic gas prices ahead of a key discussion on the
industry's strategy to be chaired on Wednesday by President Vladimir
Putin. But analysts said they doubted Putin would welcome any potentially
unpopular gas price rise before parliamentary polls in December 2007 and
the election of his successor in March 2008. [Reuters/Factiva]
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said Tuesday that he will try to help
Africa solve its food problems after he retires from the world body at the
end of the year. "I'm not retiring, I'm moving on to the next phase of my
life and I would want to work with the African governments and others on
food security, to encourage them to take agriculture and farm productivity
seriously," Annan told journalists. Making Africa self-sufficient in food
would create jobs and bolster the continent's sense of security instead of
leaving millions of Africans dependent on United Nations aid, he argued.
[Agence France Presse/Factiva]
|
400 PARTICIPANTS EXPECTED AT THE WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM IN TURKEY
Forum to discuss Turkey's geopolitical role, EU accession, competitiveness and intercultural dialogue
Istanbul, Turkey – Four hundred participants are expected to participate in the World Economic Forum in Turkey to be held in Istanbul on 23 and 24 November. Under the theme Connecting Regions - Creating New Opportunities, the meeting will bring high-level international business and political leaders together with top Turkish business people and government officials. The second World Economic Forum to be held in Turkey since 1998 comes at a crucial time for Turkey; with the start of EU accession talks, the country has entered a new stage of economic and political development, which will require many tough choices.
The World Economic Forum in Turkey is built around four main pillars: geopolitics, Turkey’s EU accession, competitiveness and intercultural dialogue. In each of these areas there are risks ahead, but they are avoidable risks. Appropriate actions can promote Turkey as a vibrant, prosperous and secure country.
This is a crucial agenda for Turkish and European leaders. But the times demand no less. There are no guarantees to the maintenance of the positive constellation of factors that have sustained the alliance between Europe and Turkey for over 50 years – other than political and economic action, an explanation of realities and the dispelling of myths. Only proactive attitudes on the part of business and political leaders will mitigate the risks identified and take full advantage of the tremendous opportunities. (Read the full introductory discussion paper here)
“International corporations are very interested in Turkey as a growing market, given its high GDP growth and its business sophistication. Furthermore, many companies see Turkey as the ideal spring board for their expansion towards the Middle East and Central Asia," said Felix Howald, Director for Europe at the World Economic Forum, at a press conference in Istanbul. (Click on the picture to watch the full 5-minute interview)
A basis for the discussion is the Europe@Risk report released by the Forum's Global Risk Network, which highlights the fact that Turkey can help to counter some of the major global risks to Europe's future prosperity and security. According to the report, there are strong strategic opportunities for European risk mitigation in a positive, long-term and inclusive relationship between Turkey and Europe. These range from assisting Europe in overcoming major geopolitical risks and raising its geopolitical profile, and allowing Europe to enhance its energy security, to permitting Europe to overcome its demographic deficit and helping it address issues surrounding the integration of minorities. The report suggests a need to think beyond current problems in Europe's relationship with Turkey and focus on a wider, long-term picture of mutual gains in coping with common risks.
Thirteen Turkish government ministers are scheduled to participate in the meeting, led by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan whose involvement will include a keynote address during the opening plenary session on 23 November, among other appearances. Six heads of state and government have confirmed their presence so far, including Valdas Adamkus, President of Lithuania; Parviz Davudi, Vice-President of the Islamic Republic of Iran; Ahmed Mahmoud Nazif, Prime Minister of Egypt; Zurab Nogaideli, Prime Minister of Georgia; Bogdan Pascu, Deputy Prime Minister of Romania; and H.H. Sheikh Abdullah Bin Khalifa Al Thani, Prime Minister of Qatar. Some of the ministers from Europe and the Middle East who will also participate include: Asen Gagauzov, Minister of Regional Development and Public Works of Bulgaria; Nikoloz Gilauri, Minister of Energy of Georgia; Branimir Gvozdenovic, Minister of Economic Development of the Republic of Montenegro; Micheál Martin, Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Employment of Ireland; Mustapha Mechahouri, Minister of Foreign Trade of Morocco; Rachid M. Rachid, Minister of Trade and Industry of Egypt; and Mondher Zenaidi, Minister of Trade of Tunisia. Finally, the EU Commission will be represented by Joaquín Almunia, Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs; Neelie Kroes, Commissioner for Competition; Joost Lagendijk, Chairman, Delegation to EU-Turkey Joint Parliament Committee; and Silvana Koch-Mehrin, Member of the European Parliament. Gijs M. de Vries, Counter-terrorism Coordinator, Council of the European Union, will also take part.
Forty CEOs from the World Economic Forum's Partner and Member companies have confirmed their participation. The Co-Chairs of the meeting are: Victor Halberstadt, Professor of Public Economics, Leiden University, Netherlands; Muhtar A. Kent, President, Coca-Cola International, USA; Güler Sabanci, Chairperson and Managing Director, Sabanci Holding, Turkey; and Peter Sutherland, Chairman, Goldman Sachs International, United Kingdom.
|
Briefly Noted From November 21, 2006
Kenya made progress in the fight against corruption between 2003 and 2004,
World Bank Country Director for Kenya Colin Bruce said Sunday in Nairobi
after a lecture organized by the Bank. Katherine Sierra, the Vice
President in charge of sustainable development at the Bank delivered the
lecture on investment plans for clean energy and development. Earlier,
Sierra said the Bank had signed agreements with a power producer and the
Greenbelt Movement to reduce emission of harmful gases. She said
Sub-Saharan Africa needed $4 billion to increase access to electricity.
[The Nation (Kenya)/Factiva]
The European Union will push African nations this week to sign up to a
plan to curb illegal migration to Europe through better cooperation in
fighting poverty. At a conference in Tripoli, Libya, on Wednesday and
Thursday, the 53-member African Union and the 25-nation EU will try to
forge a partnership in migration policy, officials said. [Dow
Jones/Factiva]
The International Monetary Fund on Monday said it had approved $109.5
million in funding for Haiti to support poverty reduction and growth in
the impoverished Caribbean nation. An initial disbursement of about $41.7
will become available to Haiti immediately, the IMF said in a statement.
It said the funds would be earmarked, in part, for financial sector
reforms and actions aimed at increasing fiscal revenues while boosting
poverty-related spending. [Reuters/Factiva]
Argentines on Monday closed the international bridge linking their country
with neighboring Uruguay in protest against the World Bank's decision to
lend $170 million to help build a paper mill in nearby Fray Bentos,
Uruguay. [Xinhua (China)/Factiva]
Formal talks between Argentina and the Paris Club of creditors on the
restructuring of some $6.3 billion in defaulted debt can start only after
Argentina has made a proposal, a source close to the club said on Monday.
Argentina's economy ministry said on Friday it had sent a letter to the
group of official creditors to ask for formal talks to start. It said the
government aimed to make a concrete proposition before the end of the
year. [Reuters/Factiva]
Two-way trade between India and China will touch $40 billion by 2010,
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said at a joint press conference with
visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao Tuesday. Hu is in India on a four-day
visit meant to boost ties between the two countries. Bilateral trade
between India and China is set to reach $20 billion by March 2008 and will
likely surpass $15 billion in the current fiscal year to March 2007. [Dow
Jones/Factiva]
The World Bank has suggested to Pakistan to focus on raising domestic
saving, instead of relying on foreign saving i.e. international borrowing
and FDI, to sustain its high economic growth through augmenting investment
in physical and human capital and productivity increases. The World Bank
report titled ''Determinants of saving in Pakistan'' argues that if
Pakistan wants to sustain its growth and increase its investment without
paying increasing shares of income in interest or dividends, it has to
finance this investment by raising its domestic saving rate. [Business
Recorder (Pakistan)/Factiva]
The European Union launched long-term talks with Iraq on Monday on a trade
pact aimed at stimulating investment in the country and boosting its bid
for World Trade Organization membership. The pact is due to cover trade in
goods, services, customs, intellectual property rights and public
procurement rules, and help Iraq diversify away from reliance on its huge
oil sector. [Reuters/Factiva]
Declaring credit a human right, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus said on
Monday that the successful micro-lending bank he launched in his native
Bangladesh showed wiping out world poverty was a goal within reach. Yunus
said the bank's wide reach has helped reduce poverty in Bangladesh and
that by 2015, the country would likely meet a United Nations goal of
cutting poverty in half. According to a recent joint study by the World
Bank and the Bangladeshi government, the proportion of poor fell to 40
percent from 49 percent in the past five years. [Agence France
Presse/Factiva]
The information and communication technology should be employed to scale
up development projects launched throughout the world so that the
Millennium Development Goals could be achieved by 2015, Sarbuland Khan,
Executive Coordinator of the UN's Global Alliance for ICT and Development
Secretariat said Monday. Khan made the appeal to participants at the third
annual Web for Development Conference, being held at UN Headquarters from
November 20 to 22. Rakesh Asthana, Senior Manager of the World Bank
Information Solutions Group, said millions of people in the developing
world had already succeeded in using information and communication
technology to generate additional income and improve their lives. [Xinhua
(China)/Factiva]
Millions of child laborers and adolescent workers around the world face
routine violence at their jobs, the International Labor Organization (ILO)
said on Monday in a report issued to mark United Nations' Universal
Children's Day, November 20. The ILO says there are some 218 million child
labourers and some 100 million legally-employed adolescent workers around
the globe. Some groups of child and adolescent workers were especially at
risk, it said, such as domestic employees, young people working in the
informal economy, modern forms of slavery, and those doing dangerous work.
[Reuters/Factiva]
Georgia wants Russia to join the World Trade Organization because it wants
a neighbor that obeys established international rules of trade, Georgia's
Foreign Minister Gela Bezhuashvili said on Monday. Georgian officials have
threatened to veto Russia's WTO bid after Moscow imposed a trade blockade
on its southern neighbor and Kremlin-controlled gas giant Gazprom said it
will hike the price for gas sold to Georgia in 2007 to $230 per 1,000
cubic meters from $110 now. But officials have since softened their
positions. The United States and Russia on Sunday signed a bilateral
agreement paving the way for Moscow to agree entry terms with the WTO's
149 current members, including Georgia. [Reuters/Factiva]
An editorial in today’s The New York Times writes “the old, unreformed
United Nations Human Rights Commission was selective and one-sided, but
occasionally managed to do some good work. That may be more than can be
said for its successor body, the Human Rights Council, born earlier this
year of a weak-kneed compromise from which the United States stood
honorably apart. If this is the best the UN can do at reforming itself, it
isn't worth the effort. The council is new, but its deliberations have
already fallen into a shameful pattern. When it comes to the world's worst
and most consistent human rights violators, like China, Iran, North Korea,
Myanmar and Sudan, there has been a tendency to muffle words and
conclusions and shift the focus from individual and political rights to
broader economic and social questions. …”
|
G20 To Continue Pushing For IMF, World Bank Reform
“The world's most powerful economic leaders vowed Sunday to maintain
pressure on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank to better
reflect the global community.
The Group of Twenty (G20) finance ministers and central bankers said the
effectiveness and legitimacy of the two institutions must be enhanced
through comprehensive reform. ‘A strong, credible IMF that reflects
today's global economic realities is in our shared interest,’ the G20 said
in a communique after a two-day meeting in Melbourne. The communique
welcomed moves by both the IMF and World Bank to review their composition.
The meeting's chairman Australian Treasurer Peter Costello said the
organizations’ current make-up reflected the post-World War II environment
they were established in. ‘The IMF and the World Bank will only be
valuable as institutions if they represent the world as it's become, not
the world as it was,’ Costello told reporters. ‘That means (giving) key
emerging markets a greater voice and developing countries, particularly in
Africa.’
South African Finance Minister Trevor Manuel backed the call saying the
IMF was at risk of dying under its present mandate. ‘The issue of reform
of these institutions is paramount,’ he said, referring also to the World
Bank. ‘We accept we need an institution like the IMF but its mandate needs
revisitation,’ said Manuel, who will host next year's G20 summit. …”
[Agence France Presse (11/19)/Factiva]
The Wall Street Journal notes that additional “… areas of agreement
outlined in the G20 communique included the need to revise energy
subsidies to ‘better target poverty, and ensure price signals work to
expand supply and induce efficiency.’ But the issues of carbon taxes and
greenhouse-gas emissions bedeviled attempts to reach a strategy for
reining in demand and stabilizing prices. A push by some countries such as
Russia, France and India to embrace nuclear power as a way to diversify
energy consumption and reduce climate-changing emissions was another topic
that split the G20 membership. …” [The Wall Street Journal Asia
(11/20)/Factiva]
On Saturday, the meeting was told that “… climate change could have a
devastating effect on the Australian economy, if the projections of the
Stern report on global warming were true, said IMF Managing Director
Rodrigo de Rato. Rato said the report on the economic impact of climate
change, by former World Bank chief economist Nicholas Stern released in
the UK recently, was alarming. … [ Rato further noted that] the present
outlook for global economic growth was positive, although there were
inflationary risks and called on the world's central bankers to remain
vigilant. … However, there were downside risks to growth, including any
further slowdown in the US economy driven by a correction in the housing
market. … He said another risk to world growth was any instability in the
financial system. …” [Australian Associated Press (11/18)/Factiva]
In a briefing paper presented to the G20 on Saturday, the World Bank's
oil, gas, mining and chemicals department said “Metal prices could fall
sharply at some point as capacity increases and demand growth eases.
However, metal prices may stay higher for longer than in previous price
cycles, the World Bank wrote in the briefing paper supplied to the G20
finance ministers and central bank governors. … Over the longer term, the
paper said, metals prices will be determined by the cost of production,
which has fallen over the past 30 years. However, water and energy costs
may rise in future, while lower grade ore may also increase mining costs,
the paper said.” [Dow Jones (11/20)/Factiva]
“The population of the developing world is younger and growing faster than
more developed countries, and new investment can be expected to flow
toward the more dynamic economies, 20 of the world's top financial chiefs
were told Saturday. In a paper presented to the Group of 20 meeting of
finance ministers and central bankers in Australia, the host country's
Treasury and Reserve Bank urged nations to prepare smooth pathways
allowing capital investment to flow across borders to help deal with a
major global demographic shift. Populations of the US, Europe, Australia
and other Westernized countries boomed along with their economies after
World War II, but their birth rates have slowed in recent years leaving a
huge emerging elderly group. Asia and elsewhere in the developing world
have rising populations, and many of their economies are now among the
fastest growing. …” [The Associated Press (11/18)/Factiva]
“[The meeting] concluded by calling for free markets in oil and other
forms of energy …The G20 meeting did not meet all the hopes of its
organizers, but the Australians were happy that it went smoothly, was not
disrupted by protests and reached some consensus on issues Australia had
put on the agenda, notably energy security. But Make Poverty History
campaign leaders, including the Treasurer's brother Tim Costello, slammed
the meeting for not giving world poverty higher priority. …” [The Age
(Australia, 11/20)/Factiva]
|
Briefly Noted November 17, 2006
The head of the World Bank's Africa department, Gobind Nankani, a 30-year
bank veteran, announced his resignation on Thursday. Nankani, of Ghana,
said his last day at the Bank would be November 30. No successor has been
named. [Reuters/Factiva]
Nicaragua's president-elect, Daniel Ortega, asked the International
Monetary Fund and the World Bank for help on Thursday to fight hunger in
the dirt-poor country he once ruled. Ortega and his economic team met on
Thursday with officials from multilateral lenders; the IMF, the World Bank
and the Inter-American Development Bank. Officials from the institutions
said afterward that Ortega had reiterated his promise to maintain
macroeconomic stability to ensure continuing international financial
support. [Reuters/Factiva]
“The World Bank is facing awkward questions about its role in oversight of
opaque mining deals and the mishandling of millions of dollars of
reconstruction funds at a critical moment in Congo's transition to
democracy. [….] Concerns centre on whether the Bank has exercised
sufficient oversight in the three years since it resumed lending to Congo.
Paul Wolfowitz, the Bank's president, held top level meetings on Congo
with senior UN and diplomatic figures in Belgium this week. [Financial
Times]
The World Bank has offered to set up a $40 million fund to encourage firms
to invest in Sri Lanka's embattled north and east, officials said
Thursday. Initiated under the World Bank's Multilateral Investment
Guarantee Agency or MIGA, the fund can be used to underwrite new
investments by way of debt and equity and bail out companies if the event
of trouble. Sri Lanka's Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process
said in a statement that talks with the World Bank and a few local
businesses were already underway. [Agence France Presse/Factiva]
Indonesia should focus its increasing education budget on boosting the
enrollment of low-income students in junior high school, says a World Bank
report. "Junior secondary education has high dropout rates and low
enrollment. However, many of the country's poor, almost 100 percent,
already have access to primary education," World Bank Senior Economist And
Researcher Wolfgang Fengler said Thursday when the report was released.
The study concluded that allocating additional resources to junior highs
would reap significant returns. Among them, higher enrollments in junior
high would be a "stepping stone" to higher education. [The Jakarta Post
(Indonesia)/Factiva]
Spain, France and Italy presented a Mideast peace initiative, asserting
that Europe must step forward to try to end years of Israeli-Palestinian
bloodshed that they termed intolerable. The five-point blueprint put
forward Thursday by Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero
closely mirrors a deal the moderate Palestinian president is offering
Hamas to form a national unity government, and it makes no explicit
reference to the need for Hamas to recognize the Jewish state's right to
exist - a key sticking point blocking the resumption of Western aid to the
impoverished Palestinians. [The Associated Press/Factiva]
Ban Ki-moon started a six-week transition on Thursday before taking over
as UN Secretary-General on January 1 saying he plans to meet candidates
for top jobs and hold wide-ranging talks with ambassadors and UN officials
to become familiar with all the major issues on the UN agenda. [The
Associated Press/Factiva]
Thai and US experts will install the Indian Ocean's first state-of-the-art
deep-water tsunami detection buoy next month, two years after massive
waves killed at least 216,000 people around the region largely without
warning, a top official said Thursday. [The Associated Press/Factiva]
Germany will push the issue of budgetary discipline up the agenda during
its presidency of the G8 group next year, The Financial Times reported on
Friday. Chancellor Angela Merkel's government, along with the
International Monetary Fund (IMF), will propose a set of fiscal policy
guidelines at a meeting of the group's finance ministers and central
bankers in February, the newspaper reported, citing an unnamed German
official involved in preparing the initiative. The guidelines will request
that governments balance their budgets over the course of an economic
cycle, and prepare for the welfare costs that result from ageing
populations. [Agence France Presse/Factiva]
|
Briefly Noted November 16, 2006
Latin America's economy will likely grow about 4 percent next year, the
World Bank said on Wednesday as a recent boom in commodities prices
appears to be cooling. ‘The estimate for economic growth in Latin America
is for around 4 percent. Of course that will be very much linked to things
like commodities prices, trade between the countries and private sector
investments in each country,’ World Bank Managing Director Juan Jose
Daboub told Reuters in Guatemala City. [Reuters/Factiva]
Mexico needs labor reform, streamlined tax procedures and a national
property registry to become a more attractive place to do business, a
senior economist at the World Bank said Wednesday. Simeon Djankov, who
heads the agency's widely read Doing Business survey, told Dow Jones
Newswires that while there appears to be a "very high likelihood" of a
property registry being put into place under the incoming administration
of President-elect Felipe Calderon, the outlook for the other key changes
are uncertain. "Labor regulation, I'm not too optimistic that it will be
addressed in the new government," said Djankov. "Nobody wants to discuss
it much in Mexico, but it's one of the most difficult things to do - not
only in Mexico but across Latin America." [Dow Jones/Factiva]
India will push for greater representation among developing nations at the
International Monetary Fund at a meeting of global finance ministers in
Australia this week, the finance minister said Thursday. Indian finance
chief P. Chidambaram said many emerging economies were not adequately
represented before the Washington-based financial institution, and that he
would use the annual meeting of the G20 nations in Melbourne, Australia to
call for a complete overhaul of the IMF's voting structure. [The
Associated Press/Factiva]
A major international conference on the development of Afghanistan is
scheduled to be held in the Indian capital New Delhi from November 18 to
19, the Afghan Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday. The purpose of this
conference is to assess the achievements in Afghanistan in the past year
to attract more investment, and to use Afghanistan's capabilities as a
linking bridge in Central Asia, said a statement issued by the ministry.
In addition to six neighboring countries of Afghanistan, others nations
including Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the
eight largest industrial countries, and the UN, the World Bank, the Asian
Development Bank, the Islamic Bank, and some other regional and
international organizations will participate in this conference. [Xinhua
(China)/Factiva]
Organizers from the Make Poverty History campaign will run their own forum
Thursday as a precursor to this weekend's G20 meeting of central bank
governors and international finance ministers. Only one G20 representative
will be at today's forum: Britain's Stephen Timms, who is deputy to
Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown. He will be joined by shadow
treasurer Wayne Swan and development workers from South Africa, Indonesia,
Zambia and the Philippines. Academics covering global poverty, aid and
environmental issues will also take part. The forum, at the Melbourne
Town Hall, includes sessions on solutions for debt, the future of the
World Trade Organisation, meeting the UN Millennium Development Goals, and
climate change. The agenda bears some similarity to the economics-driven
G20 program, which will also cover global demographic change, energy and
resource security, reform of the International Monetary Fund and the World
Bank and aid effectiveness. [The Age (Australia)/Factiva]
The British government pledged on Wednesday to put into law its goal of
cutting carbon emissions by 60 percent by 2050 to tackle global warming,
but ignored calls to back annual binding targets on the emissions.
Environmentalists welcomed the moves but said they did not go far enough
in the battle against what Prime Minister Tony Blair has said is the
biggest threat to humanity. [Reuters/Factiva]
French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin proposed Wednesday the
creation of a “world economic council” resembling the WTO, the IMF and the
World Bank for a “new world order founded on equality.” “In order to
better arrange world economic operations, we need a broader authority,
able to take a global approach to commercial stakes, development, and
environmental protection,” declared Villepin in a speech on globalization
in front of the students of the university of Lille II. Dominique de
Villepin thus proposed that France study with its European partners the
creation of a “world economic council gathering the WTO, the IMF and the
World Bank, as well as the economic and social institutions of the UN”.
[The Associated Press/Factiva]
Kofi Annan will give his last major speech as the UN Secretary-General at
the Truman Presidential Museum & Library, the museum announced Wednesday.
Annan chose the location to recognize Harry Truman, who helped found the
United Nations during the last days of World War II. Annan will deliver
the speech, ‘Global Governance and the Role of the United States,’ on
December 11, the museum said. His second five-year term expires January 1.
[The Associated Press/Factiva]
|
China's Coastal Cities Have Most Effective Govts, Hinterland Lags - World Bank
“China's urban centers vary widely in local governance, investment
climate, and progress toward achieving a ‘harmonious society,’ with
western regions lagging behind their coastal counterparts in effective
investment-friendly governance, according to a new World Bank survey of
12,000 firms across 120 cities in China [prepared jointly with China's
State Information Center].
The World Bank report: ‘Governance, Investment Climate, and Harmonious
Society: Competitiveness Enhancements for 120 Cities in China,’ launched
at the 4th China Investment Climate Forum held in Hangzhou last week,
notes that since business law and regulations are similar throughout
China, city-level differences in the investment climate reflect
significant differences in local government effectiveness. ‘Local
government effectiveness is generally highest among cities in coastal
areas (Jiangsu, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, Shandong, Beijing,
Tianjin, and Hebei) and lowest among cities in western China,’ the report
said. …” [Xinhua (11/13)/Factiva]
“The World Bank says China's eastern city of Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang
Province, has the best investment environment in the country. Five other
eastern cities of Qingdao, Shaoxing, Suzhou, Xiamen and Yantai ranked from
second to sixth, said [the report] released on Saturday. …[The report
asked companies] to rate the investment environment, government efficiency
and achievements in building a harmonious society. [The report notes that]
eight percent of the companies are purely state-owned, 28 percent are
owned by the state but with foreign investment, and the other 64 percent
are non-state firms. Apart from the six ‘gold medal cities,’ 13 others
including Beijing, Dalian, Guangzhou and Shanghai were judged ‘silver
medal cities,’ said David Dollar, World Bank's Country Director for China
and Mongolia. …” [Asia Pulse (Australia, 11/13)/Factiva]
“… Calculating all the indices of the cities, the World Bank pointed out
in its report that east China's Jiangsu Province is the most desirable
place for investors in China. It was followed by Shanghai, Zhejiang,
Fujian and Guangdong, all of which are on the country's southeast coast. …
Although less well-known than the metropolises, the six ‘gold medal
cities’ enjoyed high ranks in all the indices, said Dollar. For instance,
companies in Shanghai will spend 60 days a year, on the average, to deal
with the relations with the government, but it will only take eight days
in Hangzhou, the official said. The evaluation results just show that a
less developed city could have better investment environment than Beijing
or Shanghai, if the local government is willing to enhance their
administrative efficiency, bring more transparency to their work and
facilitate the investors, Dollar said.
According to the World Bank's research, foreign-funded companies'
investment-return rate in China is 22 percent and that of the domestic
private companies is 19 percent. Dollar said the overseas investors tend
to prefer the cities with prosperous market and convenient sea
transportation. As a result, the per capita foreign investment in China's
eastern and southern provinces reached $128 in 2004, 1.3 times that of the
northeast, 7 times that of the central area and 25 times that of the
western provinces and autonomous regions. The World Bank published a
similar report three years ago and Hangzhou also topped the list.” [Xinhua
(China, 11/13)/Factiva]
In a commentary published in The China Daily, Dollar writes: “… A critical
issue for China is that local government needs to improve investment
climate in many central and northeast cities. Much of the inequality in
China results from the large gap that has developed between standards of
living in coastal cities compared to interior cities. There is also a
large rural-urban gap, and part of the solution to that gap is that
150-200 million people need to move out of agriculture into urban
employment. They cannot all move to the coast. Hence the smooth resolution
of glaring disparity in China requires the growth of interior cities that
raises living standards there and pulls large numbers of people out of
rural employment and rural poverty. Improving investment climate in the
cities of lagging regions of China is hence one of the most important
measures that can contribute to a more harmonious society.” [The China
Daily (11/13)/Factiva]
|
REPORT HIGHLIGHTS TURKEY’S IMPORTANCE IN COUNTERING POTENTIAL RISKS TO EUROPE’S FUTURE
Strategic Thinking Needed on Turkey’s Relationship with Europe – from risk source to risk mitigator
Geneva, Switzerland– The World Economic Forum today released its Europe@Risk report. Produced by the Forum’s Global Risk Network, the report highlights the fact that Turkey may help to counter some of the major global risks to Europe’s future prosperity and security.
Click on image to watch interview
According to the report, there are great strategic opportunities for European risk mitigation in a positive, long-term and inclusive relationship between Turkey and Europe, from assisting Europe in overcoming major geopolitical risks and raising Europe’s geopolitical profile, allowing Europe to enhance its energy security, to permitting Europe to overcome its demographic deficit and helping Europe address issues surrounding the integration of minorities. The report suggests a need to think beyond current problems in Europe’s relationship with Turkey and focus on a wider, long-term picture of mutual gains in coping with common risks.
“Turkey is perceived by many as a source of risk to Europe; it may be just the opposite, a potential source of major risk mitigation,” commented Thierry Malleret, Director and Head of Global Challenges Team. Charles Emmerson, Global Leadership Fellow of the Global Challenges Team, added: “Europe needs to look at Turkey in the context of the wider global risks facing it in the future. Turkey needs to make sure that it can present itself as a risk mitigator, rather than as a source of risk.” The report finds that overcoming perceptions – on both sides – may be a key part of this process.
Applying the Global Risk framework developed by the Global Risk Network of the World Economic Forum, the report provides an overview of risk perception issues in Europe and gives a Global Risk perspective on the relationship between Europe and Turkey. It suggests that Turkey can play a “high” mitigation role in at least four of the major global risks facing Europe over the next 10-20 years: oil supply shock/energy supply interruptions, international terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, as well as interstate and civil wars. In addition, Turkey can play a “medium” mitigation role in the risks to Europe from retrenchment from globalization, climate change and coming fiscal crises caused by demographic shifts. But the report goes on to say that none of this will be possible if the relationship between Europe and Turkey is allowed to slip.
A number of individual contributors writing in a personal function – Ahmet Evin, Sinan Ülgen, Yılmaz Argüden, Chrysostomos Sfatos, Charles Grant and Katinka Barysch – have written short articles for the report. The subjects range from the role of Turkey in mitigating Europe’s societal risks to the need for Europe to pursue a values-driven policy in order to overcome common risks. One contribution looks at what a break up between Europe and Turkey might look like, thereby helping to conceptualize the risk mitigation role which Turkey plays for Europe in the present. Another contribution shows how Greek attitudes towards Turkey as a risk have changed – with Turkish strength increasingly viewed as an asset and an opportunity.
|
Africa's Focus On Social Spending Has Hit Infrastructure: World Bank
“Africa is enjoying an economic resurgence but a focus on social spending
means poverty-stricken nations lack sufficient roads and communications to
attract foreign firms, the World Bank said Thursday.
‘Africa is on the move and appears to be perched on the cusp of breaking
out of the long economic stagnation of the 1970s and 1980s,’ the
Washington-based institution said in a report released [in Tokyo]. The
last 10 years have seen renewed growth and better governance across a
number of nations but increased spending on social sectors such as health
during the 1990s has taken its toll on infrastructure, it added. The lack
of adequate transportation and telecommunications links is a major
deterrent to foreign companies thinking about setting up operations in
Sub-Saharan Africa, the Bank warned.
‘The sheer magnitude of the problem and the long-term neglect of
infrastructure in many African countries demands a big-push solution,’
says the new report titled, 'Challenges of African Growth'. … The report's
author, Benno Ndulu, warned that African nations could not rely on the
private sector alone to provide the $36 billion a year needed for
infrastructure so as to meet the anti-poverty UN Millennium Development
Goals. …” [Agence France Presse/Factiva]
In related news, “The World Bank on Thursday welcomed China's increased
involvement with Africa but urged the rising Asian power to learn lessons
from past donors when helping the impoverished continent. ‘My summary take
on the Chinese engagement in Africa is that it is broadly positive,’ said
John Page, the World Bank's Chief Economist for Africa. ‘We witnessed the
emergence of one of the most significantly successful developing countries
as a development partner for Africa, and therefore perhaps a source of
ideas and innovation,’ he told reporters in Tokyo after attending China's
weekend summit with delegates from 48 African nations. …
The World Bank urged Beijing to work closely with other donors for the
benefit of the African people. ‘If I could express one aspiration for the
Chinese, it would be to learn from the experience of the World Bank and
the traditional governments in Africa,’ said Page. ‘It has taken us a very
long time, in Europe and North America, to reach the point of attempting
to harmonize our own development efforts. I would hope it takes the
Chinese less time,’ he said. …” [Agence France Presse/Factiva]
|
Survey says Iraq, poor nations most corrupt
By Noah Barkin
BERLIN, Reuters - Iraq, racked by violence since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, and impoverished Haiti, Myanmar and Guinea are ranked as the most corrupt countries in the world in a new survey.
Berlin-based corruption watchdog Transparency International (TI) ranks 163 countries based on perceived levels of corruption among public officials and politicians in its 2006 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI).
Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, was ranked last, just below Iraq, Myanmar and Guinea, reflecting what TI said was a high correlation between violence, poverty and corruption.
"This survey suggests that corruption in Iraq is very bad," TI Chief Executive David Nussbaum told Reuters.
"When you have high levels of violence, not only does security break down, but so do checks and balances, law enforcement and the functioning of institutions like the judiciary and legislature. If all that is under strain the very system that works to prevent corruption is undermined."
Iraq has suffered rising sectarian violence and bloodshed since the invasion, heaping pressure on U.S. President George W. Bush ahead of congressional elections on Tuesday.
Nussbaum pointed to U.S. engineering giant Bechtel Corp's decision last week to pull out of Iraq as a sign of how bad the security situation had become. Fifty-two Bechtel employees have been killed in Iraq since 2003.
Haiti is plagued by armed gangs despite the presence of U.N. forces brought in after the 2004 ousting of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
Just ahead of Haiti and Iraq at the bottom of the rankings, stood Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad and Bangladesh. Scoring the best marks were Finland, Iceland and New Zealand, with Denmark, Singapore and Sweden just behind.
SIGNIFICANT WORSENING IN U.S. SCORE
TI said several countries had a significant worsening of their ratings, including Brazil, Cuba, Israel, Jordan, Laos, Seychelles, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia and the United States.
Countries which saw a major improvement included Algeria, the Czech Republic, India, Japan, Latvia, Lebanon, Mauritius, Paraguay, Slovenia, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uruguay.
Nussbaum, noting the recent Enron trial, said U.S. court cases had highlighted the scale of corruption there and may have contributed to the deterioration in the U.S. score. The United States was ranked 20th, next to Belgium and Chile.
Enron's former chief executive Jeff Skilling was sentenced last month to 24 years in prison after being found guilty of defrauding investors by using off-the-books deals to hide debt and inflate profits. Once the seventh largest U.S. firm, Enron collapsed into bankruptcy in 2001 when the deals were disclosed.
|
Region of Waterloo Catholic Family Counseling Centre host Former US President Bill Clinton (includes Speech in MP3 Audio)
Waterloo Region - On November 8, 2006, UN Special Envoy, Stephen Lewis was on hand to thank President Bill Clinton for been a "colossal mortal". The Region of Waterloo Catholic Family Counseling Centre event was an extremely successful event with nearly 1000 in attendance. The event was held to raise awareness of family violence and to help stop family violence. Below are various audio clips of the event.
Catholic Family Counselling Centre has a sold out venue November 8, 2006.
At Bingeman's Marshal Hall
Former President Bill Clinton talks about Family Violence and The
Violent State of the World
Musical Interlude by Tim Lewis (23,831 KB)
Introduction by MC Neil Aitchison (2,539 KB)
Comments by Peter Chandler and introduction of Former President Bill Clinton (6,441 KB)
Thank you to Catholic Family Counselling Centre by President Bill Clinton (871 KB)
Senate Election Comments by Former President Bill Clinton ( 1,389 KB)
President Bill Clinton Speech on Family Violence, and Global Tensions (40, 807 KB)
Steven Lewis Thanking President Bill Clinton (516 KB)
First Question on Iraq? ( 12,933 KB)
Second Question on Destructive Political Environment? (10,162 KB)
Third Question on Resignation of Donald Rumsfeld? (5,455 KB)
Fourth Question on why did you speak the day after the US Senate Vote? (1,349 KB)
Former President Bill Clinton and Un Envoy Stephen Lewis take
questions from the audience.
Brought to you by the Catholic Family Counselling Centre. It exists so that people find the strength, skills and confidence to deal with life's challenges and opportunities. Please support it generously.
To learn more about CFCC and our coordinated response to domestic violence, please visit there website at www.cfcc.ca or call 519-743-6333, x307.
|
UW, three other universities work to restore Sri Lankan villages hit by tsunami
WATERLOO - The University of Waterloo and three other Canadian universities will work collaboratively with local partners to restore the economy and environment of six villages in Sri Lanka devastated by the tsunami of December 2004.
A $2-million project, entitled Environmental and Livelihood Restoration and Development in Tsunami-affected Coastal Areas of Sri Lanka, will be co-ordinated by the RESTORE consortium consisting of UW, University of Guelph, University of Manitoba and Queens University. With $1.75 million in funding from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and $195,000 in contributions from the four universities, the three-year project started in September.
The consortium will partner with Ruhuna University, located in Matara, Eastern University in Batticaloa and Southeastern University in Akkaraipattu. The Sri Lankan partners represent the three major socio-cultural and religious sectors of the country -- the Sinhalese, Tamil and Muslim cultures. Additional partners will include non-government organizations and government agencies in the country.
"This project is a fine example of our commitment to environmental health and sustainability on a global scale," said Deep Saini, dean of the faculty of environmental studies. "It brings into focus the four themes of our faculty, which are environmental decision-making and governance; environmental informatics; biophysical processes, such as ecosystem remediation; and community planning, design, infrastructure and development."
David Wood, a research associate professor of international initiatives in the faculty, said the proposal results from a collaborative exercise involving all the partners. "It clearly demonstrates the commitment of our Sri Lankan partners to contribute fully and cooperatively to rebuilding the damaged environment and the devastated communities in the three very diverse regions," he said.
"The purpose of the project is to implement a multi-sectoral approach to environmental restoration, sustainable livelihoods and development, with full community input and participation in the specific tsunami-affected districts of Matara/Hambantota, Ampara and Batticaloa in Sri Lanka."
Wood added that the project will develop six villages into model villages showcasing a process of community development, which can be replicated in other tsunami-affected regions. The selection of the villages will be undertaken according to a set of criteria determined by project partners during a recent project planning mission in Matara.
The selected villages will join in community development initiatives to achieve the following objectives:
* Restore damaged and destroyed environmental assets, such as coral reefs, mangroves and other vegetation, lagoons and beaches.
* Restore traditional livelihoods and develop alternative livelihoods, especially linked to the coastal environment, including fisheries and tourism.
* Establish disaster resilient community infrastructure using appropriate design, technologies and materials.
* Build community-based institutional and human capacities for environmental management, sustainable livelihoods and community development.
* Develop community-based early warning and emergency response plans.
The tsunami that struck on Dec. 26, 2004 is considered the single most devastating natural disaster to hit Sri Lanka. More than 1,000 kms or 70 per cent of the island's coastline, covering 13 districts, were directly affected.
The tsunami killed approximately 35,000 people, destroyed more than 80,000 homes and 5,000 village industries and wrecked natural coastal features and ecosystems, such as coral reefs, mangroves, lagoons, inter-tidal zones and beaches.
Particularly vulnerable groups -- small-scale fisherman and farmers, local entrepreneurs and wage-workers dependent on coastal environmental assets -- had their livelihoods eliminated, causing greater poverty. It has been estimated that 443,000 persons were displaced by the tsunami.
The most significant environmental damage is coastal, especially the loss of fisheries and related habitats, damage to reefs and saline contamination of surface water, groundwater and soils.
Wood said that UW researchers will train local staff and faculty from academic partners, non-government organizations and government agencies. As well, they will develop demonstration projects related to environmental restoration, community development and geomatics (geographical data management).
"We will provide direct assistance in the establishment of GIS (Geographic Information Systems) and remote sensing capabilities at Ruhuna University," he said, adding that opportunities for graduate students to undertake their degree field work in Sri Lanka will be provided.
In May 2005, UW participated in a trip to Sri Lanka organized by World University Service of Canada, involving people from four other universities -- Guelph, Queen's, Trent and Manitoba. The mission resulted in a concept paper that was approved by CIDA for development as a full proposal. Late last year, Wood participated in a mission to Sri Lanka to develop the full proposal, which now has been funded.
|
Report: Nearly 3/4 World's Countries Face Serious Perceived Levels Of
Corruption
“Nearly three-quarters of 163 countries ranked in a new survey suffer from
a perception of serious corruption, while in nearly half it is seen as
rampant, a watchdog group reported Monday.
According to Transparency International's (TI) 2006 Corruption Perceptions
Index, there is a strong correlation between corruption and poverty, with
a concentration of impoverished countries at the bottom of the ranking.
‘Corruption traps millions in poverty,’ the agency's International
Chairman Huguette Labelle said in a statement. ‘Despite a decade of
progress in establishing anti-corruption laws and regulations, today's
results indicate that much remains to be done.’
The agency's scale is based on the perceptions of the degree of corruption
by businesspeople and country analysts. Countries are ranked out of 10,
and anything below five indicates ‘serious’ perceived levels of
corruption, and anything below 3 ‘rampant,’ the agency said. …” [The
Associated Press (11/06)/Factiva]
“… The worst levels of corruption were seen in Haiti, which scored just
1.8, followed by Myanmar, Iraq and Guinea, which tied at 1.9. Sudan, the
Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad, Bangladesh, Uzbekistan and Equatorial
Guinea rounded out the bottom 10 countries. Wealthy democracies topped the
list, confirming the link between anti-sleaze efforts and prosperity.
Finland, Iceland and New Zealand scored a near-perfect 9.6, followed by
Denmark (9.5), Singapore (9.4), Sweden (9.2) and Switzerland (9.1).
Norway, Australia and the Netherlands also made the top 10. TI noted that
while industrialized nations scored high on this year's index, corruption
scandals continued to rock many of them. …” [Agence France Presse
(11/06)/Factiva]
“… TI said several countries had a significant worsening of their ratings,
including Brazil, Cuba, Israel, Jordan, Laos, Seychelles, Trinidad and
Tobago, Tunisia and the US. Countries which saw a major improvement
included Algeria, the Czech Republic, India, Japan, Latvia, Lebanon,
Mauritius, Paraguay, Slovenia, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uruguay. …”
[Reuters (11/06)/Factiva]
“… TI did not rank countries for which not enough data was available,
including Afghanistan, Somalia and North Korea.” [Dow Jones
(11/06)/Factiva]
|
Flemish Minister Leading Belgian Mission to Waterloo Region to Further Economic Ties
Canada’s Technology Triangle (CTT), Waterloo Region - A High-Level Flanders economic mission from Belgium will visit Waterloo Region – Canada’s Technology Triangle – on November 7 – to build on important business linkages between the two countries.
The mission will be led by the Flemish Minister for Economy, Enterprise, Science, Innovation & Foreign Trade, Her Excellency Fientje Moerman. She is also Vice Minister-President of the Flemish Government.
Other prominent members of the visiting group are:
· Philippe Houssiau, President of Agfa HealthCare (Mortsel, Belgium);
· Martin De Prycker, Chief Executive Officer, Barco (Kortrijk, Belgium);
· Dr. Peter Simkens, Managing Director, DSP Valley (Leuven, Belgium);
· Wim De Waele, General Manager, IBBT (The Broadband Research Institute)(Ghent-Ledeberg, Belgium);
· Jan Offner, Flemish Economic Representative, Chicago, and Tommy De Kimpe, Area Manager NAFTA for Flanders Investment & Trade; and
· Sylvia Cesaratto, Counsellor (Commercial & Economic Affairs), Canadian Embassy, Brussels.
The Minister will be accompanied by Wouter Van Gulck, Deputy Chief of Cabinet, and Frank Beckx, the Minister’s Spokesperson.
Flanders is a Region of Belgium with its own legislative power, parliament and government. Its authority spans a wide range of policy domains at home and abroad, including education, economic affairs, investment, foreign trade, culture, the environment and scientific research among others.
During its time in Waterloo Region, the mission will tour Agfa HealthCare, be the guests of honour at a luncheon hosted by Canada’s Technology Triangle Inc, and meet with Research In Motion, developer and manufacturer of the BlackBerry.
Agfa HealthCare is a significant Belgian investment in Waterloo. As one of three facilities responsible for the development of Agfa’s healthcare IT technology, and with more than 250 people focused on improving healthcare delivery through the use of technology, Agfa’s Waterloo facility is a driving force behind Agfa’s success in the global healthcare market.
Agfa HealthCare has close links with the University of Waterloo as supporters of the Natural Sciences Engineering Research Council (NSERC)/Afga Research Chair in Health Informatics, held by Dominic Covvey. David Johnston, President of the University of Waterloo, and other post-secondary leaders will welcome the group.
The Chair of the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ken Seiling, will participate in the program for the Minister and mission delegates, along with Mayors Doug Craig of Cambridge, Carl Zehr of Kitchener and Herb Epp of Waterloo.
John Tennant, Chief Executive Officer of Canada’s Technology Triangle Inc, visited Belgium last year to encourage the trip. “The Waterloo Region can benefit from extending ties with leading technology clusters in Europe. Belgium has world-class technology and excellent research facilities, among others in information and communications technologies and health sciences. This visit provides a basis for deepening of relations.”
|
The Cambridge Peacemobile™ Available to Visit Schools or Community other Locations.
Principals, Teachers and Community Leaders:
The Cambridge Peacemobile™ is available to come to your school or your community location. We are taking reservations for January to June 2007. An information package is essential to read before you consider a visit from the Cambridge Peacemobile™. If you want more information about the Cambridge Peacemobile™ please give me a call at 624-5195. Verlyn Rowett
The Cambridge Peacemobile™ is a traveling museum that captures the challenge of b | |
