AU Monitor: Issue 108, 2007

[Hakima Abbas]

Issue 108, 2007 – Weekly Roundup

The AU Monitor has developed an African Union and Civil Society  
Calendar for your reference and input.  The calendar will be  
regularly updated each month with important and relevant pan-African  
events, meetings and other important dates.  Please refer to the  
calendar regularly and write directly to aumonitor.editor at gmail.com  
should you wish to add items to the calendar.

This week’s AU Monitor brings you peace and security news from the  
Comoros, where the after a series of failed negotiations, the African  
Union has imposed sanctions against Anjouan authorities.  While a  
civil society report shows that the cost of conflict on African  
development was approximately $300bn between 1990 and 2005.

In trade news, the International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH)  
argues that the Economic Partnership Agreements, due to be signed by  
the end of this year between Africa and Europe, violate international  
law and impede development by depriving countries of sorely needed  
revenue from trade taxes.  While church groups are organising the  
Trade Week of Action from October 14-21 to call for alternatives to  
enforced free trade. The planned events range from hunger strikes and  
pickets to worship and high-profile seminars.

In health news, the AU will hold a meeting to discuss the  
Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Plan for Africa, which concludes that  
“local production can be successfully done in the continent. However  
there is need for the African countries to reassess the realities,  
possibilities and the feasibility of the programme so that it moves  
from being a political slogan to a reality after good ground work.”   
Further, African-American US Congressional Representative Barbara Lee  
has introduced the African Health Capacity Investment Act of 2007 in  
the US House of Representatives. The bill would authorize $600  
million to train healthcare workers in Africa and provide incentives  
for them to stay in their home countries to reduce the brain drain,  
which is crippling African health care.  Also in the U.S, a Court of  
Appeals ruled in favour of going ahead with the Khulumani v. Barclays  
et. al case which charges twenty three multinational corporations  
with aiding and abetting Apartheid.  The case was initiated by eighty  
seven South Africans, all of whom were victims of gross human rights  
abuses during Apartheid.  By allowing the lawsuit to go to trial, the  
Court is setting precedent for the possibility of corporations to be  
held account for human rights abuses outside of their home countries.

At the United Nations, Alfredo Tjiurimo Hengari argues that Security  
Council reform is critical as the United Nations “has not itself  
transformed and designed the necessary institutions of governance  
consistent with the noble ideals that drive modern democratic  
societies” as stated by President Thabo Mbeki at the General Assembly  
in New York.


AU Monitor Calendar

The AU Monitor brings you a calendar of African Union and Civil  
Society meetings, events and other important dates.  The calendar  
will be regularly updated.  If you have items you would like to add  
to the calendar please email aumonitor.editor at gmail.com.


Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Plan for Africa

 From the 24-26 October, the African Union will hold the first  
meeting of the Technical Committee on the Pharmaceutical  
Manufacturing Plan for Africa.  The Plan concludes that “local  
production can be successfully done in the continent. However there  
is need for the African countries to reassess the realities,  
possibilities and the feasibility of the programme so that it moves  
from being a political slogan to a reality after good ground work.”

Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/421/


Khulumani v. Barclays Case

On the 12th of October, the long awaited verdict of the U.S. Court of  
Appeals for the Second Circuit on the Khulumani v. Barclays et. al.  
court case was handed down. The U.S. Court ruled that the case  
against the corporations could go ahead despite strong opposition  
from both the South African and the American Governments.

Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/420/


EPAs Violate Rights

David Cronin (IPS)—Opening up trade between the European Union and  
Africa risks violating basic human rights, according to campaigners.  
Under a series of free trade deals, known as Economic Partnership  
Agreements (EPAs), governments from Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific  
(ACP) would be required to remove most of the tariffs that they levy  
on imports from Europe.

Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/419/


African Health Capacity Bill

Physicians for Human Rights -- Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) today  
introduced the African Health Capacity Investment Act of 2007 in the  
House of Representatives. The bill would authorize $600 million over  
three years to train new doctors and nurses in Africa and give them  
incentives to stay in their home countries to fight the AIDS pandemic  
and other huge health issues.

Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/418/


The Ezulwini Consensus

Alfredo Tjiurimo Hengari (The Namibian)—New York was, over the past  
two weeks, the seat of frantic diplomatic grandstanding and oration  
during the general debate of the 62nd session of the United Nations  
General Assembly.

Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/417/


Trade Week of Action

Catholic Information Service for Africa—Churches and church-related  
organizations worldwide, along with other religious and community  
groups, are gearing up for the Trade Week of Action, October 14-21.

Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/416/


Cost of Conflict

Press Release—The cost of conflict on African development was  
approximately $300bn between 1990 and 2005, according to new research  
by Oxfam International, IANSA and Saferworld. This is equal to the  
amount of money received in international aid during the same period.

Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/415/


AU Sanctions

IRIN - After a series of fruitless negotiations and proposals,  
sanctions against Anjouan’s “illegal authorities” are the African  
Union’s (AU) latest attempt to resolve the political deadlock between  
the Union of Comoros and one of its semi-autonomous islands.

Read more: www.aumonitor.org/comments/414/





--------------------------------------------------------
To post articles, provide feedback or commentary to the AU-Monitor,  
please contact hakima at fahamu.org
To subscribe/unsubscribe from this list please visit: http:// 
lists.fahamu.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/au-monitor
--------------------------------------------------------


Hakima Abbas
Policy Analyst, AU-Monitor
Fahamu - Networks for Social Justice
Email: hakima at fahamu.org
Skype: hakima_abbas
www.aumonitor.org
www.fahamu.org




-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.fahamu.org/pipermail/au-monitor/attachments/20071017/1bae22fc/attachment.htm