AU Monitor: Issue 105, 2007

[Hakima Abbas]

Issue 105, 2007 – Weekly Roundup

As the Save Darfur Day was commemorated around the world on September  
17th, General Agwai, commander of the AU-EU peacekeeping force for  
Darfur, states that political will is needed to end the crisis,  
noting that he has only six thousand of the twenty thousand troops he  
requires.  Further, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability  
Project and the Independent Advocacy Project have called on the  
African Union and all African governments to act immediately to  
demand that the Sudanese government, armed groups and Janjawid  
militia halt attacks against civilians and humanitarian agencies.  
These urgent demands are contained in a 5-Point Programme for Ending  
Violence in Darfur, which the groups released to mark the Save Darfur  
Day.

As the Stop EPA campaign prepares for the global day of action  
against the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) on September 27th,  
the African Union issued a report cautioning member states to  
conclude only the agreements that do not undermine the development of  
the continent. The report notes that European negotiators have failed  
to appreciate the socio-economic and political philosophy that drives  
regional integration in Africa.  In another article, Pilirani Semu- 
Banda argues that the EPAs may undermine the benefits for the sugar  
industry of the ‘Everything-But-Arms’ European Union (EU) trade  
initiative.  While David Cronin reports from a conference organised  
by members of the European parliament where trade unionists and  
policy analysts stated that African nations have been reduced to  
begging in negotiations with the EU in what has turned into an  
exercise "assaulting democracy".

As the EPA negotiations continue, the African Development Bank Group  
(AfDB) and the European Commission held consultations aimed at  
“starting a process of reinforced cooperation with a view to  
identifying ways to achieve greater development impact in Africa  
through effective collaborative efforts”.   In addition, “Mobilizing  
Aid for Trade: Focus on Africa” is the theme of a conference  
scheduled in October in Tanzania, under the auspices of the AfDB, the  
UN Economic Commission for Africa and the World Trade Organization  
(WTO) in cooperation with the World Bank.  Pascal Lamy, of the WTO,  
and Donald Kaberuka, of the AfDB, explain the rationale behind the  
Aid for Trade meeting asserting that there is increasing recognition  
that even with free trade, many countries do not have the basic  
infrastructure needed to take advantage of it.  However, Emmanuel  
Opati argues that the “trade, not aid” slogan ignores a major factor  
- the role of Africa’s image.  Speaking to this image, a group of  
media practitioners deliberated in China to assess how Africa and  
China can exchange information and experience as well as change  
negative African and Chinese perceptions of one another in the era of  
globalization.


Political Will Needed in Darfur

Juliana Taiwo (This Day)—The immediate past Chief of Defence Staff,  
and Commander of the new combined United Nations-African Union  
peacekeeping force for Darfur Gen. Martin Luther Agwai has said  
political will both in and outside Sudan will end the crisis  
engulfing that country right now.

Read more:
www.aumonitor.org/comments/389/


Aid Critical To Benefit From Trade

(AllAfrica.com)—While developing and industrialized countries  
continue to wrestle in the Doha Round of negotiations to reach a new  
international trade agreement, there is increasing recognition that  
even if there was free trade between nations, many countries simply  
do not have the basic infrastructure needed to take advantage of it.

Read more:
www.aumonitor.org/comments/388/


EPA Power Struggle

Inter Press Service—African nations have been reduced to “begging” in  
negotiations on their future economic ties with the European Union  
(EU) in what has turned into exercise “assaulting democracy,”  
according to trade unionists and policy analysts from both north and  
south.

Read more:
www.aumonitor.org/comments/387/


Conference on Aid for Trade

Press Release—“Mobilizing Aid for Trade: Focus on Africa”, is the  
central theme of a high-level conference scheduled to take place on  
October 1-2, 2007, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, under the auspices of  
the African Development Bank (AfDB), the UN Economic Commission for  
Africa (UNECA), and the World Trade Organization (WTO) in cooperation  
with the World Bank.

Read more:
www.aumonitor.org/comments/386/


Damage of Donor Aid

Emmanuel Opati (The Monitor)—For decades, African diplomats to the  
western countries especially the United States focused inter-alia on  
increasing aid flow to Africa.  However, current dynamics of the  
global war on terror have changed foreign policy objectives and  
consequently changed the wave of international development and  
humanitarian aid.

Read more:
www.aumonitor.org/comments/385/


AfDB and EU consultations

(AfDB Press Release)—The African Development Bank Group and the  
European Commission have held high-level consultations in Brussels  
aimed at starting a process of reinforced cooperation with a view to  
identifying ways to achieve greater development impact in Africa  
through effective collaborative efforts.

Read more:
www.aumonitor.org/comments/384/


Time for AU to Act on Darfur

(Press Release)—Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project  
(SERAP) and Independent Advocacy Project (IAP) have called on the  
African Union and all African governments, including Nigeria and  
South Africa to act immediately to demand that the Sudanese  
government, armed groups and Janjawid militia in Darfur and eastern  
Chad to halt attacks against civilians and humanitarian agencies.

Read more:
www.aumonitor.org/comments/383/


EPAs and Sugar Exports

Pilirani Semu-Banda (IPS)—The proposed economic partnership  
agreements (EPAs) between African countries and the European Union  
which are due to come into force beginning next year, may undermine  
the benefits of another EU trade initiative, called Everything-But- 
Arms, for the sugar industry.

Read more:
www.aumonitor.org/comments/382/


Bright Side of Continent

Oscar Kimanuka (East African)—A group of Africa’s media practitioners  
have been in China to assess how Africa can relate with China in the  
exchange of information and experience but most importantly how  
perceptions about both can be changed in the challenging era of  
globalization.

Read more:
www.aumonitor.org/comments/381/


AU Warns Members on EPAs

Francis Ayieko (East African)—Barely three months to the conclusion  
of the Economic Partnership Agreements between African, Caribbean and  
Pacific (ACP) countries and the European Union, the African Union is  
cautioning member states against signing the trade deal if it  
undermines development on the continent.

Read more:
www.aumonitor.org/comments/380/


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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





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