Wednesday, July 09, 2003

World Poverty Fight 'In Danger' by Alex Kirby 08 Jul 03 Despite three years of concerted effort, some countries have recently begun to get poorer. On present trends, some African countries will not vanquish poverty until 2165, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) believes. It says poor countries must introduce reforms, while rich ones improve trade and aid. Releasing its Human Development Report 2003, the UNDP says poverty is not inevitable. In the last 30 years, life expectancy in poor countries has risen by eight years, and illiteracy has been halved. But it says progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is patchy, with success still uncertain. 6:24:26 AM  Google It!

Slow Ratification of Peace And Security Council from Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique 04 Jul 03 The first day of the African Union (AU) summit in Maputo was marked by discussions in the Committee of Permanent Representatives (Ambassadors) on implementing the AU protocol to set up an African Peace and Security Council. Ana Nemba, Mozambique's permanent representative at the AU, told reporters that although 39 member states have signed the protocol only seven - Algeria, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Mali, Mozambique, Rwanda and South Africa - have ratified it. The Council cannot be established until there are 26 ratifications. The Council is intended to seek solutions to conflicts, and to suggest conflict prevention measures. It is, in short, an African solution to an African problem - but there seems little chance that it will be set up at this summit. Nemba said that another five countries have expressed an interest in depositing the instruments of ratification during the summit. She would not say who they are, but from other sources, AIM understands that two of them are Angola and Lesotho. [allAfrica.com] 6:17:13 AM  Google It!