FYI, I thought might be of interest to some of you on the list. regards, Momodou Camara ------- Forwarded message follows ------- Copyright 1999 InterPress Service, all rights reserved. Worldwide distribution via the APC networks. *** 02-Dec-99 *** Title: DEVELOPMENT: Global Campaign To Eradicate Poverty By Nana Rosine Ngangoue ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA, Dec 2 (IPS) - When scientists, government officials and activist meet in Hanover, Germany, for the Universal Exposition next year, they will propose new and innovative approaches to eliminate poverty and inequality. Expo 2000 will revolve around global dialogues, a series of 10 conferences which will discuss the creation of durable bond between Man, Nature and Technology. Africa, the majority of whose 750 million people live below the poverty line, will take an active part in the forum. Globally, there are approximately 1.3 billion people who still live on less than one dollar a day. More than 840 million are malnourished. And the combined assets of the world's 200 richest people constitute more wealth than the income of 41 percent of the world's population. ''Poverty is a prime concern for international financial institutions, governments, and social movements. However, while there may be a consensus on the need to eliminate poverty, the world does not agree on how to accomplish it'', states Marta Gutierrez of the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ). The goal of Global Dialogue 4, which will take place from July 25-27, 2000 in Hanover, will be to develop the innovative social approaches necessary to eradicate poverty and reduce various forms of social inequality based on gender, race, ethnic group, nationality, and social class. According to GTZ, social innovation can be found in some projects initiated by various segments of society, such as activists, the private sector, and governments, who offer new possibilities to open up markets for poor people which use their knowledge, talents, and abilities in to further development. There are several examples of social innovation in the world. In Africa, for example, the most cited one is that of the Women's Budget Initiative in South Africa through which the government and civil society decided to examine the problem of gender in fiscal policy. This approach has been adopted by other countries in Africa and Latin America. At Expo 2000, more than 800 innovative social projects in the fight against poverty, many of which were carried out in Africa, will be discussed. These projects involve poor people as participants in their own right, not as a vulnerable group who receives subsidies and other hand-outs from the government and others. The regional conference, held in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa in November to prepare Africa's participation in the world dialogue has made vital proposals which are in the spirit of Expo 2000's themes. In the process of ensuring the poor with food, medical care, and housing for the poor, the participants will also focus on the necessity of respecting Africa's many cultures and creative diversity. ''Several failures and catastrophes on the road to development, which especially affect the poor, have at their root inadequate recognition of cultural and ethnic complexities. Minorities and indigenous people are generally among the poorest of the poor'', a document prepared by GTZ presenting Global 4's dialogue says. Inonge Mbikusita-Lewanika from the Federations of African Women's Networks for Peace (FERFAP) says the question of culture and tribe has long had negative connotations in Africa. In fact, culture is dynamic and always changing. ''Africa should evolve according to its own rhythms and values'', she adds. Strengthening power and influence among the poor was also presented as an important element in the fight against poverty. The poor should have considerable influence and be included in important negotiations, since they represent the majority of electors in their countries, says Yemataworke Haile of the Agency for Economic and Cultural Promotion in Ethiopia. Haile denounces the practice of one-person-one-vote system adopted in the World Trade Organization's negotiations. ''These negotiations cannot take into account what poor people think. This one person-one vote approach is just a way to not look reality in the face, since poor people constitute a minority in most negotiations'', Haile laments. ''The poor do not get information about anything. Reality is dressed up in order to fool the poor. In reality, they are not involved because they have no influence.'', she adds. The formation of alliances and coalitions to promote peace and human rights constitutes yet another strategy to eradicate poverty. The question of transferring technology to the rural world was emphasised by participants. Florence Wanbungu of Kenya encourages African farmers to use new agricultural techniques to increase production and ensure nutritional self-sufficiency in Africa. She also suggests the use of bio-genetic practices which protect crops against disease. ''Biotechnical engineering allows one to grow good crops without the use of pesticides. Africa needs to produce more. It could do so with these new agricultural technologies'', she says. Other observers, however, have recommended a more critical attitude before embarking upon the use of advanced agricultural technologies. The participants encourage social responsibility in finance, commerce, and investing. Institutions and international accords have established new globalised rules which do not take into account the interests of poor people. The democratisation of finance, trade and investment present options which can contribute to negotiating a place for poor people at the economic and political table. The African non-governmental organisations (ngos) say that increased collaboration between governments, civil society, the private sector, and the media is necessary if poverty is to be eradicated. The GTZ is the Global Dialogue's main organiser. It has organised Regional Dialogues on the fight against poverty in Asia, Latin America, and Africa. FEMNET, a network of ngos, was designated to mobilise and coordinate the participation of African NGOs in the Global Dialogue 4. The German government has committed itself to funding Third World representatives at the Hanover conference. (END/IPS/nrn/sz/mn/99) Origin: Harare/DEVELOPMENT/ ---- [c] 1999, InterPress Third World News Agency (IPS) All rights reserved May not be reproduced, reprinted or posted to any system or service outside of the APC networks, without specific permission from IPS. ------- End of forwarded message ------- ********** e-mail: [log in to unmask] URL: http://home3.inet.tele.dk/mcamara ****************** ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------------