| AROUND THE REGION | news briefs |
| Asian financial crisis worries SADC |
landmine treaty Five SADC countries are among 40 countries around the world which have just ratified the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty, effectively putting it into force. The treaty will become binding law on 1 March 1999. The five countries are Mauritius, Malawi, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, nations where mines have beed used most extensively. Angola has signed the treaty but has not yet ratified it. However, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) has expressed concern about reports of continued laying of mines in a number of countries that have signed including Angola. The ratification comes in the wake of a global movement to eradicate antipersonnel landmines. "It is fitting that this treaty will enter into force faster than any other major treaty in history," said Jody Williams, Ambassador to the nobel prize laurate, the ICBL. "This accomplishment underscores the urgency of dealing with the global landmine crisis and the strength of the new international standard against this insidious weapon," she said. The treaty aims to achieve the destruction of stockpiled mines within four years and of mines already in the ground within 10 years. The 40 countries which have ratified are part of 130 nations which have signed the treaty since last December. Zimbabwe has already started on its demining programme by launching a demining campaign in July 1998. A report released in October by the National Demining Office and the Zimbabwe Campaign to Ban Landmines (ZCBL) revealed that 166 000 square metres of land in the country has been cleared of landmines. |
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The Mozambican government believes that SADC member states should come together and reassess their trade relations with countries currently undergoing a financial crisis, particularly those from south-east Asia.
Mozambican Planning and Finance Minister Tomas Salomao told a recent press conference that SADC members should endeavour to know the reality of the financial crisis in depth so as to be able to take realistic measures to deal with its negative effects. He noted that the crisis in Asia is now affecting world markets, and this may have particularly negative effects on Mozambique, classified as one of the poorest countries in the world. Calling for joint work within SADC, Salomao noted that only "by acting en bloc" can the organization deal with an impending financial crisis. |
Exporters in particular would have to take care, since they might not be able to rely on south-east Asian markets.
"We have to realise that with this crisis, we are losing the Asian market," he said. "We have to look for new markets, and the cohesion of SADC could be one of the solutions." To illustrate the dramtic effects of the currency devaluations that have occurred in Asia, Salomao cited Malaysia, where someone earning the equivalent of 100 US dollars before the crisis, is now earning the equivalent of only about 30 US dollars. Salomao said that the first issue he posed to the Briton Woods institutions during their annual meeting early October, was about the implications of the financial crisis on Mozambique, taking into account the poverty situation in Africa. (AIM)q |
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| Region fights environmental degradation | ||
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The private sector and governments of SADC have been called upon to unite in fighting environmental degradation.
Parliamentarians and officials from non-governmental organisations in southern Africa meeting in South Africa recently emphasised that sustainable development depends on social and environmental justice. They pointed out that sustainable development would not be possible without the eradication of poverty. Danie Stewart of the Development Bank of Southern Africa expressed the need for quality management of information on poverty and natural resources. This was echoed by other speakers who stressed the importance of indigenous knowledge and the sharing of information. The meeting highlighted the need to integrate environment and development in decision making and national policy formulation. The southern African legislators undertook to hold parliamentary debates aimed at reviewing member countries' strategies for the coming Buenos Aires Climate Change meeting regarding how the region will fulfill the commitments signed in Kyoto last year. |
The meeting called upon ministers in the region to develop a regional consensus position with regard to climate change for tabling at or before the Fourth Conference of the Parties to CITES (COP4). There was consensus at the meeting that the National Secretariats of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification should be "appointed in each country at the highest political level to coordinate and facilitate policy".
Swaziland elections The Swazi people finally elected a government that will lead them into the next millennium after several election postponements and calls from trade unions and opposition parties to cancel the elections until a "democratic system" was set up in the country. The opposition parties dubbed the "Progressives" and other pressure groups have been calling on the electorate to boycott the elections, denouncing the Tinkhundla system of government, where the King has executive powers, as "inhumane and undemocratic". The elections held on 16 and 24 October 1998 were previously scheduled for 9 October but were postponed due to "logistical" problems. Swaziland chief electoral officer, Robert Thwala, says the electoral commission wanted to give the candidates "enough time to campaign" and so that the electorate would vote the right people into power. The elections were characterised by a low turnout. Less than 100,000 of the 200,000 registered voters managed to cast their votes. |
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