[ Reginal integration ]
Key role for Bolivia
The map of South American trade relations is confusing. On the one hand, there is UNASUR, which was formed to integrate the existing alliances of Mercosur and CAN. On the other hand, the ALBA coalition wants to expand cooperation with the goal of social equity. Bolivia, Venezuela and Ecuador belong to both UNASUR and ALBA. On top of all this, the USA is striving for a free-trade agreement with partner countries in South America. UNASUR members Peru and Colombia are in favour of this approach, whereas Bolivia and Venezuela vehemently oppose it.
[ By Marion Hörmann ]
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[ Comment ]
Problem, what problem?
Economists in rich nations argue that China’s exchange-rate policy is protectionist. Indeed, Beijing has tied the yuan/renmimbi to the US dollar. As the USA has been hit particularly hard by the global financial crisis and the dollar’s exchange rate is relatively low, the prices of manufactured goods from the People’s Republic are relatively low too. The US government has been pressing Beijing to change its stance, which would give US-based companies more breathing space. Exporters of manufactured goods from other emerging markets in Asia are also complaining about unfair competition from China. From an African perspective, however, things look different.
[ By Mohamed Gueye ]
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[ Regional integration ]
A quarter of humanity
At the beginning of this year, ACFTA came into force. This free-trade agreement links China and ASEAN, sending a signal to the world that the countries in the region intend to cooperate more closely.
[ By Eduardo Araral ]
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[ European Union ]
Two important jobs
The EU has a new Commission. Two commissioners are in charge of development-related international cooperation. The Commission’s president, José Manuel Barroso, partly redesigned the jurisdictions of the 26 commissioners. He split the development brief, which was previously held by Louis Michel and (since summer last year) Karel de Gucht from Belgium. Now Kristalina Georgieva from Bulgaria has become responsible for international cooperation, humanitarian aid and crisis relief, while Andris Piebalgs from Latvia is handling global development. Both commissioners will cooperate closely with Catherine Ashton, the high representative for foreign affairs and security. Karel de Gucht was appointed trade commissioner and will henceforth be in charge of negotiating Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs). The European Commission is the EU body that initiates new regulations and heads the EU administration.
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[German development cooperation]
“Africa must unite”
Regional integration is not an end in itself. Close cooperation with neighbours leads to new opportunities and, accordingly, higher standards of living. It is a healthy sign that regional institutions are generally appreciated and operational
in Africa today.
[ By Gudrun Kopp ]
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[ Comment ]
After the quake
Early in January, Haiti was hit by the worst earthquake in 200 years, measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale. The epicentre was located about 25 km from the capital Port-au-Prince. The damage caused was devastating: according to the Haitian government, about 200,000 people were killed, 250,000 were injured and 1.5 million lost their homes. In some places, up to 90 % of the buildings were destroyed.
[ By Katrin Radtke ]
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[ Internet ]
Regulating Africa’s data-highways
During its summit in February, the African Union (AU) declared information and communication technology (ICT) a new priority. The AU Commission was asked to draft a digital agenda. The main objective is to install infrastructure and put in place a political framework for universal access. The International Telecommunication Union will support these efforts.
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[ EU expansion ]
Watchdog and cooperation partner
Communist regimes in Central, East and Southeast Europe almost completely suppressed civil society, applying the motto “the state is everything, the citizen is nothing”. Today, building an active civil society is essential for transforming the countries concerned from authoritarian or even totalitarian one-party states into democratically run constitutional states that obey the rule of law. Judicial and legal reforms are affected too. The examples of Romania and Bulgaria prove that EU membership has served civil society well.
[ By Stefanie Ricarda Roos ]
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[ Interview with Mojib Latif, climate scientist ]
No clear pattern
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has recently made news because of false information in its Fourth Assessment Report published in 2007. A non-scientific source had suggested that the Himalayan glaciers would melt by 2035, and that date was included in the 938-page report of Working Group 2 (“Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability”). Hans Dembowski asked Mojib Latif, who contributed to the report of Working Group 1 (“Physical Science Basis”), about the consequences.
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[ Reforming technical cooperation ]
Breathing organisation
The new centre-right coalition in Germany wants to streamline the country’s complicated multitude of governmental aid agencies. The goal is clear, but the floor is still open to ideas and proposals to help achieve it.
[ By Tom Pätz ]
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[ Transport ]
Driving growth
An efficiently-run transport system helps industry and trade to flourish. InWEnt alumni are trying to boost regional businesses in SADC countries by implementing long-lasting logistics ideas.
[ By Berthold Volberg ]
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[ Women’s health ]
Gambian circumcisers drop their knives
In the Gambia, female genital mutilation (FGM) used to be taboo. The silence was only broken in recent years, with people now discussing the harmful tradition. In December, some 60 circumcisers publicly abandoned the practice. They serve 351 communities from Gambia’s Central and Upper River Regions.
[ By Nfamara Jawneh ]
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[ Cross-border cooperation ]
Deep integration
It often makes sense to harmonise internationally the rules that apply to business activity, but doing so tends to be politically controversial. Poorer nations could benefit from extra market opportunities, stable conditions and technology transfer. However, the successful model of the European Union cannot simply be replicated. In bilateral trade talks with third parties, the EU and the USA should refrain from using their power to push through their own standards.
[ By Simone Claar and Andreas Nölke ]
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[ Financial Markets ]
Cooperation is essential
The global financial crisis has shown the closely interwoven nature of economies around the world. Efficient and internationally entrenched financial supervision is needed to stem the consequences of recent turbulence as well as to prevent calamities in the future.
[ By Robert Elsen ]
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