Vietnam Meeting Aims To Make Global Aid More Effective

“Aid experts from the World Bank, UN and other development agencies and banks met in Vietnam Monday for a four-day conference aimed at making global development efforts more effective. 

The Hanoi meeting, also including some 40 nations, will study ways to ensure that international aid - which, organizers said, reached a record $87 billion in 2005 - meets its target of boosting development. The credibility of the donor community rests on its ability to deliver results for the world's billions of poor, said the World Bank's new Vice President for East Asia and the Pacific, Jim Adams. ‘Foreign aid budgets across the world are growing sharply, and as they grow, donors and partner countries, like Vietnam, are increasingly looking to measure progress, make good decisions based on reliable information and involve everyone in building the best strategies,’ he said. The meeting aims to help countries develop national action planning processes and better collect statistics and allow public servants to use the latest information management systems. 

Donor countries should not just measure their successes by ‘the number of kilometers of roads or the number of schools’ they build, said Jeffrey Gutman, the World Bank's Vice President of Operations. Rather they should focus on wider outcomes, such as ‘whether we actually get some results in terms of quality of education, in terms of changing economic opportunity by access to those roads,’ he said. Host Vietnam has been praised for its poverty-eradication programs, and has been chosen as a pilot country in which separate UN agencies will streamline their operations to work under a common leadership and budget. 

The World Bank in Vietnam plans on Tuesday to announce that it will provide Vietnam with over $4 billion in interest-free credit until 2011 to continue its poverty reduction and development efforts. The Hanoi meeting is sponsored by the Asian Development Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, African Development Bank, the OECD's Development Assistance Committee, United Nations Development Program and the World Bank. The conference, the Third International Roundtable on Managing for Development Results, follows similar meetings in the US, Mexico and Morocco in recent years. …” [Agence France Presse (02/05)/Factiva]

“… The World Bank’s Jim Adams and Phung Khac Ke, Vice Governor of State Bank of Vietnam, are expected to co-chair the announcement ceremony for the pact February 6 in Hanoi. Approved in 2002, the Comprehensive Poverty Reduction and Growth Strategy (CPRGS) has been closely attached with structural reforms in key fields including socioeconomic development and state administration, said a World Bank official. …” [Vietnam News Brief Service (02/05)/Factiva]

In related news, “A $6.5 million project funded by the World Bank to launch scientific-technological advances in farming has managed to alleviate the plight of 68,000 poor families of ethnic minorities in the northern mountainous region. The project has over the past five years deployed over 4,000 models to boost advanced agricultural skills, benefiting over 32 percent of the combined population in five target provinces. An estimated 80 percent of the target population lived under the poverty lines during the pre-project period, said the Management Board of the Central Poverty Reduction Program. The project has also provided a huge number of small-scale construction projects for villages and communes, thus contributing to upgrading local economic and social infrastructure. So far, contracts on almost 4,000 such projects, worth $88.7 million, have been signed.” [Vietnam News Agency Bulletin (02/04)/Factiva]

Political Crisis In Lebanon Could Jeopardize International Aid

“The continuing political deadlock in Lebanon could jeopardize a government-proposed economic reform plan and aid pledged by international donors warned Lebanon's Finance Minister, Jihad Azur.

Azur told the Nicosia-based Middle East Economic Survey (MEES) industry newsletter that the assistance of the international community is related to the program of reforms. Prime Minister Siniora's government has a five-year economic reform plan that includes a 2 percent rise in value-added tax to 12 percent from 2008 and privatization of the electricity and mobile telephone sectors. Azur added that if the current deadlock slows the reform plans, some donors may withdraw the money pledged. Lebanese President Emile Lahoud has repeatedly called the cabinet unlawful, saying that any cabinet decision, including over the reform package, taken without the ministers who resigned was meaningless. …” [Middle East and North Africa Today (US, 02/05)/Factiva]

AFP notes that “… Azur said he was encouraged by the positive involvement of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which is going to support the program and put money into it without imposing stringent conditions. However, Azur ruled out the possibility of writing off some of Lebanon's huge public debt which ballooned to $41 billion at the end of last year, more than 180 percent of gross domestic product. ‘A scheme of debt forgiveness, if applied for Lebanon, will have tremendous negative impact on the savings of the Lebanese people. This is because the biggest share of debt is held by Lebanese financial institutions or the Lebanese people,’ Azur said. Lebanon has developed a financial monitoring system with the World Bank to monitor the use of financial pledges over the next five years, he said. The government will also form a consultative group involving donor nations and institutions to report on the progress of the reform program and the use of the funds, Azur said.” [Agence France Presse (02/03)/Factiva]

Meanwhile, Xinhua reports that “Lebanon's Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh hailed Saturday the outcome of [the] recently-held donor conference in Paris, saying it has witnessed international willingness to make Lebanon an independent and democratic state. In an interview with Voice of Lebanon radio, Salameh described the conference, or Paris III, as a great success for Lebanon. The outcome of the conference showed international support for the financial reform paper presented by Lebanon, he told the radio. The Paris III conference was held on January 25, during which Arab and international donors promised to grant Lebanon $7.63 billion to help rebuild and restructure its economy in the wake of the Israeli devastation last summer. Much of the aid is in form of grants, soft loans and direct support to the Lebanese government of Seniora... . …” [Xinhua (China, 02/03)/Factiva]

“In an interview with Al-Sharq al-Awsat [in late January] during his stay in the French capital, Salameh, who came from the banking sector to assume the governorship of the Bank of Lebanon … cautioned politicians inside and outside the government that it is important for the Lebanese to agree on endorsing the reforms that are contained in the government's program, whose implementation controls the disbursement of the aid allocated for Lebanon. … Salameh said: ‘Thanks to this (Post-Conflict) Program, the IMF will assign a team to Lebanon to follow up on its financial and reform commitments’ and also to draw up schedules for the delivery of aid to the Lebanese side based on a detailed program, on which negotiations are under way between the government and representatives of the IMF. An agreement will be reached on the criteria and schedules; that is, the payment calendar. The donor parties are expected to rely on the IMF's report ‘either to expedite the payment or to slow it down.’ In other words, the IMF will have the ‘veto’ over the disbursement of funds. …” [BBC Monitoring Middle East (02/05) and Al-Sharq al-Awsat (UK, 01/31)/Factiva] 

Rato Says Regional Integration Key To Increase [Central America’s] Investment Flows

“Regional integration is a key element for Central America to increase its investment flows, said International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Rodrigo de Rato while on a brief visit to Costa Rica.

Rato explained to an investment forum that large international investors see the isthmus like a whole, and also see opportunities to drive its development. ‘Latin America has for a long time been at a disadvantage with respect to other regions’ with respect to measures ‘directed at stimulating investment,’ added the head of the IMF. ‘During the period 2003-2006, real investment was only about 20 percent of GDP in Latin America, compared to almost 30 percent of GDP in Eastern Europe and Central Asia and almost 35 percent of GDP in emerging Asia,’ he said. In addition, the IMF’s managing director made a call to improve productivity in Latin America, which has been ‘chronically low.’ …” [Agencia EFE (02/02)/Factiva]

“… The IMF has estimated that per capita income in Latin America could double by 2025 if average investment was raised to 24 percent of gross domestic product and productivity growth was 2 percent a year, Rato said. The recently signed regional free trade agreement with the US, which is known as Cafta, can provide a platform from which to attract investments, he said. ‘By promoting free trade, Central American countries can deploy to the maximum extent possible the law of comparative advantage, leading to higher incomes for their citizens,’ Rato said. ‘By encouraging foreign direct investment, Central America can gain access to technology, knowledge, and managerial expertise from abroad, and trigger vertical integration and the development of supply chains.’ Foreign companies are more likely to invest in Costa Rica, with its population of less than 5 million, if doing so will give them a foothold in the region, with its population of over 25 million, he said. For these policies to work, Central American countries must maintain macroeconomic stability, he said. Average growth was over 5 percent last year, which is above the level of recent years, while inflation is in single digits in most countries in the region, he said. …”  [Dow Jones (02/02)/Factiva]

AFP notes that additional conclusions and measures cited to assist in improving the investment climate on the isthmus were raising the quality of education, modernizing high-priority infrastructure and improving the judicial and customs systems, according to Rato. [Agence France Presse (02/02)/Factiva]

“Central America is delivering generally solid growth and low inflation, but still has some weak spots that need watching, [also] said Rato on Friday. ‘Central America remains vulnerable to external shocks, especially a downturn in the US, given the high share of the region's exports that go to the US,’ he said in [his] speech … . … Rato noted that state spending was up 9 percent, largely due to increases in current expenditure, and capital investment was still relatively low. He also warned of the potential fallout if problems developed in the region's banking sector. ‘More needs to be done to reduce financial sector risks, especially from off-shore centers,’ he said. Rato's speech offered broad encouragement for greater engagement between the region and the rest of the world, which he said would help boost foreign investment and boost incomes in countries where many people live in poverty. …” [Reuters (02/02)/Factiva] 

World Bank Gives Palestinians $25 Million

The World Bank signed an agreement on Friday to give $25 million to poor Palestinians hit hard by a Western aid embargo of the Hamas-led government. The funds for health care and other services will be disbursed through Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s office rather than through Hamas-controlled government ministries. “The focus of our technical and financial assistance is to facilitate the delivery of the basic services to vulnerable families,” said World Bank managing director Juan Jose Daboub after signing the agreement at Abbas’s office in Ramallah. [Reuters/(02/02)/Factiva]

President Abbas said the agreement aims at serving the Palestinian people in the fields of infrastructure and NGOs. The grant will support three projects: Emergency Municipal Services Rehabilitation Project II ($10 million), Palestinian NGOs Project III ($10 million) and Additional Financing for the Bank's existing Integrated Community Development Project ($5 million).

"The World Bank's program in the West Bank and Gaza is designed as response to alleviate the Impact of the current situation on Palestinians," said Dr. Daboub. [WAFA/(02/02)/Factiva]

"These three projects contribute to the immediate needs of communities in West Bank and Gaza as a result of the current situation," said Ms. Daniela Gressani, World Bank Vice President for the Middle East and North Africa. "We also support the capacity of local communities through job creation and collaborative initiatives that will provide the basis for long term sustainability of these services." [BBC Monitoring Middle East/(02/02)/Factiva].

The projects support access to basic social and economic services in poor and marginalized communities in the West Bank and Gaza, including solid waste collection, street lighting, wastewater and electricity services, health services. They will also provide temporary job opportunities to unemployed Palestinians, and help sustain reliable mechanisms for delivery of emergency social services. [Xinhua/(02/03)/Factiva]

Ma’an Network/(02/02), Al-Quds and Al Ayyam also report on the World Bank’s $25 million grant to Palestinians.

H5N1 Strain Claims First Human Victim In Africa

“The first human death from avian flu in West Africa was confirmed at the weekend in what experts said was a much more serious development than the spread of the virus to a turkey farm in Suffolk.  

A 22-year-old woman from Lagos, Nigeria, who died on 16 January was infected with the H5N1 virus, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed. Professor Angus Nicoll, head of the avian flu division of the European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, in Stockholm, said: ‘This [Nigeria] is the most populous country in Africa. It has got H5N1 in poultry and it must be a candidate for a pandemic to emerge. The most disturbing thing is that the possibility of the Nigerian government controlling this must be slim.’ …” [The Independent (UK, 02/05)/Factiva]

Reuters notes that “… Tests carried out at a laboratory in London confirmed the findings of Nigerian health authorities, who announced on Wednesday that the woman had died after catching the virus from infected chicken. The WHO seeks confirmation of preliminary testing from one of its network of laboratories. …” [Reuters (02/03)/Factiva]

“… Health officials in Nigeria reported several human cases of bird flu [last] Wednesday, saying one woman had died and a family member was infected but responding to treatment. With WHO's confirmation, Nigeria's public health authorities are now focused on finding out if any other people have been infected and taking measures to prevent further spread, the country's Information Minister, Frank Nweke Jr. said. ‘It bears restating, therefore, that H5N1 is widespread and continuing in the poultry population in Nigeria,’ he said, with sick birds found in 19 of Nigeria's 36 states. …” [Dow Jones (02/03)/Factiva]

Meanwhile, AFP reports that “The improper disposal of hundreds of chickens suspected to have died of bird flu has raised fears among residents of the northern Nigerian city of Kano, a senior official said Sunday. … ‘We got a report last week from the town of Minjibir where some 250 dead chickens were dumped by unknown persons in a refuse dump which caused panic among the residents of the town,’ Shehu Bawa, head of the Kano state committee on avian flu responsible for culling infected birds, told AFP. ‘We went and properly disposed them but we are yet to trace the origin of the dead chickens although we have deployed our intelligence personnel who are still investigating the source of the chickens,’ he said. …” [Agence France Presse (02/04)/Factiva]

In related news, “The WHO on Sunday warned that European nations must not be lulled into a false sense of security about bird flu, following an outbreak among poultry at a British farm. WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl said Britain and Europe could just as easily be the source of the feared mutation of the H5N1 bird flu virus that might trigger a human pandemic, as Africa and its blighted health care services. ‘A mutation could occur anywhere. Someone was saying in relation to the British outbreak, 'Oh it won't happen in Europe'. That's really a kind of false security that is being built up,’ Hartl told AFP. …” [Agence France Presse (02/04)/Factiva]

The FT reports that “The UK authorities were on Sunday killing tens of thousands of turkeys in an effort to contain Europe’s largest outbreak of H5N1 bird flu on a commercial poultry farm. A biosecurity zone has also been set up around the Bernard Matthews farm in Suffolk, as a precaution against the deadly virus spreading. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said on Sunday night that the gassing operation, which has already killed 51,000 of the 159,000 turkeys on the farm, would continue on Monday. … The Suffolk H5N1 outbreak, the first to affect poultry in the country, follows a similar infection among geese in Hungary two weeks ago. Before that, Europe had had no reported cases of avian flu since last August. …” [The Financial Times (UK, 02/05)/Factiva]

AFP further notes that “Significantly reducing the risk of deadly bird flu in Southeast Asia, the region hardest hit by the virus, could take up to a decade, the UN official heading the global fight against avian influenza said. In an interview with AFP, David Nabarro said changing traditional farming practices across the vast region to reduce the risk of a human pandemic emerging would take several years and a huge political commitment. However he said the virus, which has killed 142 people in Southeast Asia and 165 worldwide since resurfacing in 2003, does not appear to be mutating into a form easily transmissible between humans. …”  [Agence France Presse (02/05)/Factiva]

Also In This Edition: France And 45 Other Countries Call For World Environmental Monitor; Palestinians Slam Quartet Over Aid Boycott; World Bank Launches Initiative To Promote Sudan’s Civil Society Action; Briefly Noted...

FranceAnd 45 Other Countries Call For World Environmental Monitor.  “Forty-five nations joined France in calling for a new environmental body to slow global warming and protect the planet, a body that potentially could have policing powers to punish violators.

Absent were the world's heavyweight polluter, the US, and two booming nations on the same path as the US, China and India. The effort Saturday, led by President Jacques Chirac of France, came a day after the release of an authoritative, and disturbingly grim, scientific report saying that global warming was ‘very likely’ caused by mankind, and that climate change would continue for centuries even if heat-trapping gases were reduced. It was the strongest language ever used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), whose last report was issued in 2001. The document, a collaboration of hundreds of scientists and government officials, was approved by 113 nations, including the US. Despite the report's dire outlook, most scientists have said the worst disasters … might be avoided if strong action was taken soon. …” [The Associated Press and The International Herald Tribune (02/04)]

The FTnotes that “… [Chirac] called for the UN to reform its environmental agency to give it greater powers to encourage countries to cut their greenhouse gas emissions and act as ‘the global ecologicalconscience.’ That would be accompanied by a UN declaration of environmental rights, such as rights to water and clean air, and responsibilities, such as emissions reductions. … Angela Merkel, German chancellor, also spoke out after the scientific report … which predicted droughts, floods and more intense storms as the result of a 3°C degree rise in temperatures by the end of the century. The report will form the basis for negotiations on a possible successor to the Kyoto protocol on climate change. Merkel urged consumers to take tangible steps to protect the environment. … She also urged the greater use of public transport and said Germany could become the pioneer in developing environmental technologies. …” [The Financial Times (UK, 02/05)]

Deutsche Welle reports that “The EU's Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas has urged Germany to take the lead in curbing global warming, saying Berlin must be aware of its responsibility as a role model. Dimas told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper that Germany must ‘be aware of its responsibility and its position as a role model in the fight against climate change.’ Germany, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency, has said the environment is one of its priorities. Yet it opposes a number of recent proposals by the European to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, including plans to cut carbon dioxide emissions from new cars and impose an emissions quota for 2008-2012. …” [Deutsche Welle (Germany, 02/04)/Factiva]

Meanwhile, “… Yvo de Boer, Secretary General of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, called for work to begin on forging a successor to the Kyoto protocol on climate change, which requires developed countries to re-duce their emissions by 5 percent by 2012. Such an agreement would also involve developing countries, which at present are not obliged to cut their emissions under the treaty. Poor countries would probably be given incentives to reduce their emissions rather than face sanctions for failing to cut them, as rich countries would under such a system. …” [The Financial Times (UK, 02/03)/Factiva]  

“… [Chirac] said the first meeting of a pioneer group of 46 nations pushing for a UN environmental agency would take place in Morocco. The 46 include most countries in Europe and north Africa, Latin American states such as Chile and Ecuador, as well as some of the world's poorest nations like Burkina Faso and Cambodia. …” [AFX Asia (Hong Kong, 02/05)/Factiva]

Palestinians Slam Quartet Over Aid Boycott.  “The rival factions Hamas and Fatah on Saturday both condemned the failure of the major powers involved in Middle East peacemaking to end a punishing Western aid embargo on the Palestinians. 

‘These decisions mean more suffering for our people. Continuing the siege is to continue the pain and injury we suffer from throughout the year,’ Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya of Hamas said at his home in Gaza City's Al Shati refugee camp. The so-called Mideast Quartet - the US, Russia, the EU and UN - met in Washington on Friday in a bid to revive efforts to achieve an Arab-Israeli peace deal and establish a Palestinian state. But the Quartet stopped short of resuming aid dollars to the cash-strapped authority, as Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas had expected, an aide said. ‘We were expecting that the Quartet would take a decision to lift the oppressive siege on the Palestinian people to stop the suffering and create a atmosphere suitable to reviving the peace process,’ Abbas adviser Nabil Abu Rudeina told AFP. …” [Agence France Presse (02/03)/Factiva]

“… In a statement read aloud by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon at the press conference, the quartet ‘called for respect for law and order’ among the Palestinians and ‘welcomed US efforts to accelerate progress on the road map.’ The ‘road map,’ issued by the quartet in April 2003, is a three-phase plan detailing steps culminating in the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. But there appeared to be some disagreement at the press conference over the best way to encourage Syria, Iran and Hamas to cooperate in achieving that objective. … The road map's goals were scheduled to be met by 2005 but continued violence has derailed attempts to secure the Palestinian territories, build institutions, and meet the humanitarian needs of the Palestinians. …” [Kyodo News (Japan, 02/02)/Factiva]

“German Chancellor Angel Merkel launched a four-day tour of the Middle East in Egypt Saturday in hope of drawing on German influence in the region as part of increased international efforts to revive the Israel-Palestinian peace process. … In a weekly video address broadcast over the Internet, Merkel expressed her pleasure at the renewed efforts of international leaders to bring peace to the region. ‘But without the regional players, it won't happen,’ Merkel said. Merkel has made the revival of peace efforts in the Middle East a goal of Germany's turn at the six-month rotating EU presidency and has been meeting with key international and regional players in recent weeks. …” [The Associated Press (02/03)/Factiva] 

World Bank Launches Initiative To Promote Sudan’s Civil Society Action.  “The World Bank has launched an initiative to promote Sudanese civil society projects for peace and development, a press release said.

The World Bank Sudan Country office launched the ‘Sudan Development Marketplace (DM) for 2007’ initiative to identify innovative development ideas for delivering results, engage directly with stakeholders working at community level, create a forum of knowledge sharing and dissemination and build partnerships with and between other development actors.

The DM for 2007 aligns with the needs and development perspectives of post-conflict Sudan. The statement said that the theme of Sudan DM for 2007 ‘Towards an Inclusive Sudanese Society’ has been carefully selected to satisfy the aspirations of Sudanese people for peace and development.

The initiative aims to support the recovery and reconstruction efforts in the country through pro-poor and pro-peace initiatives working towards consolidating peace and supporting the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed on January 2005.

The overall competition would be looking for innovations in areas of encouraging community initiatives and collecting actions, reinforcing community identity and culture of tolerance, conflict resolution and peace. In addition to promoting change to address challenges and improve quality of life at the local level. … ” [The Sudan Tribune (02/04)/Factiva]

Briefly Noted…  President Paul Kagame Friday received World Bank Lead Economist in Rwanda, Victoria Kwakwa, who was accompanied by World Bank energy expert, Mac Davies on his two-day visit to Rwanda. Kwakwa brought President Kagame a message from World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz appreciating Rwanda's cooperation with the Bank and a promise to assist the Rwandan government meet the five-year plan to fight poverty and solve the energy crisis. [Radio Rwanda (02/03)/Factiva]

The World Bank intends to soon launch regional projects related to nature conservation signaling a more pragmatic involvement in the forestry sector. In a meeting on Friday with members of the media involved in the environment and tourism industry, World Bank Senior Forestry Expert Laurent Debroux discussed steps that the Bretton Woods institution plans on implementing with respect to sustainable development of forestry resources in the DRC. [Le Potentiel (DRC, 02/04)/Factiva]

President Hu Jintao of China on Friday pledged a new level of cooperation between his country and Sudan, China's third largest African trading partner, at the start of his first visit to Sudan. Hu told Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir that “Darfur is a part of Sudan, and you have to resolve this problem,” according to a person who attended the talks between the leaders on Friday. [The New York Times (02/03)/Factiva]

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) welcomed last week's announcement by the World Bank that its Board of Executive Directors had discussed a new Interim Strategy for Haiti. This projects financial assistance of up to $82 million in grants over the next 18 months to support Haiti’s development agenda as well as two grants for a total of $28 million to support economic governance reform ($23 million) and water and sanitation in rural areas ($5 million). [Caribbean Net News (Georgetown, Cayman Islands, 02/05)/Factiva]

Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said in Madrid Friday that with Spain's support, Argentina and Uruguay have reached an "understanding to initiate a direct dialogue" in their bitter dispute over plans for a paper mill on the Uruguayan side of the river that forms the two countries' border. Personal representatives of the nations' respective presidents have agreed to meet on Spanish soil "to address every aspect of the question," Moratinos told EFE.  [EFE News Service (02/02)/Factiva]

Bangladeshplans to make three state-owned commercial banks public limited companies, a move championed by the World Bank and other donors, and welcomed by business leaders. The council of advisers to the interim government on Saturday approved a draft regulation required to turn the Sonali, Janata and Agrani banks into public companies. [Reuters (02/04)/Factiva] 

The IFC sees its role in Romania changing to backing higher risk investments following the country's EU accession on January 1 and its exposure to greater competition, a top official said. "The EU accession rather brings up the need for a specific type of investments that is being felt more often in certain sectors. I mean especially investments in high quality equipment and technologies to face the growing competition, and also investments made to reach the EU's environment standards," the IFC Chief of Mission in Romania Ana Maria Mihaescu told SeeNews in a recent interview. [SeeNews (Bulgaria, 04/02)/Factiva]

The Government of Azerbaijan does not agree with the results of World Bank's Doing Business 2007 report, Azerbaijan's Economic Development Minister Heydar Babayev stated at a joint press conference with Simeon Djankov, the report's author. "The information under the report which the rating of Azerbaijan is based on has not been received from the government, but from their other sources. We consider that it does not completely reflect the real situation in the republic," the minister said. Babayev noted that during negotiations his ministry and the World Bank came to a decision and revealed positions on which it is possible to take measures on improvement of business environment in Azerbaijan. "In this connection, we have suggested to create special working group at the ministry." [Azer-Press (Azerbaijan, 02/02)/Factiva]

Representatives from about 50 countries will gather in Paris this week to search for ways to demobilize and rehabilitate the world's estimated 250,000 child soldiers. It is believed that teenagers and children are still being recruited or coerced into serving in conflicts in a dozen countries, many of them in Africa. The conference, sponsored by UNICEF and France's Foreign Ministry, is to focus on strategies to prevent the recruitment of children and help reintegrate former child soldiers into society. [The Associated Press (02/05)/Factiva]

The world's poor, who are the least responsible for global warming, will suffer the most from the effects of climate change, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told global environment ministers on Monday. In comments read on his behalf at the start of a week-long Nairobi gathering, Ban said all countries would feel the adverse effect of climate change. [Reuters (02/05)/Factiva]  

Emerging market economies would be given help in building up domestic bond markets under proposals the German government will present this week to finance ministers from leading industrial nations. The initiative is meant to help boost financial stability by encouraging bond markets in local currencies. "It is mainly about making countries less susceptible to financial shocks by developing local and regional bond markets in domestic currencies," said Jörg Asmussen, head of the German finance ministry's international department. [The Financial Times (UK, 02/05)/Factiva]