Cairns Group Calls For Quick Resumption Of WTO Talks

“The Cairns Group of agricultural exporters called for a quick resumption of talks on a global trade deal Friday and demanded the European Union and United States make deeper cuts to farm aid. 

The 18-nation grouping, whose members account for 25 percent of global farm exports, said the World Trade Organisation's (WTO) Doha Round of talks, suspended in July due to an EU-US stand-off, should resume in a matter of weeks. ‘We're calling on the major players to get back to the negotiating table as soon as possible, and certainly no later than November,’ said Australia's Trade Minister Mark Vaile. The group said in a statement issued after a three-day meeting in this northern Australian resort town that the whole momentum of global trade liberalization was threatened. …” [Agence France Presse/Factiva] 

“… But WTO chief Pascal Lamy said it was too early to restart the stalled Doha round of trade talks, as the major nations needed more time to come up with proposals on breaking down agriculture trade barriers. ‘They need a bit of time before they go back to the negotiating table, with new numbers. It's no use going back to the negotiating table with the old numbers. It won't work,’ Lamy told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio on Friday. …” [Reuters/Factiva] 

“Latin American trade officials on Friday criticized the United States and Europe for the collapse of world trade talks, saying their bickering over how to cut tariffs and subsidies to farmers was ‘an excuse to do nothing.’ … Latin American officials said both the EU and Washington should make substantial new offers that could kick-start the round, and urged them to stop finger-pointing at each other about who should go first. … Colombia's senior WTO official, Claudia Uribe, said US domestic subsidies were more damaging to Latin American farmers than European import tariffs and called on Washington to act first. …” [The Associated Press/Factiva] 

“Indonesian and Philippines officials Friday defended their countries for maintaining trade protection for their millions of small farmers, saying they are the most vulnerable group to risks stemming from liberalization. … Indonesia, which has 70 million small farmers - about 30 percent of its population - is willing to work with other Cairns Group members to reach an agreement on the safety mechanism, said Gusmardi Bustami, the country's senior WTO official said. …” [Dow Jones and The Associated Press/Factiva]

Poor Countries 'Suffering From Aid Chaos'

“The United Nations said yesterday that the best way for the rich world to deliver on its promise to double aid to poor countries would be to set up a new, independent, UN agency to replace the soft loans arm of the World Bank.

A report by the UN Conference on Trade and Development argues that aid structures are too chaotic, with developing nations facing too many donors pushing often unsuitable projects.

The report follows heavy criticism of the World Bank agenda, with many saying that its president, Paul Wolfowitz, is pursuing anti-corruption measures at the expense of delivering essential funds to the poorest people. [The Guardian]

“But the idea of establishing a new UN fund to handle Africa's funds is highly controversial. The Overseas Development Institute, a respected British think-tank, has criticised this approach. It says the UN must earn its right to administer a larger share of aid. It must prove it can do a better job than the World Bank, and this is presently not the case.” [BBC/Factiva]

“… Mr Benn's Department for International Development welcomed the report, agreeing that international aid institutions needed reform. But, it said, focus should be placed on improving existing bodies rather than creating a new UN fund.”   [The Guardian]

World Bank Launches Online Business Directory

“The World Bank, in partnership with the Government of Japan, has launched a new online business directory designed to promote trade and investment between Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.

The Africa-Asia Business Directory is the first comprehensive listing of top companies and multinationals either operating in Sub-Saharan Africa or with the potential to engage in business on the continent.

The Sub-Saharan Africa-Asia Business Directory is an offshoot project from the Tokyo International Conference on African Development. The initiative is led by the Government of Japan through the promotion of high-level policy dialogues between African leaders and the mobilization of support for Africa's own development efforts. The directory aims to promote trade and investment between the two regions.

The four thousand listings, currently 65 per cent African and 35 per cent Asian are searchable by country, sector, product or service.” [NBC Namibia]

World Bank's Praise For India's Growth Model

“The Nobel Laureate and Chairman of the World Bank-supported Commission on Growth and Development, Michael Spence on Thursday had words of admiration for India's growth in gross domestic product.

At an interactive breakfast meeting with select newspersons, Spence, while referring to India's growth rate and strategy, said: ‘My view on India is that it is increasingly successful. And, the growth rate will increase further... I admire the way politicians navigate through hurdles and challenges.’ India and China, he said, are going to be tremendously influential in the decades to come. ‘The challenge is how you maintain this growth rate,' he said. …” [The Hindu (India)/Factiva]

“Globalization is essential for India's growth to continue at the present 8 percent rate, according to Spence … . Spence told [the] Assocham seminar on Thursday that reforms cannot be gradual, if the economy wants a high GDP growth rate. Instead an economy has to build on a platform provided by the global economy. ‘All economies that have moved on high growth rates have leveraged on the world economy,’ he said. The economist said the government may, however, build in tax breaks and ensure low volatility in exchange rates for high-growth sectors to prosper. … The economist [further] said the present phase of high growth rates in India and China will change the economic picture of the world. ‘Everybody ( in the world) has a stake in what is going on in these two countries,’ he claimed.

Spence was accompanied by Danny Leipziger, a vice-president of the World Bank. Leipziger put the Indian and Chinese growth rates in context saying no economy in the world has sustained such high growth rates for over a decade. Leipziger said the World Bank would support subsidy from rich nations to countries like India and China for transfer of technology, to promote cleaner power technology.” [The Economic Times (India)/Factiva]

“… The independent high-level Commission on Growth and Development was set up by the World Bank, in conjunction with the Swedish, the Dutch and the UK Governments and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. Comprising leading practitioners from government, business and the policy-making arena, the Commission is to deepen the understanding of economic growth for development and poverty reduction over a two-year period.” [The Hindu (India)/Factiva]

Donors To Help Nigeria Look For Bird Flu Outbreaks

“Some 200 health workers will fan out across Nigeria over the next six months to look for cases of avian influenza under a new project launched on Thursday by the European Union and the United Nations [Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)]. 

The first African country to detect the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu, Nigeria has not reported any human cases of the disease although experts warn surveillance may not be effective because of poor health services. … Nigerian authorities say the disease has been contained and its spread has slowed dramatically since the early weeks, but international experts say privately that the official data may not reflect the full extent of the problem. …” [Reuters/Factiva]

“… The six-month project, which will cost EUR 522,000 financed by the European Commission, is a coordinated effort by the government and the international donor community to fight the disease, it said. The Active Avian Influenza Surveillance Study Project will carry out an in-depth study on the incidence, spread and impact of bird flu in Nigeria as a means of eradicating the disease in the West African country, a statement said. The FAO will carry out the study in close collaboration with Nigeria's agriculture ministry. …” [Agence France Presse/Factiva] 

“… [A] statement cited an unnamed laboratory study which indicated that as at today, ‘40 local government areas in 15 states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja have confirmed the presence of the influenza.’ …” [Daily Champion (Nigeria)/Factiva]

IN related news, “An 11-year-old boy who died this week has been confirmed as Indonesia's 50th human bird flu fatality, a health ministry official said Friday. The boy died on Monday and test results from two laboratories confirmed he was infected with the H5N1 virus, Nadirin, a doctor at the national bird flu information centre told AFP. …” [Agence France Presse/Factiva]  

“Chinese health officials are preparing 23 million to 25 million doses of flu vaccine, after experts warned the H5N1 bird flu could break out again with other flu strains during winter and spring. The vaccines would be available from mid September, when an inoculation campaign began, said a statement by the China Preventive Medicine Association. The quantity of doses is 20 percent more than last year. …” [Xinhua (China)/Factiva] 

Also In This Edition: Branson Pledges Billions To Help Develop Clean Fuels; Also Reports...; Briefly Noted...

Branson Pledges Billions To Help Develop Clean Fuels

“Richard Branson, the British magnate and adventurer, said [Thurs]day that his personal profits from airlines and a rail company that he controls -- a sum he estimated at $3 billion over the next 10 years -- would be invested in developing energy sources that do not contribute to global warming.

He announced the plan on the second day of the Clinton Global Initiative, a three-day meeting in Manhattan that amounts to a competitive festival of philanthropy run by former [US] President Bill Clinton. … Several people working in climate research said the pledge appeared to be the largest individual commitment of money aimed at avoiding dangerous climate change by reducing dependence on fossil fuels that add to the atmosphere's load of carbon dioxide, the main heat-trapping greenhouse gas linked by scientists to rising temperatures. But it was not clear how much money will ultimately go to the effort, because the businesses involved cannot necessarily count on generating as much in profits as [Branson] has set as his goal. …” [The New York Times/Factiva]

“… According to a Virgin Group statement, Branson and his company ‘believe that all businesses, especially those involved in transportation, energy, and particularly fossil fuels such as coal, must be at the forefront of developing environmentally-friendly business strategies with a focus on replacing traditional energy with energy coming from renewable sources.’ To demonstrate that commitment, the company said that all ‘dividends, realizations and share sales’ from Virgin's transportation interests ‘will be invested into renewable energy initiatives ... to tackle emissions related to global warming.’ That commitment was estimated at three billion dollars over the next 10 years. …” [Agence France Presse/Factiva]

“The second annual Clinton Global Initiative enters its final day Friday eclipsing last year's efforts to raise money to solve world problems, crowned by [the] $3 billion pledge from Branson for battling global warming. Some 150 other commitments amounting to nearly $3 billion had been promised by Thursday night to tackle a range of cause worldwide. The conference hosted by Clinton is an annual gathering of business, political and nonprofit leaders that requires participants to make financial or other commitments to help solve global problems. …” [The Associated Press/Factiva]

Also Reports…

The World Development Report (WDR) 2007: Development and the Next Generation, authored by Washington-based Filipino, Emmanuel Jimenez, underpinned the importance of coordinated efforts of all government agencies to education and health with additional focus on the youth. "Investing in the youth is critical if a country aims to reduce poverty incidents," Jimenez said, citing the higher base on which, the Philippines, for instance can build on human capital. Prospectively, Jimenez, World Bank Director for Human Development Sector, believed that healthier, better educated young people, who becomes an active member of the labor force, can spark more economic activities.  [Manila Bulletin (Philippines)/Factiva]

Briefly Noted…

The International Finance Corporation, a private sector arm of the World Bank, pledged in Lagos on Thursday to increase its projects in Africa and other poor regions. Lars Thunell, head of the IFC, said in a statement released in the Nigerian capital Abuja that the corporation was getting more represented in Africa.  [Xinhua (China)/Factiva]

Indonesia's tsunami reconstruction agency pledged Wednesday to speed up aid to the homeless after police clashed with protesters at a blockade of its offices. Some 1,000 survivors laid siege to the headquarters of the Aceh Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Agency (BRR) in the provincial capital Banda Aceh, complaining of the slow disbursement of aid.  [Agence France Presse/Factiva]

East and South Asia can sustain high growth rates in years to come even though they face the major challenges of oil price volatility and upward pressure on interest rates, a senior World Bank official said on Thursday. But countries in these regions needed remove impediments to growth, he said. “In the medium to long term, I see no reasons why high growth is not sustained in East and South Asia,” World Bank Vice President Danny Leipziger said on the sidelines of a business conference. "For India, the upside potential is huge."  [Reuters/Factiva]

The 2nd international forum “Armagroforum” will be held in Yerevan, Capital of Armenia, on September 22-23. The even is initiated by Armenian Ministry of Agriculture with support from UN Development Program and the World Bank. The forum is aimed at contributing to activation of business in agriculture food complex, as well as cooperation among Armenian producers and foreign commercial organizations, Iren Melkonyan, Chief Specialist of Foreign Relations and Marketing Department under the Ministry of Agriculture of Armenia, told news agency “Noyan Tapan”. [Prime-News Business (Georgia)/Factiva]

The creation of an e-government in Azerbaijan could help ensure the transparency of corruption prevention measures, David Gross, a U S government coordinator of international affairs, said today during a meeting with the Economic University's students. The project is supported by World Bank, which is ready to allot about $30 million to create the regional model of e-government in Azerbaijan. [Turan Information Agency (Azerbaijan)/Factiva]

The Korean government will propose a three-year plan to provide educational assistance to developing countries. The Education Ministry said yesterday the project would involve drawing up a strong education model that can be implemented by developing countries. [The Korea Herald/Factiva]

British business mogul Richard Branson on Thursday pledged to invest about $3 billion over the next decade to combat global warming and promote alternative energy, saying that it was critical to protect the environment for future generations.  [The Associated Press/Factiva]