ECHOES FROM AEFJN N. 19 - April 2015

REFLECTION

A Tale of Two Cities

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The next couple of months will witness decisions that will plunge Africa into greater wars and conflicts, poverty and environmental degradation or launch Africa on the path of socio-economic integration with the big north. The EU Parliament is currently debating the sourcing of conflict minerals in Africa. In its present form, the proposed text has no binding regulations on the Corporations to investigate their supply chain, contrary to what the US has done. It presents window dressing for the resolution of conflicts in Africa precipitated by the extraction of resources by European Corporations. At the same time the EU is pushing to fast tract the EPAs (Economic Partnership Agreements with the various economic blocks of Africa) without the usual process of ratification by the Africa national parliaments. Africa is certainly dissatisfied with the lop-sided form of the trade agreements and, left in this form, the EPAs would not see the light of the day if the African national parliaments had their way. Read more

 

AFRICA

Self-Preservation: Which Way for Africans?

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Self-preservation is a behaviour that ensures the survival of an organism. It is almost universal among living organisms. Pain and fear are parts of this mechanism. Pain motivates the individual to withdraw from damaging situations, to protect a damaged body part while it heals, and to avoid similar experiences in the future.Africa is yet to express this natural instinct in her economic relations with Europe and the other continents of the world. It is much easier for Africa to ascribe the shadows of her failures to accidents in history but this defeatist mentality will take her nowhere. Even in Africa, where one would think Africans had a certain advantage, they are still on the fringes. Read more

 

ADVOCACY

AEFJN meets the Nuncio to the EU

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The Executive Secretary of AEFJN, Chika Onyejiuwa recently met with the Nuncio to the European Union to expand the networking strategies of the organization. The meeting was imperative in view of the faith background of the AEFJN and the need to use existing ecclesiastical structures to advance its values and objectives in Brussels. It was a fruitful meeting. They exchanged views on the unjust economic relations between Africa and Europe. Incidentally, the Nuncio had served in Africa for eight years, is no stranger to the African social and economic context and is very passionate about addressing the injustice.  The Nuncio expressed a readiness to use the research and information supplied by AEFJN in his advocacy meeting with the EU commissioners. Read more

 

ACTION

Civil Society Denounces World Bank's Conference on Land & Poverty

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Civil society organisations across the globe have voiced their opposition to the World Bank’s Conference on Land & Poverty, because of the Bank’s investment policy and its ‘Doing Business Ranking’ which promotes “business-friendly” reforms ignoring family farmers. In the framework of the campaign “Our Land, Our Business”, AEFJN took part in a public action in Brussels. You can find a link to a video report about the action on our website. Read more

 

VOICES FROM THE NETWORK

Mega regional trade agreements: a worsening economic war that dares not speak its name           

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The mega, regional free-trade agreements (TPP, TTIP, TISA) that are increasingly being discussed are a global geo-political strategy thought up by the US and industrialised countries to stem the rise of emerging countries: China, India, Brazil, South Africa and Turkey, etc. The latter are displaying an impressive determination to achieve commercial power. The global trade of the future is being shaped beneath this shadow. Not only is this going to upset the balance of power in a World Trade Organisation that has been weakened by Southern resistance to including services (as they would prefer to discuss agriculture and food security); these agreements will also have a decisive influence on the political economy and governance of these countries. Read more

 

VIDEOS

NON AUX APE [No to EPAs – French only] (3 min)

Africa’s development is an indigenous process. A country develops;  foreign capital cannot develop it; Some key ideas.

 

What is the Transatlantic Trade Investment Partnership? (4 min)

Short video on the effects of trade agreements.

 

Our Land Our Business: Action Brussels

Documentary by Zin TV on the public action in Brussels. (8 min, in French)



 

 

 

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