ECHOES FROM AEFJN N. 20 - May 2015

REFLECTION

The UN Post 2015 Development Agenda

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The UN must base itself on the intrinsic dignity of the human person as it continues the discernment for a post-2015 development agenda. As a matter of fact, the agenda should aim at more solidarity among the nations of the world in the face of so many threats to our corporate existence as a race. The current development plans which began in 2000 with its agreed wonderful MDGs of poverty alleviation, education, gender equality and women empowerment, child and maternal health, reducing HIV/AIDS and building global partnership development will come to an end in this year. The capitalist economic model devoid of solidarity has greatly undermined its success and the result is the worsening economic inequalities [1]. We at the AEFJN are keen on seeing the lessons learned duly appropriated in the setting out of a post-2015 development agenda. Read more

 

Selective Indignation?

tl_files/aefjn-images/im_Africa/im_Afr_Crisis/les deplaces du Kivu.jpgThe first quarter of 2015 has been marked by disasters in the Mediterranean Sea.  Several vessels carrying migrants looking for a better future sunk with barely any survivors. The standard policy response to these crises over the years from the EU and its member states has been to strengthen border controls. Once more, the European Unions’ state leaders have rushed to take action, and the 10 point plan of the EU to deal with the crisis focuses AGAIN primarily on stepping up border security, while little or no attention is given to the root and actual causes of migration such as political and humanitarian crises, poverty and inequality. We share the indignation of European leaders regarding the latest disaster in the Mediterranean; however, we sincerely hope that they will have the same indignation when analyzing their economic policies towards developing countries, like  for example the current legislation on conflict minerals under discussion. Read more

 

MEDICINES

Controversy over the 2014 mass tetanus vaccination campaign in Kenya.

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In November 2014, a group of Christian doctors began to suspect that the anti-tetanus vaccination strategy in Kenya was actually a campaign to sterilise women. Of 9 samples of the vaccine tested in Kenya, 3 appeared to be contaminated by the hormone Beta HCG. In January 2015, as their warning was not being taken into account, the bishops of Kenya took action and the cardinal published this evidence and demanded that in future vaccines should be tested before a campaign is started. Read more

 

AFRICA

Civil Society calls for a moratorium on land grabbing in Sierra Leone

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In 2013, AEFJN and its partners reported to the Belgian Parliament on a case of land grabbing in the Malen Chiefdom in Sierra Leone. The NGOs, FIAN and Green Scenery, published reports on the effects of large scale agri-investments there. In general, local communities say that their access to food and water has declined and that local ecosystems have been damaged by large scale monocultures of palm oil. In 2015, these conditions, far from improving, have worsened. The Malen Chiefdom has been joined by other chiefdoms, Makpele and Soro Gbema, in their resistance against land grabs and groups of Sierra Leonean civil society have joined forces in ALLAT (Action for Large Scale Land Acquisition Transparency) and are demanding a moratorium. Read more

 

ADVOCACY

Meeting at EEAS

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AEFJN and its partners have taken part in a meeting at the European External Action Service (EEAS) to discuss the illegal exploitation of natural resources in the Great Lakes region, on April 25th 2015. AEFJN welcomes EEAS’s initiative to include civil society in its deliberations on this subject.

 

 

 

VOICES FROM THE NETWORK

Contact person meeting

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On April 17, the Secretariat participated in the meeting of contact persons in Rome. During the first part of the meeting the Executive presented the procedural issues regarding the network. In the second part the Secretariat made a presentation on trade. First a Christian vision on trade was explained by Fr. Chika Onyejiuwa. Then Gino Brunswijck presented the general characteristics of trade and investment treaties as well as the state of affairs in the Economic Partnership Agreements between Europe and the ACP-countries. The presentation was followed by a fruitful discussion with the contact persons, who expressed the need to get this information to Africa to religious working there as well as the grass roots level. Read more

 

VIDEOS

The Story of FLEGT

 

Video about forest governance (7 min)

 

 

 

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