Formerly ‘Africa Recovery’ United Nations Department of Public Information Vol. 20 No. 1 April 2006 Africa confronts trade challenges Cotton and textile prospects are dim WTO ‘development’ promises prove elusive Also inside: Preventing genocide Global anti-AIDS campaign NEPAD fishing ‘revolution’ Reuters / Thierry Gouegnon United Nations Vol. 20 No. 1 April 2006 FRI UE ENOUVEAU contentsCover articles Africa confronts trade challenges Trade talks: where is Port in the development? . 14 Mozambique: Africa’s export Loss of textile market prospects look dim costs African jobs . 18 Also in this Issue Preventing genocide: from rhetoric to action . 3 World Bank / Eric Miller New global anti-AIDS campaign kicks off . 4 ‘Fight. .like .hell’ .for .universal .access, . says .Stephen .Lewis . 5 . Rwandan women: AIDS therapy beyond drugs . 6 Departments Pills, .food .and .seeds . 8 Agenda . .22 Africa starts a fishing ‘revolution’ . 9 Books . .22 Tapping women’s Briefs . .23 entrepreneurship in Ghana . 12 Watch . .24 Africa Renewal is published in English and French by the Strategic Communications Division Editor-in-Chief of the United Nations Department of Public Information, with support from UNDP, UNICEF and Julie I. Thompson UNIFEM. Its contents do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations or the pub- lication’s supporting organizations. Material from this magazine may be freely reproduced, Managing Editor Writers Ernest Harsch Gumisai Mutume with attribution, and a clipping would be appreciated. Michael Fleshman Correspondence should be addressed to: The Editor, Africa Renewal Room S-955, United Nations, NY 10017 USA Tel: (212) 963-6857 Fax: (212) 963-4556 Research Assistant Production e-mail: [email protected] Marian Aggrey DPI/GDU Administrative Assistant Distribution Shelly Edelsburg Atar Markman Subscribe to Africa Renewal Annual subscriptions are available to individuals for $20 and to institutions for $35. Please Visit our website: send an international money order or make cheques payable in US dollars, drawn on a US bank, to the “United Nations” and send to Circulation at the address shown above. For those www.un.org/AR who lack the means to pay the subscription fee, a limited number of complimentary sub- Features include scriptions are available. Please send a clearly written application to the editor. • New releases • Subject index • Search • Africa and the UN World Summit Africa Renewal is printed on recycled paper. Preventing genocide: from rhetoric to action UN .Special .Adviser .urges .firm .measures .against .Darfur .slaughter By .Ernest Harsch the Rwanda genocide, n Sudan’s Darfur region, as elsewhere UN Secretary-General Displaced in the world, the international commu- Kofi Annan outlined a viilagers in I nity “must take bold, decisive measures plan of action to pre- Darfur to ensure that genocide does not take vent future genocides. hoping for place,” affirmed the UN’s special adviser It involved five broad tangible on the prevention of genocide, Mr. Juan areas of activity: pre- support to Mendez, on 7 April. Commenting on the venting armed con- halt killings. anniversary of the start of the Rwanda flict, protecting civil- tragedy a dozen years earlier, he added: ians during conflict, “We cannot claim to have learned the ending impunity for those guilty of lessons of the 1994 Rwanda genocide, if perpetrating mass slaughter, ensur- our action in the face of genocidal vio- ing early warnings of situations that lence remains half-hearted.” could escalate into genocide, and tak- Despite obligations and commitments ing swift and decision action — by by world leaders to halt such mass slaugh- national governments, the Security ter, “people continue to be targeted for Council and other bodies — to block violence and murder solely because of the development of genocide or halt it their ethnic origin,” Mr. Mendez noted, if it has begun. “most flagrantly” in Darfur, which he has To help spur movement in UN / Evan Schneider visited twice since his appointment in these areas, the Secretary-General 2004. In addition to urging the Sudanese appointed Mr. Mendez in July 2004. government, African peacekeepers and the A former political prisoner and United Nations to do more to protect civil- prominent human rights activist in ians from murder, rape and displacement, his native Argentina, Mr. Mendez he called on citizens throughout the world bases his work on the 1948 Genocide and the presence of a modest peacekeeping to pressure their leaders “to go beyond Convention, a universally binding legal force, the African Union Mission in Sudan rhetoric and act decisively.” obligation that not only provides for pun- (AMIS), many lives have been saved, ishing genocide, but also for preventing it. Mr. Mendez argued. But drawing on UN 100 days This emphasis on action to prevent reports and his own two visits to Darfur, The Rwanda genocide lasted for some genocide was reinforced at the September the special adviser stressed that “much 100 days, during which approximately 2005 UN World Summit, when the more needs to be done, and urgently.” 800,000 Rwandans were slaughtered. “Outcome Document” unanimously Secretary-General Annan, in a 9 March Although a UN peacekeeping mission adopted by member states agreed that report to the Security Council, further was in Rwanda at the time, its mandate both national governments and the inter- underscored the seriousness of the situ- and numbers were very limited – and the national community have a “responsibility ation. More than 3 million people have UN Security Council decided to reduce it to protect” people from genocide, ethnic been displaced by the conflict, with some even further. The perpetrators of the geno- cleansing, war crimes and crimes against 2 million of them dependent on interna- cide therefore faced little international humanity. tional food and other relief aid. In Western opposition. The killing stopped, in fact, Darfur especially, the situation has in fact only when a rebel group overthrew the Saving lives worsened since the beginning of the year, government. An independent commission In addition to addressing conflicts in Mr. Annan reported. Attacks on humani- set up by the UN later concluded that “the the Democratic Republic of the Congo, tarian workers have deprived some 30,000 responsibility for the failings of the United Côte d’Ivoire and other countries, Mr. people of access to relief aid. Fighting Nations to prevent and stop the genocide Mendez has sought to focus world at- has spread into neighbouring Chad, while in Rwanda” lay with the Secretary-Gen- tention on Darfur. He has noted varying Chadian rebel groups have moved into eral, the Secretariat, the Security Council, and unofficial estimates that “at least Darfur, making an already complex con- the peacekeeping mission in Rwanda and 100,000” have already been killed in flict even more volatile. the member states. Darfur, and perhaps many more. In 2004, on the 10th anniversary of Thanks to international relief efforts see page 21 APRIL 2006 3 New global anti-AIDS campaign kicks off Towards .prevention, .care .and .treatment .for .all .by .2010 By .Michael Fleshman governments, civil society organizations, hen Jeanette tested positive for multilateral agencies and bilateral donors HIV at the Kicukiro Health made an unprecedented effort to train staff, W Centre in Kigali, Rwanda, dur- build clinics and laboratories and purchase ing a prenatal check-up two years ago, medications and equipment. “I didn’t cry or shout,” she told UN Although the number of people receiv- Children’s Fund (UNICEF) researcher ing treatment fell short of the target, the Alexia Lewnes. “But I was afraid. I UN’s special envoy for HIV/ thought I was going to die.” Just a few AIDS in Africa, Mr. Stephen Nearly years ago, she would have been right. Lewis, described the cam- 800,000 Only a tiny fraction of the millions of paign as “a breakthrough.” more Africans in need of life-saving anti- “The inertia around the Africans AIDS drugs could afford them, and an pandemic was dreadful, until have HIV diagnosis was a death sentence for this inspired and visionary gained those who could not. intervention,” he told Africa access to But Jeanette was more fortunate. Under Renewal. “Now the treatment ARV a UNICEF-supported maternal and child ethos has taken hold. We have treatment Reuters / Mike Hutchings treatment programme at the centre, she an irreversible momentum in in the last was able to obtain life-saving anti-retroviral place . and we’re going to two years. drugs (ARVs) for herself and medication get there.” that blocked the transmission of the virus to her baby. Although life remains difficult From 3x5 to universal access for Rwandan women a decade after the The 3x5 effort ended on 31 December genocide (see page 6) and Jeanette fears 2005. Now WHO and its global partners, that she will be ostracized if her condition including the Joint UN Programme on by a global steering committee mandated is discovered, she and her children have HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the US Presi- to help governments overcome obstacles something she thought she did not have dent’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Re- in four areas critical to the rapid expansion that terrible day at the clinic — a future. lief (PEPFAR) and the Global Fund to of HIV/AIDS services: Jeanette and her baby were among Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, • Ensuring greater and more reliable the beneficiaries of an emergency drive, are seeking to build on its success. They financing (including from domes- known as the “3x5” campaign, to provide have kicked off a new global campaign tic sources) and better alignment of ARVs and other medications to 3 mil- to bring HIV/AIDS prevention, care and donor funding with national priori- lion people living with AIDS in devel- treatment to everyone who needs it by ties oping countries by the end of 2005 (see 2010.