Leaders of the Pacific island nations are meeting later this month and will discuss a new framework for regional cooperation that aims to accelerate development, and which includes a range of proposals on regional science, education and health initiatives. The Pacific Plan, a 2005 document designed to strengthen regional cooperation and cooperation, was reviewed last year and a range of improvements have been proposed to The Pacific Islands Forum, a political grouping of 16 countries in the Pacific. The review’s recommendations — updated at a meeting in Suva, Fiji, this week (2-3 July) following country consultations — will feed into the discussions on how to advance the framework at the 45th Pacific Islands Forum and related meetings later this month (29 July to 1 August) in Koror, Palau.
Philippe Douste-Blazy told EurActiv France that in the current economic context, financing for foreign aid must be more innovative. This can be achieved with “painless” taxes, tapping into Africa’s oil exports and greater cooperation,he said in an interview. There are one billion people earning less than one dollar per day, four billion earning four dollars, and one billion who are the “happy few”, says Philippe Douste-Blazy, United Nations Special Advisor on Innovative Financing for Development. High birth rates mean the needs of people living in extreme poverty are increasing. They need more clean water, better education and efficient healthcare. This, accompanied by the West’s struggling economy and budget cuts to foreign aid, leads to what Douste-Blazy calls the “scissor effect”.
The event marked the final meeting of EUCARINET, a four-year project funded by the European Commission (DG Research and Innovation), aimed at strengthening sustainable dialogue on Science, Technology and innovation (STI) between Europe and the Caribbean. During the morning session, participants including researchers, policymakers and representatives of the private sector, saw an overview of EUCARINET project outputs and then went on to discuss and refine strategies and policies that can strengthen collaboration in Caribbean Science, Technology and Innovation, both within the region and with Europe.
The growing use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) is significantly impacting on the agriculture sector across the African continent and could majorly contribute to transforming the continent’s economy, a report on education, training and development in Africa has shown.
The e-Learning Africa Report 2014, which interviewed people working in agriculture and food industries across Africa, found a higher level of optimism about the future of the agriculture sector compared to other sectors.
Today and tomorrow, European Commissioner for Development, Andris Piebalgs, and Ministers from 16 ACP (African, Caribbean and Pacific) countries will co-sign the first National Indicative Programmes under the 11th European Development Fund for the period 2014-2020 in Nairobi (Kenya). The signing ceremony will take place in the margins of the meeting of the Joint Council of Ministers of the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries and the EU, in Nairobi.
The EU will grant Sh52 billion to Kenya in order to fund transport and agriculture. National Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich and EU development commissioner Andris Piebalgs, will sign an agreement on Thursday 19th June. The funds will be spent to improve Nairobi’s public transport infrastructure. The goal is to fight congestion, increase food production, improve drought management and governance. Ethiopia, Tanzania and Somalia are also expected to sign this kind of agreements with the EU as part of the 11th European Development Fund.
The “Harmonization and improvement of Master and PhD programs in Agribusiness through Intra-ACP mobility for sustainable socio-economic development (HAAGRIM)” project was officially launched at the Gaston Berger University in the presence of President Lamine Gueye, representatives of the European Union and the Ministry of Higher Education and Agriculture. This project is funded by the European Union for a total cost of 2 million Euros.
The Presidency presented to the ministers the main outcomes of a high-level conference "Scientific support to agriculture: competitiveness, quality and sustainability" which took place in Athens on 23 April 2014 (10874/14). In the future, the agricultural productivity needs to be increased in order to ensure food security for a growing population. In addition, biomass production has also to be raised in order to produce energy and industrial products.
The EU, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Zimbabwean governmemt have launched a multi-million dollar programme to help smallholder farmers manage forests and improve the communities' capacity in times of crises. The USD$ 4.8 million project was launched in Harare on Monday. It aims to help smallholder farmers diversify their sources of livelihood and give them capacity to withstand shocks in times of crises.
The Ministry of Forest Economy and Sustainable Development announced in Brazzaville that the Congolese government has decided to adopt private certification standards compatible with the requirements of the Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA – FLEGT) in order to ensure the legality of its timber on the international market. Congo signed a Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) with the EU allowing forestry companies to export timber legally ten years ago.