Kampalatoday

AFRICAN JOURNALISTS THANK PARTNERS

kampalatoday — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 08:40:49 +0000

We the participants at the 4th International Festival of Freedom of Expression and the Press (FILEP), held from November 23 to 26, 2011 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, sincerely thank the partners who, through their material and financial support contributed to the success of this event. Special thanks goes to the Embassy of the Netherlands, Denmark, in Ouagadougou, the government of Burkina Faso, the NGO Diakonie, the Panos Institute West Africa, the African Media Initiative, Highway Africa and the World Association of Newspapers (WAN-IFRA).

Done in Ouagadougou on November 26, 2011
Participants

VOTE OF THANKS FOR THE UNITED NATIONS ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR AFRICA AND THE PAN AFRICAN PARLIAMENT

We the participants at the 4th International Festival of Freedom of Expression and the Press (FILEP), held from November 23 to 26, 2011 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, sincerely thank the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the Pan African Parliament for their participation and their willingness to collaborate with and to support African media.

Done in Ouagadougou on November 26, 2011
Participants

RESOLUTION ON THE SITUATION OF PRESS FREEDOM AND FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION IN SOUTH AFRICA

* Given the recent adoption of a new Secrecy Law by the South African Parliament;
* Considering that the Act prohibits and severely punishes journalists for publications of information deemed classified and state secrets;
* Considering that the right of access to information is a fundamental right under the laws of South Africa;
* Considering that the new law violates the right of access to information and constitutes an obstacle to the exercise of press freedom and freedom of expression,

We the participants at the 4th International Festival of Freedom of Expression and the Press (FILEP), held from November 23 to 26, 2011 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso:

* Strongly condemn the adoption of this draconian law by the South African Parliament;
* Urge the Senate, and the President of the Republic of South Africa respectively, not to adopt and enact this legislation;
* Express our solidarity with South African journalists and encourage them in their noble struggle against arbitrary opacity in public management.

Done in Ouagadougou on November 26, 2011
Participants

RECOMMENDATION ON THE AFRICAN CHARTER ON DEMOCRACY, ELECTIONS AND GOVERNANCE

* Considering the advances made by the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, including the ban on constitutional amendments against the indefinite power and unconstitutional changes of plan;
* Considering the inclination of some Heads of African States to stay in power beyond their constitutional mandates;
* Convinced of the need for African states of rights, respect for fundamental freedoms and choice of voters,
* Convinced that the changes and the renewal of the political class provides guarantees of stability and strengthens the rule of law and public confidence in institutions

We the participants at the 4th International Festival of Freedom of Expression and the Press (FILEP), held from November 23 to 26, 2011 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso recommend:

1. That all African states sign and ratify the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance;
2. African media disseminate widely the contents of this Charter including in the national languages and urge, encourage governments to ratify it.

Done in Ouagadougou on November 26, 2011
Participants

RECOMMENDATION ON THE RIGHT OF ACCESS TO INFORMATION

* Considering the importance of access to information in building the rule of law and the protection of fundamental human rights;
* Considering the Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression in Africa;
* Considering the lack of legislation on access to information in most African countries;

We the participants at the 4th International Festival of Freedom of Expression and the Press (FILEP), held from November 23 to 26, 2011 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso recommend that:

1. African States adopt laws on access to information consistent with the principles and standards on freedom of information
2. The African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights adopts a Model Law on access to information as developed by the Special Rapporteur of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights on freedom of expression and access to information; And, to adopt the African Platform on Access to Information (APAI)
3. Media organizations and civil society groups engage strongly in advocating for the adoption of legislation on access to information in accordance with the principles and standards in this area and extension of the Platform of APAI.

Done in Ouagadougou on November 26, 2011
Participants

RECOMMENDATION ON MEDIA AND ELECTIONS

* Considering the importance of free and transparent elections in the building and strengthening of democracy;
* Considering that the media play a vital role in raising public awareness and monitoring of the regularity of elections processes;
* Taking into account the barriers to coverage of the elections processes by journalists;

We the participants at the 4th International Festival of Freedom of Expression and the Press (FILEP), held from November 23 to 26, 2011 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso recommend that:

1. States repeal laws and regulations that prohibit the media from publishing and distributing election results;
2. States put an end to the intimidation and harassment of journalists during elections;
3. Commissions in charge of elections should maintain positive relationships with the media including facilitating access to available electoral information;
4. Socio-professional organizations of the media and civil society should undertake capacity building of journalists for better coverage of elections.

Done in Ouagadougou on November 26, 2011
Participants

Katikkiro challenges Baganda outside Uganda

kampalatoday — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 12:55:22 +0000

The Katikkiro of Buganda (Premier) Eng.John Baptist Walusimbi has challenged the people of Buganda living outside Uganda to always remember to promote development in Buganda and Uganda in general.
Speaking while handing over a Buganda annual development Fund certificate worth one milliion shillings to Sulaiman Mbuga Kabangala who lives in South Africa at Bulange Mengo, the Katikkiro stressed that those living abroad should endevour to fully follow and support development partners in their localities.He commended Sulaiman Mbuga Kabangala for buying the certificate saying that such contributions boost development activities of the Kingdom.
Sulaiman Mbuga Kabangala was accompanied by Sheikh Abbas Ssekandi, Nyanzi Muwawu while the Katikkiro was with Nnaalinya of Kasubi Tombs Getrude Tebatagyabwe.

Dawit Isaak is Golden Pen of Freedom award winner

kampalatoday — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 09:24:11 +0000

23 September 2011 marks the 10th anniversary of the incarceration of Dawit Isaak, an Eritrean-born journalist with dual Swedish nationality who was imprisoned in Eritrea for speaking out for justice. In 2001, Dawit’s newspaper Setit published a number of calls for reform that resulted in his imprisonment alongside other critical journalists and opposition politicians. To date, his family have received very little news of his health or whereabouts.
Dawit Isaak is the 2011 WAN-IFRA Golden Pen of Freedom laureate.
Dawit Isaak and countless other prisoners of conscience in Eritrea are languising in Prisons. Peter Englund is the permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy for the Nobel Prize for Literature. He used the opportunity of this year’s World Press Freedom Day campaign to highlight the plight of WAN-IFRA’s 2011 Golden Pen of Freedom laureate, Dawit Isaak, incarcerated for a decade without charge in a notorious Eritrean jail. In his essay, Peter explores how the right to dissent and question strengthens a nation, and why this universal of rights should not be taken for granted.(Publishing credit: WAN-IFRA / Peter Englund) Eritrea’s Silent ShameAspiring independent journalists in any war-ravaged, poverty-stricken country face a daunting task. If you add famine, military dictatorship, and the fact that the particular country in question is Eritrea, this task becomes nigh on impossible. In such a context the achievements of Dawit Isaak, co-founder of the country’s first independent newspaper and laureate of the 2011 WAN-IFRA Golden Pen of Freedom, are all the more remarkable.

IEA Governing Board concludes Libya Collective Action

kampalatoday — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 09:22:18 +0000

PARIS, 15 September 2011 – IEA Executive Director Ms. Maria van der Hoeven today announced that the collective action taken by IEA Member countries in response to the Libyan supply disruption has been terminated.
This decision to conclude the action was made by the IEA Governing Board at its regular meeting on 14-15 September.
The IEA Governing Board, comprising representatives of all 28 IEA Member countries, concluded that the interrupted Libyan supplies have been successfully addressed by a combination of the IEA collective action and increased production from producer countries, against a backdrop now of weakening expectations for global oil demand growth.
The collective action was launched on 23 June 2011, when the IEA Member countries agreed to make available to the market 60 million barrels of crude oil and oil products. Of these 60 million barrels some 38 million barrels were released from public stocks and 22 million barrels via a relaxation of obligatory industry stockholding. Public stocks were taken up by the market over the course of July and August. Uptake of public stocks has been 97%, compared with 73% at the time of the 2005 collective action.
The IEA Member countries will exercise flexibility in re-establishing their emergency stock levels through 2011 and 2012, noting that the collective action required none of the involved IEA countries to go below the 90-day requirement, and also taking into account seasonal demand patterns.

IEA Ministerial Meeting 2011

kampalatoday — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 10:10:26 +0000

Ministers from 36 countries – including 28 IEA member countries and 8 partner countries – are attending the 2011 IEA Meeting of the Governing Board at Ministerial Level. (The partner countries are Brazil, Chile, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia, and the Republic of South Africa).

These 36 countries collectively represent more than two-thirds of the world’s energy production and more than three-quarters of global demand.

The Ministerial, which will take place on 18-19 October 2011 at the OECD Conference Centre in Paris, France, is a unique opportunity for government ministers and industry leaders from all over the world to discuss major energy-related issues, and the future of the world energy system.

The theme – Our Energy Future: Secure, Sustainable and Together – aims to focus discussions around the IEA’s work on energy security, sustainability (economic and environmental) and engagement with non-member countries.

Around 35 Chief Executives from the IEA’s Energy Business Council will also take part in the opening session, the theme of which is Government and Industry: Co-operating to secure a better energy future. A presentation on key messages in the forthcoming World Energy Outlook 2011 will be followed by an interactive debate on topical energy sector issues, such as the likelihood of a golden age of gas.

Innovative partnership to Offer Pragmatic development solutions-WB

kampalatoday — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 13:13:38 +0000

WB President Robert Zoellick

SINGAPORE, September 6, 2011 – World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick and Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam today signed an agreement marking a new partnership to offer development solutions around the globe.

The agreement allows the World Bank Group to leverage Singapore’s development expertise with Singapore becoming the site of a new World Bank Group-Singapore hub for knowledge and financial activities for Asia and beyond.

The expansion builds on the successful experience of the World Bank-Singapore Urban-Hub and Infrastructure Center of Excellence (IFCOE) – a strategic partnership for integrated urban development and infrastructure financing solutions.

“Singapore has been a real world practitioner of a dynamic approach to development,” Zoellick said. “Singapore’s relentless spirit of policy and economic innovation keeps the country at the cutting edge of thinking about the next generation of challenges. This partnership will leverage the experience of Singapore and also the full spectrum of the World Bank Group’s knowledge and financial services, making it the first combined World Bank Group office of its kind outside Washington.”

“Providing for high quality, high density living and organizing cities so as to allow for economic innovation and growth is a key challenge in the developing world. The World Bank Group has been playing an active role in this regard, engaging all stakeholders along the infrastructure value chain to develop new development and funding solutions,” said Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam.

The signing agreement was one of the highlights of the World Bank-Singapore Infrastructure Summit 2011, an annual event organized by the World Bank, the Singapore Ministry of Finance, and the Monetary Authority of Singapore, in association with the Financial Times and the World Bank-ASEAN Infrastructure Finance Network, with support from the Australian aid agency, AusAID.

The Summit provides a forum for leading policy-makers, investors, contractors and strategists to debate and generate innovative public-private solutions to fund and implement key infrastructure projects. The role of the region’s still underdeveloped capital markets in infrastructure financing, and in particular the creation of an effective municipal bond market in Asia, was a major focus of discussion at the Summit, attended by more than 300 high level government officials and private sector representatives from East Asia and beyond.

The World Bank Group’s agreement with Singapore will increase the focus on solutions to address urban development challenges, infrastructure financing, information communications technology and accounting and auditing services. The expanded World Bank Group presence includes the IFC (International Finance Corporation) – the largest provider of multilateral financing for the private sector in developing countries—and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) –the Bank Group’s agency which provides political risk insurance. The Singapore office will increase to a staff of about 70.

The World Bank Urban Hub and Infrastructure Finance Center of Excellence are already supporting innovative projects across the region, including the securitization of future toll road revenues in China, public-private partnership in water supply and treatment in Indonesia, and urban transportation planning in Vietnam.

IFC will draw on Singapore’s strong private sector experience to support the scale-up of critical infrastructure projects in developing Asia and will seek to partner with Singapore-based firms to invest in emerging markets around the world.

MIGA views Singapore as a center for insurance and looks forward to working more closely with the government as well as public and private sector entities to share knowledge and experience. The agency’s scaled-up presence will assist Asian investors to facilitate their plans for inbound and outbound investments.

In the areas of finance, the Bank’s Treasury Department will manage, from Singapore, the Reserves Advisory and Management Program that provides capacity building and investment services to member country central banks, national pension funds and sovereign wealth funds. A newly established Center of Excellence on Accounting and Auditing will deliver technical advice and expertise on institutional strengthening, systems development, and capacity to developing countries in the region.

The Office of the World Bank’s Chief Economist for East Asia and the Pacific, Bert Hofman, will also move from Washington DC to the Singapore Office to bring the best possible knowledge on development issues and challenges closer to the Region. Hofman will also serve as Director of the World Bank’s Singapore Office. Tunde Onitiri will lead IFC’s team and Kevin Lu will head up MIGA.
World Bank infrastructure lending for the fiscal year 2011, ending June 30, was $24 billion divided among – energy, transport, water and information and computer technology.

New IEA Director vows on performance

kampalatoday — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 09:45:55 +0000

Ms. Maria van der Hoeven, former Minister of Economic Affairs of the Netherlands, took charge today as the new Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA) and vowed a focus on excellence as the agency strives to address the challenges of energy security and climate change in an era of unprecedented economic uncertainty.
“I am thoroughly convinced of the value of the IEA’s world-class expertise in meeting today’s energy challenges, and it is therefore vital that our expertise remain unrivalled, objective and focused on the right issues,” said Ms. Van der Hoeven, who was elected in March by the IEA Governing Board to succeed Mr. Nobuo Tanaka of Japan.
Ms. Van der Hoeven credited Mr. Tanaka with helping to build the agency’s profile. She said she would focus on further strengthening the IEA’s expertise and reach, promoting the use of the agency’s knowledge and experience to address energy issues impacting IEA Member countries, emerging economies and exporters of energy.
“This means bringing the organisation’s expertise and well-founded views to the table at highest levels, in support of policymaking as well as to inform discussions with other organisations and institutions,” she said.
Ms. Van der Hoeven served as Minister of Economic Affairs of the Netherlands from February 2007 to October 2010, during which time she demonstrated leadership on energy policy at the national, regional and global levels.
As minister, Ms. Van der Hoeven took the initiative in advancing several key aspects of her country’s energy policy, including unbundling, infrastructure modernisation and extension, developing the Dutch gas hub policy, and accelerating the development and use of renewables. She played an active role in European energy policy development, with a special focus on issues such as market liberalisation and energy security. She promoted the strengthening of regional ties by helping to set up the Pentalateral Forum, which establishes cooperation on electricity between Germany, France and the Benelux countries and which is evolving into a model for other regions of Europe.
On the world stage, Ms. Van der Hoeven contributed to international dialogue on both energy security and sustainability. She participated actively in both the Jeddah and London summits on the future of oil prices, and in 2009 she chaired the IEA ministerial meeting. As the responsible minister of a gas-exporting country that is regarded as Europe’s hub for trade in crude oil and oil products, she gained valuable insights on a broad range of energy-related issues and assembled an extensive international network and numerous ministerial contacts in both OECD and non-OECD countries.
Ms. Van der Hoeven is a fierce supporter of market principles, promoting transparency and establishing a level playing field. In administrative affairs, she managed to shorten bureaucratic procedures and cut through red tape to accelerate large-scale energy investments, including large-scale offshore wind power in the North Sea and the creation of the natural gas hub. It is her personal conviction that energy production and use should be made comprehensively more efficient and cleaner by improving energy efficiency, developing and using renewables, and producing and using energy otherwise generated in the cleanest possible ways, such as clean fossil fuels and carbon capture and storage.
Prior to becoming Minister of Economic Affairs, Ms. Van der Hoeven was Minister of Education, Culture and Science from 2002 to 2007. She was an elected member of the Netherlands House of Representatives of the States-General from 1991 to 2002. Until 1987 she was head of the Adult Commercial Vocational Training Centre in Maastricht, after which she served as head of the Limburg Technology Centre until 1991.

Journalists in Southern Sudan face challenges

kampalatoday — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 08:54:30 +0000

Eastern Africa Journalists Association (EAJA) has just concluded a 5-day Media Situation Assessment Mission to the new independent state of South Sudan which revealed a picture of daunting challenges for journalists and media outlets.

The EAJA Mission team comprising two officials, Omar Faruk Osman, EAJA Secretary General, and William Oloo, EAJA Regional Press Freedom Coordinator, met with different media stakeholders, civil society organizations and the trade union movement.

“We have had extensive meetings and discussions with different stakeholders in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, and it is quite clear that the media in South Sudan is struggling within a legal and policy vacuum, which makes it very difficult for the journalists and the media to operate,” said Osman

Three bills meant to establish a press council, transform the state radio into an independent public broadcaster and facilitate access to information are stuck at the Cabinet level, particularly the Ministries of Justice, Information and Parliamentary Affairs

“Media representatives clearly stated that the government is not giving the needed political leadership and support in tabling the bills at the parliament” added Osman.

Journalists work in extremely deplorable conditions and face harassment from security personnel and some powerful government officials. The top leadership of the ruling Sudanese People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) is said to be generally tolerant of the media but little effort has been made to restrain powerful individuals and security personnel from routinely harassing journalists.

Apart from journalists working for UN and international NGOs sponsored media houses, the majority of South Sudan journalists are either not paid at all or are very poorly paid. Corruption in the media is increasingly becoming rampant, spurred on by the poor working conditions.

A number of journalists have been arrested and locked up and later freed without being charged in courts of law while in some instances government officials have directly threatened or intimidated journalists and senior editors over what they consider to be “sensitive stories”.

Political sponsorship of the media by certain politicians is pervasive, at the national level and, especially the regional States.

Most of the journalists have not gone through formal journalism training colleges and ethical conduct is generally very low with some of the journalists divided along ethnic, political and party lines.

The media outlets are equally divided along ethnic/party lines and remain largely uncritical. The Journalists and the media outlets rely heavily on comments and statements from government officials for content, most of which are often manipulated information, which compromises access to quality information to the citizens.

While the existence of media organizations is beginning to be felt in South Sudan, journalists welfare and media rights are rarely advocated or openly defended, thus harming the major essence of solidarity among media fraternity due to lack of commitment, bickering among media stakeholders.

EAJA will soon produce a comprehensive report on press freedom and working conditions of journalists in the country with the aim of promoting conducive environment for media rights, better working condition for journalists and independent media that promotes democratic governance in South Sudan.

Drought hit Somalia

kampalatoday — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 08:47:58 +0000

The World Bank has noted with concern that Global food prices are at high levels and when combined with continued volatility, put the poorest people in the developing world at continued risk, according to the World Bank Group’s Food Price Watch released today.

While the emergency in the Horn of Africa was triggered by prolonged droughts, especially in areas struggling with conflict and internal displacement such as Somalia, food prices that are near the record high levels seen in 2008 also contributed to the situation, the report said. Over the last three months, reportedly 29,000 children under five have died in Somalia and 600,000 children in the region remain at risk in the ongoing crisis that is threatening the lives and livelihoods of more than 12 million people.

“Nowhere are high food prices, poverty and instability combining to produce tragic suffering more than in the Horn of Africa,” said World Bank President Robert B. Zoellick. “The World Bank is stepping up with short term help through safety nets to the poor and the vulnerable in places like Kenya and Ethiopia, along with medium term support for economic recovery. Long term support is also critical to build drought resilience and implement climate-smart farming.

Gaddafi finally calls for talks

kampalatoday — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 07:19:09 +0000

The Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi is ready to begin talks to transfer power,.
According to his spokesman, discussions would be led by Col Gaddafi’s son, Saadi.

Rebel fighters who now control most of the country, including the capital Tripoli, believe Col Gaddafi is still in hiding in the area. According to BBC’s Jon Leyne, the latest offer will be seen as just another sign of the delusional state of Col Gaddafi and his followers.
The Libyan opposition says supplies of fuel and water should begin arriving in Tripoli – amid fears that Tripoli’s water supply may have been poisoned by Col Gaddafi’s forces.

Meanwhile more evidence is emerging of mass killings in the country.

More than 50 charred bodies have been found in a burnt out warehouse next to a military base south of the capital