Essa,
Perhaps you have not been following earlier e-mails regarding the Summit
which explains its history and purpose. It IS about how the United States
should conduct its dealings with Africa. A constituency of
African-Americans, Africans in America and friends of Africa who care
about the way the United States deals with Africa have worked on this
document in order to improve both US policy towards Africa and the general
level of awareness about Africa in the US (which in turn will obviously
greatly affect US support for things like debt relief). It is NOT a
document that seeks to tell Africa how to run itself. I believe there are
other Summits going on, for example in Italy, which will address how other
powers positions themselves towards Africa.
I would strongly urge you to visit the Summit Web Page for more
information; in particular the Historical Background paper on US Africa
policy is very informative and may still some of your concerns. Best,
Ylva Hernlund
On Wed, 22 Mar 2000, tester testers wrote:
> It's amusing that that all 10 recommendations need the
> U.S. help/aid/support. It looks like "U.S. summit in
> Africa". Why do we ahve to ask the U.S. to take the
> lead. The fact is every country on this earth exists
> for the well being and interest of its citizens. I
> believe the U.S. will effect full participation if
> they see great forthcomings in the short run.
>
> Essa
>
> --- Ylva Hernlund <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> > NATIONAL SUMMIT ON AFRICA: TOP TEN PRIORITY
> > RECOMMENDATIONS
> >
> >
> > During the National Summit, delegates deliberated
> > and adopted the following
> > 10 priority recommendations (two for each of the
> > National Summit on
> > Africa's five themes) for immediate action, and to
> > serve as the anchors to
> > the National Policy Plan of Action for U.S.-Africa
> > Relations in the 21st
> > Century.
> >
> > Economic Development, Trade and Investment, and Job
> > Creation:
> >
> > 1. The U.S. should take
> > the lead in providing
> > prompt and meaningful debt relief for Africa by
> > forgiving all Africa public
> > sector debt owed to the U.S. The U.S. should also
> > support and encourage the
> > favorable renegotiation, restructuring or
> > cancellation of African debt held
> > by private and multilateral creditors, as well as
> > that held by other
> > creditor nations.
> >
> > 2. It is absolutely
> > necessary for the U.S. to
> > stimulate direct trade and investment between Africa
> > and the U.S. because
> > without it democracy will fail and the human needs
> > of the people cannot be
> > met. This should be done with particular emphasis on
> > small- and medium-sized
> > businesses between Africans and African-Americans.
> > There must be support for
> > the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act in order to
> > foster trade and
> > investment in Africa and enable African countries to
> > develop mutually
> > beneficial partnerships with the U.S. so as to
> > accomplish these goals.
> >
> >
> > Sustainable Development, Quality of Life, and the
> > Environment
> >
> >
> > 3. In the interest of
> > sustainable development
> > and the goals of self-sufficiency and economic
> > independence in Africa, the
> > U.S. should support and strengthen access to potable
> > water and waste
> > management; the prevention, control, and eradication
> > of infections and
> > diseases through the use of non-traditional,
> > traditional, and herbal
> > medicines. Prevention of all major diseases in
> > Africa should be supported
> > in partnership with African governments, civil
> > society and non-governmental
> > organizations, the private corporate sector and
> > other multi-lateral and
> > bi-lateral donor agencies. Moreover, the U.S. must
> > champion debt
> > cancellation so African governments can redirect
> > those resources toward
> > these efforts. The U.S. should work collaboratively
> > with organizations in
> > Africa to support efforts to provide disability,
> > refugee, and mental health
> > services. HIV/AIDS should be given special
> > emphasis. These collective
> > actions will also ensure the future of Africa's
> > children.
> >
> > 4. The U.S. should
> > invest in and support
> > African initiatives to provide basic necessities
> > through the development of
> > sustainable infrastructure. Addressing these issues
> > requires commitment to
> > human capital, gender issues (with emphasis on
> > women), education, capacity
> > building, participatory development involving the
> > inclusion of
> > non-governmental organizations, community-based
> > organizations, and reliance
> > on expertise from Africa, as well as establishing
> > linkages with
> > African-Americans. All existing and future U.S.
> > government projects, U.S.
> > non-governmental organizations and businesses should
> > adhere to the same
> > environmental protection standards that they would
> > need to meet in the U.S.
> > and should be required to sign on to a list of
> > principles that promote
> > sustainable utilization of land, water, forest,
> > wildlife, marine,
> > biodiversity, and coastal resources. The U.S.
> > should strictly enforce the
> > prohibition of transporting, selling and dumping of
> > toxic and hazardous
> > substances. Therefore, the U.S. through its
> > Department of State, agencies,
> > and Congress can play key enhancing roles by: 1)
> > increasing the foreign
> > assistance budget; 2) sustaining and expanding
> > information technology
> > infrastructure 3) using its relational leverage with
> > other donors to boost
> > the livelihood of grassroots communities; and 4)
> > supporting efforts at land
> > reform which sustains small holder agriculture and
> > food security.
> >
> >
> > Peace and Security
> >
> >
> > 5. The U.S. should
> > support United Nations and
> > regional organizations’ peacekeeping and conflict
> > prevention efforts in
> > Africa, including timely financial and logistical
> > support. The U.S. also
> > should fully pay, without conditions, its current
> > United Nations dues and
> > arrears and its assessments for peacekeeping
> > operations.
> >
> > 6. The U.S. should
> > increase financial,
> > technical, and logistical support for African and
> > multilateral initiatives
> > and institutions (including civil society) aimed at
> > crisis prevention,
> > conflict resolution, peace enforcements, and
> > humanitarian assistance. Any
> > action should incorporate an intensive education
> > program. The U.S. should
> > increase efforts to enact the optional protocol on
> > child soldiers; to
> > protect African citizens against conscription, to
> > inform American consumers
> > of the origins of African products and resources in
> > order to prevent the
> > sale of those products from financing war, conflict,
> > and corruption. The
> > President should immediately sign, and the U.S.
> > Senate should ratify, the
> > Treaty to Ban Landmines without reservation. The
> > U.S. should expand
> > financial support for mine clearance, victim
> > assistance and rehabilitation,
> > environmentally sensitive de-mining, and landmine
> > awareness. The U.S. should
> > end all production and sales of landmines and should
> > support international
> > initiatives to make producers of landmines
> > financially accountable for
> > property and human losses therefrom.
> >
> >
> > Democracy and Human Rights
> >
> >
> > 7. The U.S. government,
> > public and private
> > sectors should make the promotion of democracy and
> > respect for human rights
> > central to their policies towards Africa. The U.S.
> > should increase support
> > towards existing and emerging institutions that do
> > not violate human rights.
> > U.S. foreign assistance including trade benefits,
> > security assistance,
> > finance, and logistics should be available on a
> > preferential basis to those
> > that respect human rights. This assistance must
> > include human rights
> > training. To this end, the U.S. should be committed
> > to bringing all
> > Americans, particularly African Americans, to the
> > forefront of discussions,
> > planning, and implementation of all initiatives.
> >
> > 8. To promote African
> > democracy and human
> > rights in this era of globalization, the U.S.
> > government should require
> > U.S.-based corporations and international finance
> > institutions, particularly
> > the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and
> > World Trade Organization, to
> > advance these goals in policy and practice. A
> > corporate
> === message truncated ===
>
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