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April 30 - May 4, 2001 - Global Policy Forum - Email 'Listserv' News
GPF List-Serv
April 30 - May 4, 2001Greetings from Global Policy Forum!
We had a very successful conference on Saturday on "Global Taxes for Global Priorities" with over 70 participants from every continent!
Flags of Convenience
Many ship owners register their ships outside of their country of operation -- with countries that offer very low taxes and very few regulations, a process known as Flags of Convenience (FoC). The owner can simply choose the flag from a wide selection (A Brief Guide to Flags of Convenience). The crew is then subject to the labor laws of the country of registration. More than 25 states offer FoC according to the International Transport Workers’ Federation ITF. FoC countries do not apply minimum social standards or trade union rights for seafarers. Many crew working on FoC ships receive low wages, live in very poor on-board conditions, and work long periods without proper rest. FoC countries also have a lax attitude towards implementing and overseeing safety procedures. Many of the ships under FoC have been referred to as "floating coffins." On the FoC web site you can register pleasure boats and commercial vessels under various Flags of Convenience. Flags of Convenience S.A. offers its service to companies, yacht brokers, legal advisers and builders. According to its website, one of the best ship registration jurisdictions is now the Republic of Georgia. Since its inception with the breakup of the Soviet Union, Georgia has already attracted the keen interest of the international maritime community and many ship owners have already signed up. The tonnage under the Georgian flag has increased considerably even in the last few months.
Security Council Jottings
This week saw the beginning of the US presidency of the Security Council. The Bush administration still does not have a permanent representative at the UN. In March, the administration announced its intention to nominate John D. Negroponte to replace former ambassador Richard Holbrooke, but apparently due to Negroponte’s controversial role while ambassador to Honduras, the White House has not sent his name to the Senate for confirmation. Many observers see the US lacking a clear policy at the UN, with the Mission reliant on conflicting orders from Washington. Ambassador James Cunningham, the acting US representative, seemed to confirm this when he announced that the US would not have a special theme during its May presidency.
Sanctions have been set for Liberia. The deadline imposed by resolution 1343 was Monday, May 7. The Secretary General released his first report on Liberia, commenting on Liberian President Charles Taylor’s non-compliance with Security Council requirements. Kofi Annan proposed that the Security Council implements the ECOWAS’ suggestion to deploy observers along the border with Sierra Leone. On Friday, the Council met and decided to impose sanctions. We have incorporated a new section on timber in conflict on our page The Dark Side of Natural Resources, with several articles on Liberia.
On Thursday, the Council held an open meeting debating the UN panel report on the illegal exploitation of natural resources in the Democratic Republic of Congo. High-level ministers of Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi were present to defend their governments against charges of exploiting resources from the DRC. They rejected the report outright, arguing the lack of evidence and veracity of the allegations. The panel itself has admitted that the report is only 70% completed, but there can be little doubt about the report’s detailed account of massive looting of the DRC economy.
The battle over African natural resources is felt also in Nigeria. President Obasanjo shook up his regime with dismissal of three of his top chiefs who were vocally critical of Nigeria's cooperation with the United States. Nigeria is a top supplier of oil to the United States and depends on this revenue for its economic survival. This has led to a shaky military situation with Obasanjo pre-empting possible coup attempts by various tribal factions.
The Angolan government called for reconciliation talks with the senior leader of Unita, Jonas Savimbi, and called on the rebels to stop the war. But Unita dismissed the call because the government continues to push for a unilateral ceasefire, a requirement that Unita refuses to accept.
International Justice
A Belgian case opens a new chapter in the evolution of international criminal law. It creates a precedent in international jurisdiction going further than the Pinochet case. For the first time, a jury of Belgium civilian will have to judge four Rwandans convicted for war crimes in the 1994 genocide.
This week, the Rome Statute obtained its 30th ratification, the half way point for the establishment of an International Criminal court. The Coalition for an International Criminal court welcomed the step taken by Andorra. The ratification has been moving faster than expected.
Social/Economic Policy
After the pharmaceutical companies withdrew their case against South Africa on AIDS drugs patent rights, more progress is being made on the AIDS issue. At last week’s summit on HIV/AIDS in Abuja, Nigeria, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan proposed a multimillion dollar global fund to combat HIV/AIDS. The estimated cost for comprehensive health care would be $7-10 billion annually, compared to the $1 billion currently spent in developing countries.
At the end of the summit, African leaders signed a declaration which calls on African states to spend 15 percent of their national budgets on health programs, including a significant proportion on AIDS.
Both the IMF and the World Bank have declared their support for the proposed global fund. World Bank President James Wolfensohn called HIV/AIDS a "global development problem" and an "international security problem" which increased funding, prevention programs and cuts in drug prices alone will not solve. However, according to the New York Times, the global fund is "likely to be handicapped by a lack of leadership from the United States." President George W. Bush has not committed enough money to fighting the disease. Africa is hardest hit. 70 percent of the world's 36 million people infected by HIV live in Africa, which makes AIDS one of Africa's biggest development challenges.
Here are the links for this week...
