VAST STRETCH OF AFRICAN SAVANNAH RIPE FOR COMMERCIAL FARMING – UN

Unlocking the potential of a massive stretch of savannah spanning 25 African nations could boost commercial farming on the continent, according to a new United Nations study.

Some 400 million hectares in the Guinea Savannah zone – stretching from Senegal to South Africa – are ripe for commodity production, but at present, only 10 per cent of that area is actually being farmed, according to the book published by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Bank.

It compares the African savannah with similar areas in north-east Thailand and the Cerrado region of Brazil, which share similar disadvantages. In the case of Thailand, there was abundant but unreliable rainfall, poor soils and a high population density, while in the Cerrado, remoteness, soils prone to acidity and low population were key problems.

In both Thailand and Brazil, governments helped spur agricultural growth "characterized by favourable macroeconomic policies, adequate infrastructure, a strong human capital base, competent government administration, and political instability," the study noted.

Africa, it argued, is better placed to reach its targets due to its use of new technologies; economic, population and urban growth; improved business climates in many countries; and stepped up foreign and domestic investment in agriculture, among other factors.

The smallholder-led agricultural transformation which took place in Thailand, rather than the large-scale farming led by wealthy farmers in Brazil, is a much better model for Africa to follow to ensure equitable development.

"Large-scale mechanized production does not offer any obvious cost advantages, except under certain very specific circumstances and is far more likely to lead to social conflict," said Michael Morris, the World Bank's Lead Agricultural Economist.

Commercializing agriculture will help to dampen the environmental effects of changing how the land is used in the Guinea Savannah, the study found.

However, intensification could also lead to the destruction of vulnerable ecosystems and the overuse of fertilizers and pesticides, it warned, calling on governments to monitor environmental impacts and take action to minimize damage.
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FORMER CHADIAN LEADER TO REMAIN IN SENEGAL PENDING FINAL RULING BY UN COURT

FORMER CHADIAN LEADER TO REMAIN IN SENEGAL PENDING FINAL RULING BY UN COURT
New York, May 28 2009 2:00PM
The United Nations International Court of Justice (<"http://www.icj-cij.org/docket/index.php?p1=3&p2=2&case=144&PHPSESSID=66df0eb20403f92383dc3ea447d6af5c">ICJ) today issued an <"http://www.icj-cij.org/docket/files/144/15149.pdf">order leaving former Chadian president Hissène Habré in the custody of Senegal, where he is under house arrest for alleged war crimes.

Belgium lodged a request to the ICJ in February to bar Mr. Habré, who has been accused in a Senegalese court of massive human rights abuses committed by his regime during the 1990s, from leaving Senegal while his trial is pending.

It had also sought to have him extradited to face charges in Belgium, citing among other things procedural delays in Senegal's handling of the case. For its part, Senegal had asked the Court to dismiss the Belgian filing, saying its judiciary is competent to carry out the prosecution.

In its order, the ICJ found that "there does not exist, in the circumstances of the present case, any urgency to justify" Belgium's bid.

However, the Court also stressed that today's order leaves unaffected Belgium's right to pursue the case should new facts emerge.

In addition, Senegal has given assurances it would not allow Mr. Habré, who has been living in house arrest for nearly 20 years, to leave the country pending a final ICJ ruling on the matter, noted the Court, which is based in The Hague, Netherlands.

Mr. Habré ruled Chad from 1982 to 1990, when he was overthrown and went into exile in Senegal, and it is alleged that during his rule thousands of Chadians were tortured and unlawful killings and other serious human rights violations took place.

Although he was charged in February 2000 by a lower court in Senegal's capital, Dakar, an appeals court later ruled that Senegalese courts did not have the legal competence to try such cases if they were perpetrated in another country.

But then in April 2008, Senegal's National Assembly adopted an amendment to the constitution that together with previous changes allowed the country's legal system to deal with such cases.
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SENEGAL: UNAIDS LAUDS RELEASE OF MEN JAILED FOR THEIR SEXUAL ORIENTATION

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) today welcomed the release of nine men, members of a Senegalese AIDS awareness group, who had been imprisoned for their sexual orientation.

The men were arrested last December and sentenced the following month by the Senegalese courts for "acts against nature and the creation of an association of criminals."

UNAIDS, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), civil society organizations, the French Embassy and the Swedish Embassy representing the European Union (EU) mounted a campaign to secure the release of the detainees, who work for an organization called AIDES Senegal.

"Homophobia and criminalization based on a person's sexual orientation is fueling the AIDS epidemic," said UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé. "We urge Senegal to remove such laws that block the AIDS response."

The agency stressed that the rights of men who have sex with men must be protected, with laws prohibiting sexual acts between consenting adults in private being amended to curb stigma and discrimination.

Further, UNAIDS called for the enforcement of anti-discrimination, the provision of legal aid services and the promotion of campaigns that address homophobia.
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