Minister for European Affairs and International Cooperation Ben Knapen paid a visit today to Somaliland,

Stability and good governance in Somaliland vital in combating piracy

Newsflash | 10 June 2011

Minister for European Affairs and International Cooperation Ben Knapen paid a visit today to Somaliland, a region in the North of Somalia. His agenda included a meeting with Somaliland’s president, Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud, and its foreign minister.

Somaliland has been stable for several years and held democratic elections last year. Mr Knapen said that the rest of Somalia could learn from Somaliland’s experiences with stability and democratisation. Acceptance of government authority and a policy of active prevention is helping to stave off piracy. ‘No piracy attacks are launched from the coast of Somaliland. It is important to ensure that instability and piracy in the neighbouring region does not spread to Somaliland’, Mr Knapen said during his visit to Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland.

The minister visited the Hargeisa prison where 87 pirates tried by Somaliland are incarcerated. The Netherlands plans to contribute a million euros, via the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, for the construction of a new prison, for pirates and other offenders, and measures to strengthen the justice system. This will increase the capacity available for imprisoning pirates in the region and UNODC’s involvement guarantees compliance  with international standards.

In the presence of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Knapen laid the first stone for a new parliament building. The Netherlands is donating €700,000 for construction and for training parliamentarians and support staff. Earlier in the day, he visited a camp for displaced Somalis. Their presence sometimes leads to tension with the local population. Through the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) the Netherlands is supporting temporary accommodation for internally displaced persons throughout Somalia. ‘When Somalia is safer these displaced persons can return home’, said the Minister.

Somaliland declared its independence from Somalia in 1991. However, the international community does not recognise the unilateral declaration. Increasing stability in Somaliland could boost economic development in the region and have a positive effect on Somalia. Bolstering fragile states is one of the key themes of Dutch development cooperation policy.

Kill a camel' to cut pollution concept in Australia

Kill a camel' to cut pollution concept in Australia

Jun 9 01:50 AM US/Eastern

This file photo shows a feral camel searching for food near the dry Ross Ri...

Australia is considering awarding carbon credits for killing feral camels as a way to tackle climate change. The suggestion is included in Canberra's "Carbon Farming Initiative", a consultation paper by the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, seen Thursday.
Adelaide-based Northwest Carbon, a commercial company, proposed culling some 1.2 million wild camels that roam the Outback, the legacy of herds introduced to help early settlers in the 19th century.
Considered a pest due to the damage they do to vegetation, a camel produces, on average, a methane equivalent to one tonne of carbon dioxide a year, making them collectively one of Australia's major emitters of greenhouse gases.
In its plan, Northwest said it would shoot them from helicopters or muster them and send them to an abattoir for either human or pet consumption.
"We're a nation of innovators and we find innovative solutions to our challenges -- this is just a classic example," Northwest Carbon managing director Tim Moore told Australian Associated Press.
The idea was among those accepted for discussion by the government, which is seeking to "provide new economic opportunities for farmers, forest growers and landholders" if they come up with ways to cut emissions, according to the document.
Heavily reliant on coal-fired power and mining exports, Australia is one of the world's worst per capita polluters and the government is looking at ways to clean up its act.
Legislation for the "Carbon Farming Initiative" is set to go before parliament next week.

America Playing Catch Up in Africa

America Playing Catch Up in Africa

Big Think Editors on June 6, 2011, 8:33 AM

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What's the Latest Development?
The C.E.O. of an American producer of machine engines says Africa reminds him of China or India a decade ago, when domestic consumer markets began opening to foreign trade. Now, thanks in great part to China, consumer and commodity markets are opening up across Africa. "China's exports to Africa last year totaled about $54 billion, up from $5.6 billion a decade before, according to the I.M.F. U.S. exports to Africa totaled $21 billion last year, up from $7.6 billion in 2000." Today, American companies are scrambling to catch up.
What's the Big Idea?
In the last two decades, Chinese investment in Africa has approximately doubled while North America's has remained constant. And now, with domestic household expenditure in Africa equal to that of India, a sizable consumer market is opening. Africa has been a more obvious choice for China's low-cost consumer goods compared with America's costlier products. Chinese companies, for example, have marketed cheap, gas-powered electricity generators while American companies have struggled to market their more powerful, more expensive goods.

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