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OPINION P.6 EDITORIAL:

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PagesVOL. 17 ISSUE NO 4693

15th April, 2019 10th Shaaban, 1440

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Patience and Wisdom is Vital at this Stage

Foreign Ministry: SAF Sided with the People’ RevolutionBy / Najat AhmedKhartoum ñ Foreign Ministry has ex-pressed thanks and appreciation to the friends of Sudan who expressed their solidarity and support to Sudan in it step towards a peaceful transfer of power to democratic system achieves the aspira-tions of the Sudanese people.The ministry said, in statement, that the step taken by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and other regular forces last Thurs-day, came siding with the Sudanese peo-ple revolution for the sake of freedom, justice and peace, saying that the Chair-man of the Transitional Military Council (TMC) stressed their full commitment to lay the foundations of civil rule and to hand over the power to civil govern-

ment and that the role of the council will be limited to the rule of law, independ-ence of judiciary, and provide and main-taining security, and promoting the spirit of equality and tolerance and creating the political climate for all the components of the society to structure and formation of parties and civil society organizations that lead to the peaceful transfer of power, besides dialogue between all the compo-nents of the society, besides maintaining and promotion of human rights in accord-ance to the international conventions and agreements that ratified by Sudan.The foreign ministryís statement affirmed keenness on good neighborly ties and in-ternational balance relations and not to interfere in the internal affairs of other

countries, referring to renewal of the com-prehensive cease-fire in all parts of Sudan, and the call for all armed movements to sit for dialogue to maintain peace according to new basis, adding that Sudan is looking forward to understand and support of the international society for the honest efforts of the TMC and the Sudanese political and civil forces to achieve the wishes of the Sudanese people in a democratic tran-sition and to achieve balanced develop-ment.The ministry of foreign affairs expressed thanks and appreciation to the to the friends who supported Sudan in facing of the economic crisis and looking forward for active economic cooperation with the international society.

www.sudanvision.net Address: Khartoum, Intersection of Ali Dinar Street and 21st Oct. Street

By / Al-Sammani AwadallahKhartoum- US Charge Daffaires in Su-dan, Steven Koutsis welcomed the role of the Transitional Military Council (TMC) in achieving stability.During his meeting here yesterday with the Deputy of the TMC, First Lieu-tenant General, Mohamed Hamdan Himaidti, the US diplomat inured the need to continue cooperation between the two sides to promote the American-Sudanese relations.Himaidti presented enlightenment on the situation and development in the country and the reasons that led to the formation of the TMC and the proce-dures it has taken to maintain the secu-rity and stability of the country.The step taken by the TMC to take over power has found welcome from several Arab countries, where the State of Qatar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and UAE welcomed the new military council, expressing their hope that Su-dan enjoys security and stability.Saudi Arabia said that it is following the developments in Sudan and the statement issued by the President of the TMC, affirming its support for the choice of the Sudanese people and the procedures taken by the council,

besides its support to the steps taken by the council on maintain lives and property, calling for achieving the aspirations of the nation in develop-ment, saying that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques issued directives to provide humanitarian assistances in-cluding petroleum products, wheat and drugs.United Arab Emirates (UAE) wel-comed the appointment of First lieuten-ant General Abdul Fatah Al-Burhan as chairman of the TMC, describing that as an step embodies the aspirations of the Sudanese people in security, stabil-ity and development.UAE Ministry of Foreign and Interna-tional Cooperation said that the UAE follows the development in Sudan, expressing their full confidence of the ability of the people and the army to overcome the challenges and and achieving stability and development , affirming their support to the step taken by the TMC on maintaining lives and property, calling on political, popular and professional forces and the mili-tary to preserve institutions and peace-ful transfer of power and to secure best future for the Sudanee people and maintaining the national unity.

By: Al Sammani AwadallahKhartoum- The Transi-tional Military Council (TMC) has called on the political forces to present proposals on the coming stage in a period not ex-ceeding seven days, that shall include the condi-tions and terms of the post of the prime minis-ter, whether the two-year transitional period is enough or not and their conditions for the civil-ian government. The TMC expressed during its meeting with the political forces at the Friendship Hall yesterday hope that the political forces would reach consensus on an in-dependent national figure

for the post of prime min-ister during the transition-al period. Chairman of the Political Committee of TMC 1st. Lt. Gen. Omer Zain Al Abdien said the basic mission of the coun-cil is availing a conducive atmosphere for all politi-cal forces to compete in transparent way without exclusion to anyone. He affirmed that the slogan of the council is openness towards all, calling on the political parties to shun narrow partisan inter-ests in a view to pressing ahead with realization of the aspirations of the Su-danese people, affirming readiness of the council to open dialogue with all parties and political forces

to reach a stable and sta-tus. He referred to forma-tion of a higher security committee to address the developments the country has witnessed since the 19th of last December so that the country would not slide into chaos, say-ing that the Armed Forces resorted to wisdom and responded to the call of change to realize the de-mands of the protestors.Member of TMC Lt. Gen. (security) Jalal Al Shiekh stressed concern of the council with implementa-tion of the slogans of the revolution and provision of decent life for the citi-zens, pledging bringing of all proved involved in corruption to account.

By: Najat AhmedKhartoum- The Initiative of Professors of University of Khartoum (U. of K.) has said more than 700 professors of the university are engaged in preparing plans and programs of reform cover-ing all sectors of education, economy, health, agriculture, tourism, energy, mining, and infrastructure as the univer-sity is an independent national institu-

tion that is rich with national expertise in all fields of knowledge.The initiative assured in a press state-ment it issued yesterday the Sudanese people of its readiness to utilize the experiences of the professors for serv-ing the Sudan, which is rich with vast resources that are capable of realizing development in the country in a short period of time.

By: Al-Sammani AwadallahKhartoum- A statement issued by the Freedom and Change Forces has disclosed the main points that were discussed with the Transitional Military Coun-cil (TMC), indicating that re-marks have reached them on imbalance in the representation of the regions of Sudan, women and the various components of the revolution in the delega-tion of contact with the military council.The statement affirmed that they conveyed to the council the vi-sion of the masses of the people which is adopted by the Free-dom and Change Forces, which is represented in full implemen-tation to what has been included in the Declaration of Freedom

and Change, in-cluding immediate handing over of power to a civilian transitional government that is agreed upon by the Freedom and Change Forces to administer the affairs of the country for four years un-der the protection of the Armed Forces.The statement said that the del-egation called for ending the war and building peace, a mat-ter that assumes top priority in the issues of transition, and that it is important that the forces of armed struggle participate in all the arrangements of transition to prevent repetition of the past experiences of the country, be-sides resolving all the issues of the marginalized people and re-moving the injustices of the past

through the mechanism of tran-sitional justice as well as dis-solving the National Congress Party and turning over its prop-erties to the state, restructuring of the National Intelligence and Security Service and dissolving militias that are affiliated to the National Congress Party besides showing the names of arrested figures of the deposed regime and the places of their detention.The statement affirmed that the meeting also discussed issues of ending control of the National Congress on the security organs, restructuring and reform of the justice organs, guaranteeing the national nature and neutral-ity of the public service besides reforming the economic insti-tutions of the state and freeing

them form control of the deep state besides cancellation of all laws restricting freedoms.It called for release of all po-litical prisoners and detainees, noting that the leadership of the Freedom and Change Forces would present detailed vision on the transitional arrangements.It added that the leadership of the Military Council promised implementation of missions con-cerning transfer of the properties of the National Congress Party to the state, release of the de-tainees, cancellation of all laws restricting freedoms besides re-structuring of the National Intel-ligence and Security Service.Meanwhile, Chairman of the Sudanese Congress and member of Freedom and Change Decla-ration grouping Engineer Omer Al Degair has described their meeting with the Transitional Military Council as good.He affirmed that the chairman of the council notified the delega-tion that he intends to issue a decision cancelling any law re-stricting freedoms.He explained that the delegation called on the council to form a civilian government with full executive powers and fair trial of all who were involved in cor-ruption and bloodletting, refer-ring to their demand for restruc-turing the National Intelligence and Security Service.

By: Najat AhmedKhartoum- The Transitional Military Coun-cil (TMC) has announced cancellation of any law restricting freedoms in Sudan and enabling the media to perform its work in full freedom.Informed sources told Sudan Vision that the ban, which had been imposed on corre-

spondents and journalists concerning work in Sudan during the protests that began in last December leading to deposing of Omer Al Bashir, was now lifted.Meanwhile, the Political Committee of the Transitional Military Council has said it would meet with all political forces in the country.

By / Khalda EliasKhartoum- The Sudanese Transparency Organiza-tion affirmed its commit-ment to combating cor-ruption and promoting transparency in any place and time and under any circumstances, saying that it has, since its establish-ment, called for its mes-sage through news pub-lished in newspapers and social media.The Chairman of the or-

ganization, Dr. Al-Tayeb Mukhtar said that the se-riousness in combating corruption is a golden op-portunity for any govern-ment to gain internal and foreign support, as the transparency is applicable value that reduces the cor-ruption, saying that com-bating corruption is not impossible task and could be controlled by sustained effort and strong will.He affirmed that the or-

ganization and the similar ones of civil society in-dependent organizations are ready voluntarily to provide all its owned in-formation, approach and program to achive the de-sired goal for the stability of Sudan through the im-provement of Sudan’s po-sition in corruption com-bating and human rights, expressing congratulations to the Sudanese people for their victories.

By / Shadia BasheriKhartoum- Economist, Dr. Mohamed Al-Nayer said that the peaceful uprising protected the country from the economic expected losses, due to the awareness of protestors.In exclusive statement to Sudan Vision, Al-Nayer said that the disadvantages that have appeared in the government’s institutions have weaken the procedures in the state which led to decreasing in the sources of revenues during the last period and nega-tive effect on the economy, calling on the government to exert more efforts for the improvement of the economic situation, saying that the next phase needs to efforts and hard work to correct the course of the economy through mechanisms to con-trol and reconsider the economic policies besides achieving the economic stability through international response with regard loans and grants.

Washington, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar Welcome TMC

TMC Calls on Political Forces to Present Proposals for PM Post

University of Khartoum Professors Pledge to Provide Urgent Reform Plans

Freedom and Change Forces Discloses Issues Discussed with TMC Leadership

TMC Declares Cancellation of Any Law Restricting Freedoms

The Sudanese Transparency Organization on Corruption

Economist Calls on the Transitional Government to Reconsider the Financial and Cash Policies

Al Burhan Announces Formation of Transitional Military Council, with Himaiti as Deputy Chairman

Sudan Vaccinates Over 11 Million Children Against Measles and Polio

By: Al-Sammani AwadallahKhartoum- Members of the Tran-sitional Military Council (TMC) were sworn in before the Chair-man of the Council 1st. Lt. Gen. Abdel-Fattah Al Burhan. The formation of the TMC includes 1st. Lt. Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Degalo Himaiti as Deputy Chair-man of the council and member-ship of each of 1st. Lt. Gen. Omer

Zain Al Abdein, 1st. Lt. Gen. (po-lice) Al Tayeb Babiker, Lt. Gen. (pilot) Salah Abdel-Khaligh, Lt. Gen. (security) Jalal-Eddin Al Shiekh, Lt. Gen. Shams-Eddin Ka-bashi, Lt. Gen. Yasir Abdel-Rah-man, Lt. Gen. Mustafa Mohamed Mustafa and Maj. Gen. (Navy) Ib-rahim Jabir.Chairman of the Transitional Mili-tary Council 1st. Lt. Gen. Abdel-

Fattah Al Burhan has issued a constitutional decree appointing members of the council besides naming Lt. Gen. Shams-Eddin Kabashi as spokesman of the council. 1st. Lt. Gen. Omer Zain Al Abdein was chosen as chairman of the political committee, which would maintain contacts with the political forces and the forces of change.

Khartoum, Haffiya Elyas The Federal Ministry of Health , in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), Gavi, the Vac-cine Alliance, and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) launched a large-scale vaccination cam-paign in Sudan to vaccinate over 11 million children aged 0 month to 10 years against measles and polio combined with vitamin A supplement from 8 April to 2 May 2019.Official statistics in Sudan indicate that measles is the third cause of mortality among infants and the first among vaccine-preventable diseases. As of March 2019, 834 measles cases were reported compared to 4980 in 2018.Although polio and measles immunization pro-grammes are separate, they have come together this time to bring health security and achieve the desired health protection outcomes in Sudan. More than 38 826 highly skilled workforce of community vaccina-tors and frontline health workers and social mobilizers were mobilized to implement this massive campaign.ìThe Federal Ministry of Health in Sudan alongside WHO, UNICEF, and other partners and stakeholders work proactively to protect all Sudanese against vac-cine-preventable diseases through regular vaccination campaigns,î said the Federal Ministry of Health in Sudan. ìOur joint efforts have made a significant dif-ference in the measles-polio vaccination programme across the country. All 18 states are covered with a total of 189 localities during this campaign,î Ministry added. ìThis mass immunization campaign is a critical activity in Sudanís ongoing work to protect all popu-lation against vaccine-preventable diseases,î said Dr Naeema Al Gasseer, WHO Representative in Sudan. ìAchieving strong immunization coverage is essential for protecting children against fatal but preventable diseases like polio and measles. We will continue our endeavour to reach this goal and maintaining polio and measles free Sudan,î she added.

The possibility that a child will become ill and die from measles is extremely high. ìAgainst the back-drop of the outbreak of measles at a global level, and the large number of vulnerable children who donít have easy access to healthcare facilities, the threat for Sudan from this highly contagious and potential-ly deadly disease is very real,î said Abdullah Fadil, UNICEF Country Representative. ìAnd thatís why this campaign at this time is especially crucial in sav-ing lives and preventing that threat.î Although Sudan reported no polio case during the last 10 years, high population immunity is still essential in the event of possible importation of the wild poliovirus (WPV) or vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV)s after the appear-ance of the most recent case of circulating cVDPV in Nigeria in Feb 2019.However, the risk of importation among the popula-tion of South Kordofan and Blue Nile States remains high due to the decline in immunity resulting from the insecurity and conflict conditions in these areas.To respond to polio and measles potential risks in Su-dan, the local health authorities have recognized the importance of sustainable immunization campaigns as supplementary strategies to boost the immunity of target population and contain the impact of the disease on the morbidity and mortality rates in the country.The technical support from WHO and UNICEF along-side the financial contribution of GAVI have assisted the health authorities of Sudan to maintain the regu-lar immunization programme all over the country and avoid the devastating implications of potential public health emergencies on the population, the local econ-omy, and the regional and global health security and well-being.This joint polio/measles campaign is the first nation-wide polio immunization activity since 2014. It also marked a decrease in the OPV operational cost per child from US$ 0.61 to US$ 0.11, the lowest ever cost recorded by the countryís immunization programme.

HOME2 Monday, April 15, 2019

STUDY3 Monday, April 15, 2019

Pillars of a Modern State:

By: Expert Advisory Group (EAG) The paper ìTowards a Sustainable Po-litical Transformation in Sudanî was prepared by the Expert Advisory Group (EAG) ,a group of Sudanese professionals from different intellectual backgrounds who met at Harvard University in April 2012 to discuss this very challenge. This is a brief focus on some parts of this docu-ment which is very relevant to the present national situation. This focus also comply by what came in the document ,Preface that : This document provides alterna-tive policies for the day after and it is pre-sented to the people of Sudan for further debate and development as we continue our work together to achieve democracy, justice, equal citizenship, freedom, peace and prosperity for all Sudanese.The question of how to govern a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic Sudan with chronic tension between the center and the periph-ery is central to the future security and sta-bility of the country and should be settled through a deliberative process involving wide-political participation and subject to public scrutiny. This consultative process should also be informed by views from the regions in question that transcend ex-isting political structures.Engaging leaders of local communities may be a good way to gauge public senti-ment in this respect. For any future system of governance to survive the current state of political disillusionment and perpetual distrust of the central government, such a system has to be seen as a mutual cov-enant between the people of these regions and the rest of the country that must be respected at all times by both parties.

The national constitution should include mechanisms for adequate representation of regional views in federal policy mak-ing and adequate checks and balances on executive action affecting regions. In gen-eral, in parliamentary systems of govern-ance where the executive branch gets its le-

gitimacy from controlling the legislative branch (e.g. UK system of governance), the executive and legislative competencies of federal units coincide. This requires less coordination between the regional and central govern-ments and allows for greater decentraliza-tion. The extent of decentralization and the degree of autonomy granted to regions in terms of legislative and administrative powers should be agreed upon and pro-tected in the national constitution to guar-antee stability and development.Before settling on the particular features of a viable system of federal governance, a survey of existing federations should be undertaken in order to identify a system suitable for the conditions of Sudan. The Ethiopian experience is relevant for study especially because it caters for ethnic di-versity within the country. When deciding on how to define the different regions, at-tention must be directed not just to the sta-bility of the regional unit in question, but also to the prospect of sustainable unity within the federation.The risk of regional disintegration in Su-dan is particularly high given the experi-ence of the secession of the South. One of the main factors contributing to the disin-tegration of federations is conflict between regional political visions and national po-litical direction. To guarantee mutual trust and a willingness to cooperate, reforms of electoral laws and laws regulating political parties must be undertaken. Multi-region-al (national) parties will have a positive effect on unifying the country and should be encouraged alongside regional parties. National political parties themselves have to consider the future of regional concerns within their party politics and must con-sider issues of party discipline and strat-egies to push for regional agendas. It is also essential to guarantee respect for the constitution at all times and see to it that the Constitutional Court functions to en-sure the adherence to constitutional guar-antees and limits of executive power with respect to regional units.The organization of federal government should be cognizant of the underlying

economic and efficiency cost to decen-tralization and should pursue reforms that are most suitable to the conditions in Sudan. While using existing federal structures may be the most efficient op-tion, extensive reforms may be called for to avoid the experience of the secession of the South.

Rule of LawA move towards sustainable political transformation along the lines identified above requires respect for the rule of law, an end to executive abuse of power, and arbitrariness of executive action. Con-ceptualizations of the rule of law differ, but they all aim to ensure the supremacy of law by making all private and public entities - including the state itself - ac-countable to laws that are clear, certain, predictable and equally enforceable be-fore independent courts. The doctrine of separation of powers is also thought to be an essential element of an effective rule of law state where laws are made by a body representative of the polity, governments are subject to limits set priori in the con-stitution and the laws of the country, and the judiciary is capable of holding gov-ernments to such limits through judicial review actions guaranteeing, among other things, the rights of individual citizens. The first two of these requirements have to be provided for in the constitutional review process pursued during the transi-tional period.Ensuring the independence of the judici-ary should be treated as a standalone task for the transitional government and may benefit from cross fertilization with re-forms of the public service.Given the post-conflict, post-autocracy context of a new Sudan, it may be essen-tial to provide for substantive limits to the law in the constitution (e.g. guaranteeing fundamental human rights and individual autonomy) in order to ensure the devel-opment of a rule-of-law state capable of sustainable political transformation in a context of ethnic diversity and past griev-ances.Providing for such guarantees would al-leviate fears over governmental excesses and the subordination of individual au-tonomy to collective rights.To ensure reconciliation between different ethnic constituencies in the country, some form of relevant transitional justice mech-anism is required. A credible modality ad-dressing historical wrongs should address both conflict related crimes and crimes committed by the government, includ-ing war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and misappropriation of public resources. The enactment of new laws relevant to the issue of transitional justice and accountability of public bodies under the current regime may be necessary and should reflect a commitment to fundamen-tal human rights in the new constitution as well as improving access to justice for remote affected communities. Given the requirements for legal and institutional re-forms facing the administration during the first years of transition, it may be a good idea to use already existing international and regional structures to ensure account-ability of the members of the current re-gime and its leaders for past wrongs. This will send a positive message to communi-ties affected by conflict, enhance nation-building and may indicate the onset of a new dawn of political accountability and respect for the rule of law.Certain aspects of the legal system re-quire immediate attention: (i) Criminal law and justice; because of its effect on fundamental human rights, which would require institutional reform of its en-forcement arms including the police; (ii) Commercial law; to ensure certainty and predictability and to provide for an envi-ronment conducive to economic growth; and (iii) land laws because of its impor-tance in regulating relationships between tribal communities and its role in fueling recent conflicts in the country. It has been suggested that a Law Reform Commis-sion established during the transitional period would contribute to efforts in this respect. 32 New vetting and lustration laws should also be enacted to ascertain the suitability of individuals to hold po-litical, civil service or judiciary positions in a new Sudan if they served under the previous regime (see institutional reform section below). Legal reforms should also include reforms of electoral laws as

follows.

Electoral Laws Reform:The working assumption in this document is that an effective transitional period is likely to organically lead to peace and democratic rule following the required istitutional reforms. It would, therefore, be prudent to discuss necessary reforms of electoral laws.Reforming electoral laws should take into consideration that the previous dem-ocratic governments repeatedly produced coalition governments that were not able to affect tangible reform programs. The consensus amongst commentators is that a Proportional Representation (PR) sys-tem should beadopted to ensure representation of wider segments of the society. While the ad-vantages of a PR system are conceded, such a system is likely to produce coa-lition governments, which are known to be less stable and less effective. In some countries, the stability of governments is assured byrequiring that the prime minister be di-rectly elected. A similar system may prove more suitable for Sudan.

Political Parties:The success of political reforms in Sudan will depend to a large extent on the ability of political parties to evolve according to the current needs of the country. The long period of autocratic rule under the current regime has further stultified their devel-opment and operation, and the effective future contribution of political parties will depend on their ability to rehabilitate themselves through training, effective re-organization, and the adoption of internal democratic practices. This work should in essence be attempted pretransition in preparation for active involvement in the deliberative process that is expected to take place following the change of the current regime.

Institutional Reforms:The focus in the first few months of the transitional period should be on effect-ing reforms of key institutions in order to reverse years of politicization pursued by the current regime. The following suggestions are not exhaustive of all re-quired reforms.

Civil Service Reforms: A comprehensive study of the sector should be initiated first. Reforms of the civil service should aim at guaranteeing independence and should include the use of lustration and vetting laws to ensure

the exclusion of current regime members from key positions and to ensure equal opportunity through affirmative action. Long-term reforms should also include re-training and education programs aimed at enlisting a sense of national commitment to change and the rule of law. The pervading culture of corruption and nepotism in the civil service will also have to becombated through the enactment of rel-evant laws and the restructuring of exist-ing units.

The Judiciary: An overhaul of the judiciary is neces-sary to ensure its independence and ef-fectiveness both in terms of vetting those holding office in its ranks and in terms of providing for the effective separation of powers between the judiciary and the ex-ecutive branches of government in a new constitution. Such independence of the judiciary should be understood to apply to individual judges in performing their functions. An independent judiciary is essential both for the unbiased resolution of conflicts and for keeping the power of the Executive in check. During the tran-sitional period, the priority should be to compose a new constitutional court ca-pable of supervising the actions of the transitional government by reference to agreed principles of good governance.A program for the institutional reform of the judiciary should take into considera-tion the fact that transitional justice re-quirements in a post-conflict, post-autoc-racy country would place a considerable burden on the system initially. Measures for addressing this front-loading aspect of the transition should be in place to avoid delaying necessary reforms. The estab-lishment of a separate hybrid tribunal to address the previous regimeís crimes and abuse of power may be more viable. As mentioned above, use of existing interna-tional structures is also recommended.Legal education and training should be reformed with the objective of manning the judiciary and equipping the legal pro-fession with the necessary knowledge and skills to facilitate access to justice especially post-transition.The legal profession would also be key in building an effective rule of law and a culture of constitutionalism based on confidence in the legal system. A com-plete reform of the requirements of the law degree may therefore be necessary and should be carried out in coordination with the judiciary, the Bar Association, and the relevant Higher Education min-istry.

Towards a Sustainable Political Transformation in Sudan (2)

The inability of political elites to develop nationhood

Construct of shared values and common experience

Unresolved identity questions undermine the social foundation

essential for the legitimacy of the state

4 Monday, April 15, 2019 Edited by: Alula Berhe Kidani

FOCUS IN AFRICA

By: Peter Fabricius

‘The report of my death was an exaggeration.í That was Mark Twain speaking but it could have been Khalifa Haftar. One year af-ter he was widely reported gravely ill or even dead, the Libyan gen-eral stands larger than life at the gates of Tripoli.From his stronghold in Benghazi far to the east, his self-styled Lib-yan National Army now controls almost all of the country ñ and this coalition of militias has entered the outskirts of the capital in the far west.Only a hastily convened band of probably equally miscellaneous militias has so far prevented him from toppling the UN and inter-nationally recognised Govern-ment of National Accord (GNA) led by Fayez al-Sarraj. It seems that Haftarís rapid advance from Benghazi over the past few days has welded these militias into a stronger force than many expect-ed. At its core are the battle-hard-ened and well-armed Misrata and Zintani militias.Haftarís rapid westward sweep has even more forcefully underscored the already apparent futility of the UN and African Union (AU) dip-lomatic efforts to resolve the cri-sis. AU Commission chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat met Haftar in Benghazi just two days before he launched his attack. Haftar had ëagreed to cooperate in the prepa-rations of the African Union-led National Conference on Reconcil-iation to be held in Addis Ababa in July 2019í, Faki announced then.That conference is meant to sup-port the UN conference, convened by UN special envoy Ghassan SalamÈ, which was scheduled to take place this weekend but has been postponed indefinitely. Haftar showed even greater con-tempt for the UN by launching his attack while UN Secretary-Gener-

al AntÛnio Guterres was in Tripoli to arrange the UN peace talks.Haftar showed great contempt for the UN by launching his attack while Guterres was in TripoliWhat happens next is uncertain and precarious. Diplomats in UN and national capitals are frantical-ly trying, in vain it seems, to per-suade Haftarís allies to urge him to call off his attack and return to the peace table.Silvia Colombo, head of the Mediterranean and Middle East Programme at the Italian Institute for International Affairs, fears that Haftar is more likely to want to go for broke and conquer Tripoli. She believes he has very little political constituency or skill and so will probably bet his future purely on military victory.So Haftar will probably raise the military stakes to do so. That is already happening with more ar-tillery and airstrikes. These could plunge Libya into its third pro-tracted civil war since the 2011 struggle that toppled Muammar Gaddafi ñ though Libya has really never been at peace since.Internally Haftar is backed by a band of diverse militias, some of whom Colombo thinks are held together more by the promise of spoils than any higher purpose. Internationally he has been get-ting various levels of backing from Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in the Middle East, from France and Italy in Europe ñ and from Russia, Colombo says.She says Paris and Rome are ëhid-ingí their support by publicly call-ing for restraint and urging both sides to return to the peace table. But she believes the logistical and political support will continue. What motivates this external back-ing for Haftar is not completely clear. Colombo believes that Egyp-tian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is a natural ally for Haftar, as both are authoritarian military strong-

men.Haftarís attack underscores the ap-parent futility of the UN and AU efforts to resolve the crisisMatt Herbert, consultant to the Pretoria-based Institute for Secu-rity Studies (ISS), adds that El-Sisi has looked to Haftar to bring order to eastern Libya in order to thwart terrorist groups who have used it as a rear base for attacks against Egypt.And the Middle Eastern backers as a whole are simply looking to in-crease their influence over the oil-rich country, Colombo believes. Backing Haftar is also an exten-sion of their Middle East rivalry with Qatar and Turkey which are backing the GNA government in Tripoli, though far more tepidly.The three Middle East backers also like Haftar for his supposed animosity to Islamists in Libya ñ he claims his real targets are these ëterroristsí ñ which echoes theirs on their home turf. Yet Colombo says in reality there are Islamists on both sides of the Libyan con-flict and that Haftarís loose coali-

tion includes some of the most extreme Salaafist militias in the country.Another theory is that the outside backers see Haftar, for all his faults, as forceful enough to end the in-terminable civil conflict, countless schisms and rival governments, and to unite the country at last. This reflects a kind of nostalgia for another strongman ñ like Gaddafi ñ to take charge and reimpose or-der on the lawless country, even if that order is likely to be harsh.Colombo dismisses these hopes, insisting that Haftarís lack of po-litical constituency or political skill would make it impossible for him to govern effectively if he does conquer Tripoli. Herbert adds that his age, 75, also counts against him, limiting his ability to rule long enough to have a significantly positive impact on the fractured country, should he gain power. So the road ahead looks rockier than ever.Echoing the Syrian impasse, the threat of a Russian veto is frustrat-ing UNSC action on Libya

Political divisions internationally further complicate efforts to stop the fighting. Although the AUís Peace and Security Council met this week to call for peaceful in-clusive dialogue, it did not specifi-cally demand that Haftar end his disruptive assault. Perhaps thatís because the AU is compromised by the awkward reality that its cur-rent chairperson is El-Sisi, possi-bly Haftarís biggest international fan.The same applies at the UN. Last weekend Russia blocked the US from issuing a formal UN Secu-rity Council statement calling on Haftar to back off from Tripoli. Russia insisted the statement should condemn all military ac-tion or none. So the statement wasnít issued.Ominously echoing the Syrian im-passe, the threat of a Russian veto seems to be frustrating Security Council efforts to draft a resolu-tion putting pressure on Haftar to retreat, as the UK is reported to be contemplating.Where would that leave South Af-

rica, incidentally? Would it back Russia in its clash with the Western powers on the Security Council, as it usually does? That would put it in an awkward position. Libya figures prominently in Pretoriaís foreign policy discourse but thatís almost entirely in hindsight.In 2011 it joined the other two Af-rican nations on the UN Security Council ñ Nigeria and Gabon ñ in voting for Resolution 1973 author-ising military action against Libya. South Africa then claimed it had been betrayed by the North At-lantic Treaty Organization (Nato) which helped bomb Gaddafi out of power instead of just protecting civilians. Nato, South Africa con-tends, thereby thwarted the AUís peace efforts.If Pretoria now opposes tough ac-tion to prevent Haftar from sabo-taging both the AU and the UNís Libyan peace efforts, it could be accused of being more anti-West-ern than sincerely concerned about the welfare of the Libyan people. Now and perhaps retrospectively, back in 2011.

Resurrected Haftar Scuttles UN and AU Libyan Peace Efforts With logistical and political support for Haftar from several

international backers, can diplomatic efforts resolve the crisis?

Stolen by the Storm: Farms and Food for Mozambique

Brecht De Vleeschauwer

Among the casualties of Cyclone Idai are the livelihoods of people such as Ernesto Am-eral, a 26-year-old farmer in the small Mo-zambican town of Dombe, near the Mussapa River†and not far from Zimbabwe.Like many farmers in the region, Ameral was anxiously awaiting his harvest of onions, to-matoes and beans before the cyclone struck last month.†Before the storm, he was able to provide enough food for his family. Now, his crops are still soggy with water and mud.ìI have never seen anything like that before,î he told photojournalist Brecht De Vlee-schauwer, who travelled to Dombe, which was cut off from the outside world for a week after the storm. ìNow, we will have to rely on aid.îIt will take months before his crops recov-er, he says. Heís dependent on aid from the World Food Programme and is living amid more than 1,000 people squeezed into tents erected by the Mozambican government.Government figures estimate that some 715,000 hectares of crops were flooded or destroyed in all of Mozambique. More than

75,000 people in the Sofala province and Manica will soon receive agricultural kits containing mature seeds and equipment. Farmers in these two provinces alone pro-duce approximately 25 percent of the na-tional cereal output.While more than 4,000 cases of cholera and seven deaths have been reported from the disease, health officials are also concerned about a rise in malaria due to the standing water. Health officials in the Dombe area say malaria cases are already climbing.Ameral also worries about how he and his family will manage in temporary accom-modation; he and other residents of flooded low-lying areas have been banned from re-turning home. More than 25,000 have been displaced in the Manica province. The area was hard hit because of flash flooding from the nearby rivers.ìWe have been offered a small piece of land and a piece of plastic,î he said of the govern-ment assistance. ìBut we are (a family of) eight. There is no way we can all fit under this roof.îA few kilometres away, 25-year-old Roda Ernesto also worries about food shortages.

Despite the government ban on returning to low-lying areas, she has gone back to her fields and house ñ both destroyed by the flood waters.ìIn the camp there was nothing,î she said. ìThat>s why we decided to return. Although most of our crops are rotten, we try to save what is possible. My husband is working in South Africa and I need to provide food for the family.îMozambique was the hardest hit country in the cyclone, with the port city of Beira to the east suffering considerable damage. In Dombe alone, some 165 people were killed and 50 are still missing. Some 1,000 people were killed regionally in Mozambique, Ma-lawi and Zimbabwe.The UN is seeking $282 million to fund emergency assistance over the next three months in Mozambique.For now, Ameral is doing what he can: scouring the land searching for seeds to plant fresh crops.Ernesto Ameral, a 26-year-old farmer in Dombe, assesses his crops destroyed by Cyclone Idai. Before, he had enough food to feed his six children and wife, but now he relies on aid hand-outs. What little sav-ings he had was also washed away in the raging flood waters, and he worries how his family will cope in the squeezed temporary accommodation at camps set up by the Mo-zambican government. The World Food Pro-gramme has been delivering food to the area that was cut off from the rest of the country for about a week after the storm, but farm-ers fear it will take months for crops to fully recover.With flood waters receding, Ameral scours the land looking for seeds and kernels that he may use to plant fresh crops. If he canít salvage enough from his own crops, he will turn to government help for fresh seeds. At the moment, he, his wife, and their six chil-dren are surviving on one meal of corn por-ridge a day. The United Nations has described Cyclone Idai as ìone of the deadliest storms on record in the southern hemisphere.î More food aid is expected to reach the region in the coming week.

AfDB Hails Canada’s US$1.1 Billion Pledge in Callable Capital Support On the sidelines of the World Bank-IMF Spring meetings, Canada an-nounced a $1.1 billion commitment in temporary callable capital to support the African Development Bank.Canadaís announcement, to be ap-proved by the Bankís governors, was made by Maryam Monsef, the Canadian Minister of International Development and for Women and Gender Equality.ìI am happy to say that today, Cana-da is demonstrating its commitment to African countries and our confi-dence in the African Development Bank by announcing that we are go-ing to subscribe up to US$ 1.1 bil-lion in temporary callable capital, if required.î Minister Monsef told members of the Diplomatic Corps based in Washington D.C., gover-nors of the African Development Bank, executive directors, including executive director David Stevenson, who represents Canada, China, Ko-rea, Turkey and Kuwait. The Bankís senior management team was also in attendance. The announcement comes a day after a meeting of the Bankís gov-ernors in Washington D.C. to con-tinue discussions on a 7th General Capital Increase.ìThe African Development Bank is a key partner for Canada and we are committed to supporting the Bankís African member countries. Canada and Canadians are proud of our long history of partnership and collaboration with Africa,î Monsef noted, before reminding the 100 at-tendees that Canada was determined to ensure that ìno less than 50% of bilateral development assistance is dedicated to sub-Saharan Africa by 2021-2022.î Commenting on the announcement, the Bankís Presi-dent, Dr Akinwumi A. Adesina said

ìCanadaís commitment and sup-port is a huge boost to the African Development Bank. It will allow the Bank to strengthen its Triple A rating and increase lending to mem-ber countries while discussions are ongoing among all shareholders for a general capital Increase.î ìYour announcement is a clear indication that Canada has strong confidence in the African Development Bank,î Adesina added, while extending the Bankís appreciation to Prime Min-ister Justin Trudeau for Canadaís unwavering support. Minister Mon-sef urged other AAA-rated member countries to join Canada in provid-ing temporary callable capital to the Bank. ìI sincerely hope that this an-nouncement will facilitate the gen-eral capital Increase negotiations and help support your efforts. Can-ada stands with you.î In a follow-up bilateral meeting, Minister Monsef and President Adesina discussed values and interests in common on gender and increasing access to fi-nance for women, as well as on cli-mate and renewable energy issues.Canada has been a member of the African Development Bank since January 1983 and has participated in all general capital increases of the Bank. It provided temporary callable capital in 2010 while the GCI VI negotiations were ongo-ing.† That decision enabled the Bank to continue to provide its sup-port to regional member countries in the aftermath of the international financial crisis.As at 30 June 2018, Canadaís to-tal capital subscribed amounted to $3.5 billion of which $252 million has been paid in and $3.22 billion stands as callable capital, making Canada the 4th largest shareholder among the Bankís non-regional member countries.

Report by Neimat al Naiem

Sudan has multi resources includ-ing agriculture and forests ,pas-tures , animals, and minerals , deserts , valleys , rivers , series of mountains distributed in all parts of Sudan , and before that the human resources .Since 11th April 2019, Sudan en-tered a new era that ended 30 years of the regime of the former Presi-dent al Bashir. These long years witnessed many changes either we agreed with or disagreed. The change will never be over night. Great efforts are need to make change. There is high rate of infla-tion. Weakness and degradation of the national currency in compare with the other foreign currency.Youth revolution represented into the demonstrations and protesting which continued for more than 4 months set the base for this change and it is considered the first step in the right direction.It is high time for production, not only to set strategies, plans and policies, it is time to put things in the right track. Economic experts should play their role in shaping the frame for economic reform as one of the top priorities.The theory of product and pro-ductivity should be implanted cor-

rectly. The variable, valuable and rich resources of Sudan are not the issue. What is being needed the real volume of these resources and its revenues. It is important to di-rect these revenues for the benefit of Sudanese people in all parts of Sudan. Statistics, studies, surveys, data analysis are focal points in knowing how to deal with these resources.

Planning is also important for the success of such economic projects and programs. To make economic reform will face many challenges. One is to reduce the high rates of inflation. To improve and increase production, exports . To stop the high jacking of prices. To create new opportunities of competition in the external markets, at the re-gional and international levels. The

economic reforms also need some requirements, the seriousness and desire in making this reform. The ability of creating partnerships and networking to push forward the process of reform; revision and evaluation is also important. Eco-nomic experts and observers be-lieve in changing the mechanism in dealing with these resources. They explained that one of the motiva-tors of the economic reform is to revise the law of investment and the facilities provide to the foreign investments despites itís important in creating new jobs which may re-duce the rate of unemployment that affect negatively in economy. They called for supporting the na-tional investment giving more fa-cilities to the national investors to play a role in employing graduates with their different specializations. They pointed to the new and renew-able energies represented into solar energy, the wind energy as rich and available resources in Sudan. Coordination, cooperation, and Integration between the public and private sectors are important in the economic process. The relation with the Banking system regard to financing and proving loans is one of the main factors and elements in the economic process as top prior-ity that lead to stability of Sudan.

COMESA Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Secretary General Sind-iso Ngwenya said, in an interview with Daily News Egypt, that the Egyptian initiative to es-tablish logistical centres in a number of Afri-can countries is a laudable initiative.Ngwenya added that the COMESA will be pursuing specific trade programmes in 2018 and these include the Digital Free Trade Area (DFTA), which is a comprehensive trade fa-cilitation programme, for trade in services and small-scale cross-border trade.Does COMESA have new programmes to support exports and promote trade exchange between the COMESA countries?Yes. The COMESA Business Council (CBC) is a specialised agency of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa that is repre-sentative of the private sector in the region. The CBC brings together the national chambers of commerce and trade promotion organisations in the COMESA region. Through the CBC, the private sector is informed about trade op-portunities in other COMESA member states and is thus able to form business links.In addition, COMESA is developing instru-ments for the implementation of the Digital Free Trade Area, which comprises e-com-merce, e-legislation, and e-logistics. It will include an electronic certificate of origin, which will facilitate and expedite the export process.† Implementation of the DFTA will be done in phases, beginning in 2018.There are other established institutions to sup-port trade and investment in the COMESA. They include the Trade and Development Bank (formerly PTA Bank) which provides trade finance as well as project finance.† The

COMESA Clearing House provides facili-ties for settling payments for intra-COMESA trade and services, without resorting to letters of credit. The African Trade Insurance Agency is another organisation that provides political and commercial risk cover for investments and exports, while PTA reinsurance company ZEP-RE provides reinsurance services.How should trade exchange between COME-SA countries be promoted?COMESA attained free trade status in October 2000 with nine member states and this number has since risen to fifteen. The removal of tar-iffs for trade in products that comply with the COMESA Rules of Origin provides an advan-tage, which promotes trade and exchange of products between COMESA member states.† A crucial means of promoting trade exchange between COMESA countries would be through improving the availability of information on trade opportunities among the member states. It should be noted that in 2014, a study done by the secretariat on intra-COMESA trade poten-tial identified the lack of information on trade opportunities as a key factor contributing to low intra-COMESA trade, which is currently below 10% of total trade. It is through robust and up-to-date market intelligence information that buyers and sellers in the COMESA region can be linked, given that the market is dynam-ic, with new firms entering and exiting.COMESA member states hold annual inter-national trade fairs, which provide an oppor-tunity for companies to exhibit and market their products, and thus promote trade in the region. In addition, member states undertake trade missions where they identify market op-portunities between themselves.What are the problems hindering trade be-

tween those countries?Some of the key challenges that hinder trade between COMESA member states include high transport costs between them, the preva-lence of non-tariff barriers, supply side con-straints, low levels of trade complementarity between COMESA member states, and strong trade links with developed countries that are the dominant export markets for several COMESA member states.Does COMESA promote Egyptian exports in the region? What will be the volume of Egyp-tian imports from COMESA by the end of Oc-tober 2017?COMESA provides a favourable trading en-vironment for Egyptian exports through the COMESA Free Trade Area in which 15 mem-ber states are currently participating, provid-ing duty-free, quota-free access for Egyptian products to 14 of those countries. In addition, COMESA assists in the resolution of any non-tariff barriers that may arise which impact Egyptian exports. For instance, in 2015, the COMESA secretariat facilitated a joint on-the-spot verification mission which resulted in the resolution of non-tariff barriers for mill white sugar and LG product exports to Kenya. The resolution of the NTBs paved the way for Egyptian exports of the concerned products to Kenya on a preferential tariff basis.In 2016, Egyptís imports from the COMESA region were worth $643.8m and this was an increase compared to 2015 imports worth $ 593.6m. Furthermore, in 2016, Egyptís ex-ports to COMESA were worth $1.8bn, which translates to the largest share of the intra-COMESA export market, specifically 22%, an increase from the previous yearís share of 21%.

By: Sudan Embassy in Nairobi

AGRICULTURETotal arable land is about 200 million feddan (one feddan =4200sqm)and only 30 million feddan is cultivated.Investment in agriculture fields is welcomed in the following:1. Wheat production2. Sorghum (Dura)3. Oil seeds (sesame, groundnut, and sunflow-er).4. Fruits (mango, banana, guava, lemon, straw-berry, pineapple (ananans), grapefruit.5. Vegetable (tomato, greenbeans, akra, cucum-ber, potatoes, onion, garlic, spices, legumes, lentils).6. Beekeeping to produce honey7. Organic fruits and vegetable (alluvial soil along the Nile Banks and deltas of Wadi Toker, El Gash etc)

Sunflower production in SudanLIVESTOCK50 million feddan of pasture land in addition to crop residue and†oil-cakes†make cost of feeding very cheap. 106 million heads of cattle, sheep, goats and camels producing only 3 million tons of meat. Also Sudan is very rich in wildlife and there are investment opportunities for modern farms for ostriches, antelopes, crocodiles etc.Investment in livestock is welcomed in:1. Modern farm to fatten cattle, sheep, goats and

camels and to produce meat, milk, wool etc.2. Slaughter houses to export meat.3. Milk factories to provide fresh milk, milk products for local consumption and export.4. Investment in transport facilities for live ani-mal and refrigerated means for meat and milk products.5. Fisheries (Nile Perch) in the Nile, Lake Nubia Red Sea Poultry.6. Animal fodder7. Drugs and vaccines.8. Improvement of quality of the natural herds by introducing new breeds to improve milk and meat production.MININGSudan has vast mineral deposits that have not been exploited; mineral deposits which are discovered in different parts of the country are waiting for local and foreign investors which include:1. Gold2. Silver, iron ore, chromate, mica, silica, gyp-sum, granite, marble, chinaclay, manganese, as-bestos, trauna (costic soda), talc and lime stone, copper, zink, lead, cement.3. Small quantities of mica, chromate, asbestos and marble are exported .ENERGYOne of the bottlenecks in Sudan is shortage of energy especially electricity. River Nile with many†cataracts†and waterfalls, strong winds, agricultural by-products, sun, forests, all these sources give excellent opportunity for invest-

ment in those areas:1. Petrol and gas production2. Hydro-electric projects (micro, small and large)3. Solar energy for lightning and heating4. Wind power for irrigation5. Water turbines for irrigation from the Nile6. Biomass7. Charcoal from agricultural by-products8. CoalINDUSTRYFields for investment in industry in the Sudan1. Joint-ventures in rehabilitation of edible oil mills, leather industry, textilesÖ2. New sugar factories.3. Oil productions (petrol and gas).4. Petrochemicals.5. Fertilizers: urea (demand 500000 tons)6. Tomato paste and syrup (9 months tomato season).7. Fruit juice and concentrate dried fruits, man-go, guava, lemon, grapes, papaya, dates, straw-berry and pineapples.8. Yeast (from sugar by-product, dates)9. Leather products.10. Spray dry gum Arabic.11. Packing industry, cardboard, plastic glass and sack for grains.12. Paper industry, from dates tree, agricultural by-products and forests.13. Compressed earth brick machines.14. Pharmaceutical products and medical†equipment.

Economic Reform is Top priority

COMESA Develops Instruments for Implementing Digital Free Trade Area

Investments Opportunities in Sudan

Review of 2019 Budget

US$ 8 Billion Gold Revenues

Economists Appeal TMC to Fight Corruption

Email: moabd31@yahoo.comMohamed Abdalla

EconomicVision

5 Monday, April 15, 2019ECONOMY

Sudan has started a new politi-cal, social and economic era; the power is under the military council, chaired by the first Lt. General Abdul Fatah Al Burhan who led the process of change and reform, the main agendas on the table, are the livelihood and fighting against corruption.One of the most important eco-nomic reform, is to review the 2019 budget, and to amend its objectives and policies, Sudan is witnessing and facing new challenges, the transitional government required to correct the image of Sudan economy, the future is for Sudan, many countries supported the change and congratulated on the new changes, the crisis of fuels, currency and supply fund have been addressed by the sisterly countries.During the next two years, the term of the transitional govern-ment, the economists advise the civilians and the military lead-ers to focus on the daily life needs, on Saturday the chair-man of the transitional military council has stated that corrup-tion eradication is one of the top priorities.The economic challenges that caused the devaluation of the

national currency are, the keep-ing of Sudan on the list of the countries sponsoring terror-ism set by US, alongside the banning of money transac-tion, the international financial bodies categorized the former president Omar Al Bashir as a criminal, and preconditioned their relations, the normal ties affected by the staying or going of the former president.According to reports, 13% of the Malaysian foreign invest-ment is from Sudan, as abused finance, also there are many public companies doing busi-ness outside Sudan, billions of dollars, should have to be re-turned to the public treasury.The leaders of the National Congress Party NCP, the former ruling party were accused of public fund abused; the exer-cise of corruption contributed to poverty and paralyzed the economic situation.Sudan has various types of economic resources, the only missed factors, is fairness, transparency and good govern-ance, the new civilian govern-ment required to set the means of peace, justice and freedom in all aspects of life to build a new Sudan free of corruption.

By: Mohamed AbdallaKhartoum - The economic expert, Abdallah Al-Ramadi has set solu-tions to the economic crisis, say-ing that the exchange rate can be decreased to 15 SDGs.ìThe solution of the economic cri-sis based on the exporting of gold, the gold revenue totaled US$ 8 bil-lion, also remittances that reached to US$ 4 billion contributes to sta-bility of economyî said the expert.He pointed out that ìGold Exportî will realize surplus totaled to US$ 3 billion in the export earning, it is to be noted that Sudan imports is

US$ 9 billion.This came while he was talking to Al Ray Alam newspaper; Abdal-lah criticized the economic poli-cies of the ousted regime pointing that 70% of the expenditure to se-curity.ìThe Transitional Military Council (TMC) must form an economic council of experts, to review the economic crisis and to diagnose the major problemsî added Ab-dalla who demanded for qualified cadres to run the Central Statistic Bureau and the Central Bank of Sudan.

Report by Sudan VisionEconomic experts acknowledged the difficulty of life and suffering of people during the previous era, they outlined the economic chal-lenges as follows, the increasing of the prices of the basic commod-ities, liquidity crisis and difficulty of the livelihood.The experts hoped the Transitional Military Council (TMC) to stable the economic situation and to find sustainable solutions.The country suffers from major economic challenges, the devalu-ation of the national currency, the increasing of the inflation rates, while the currency exchange before US dollar exceeded 70 SDGs. The experts appealed the new government to consider the main economic issues, such as moni-toring of the markets alongside the public transportation services, also they demand for serious ad-dress to liquidity crisis, national currency devaluation, inflation,

importing, all types of corruption and basic needs.The president of the economic bu-reau, of the consumers association Dr. Hussein Al Goni assured that the former regime has commited crimes of public fund abuse, in the same context, he blamed the previous regime of trusting un-qualified officials, he asked for urgent account to spoilers, also he demanded for hand smugglers of gold and foreign currencies to justice.While the economic expert, Dr. Adil Abdulmoneim warned the transitional government not to apply the economic and financial policies of the ousted government, he agreed with Algoni to prevent importing and appealed to auster-ity measures, in addition to the new banking reform and policies, but Adil warned from the econom-ic liberty polices.The new changes welcomed by all the people who suffered from the bad economic plans and polices.

William H. Frey

EditorialPatience and Wisdom is

Vital at this Stage

OPINION6

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Monday, April 15, 2019

Algeria and Sudan: No Comparison

There is no doubt that patience and wisdom is vital at this critical stage in the history of the Sudanese people and nation from all the stakeholders.The TMC (Transitional Military Council) has to be patient with the demonstrators and convince by deeds that the change is real and not just a manoeuvre to replace the old regime with new faces after the old ones validity has expired. This will not be as we know an easy task because of the thirty years of false promises and the latest was with the fate of the National Dialogue rec-ommendations which was not implemented in any mean full manner. So, the TMC has to treat these protestors with patience spe-cially the youth who have also been the sub-ject of brutal treatment at the hands of the security forces during the last four months and more.On the other hand, the opposition forces that led these protests since 19 December, 2018 in a brave and skillful manner and in particular the Sudanese Professional Asso-ciations and we are sure of that have to be very careful and wise in dealing with the challenges of the present situation after the removal of Al Bashir and some of his big-gest supporters from the theater of power and this was a big achievement in which played a vital role. And with the support of the firm stand of the protestors against the first TMC were able to remove it and form a more acceptable council. In our view, the TMC first steps so far are in the right direction and should be supported and at the same time pushed forward. One of the most important of these steps is the abolishing of the laws that suppress the freedom of expression and assembly. In addition to the ongoing negation between the STM and the political opposition, so we call again on the TMC to be patient and the opposition to be wise and conscious at this very sensitive time in the history of the country .

President Trumpís pronouncement that the U.S. is ìfullî and that there is no need for attracting future immigrants is exact-ly the opposite of what our demographic future portends. If anything, the nation is sputtering from historic demographic stagnation. We recently registered the slowest national growth rate in 80 years due to declining natural increaseóas births lower and deaths rise. In the near future, we will become increasingly dependent on immigration and racial minoritiesó particularly young first and second gen-eration Hispanic and Asian Americansóto infuse growth and vitality into our popu-lation and our economy.Census projections make clear that dur-ing the first half of the 21st century, our population growth will diminish: there will be less than half the growth in 2040-50 than in 2000-2010 (Figure 1). This decline would occur even more quickly were it not for immigration, which, if it continues at recent levels, will account for most of our national growth after 2030.This growth slowdown is driven heavily by the aging of our population and an in-creased mortality rate. As Figure 2 illus-

trates, the only part of our population that will continue to grow substantially will be the senior population, aged 65 and above, as it subsumes the large baby boom pop-ulation. Already this decade, seniors will have grown by nearly 40 percent, to be followed by 30 percent more growth in the 2020s. We are headed toward higher age dependency; a stark contrast from the last half of the 20th century when child dependency was more salient. By 2035, there will be more seniors than children for the first time in the nationís history.In fact, projections show that we will reg-ister an absolute decline in the population under the age of 18 in in the decade about to end, with only modest growth in our child (17 and under) and labor force aged (18-64 year old) populations in the dec-ades ahead. This is already occurring in large swaths of the nationís heartland.By 2035, there will be more seniors than children for the first time in the nationís history.As we move forward in time, the primary source of gains in our national popula-tion and especially in our slow growing youthful populations will be racial mi-noritiesóparticularly ìnew minoritiesî: Hispanics, Asian Americans, and persons who self-identify as multiracialóa plural-ity of whom will be first and second gen-eration Americans. As Figure 3 indicates, these groups will double or triple in size

between 2015 and 2060, while African Americans, American Indians, and Alas-ka Natives will also grow, though more modestly.Especially noteworthy is the fact that the white population is projected to decline over this period. This decline has already occurred for whites under the age of 18 since 2000 and my analysis of census projections show the decline will contin-ue for whites in their 20s and 30s in the two decades ahead. Only whites over age 65 show significant projected growth. This means that all of the growth in the nationís youth and tepidly growing labor force population will come from racial minorities and particularly new minori-ties.All of the growth in the nationís youth and tepidly growing labor force popula-tion will come from racial minorities and particularly new minorities.The picture being painted for the upcom-ing decades is one of a rapidly growing largely white native born senior popu-lation, that is becoming dependent on a more slow growing and increasingly diverse child and labor force aged popu-lation. The 2020 census will show that a majority of the under-18 population will identify with races other than white. This will especially be the case for the 18-29 year old labor force aged population in 2030.

Clearly, the nationís modestly growing child and labor force populations are not close to being ìfullî as President Trump asserts. To the extent they will be grow-ing at allóand, in fact enable us to avoid the ìextreme agingî occurring in Japan, Italy and other European countriesóis largely attributable to recent decadesí immigration from Latin America, Asia, and elsewhere. Further, U.S. Census Bu-reau projections assume that their mod-est growth will only occur if immigration continues.The presidentís proclamation that Ameri-ca is ìfullî is undoubtedly designed to ap-peal to his older, native-born demograph-ic base in a continued attempt to convince them that their economic shortfalls can be blamed on immigrants. Ironically, much of this base will be more depend-ent than ever before on immigrants and their children. This means maintaining a welcoming stance toward immigrants. It also means ensuring that present and future immigrant origin generations be given educational and other opportunities to become successful contributors to the labor force as well as to senior assistance programs, like Social Security and Medi-care, as the nationís age dependency rises. Lastly, it means focusing less on pitting groups against each other and more on remembering our nationís shared, storied history of immigration.

Between May 23 and May 26, 2019, twenty-seven European countries (twen-ty-eight, if the United Kingdom does not manage to leave the European Union by then) with a combined population of nearly 450 million will hold elections for the European Parliament. Political par-ties critical of the EU are certain to make large gains, winning up to a third of the Parliamentís seats according to some estimates. Since 2014, nationalists and populists have increased their influence across the continent amidst political af-tershocks from the global economic and eurozone crises, spikes in migration flows and terrorism, the Brexit referendum, and Donald Trumpís election. Political forces hostile to the European Union now sit in government in Budapest, Warsaw, Rome, and Vienna, and have increased their po-litical representation in Berlin and Paris. A triumph of Euroskeptics at the Europe-an elections could profoundly restrict Eu-ropean policy-making in matters of trade, sanctions, or migration, as illustrated in a

recent report by the European Council on Foreign Relations. Doomsday scenarios of an implosion of the EU remain prema-ture. Centrist and establishment parties will still control around two-thirds of the European Parliament. Even if national-ist governments or coalitions with far-right junior partners appoint Euroskeptic commissioners, the mainstream forces dominating the Council and the Parlia-ment will cooperate to pick the President of the European Commission, the Presi-dent of the European Council, and other key Brussels officials.Despite this reality, however, the nationalist-populist chal-lenge, both within Europe and globally, is weakening the capacity of the Euro-pean Union to promote liberal democratic values and global cooperation. Over the next few years, European power will go into eclipse, weighed down by the con-tinentís time-consuming internal politi-cal divisions and evolutions. At the same time, the European experiment in shared sovereignty is unprepared for a global era characterized by rising nationalism, great power competition, and a weakened transatlantic link. To compete in this era, European citizens will have to choose to

empower the European Union. First, the European Union will be engulfed in its own internal crises for the foreseeable fu-ture. Brexit is the most consuming. Man-aging the divorce and Londonís indecision slows progress on other critically impor-tant fronts. Tellingly, a dinner among Eu-ropean leaders that was intended to focus on China in light of Xi Jinpingís visit to Europe ended up being repurposed to deal with Theresa Mayís request for more time to get parliamentary approval for the negotiated terms of divorce and avoid a chaotic crash out of the EU on March 29. Worse, the U.K.ís internal divisions are unlikely to be soothed by the outcome of the coming weeks. Years from now, the contours of EU relations with Britain on trade, regulations, and citizenís rights will still cause headaches for Europe. If Londonís debacle has deterred other Euroskeptic governments from trying to exit the EU, nationalistsí attempts to transform the EU from the inside prom-ises to frustrate further European integra-tion. Nationalist parties such as Fidesz in Hungary, Law and Justice in Poland, and Lega in Italy ñ which promote the idea of an alliance of nation-states hostile to

Muslims and liberal cosmopolitanism ñ constitute a front of opposition to Europe-an solutions behind which other govern-ments, with reluctant publics, can hide. In such an environment, French President Emmanuel Macronís call for a European Renaissance, with ambitious propos-als such as an overhaul of the Schengen Zone, is more political than practical. The evolution of party systems across Eu-rope ñ from classic left vs. right divides to pro-EU vs. nationalist-populist cleav-ages ñ will also complicate European policymaking in the near future. Several countries, such as France and Italy, have experienced complete makeovers, with centrists and experimenters displacing the old left, and the far-right taking over the old right. In countries where a strong center still holds, such as Germany, na-tionalist movements still have a paralyz-ing effect on mainstream parties, which espouse defensive postures. As European elections become increasingly ideologi-cal, evidenced by the recent Franco-Ital-ian dispute over the Gilets Jaunes (yellow vests) protests, partisan turbulences com-plicate European cooperation, including on foreign policy.

‘ Itís Time We Admit: Israel Has Become a Dictatorshipí, reads the unambiguous verdict of the leftist Israeli daily newspa-per Haaretz, in which the author Bradly Burston accuses Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of having prevent-ed fair and free elections. The Israeli left, which has been languishing for some time, has suffered a massive defeat in the parliamentary elections yet again. The Labor Party has presumably won six out of 120 Knesset seats, while the left-wing party Meretz won four seats. ëLeftí was used as a swearword during the election campaign: anyone who aspired to attract-ing any votes at all sought to swiftly dis-tance himself from such allegation. Benny Gantz, Benjamin Netanyahuís

most promising challenger, has been widely referred to as a centre-left can-didate in the international media. His election campaign, however, didnít re-ally justify such a characterisation. He thanked Donald Trump for moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem and for recog-nising the Israeli annexation of the Golan Heights. He affirmed that he didnít intend to vacate settlements and accused Netan-yahu of military restraint. The reaction of the Israeli left is so fierce because they fear that Israelís democratic character could be lost with a right-wing religious government. For many Palestinians, the Israeli parlia-mentary elections merely confirmed their world views. After all, they could never fathom why the international commu-nity doesnít wake up from its dream that everyone seeks peace in the Middle East conflict, and that itís simply the circum-stances that currently do not allow for peace to materialise. The Israeli govern-

ment has long turned its back on the two-state solution. As a result, Palestinians feel neglected by all sides. First and foremost, the United States under Donald Trump fully sup-port Israeli policy and are prepared to ignore international law in its service. The recognition of the annexation of the Golan Heights and the transfer of the US Embassy to Jerusalem are the two most striking examples. Moreover, some Arab states have recently revealed their rela-tions with Israel, without the slightest reference to the fate of the Palestinians. When it comes to the Europeans, Pales-tinians hardly expect anything but empty words. Last but not least, many Palestinians feel betrayed by their own politicians. Itís only through elections that the Palestin-ian Authority could counteract this lack of trust in its representatives. According to the latest poll, almost 90 per cent of Palestinians demand new elections.

Whilst the majority of Palestinians have lost confidence in anything or anyone, there are those who, with cynicism, see a small advantage in another Netanyahu government: at least now everyone will see what the political reality looks like, and no one can claim later that they did-nít know. In the US, there are first signs that the extreme positions of the Israeli government have an impact, where the unconditional support for Israel is crum-bling among the traditionally largely democratically oriented Jewish elector-ate. Netanyahuís closeness to Donald Trump, which he showcased in the elec-tion campaign, has caused irritation. Likewise, Palestinians hope for a Eu-ropean awakening should a new Israeli government actually proceed with plans to annex parts of the West Bank. Accord-ing to this logic, things first have to get worse before they might get better. How-ever, Palestinians also know that things can always get worse

America Is not Full. Its Future Rests with Young Immigrants

The Eclipse of the European Union’s Global Influence

Yes to Occupation, No to P eace

Foreign Policy

Celia Belin,

Hannes Alpen

Email: zumma1888@gmail.com

Abdul Rahman AL-Zuma

I Witness

It is quite easy, especially for some Arab space channels and some Arab commen-tators to make a comparison between the wide current protests that are taking place in Algeria and the limited protests that are happening in Sudan. It is easy to make that comparison, because those space channels and those Arab analysts know nothing about Sudan. They simply want to fill the spaces allotted for them on the papers of their newspapers and on

their screens. They do the jobs the easy way. But when we look deep in their com-ments and when we read those comments on the light of the facts, we will simply discover how “absurd” those ideas are. The last conclusion we are going to reach is that there is no comparison whatsoever between the situation in Sudan and what is going on in Algeria. First of all there is no comparison between the political set-up in Sudan and Algeria. The political system in Sudan is open to all the political parties. The ruling party in Sudan is an open political establishment and its leadership is an elected one. There is wide representation for the youths, the

women and the living and modern pow-ers in the society. On the contrary, the po-litical system in Algeria is a corrupt, de-cayed and an outgoing one. The protests in Algeria are part of the Arab Spring. That is why millions of Algerians took to the streets to support “and make” the revolution. For those reasons the Alge-rian “revolutionists” were able to compel the Algerian president to step down after only five weeks of “Friday protests”. The Sudanese case is the “opposite”. The opposition elements in Sudan are in fact the “tools” of the “counter revolu-tion” to the Arab Spring. That is why the Sudanese people refrained from them.

That is why the Sudanese protesters failed to achieve any one of their goals, after four months. Why”? The Sudanese people discovered that they were sim-ply “counter revolutionists”! They are against the Arab Spring. The Sudanese people made their Arab Spring in two famous revolutions. The first one was in October 1964. The second one was in April 1985. In both cases they were able to topple two military regimes. They did that by their bare hands. The Sudanese people are the “teachers” of the nations in making “springs”. We donít need someone to teach us how to change our regime!

7 Monday, April 15, 2019

Prof. Atta El-Hassan El-Battahani, U of K

Policy options and recommendations

Despite the bleak prospects of a genuine national dialogue process at the moment, a number of policy options are available to help create greater opportunities for such a process to grow.This includes:Avoiding piecemeal negotiations. The need for a comprehensive approach, which ad-dresses Sudanís multiple conflicts and gov-ernance crises in concert rather than piece by piece, is now widely recognized.Reversing the current piecemeal approach means moving towards a collective bar-gaining process whereby demands are not negotiated individually but collectively.Furthermore, bargaining should not be for positions but for public goods, and nego-tiations should aim to generate consensus, which will require changes to communica-tion structures. Negotiations could start on issues that are difficult for the government to refuse (e.g. education, roads, and health services), which would in turn and generate the demand for the government to function effectively (Siebert, 2013).Reference has already been made to the importance of having a Shared Dialogue Framework as a starting point. This is im-portant in order to identify and confront substantive issues head-on, thereby in-creasing the confidence that the process is change-orientated. In the case of Sudan, negotiations will have to deal with the role of religion in politics, ethnic exclusion, centre-periphery relations, womenís mar-ginalization, youth employment and em-powerment, disparity in development and a range of other issues.Parties should try to avoid different inter-pretations of national dialogue. At present the SPLM-N is calling for a constitutional convention whilst the NCP-led dialogue is not yet clearly defined; this is why a Shared Dialogue Framework is important to devel-op from the beginning. A possible collabo-ration between Sudanese research and aca-demic bodies, such as the Peace Research Institute and the University of Khartoum, and international agencies specialised in supporting negotiations, may contribute to ideas for elements to be included in a

Shared Dialogue Framework.Actors should take a holistic approach in order to resolve the issues identified. They should attempt to strategically link govern-ance, conflict prevention and peacebuilding in order to address root causes and deficits that result in marginalization, mismanage-ment of public resources, social exclusion and a weak sense of national identity.A successful dialogue cannot just engage the elites. Learning from the Doha stake-holdersí process, political dialogues could be made more effective if civil society ac-tors, such as the community leaders or one of the peace commissions representing civ-il society, are actively involved in crafting and executing them, contributing to popu-lar ownership of the process.Furthermore, in order to reverse the current process of de-politicization and disenfran-chisement, negotiations must bring people to the centre of power by making politi-cians accountable to the people. There must be mechanisms for public participation in order to ensure the process has a public mandate and legitimacy. This would cre-ate a new environment to support dialogue. Given their backgrounds, demobilized and reintegrated former guerrillas may be in a position to make an important contribution

to current and future peace efforts.Involving the military in planning for peace could minimize the chances that it would take on the role of a ìspoilerî in future peace talks. Wide participation is thus a fundamental requirement of any fu-ture Shared Dialogue Framework and, as Lyman and Temin state, ìThis includes Su-danís Islamists, who are part and parcel of Sudanís political fabric and are legitimate participants in any process, as well as the victims of conflict, not least refugees and those forced from their homes by violenceî (Lyman and Temin, 2013).The beginning and the end of a dialogue process will likely be particularly chal-lenging. USIP have highlighted the likely need for confidence-building measures to precede the formal start of a dialogue proc-ess, such as the SRF putting their weapons beyond use in exchange for a cessation of hostilities and their being able to operate as political parties. Identifying what counts as ìsufficient consensusî at the conclusion of a process will also be important; as the long agony of the conflicts in Sudan will make full consensus between all of the parties extremely unlikely (Lyman and

Temin,2013).The time and effort this will all take should not be underestimated. It follows that the Sudanese Government should be convinced not to go ahead with the 2015 elections and the international community should refrain from supporting the process. Elections should be delayed to enable the principles and structures of a genuinely in-clusive national dialogue to take root, and for the process itself to make substantive progress.Sudan will need external support. The in-ternational communityís handling of the Sudan-South Sudan conflict is seen to be at the expense of other internal conflicts in Sudan (Knopf, 2013). There is a growing feeling in Sudan that the international com-munity is concerned with the welfare of South Sudan, not with the welfare of both Sudan and South Sudan, and this has been exploited to maintain the status quo.Renewed focus on Sudanís internal con-flicts is important for Sudanís stability and that of its neighbours. The AU High-Level Implementation Panel should lead the in-ternational communityís efforts in this re-gard.

ConclusionSudanís political history has been shaped by protracted conflicts and turmoil since independence. Nonetheless, throughout this troubled history, efforts have continu-ally been made to resolve conflict by bring-ing belligerents to the negotiating table in search of direct dialogue and a peaceful

and consensual settlement. Most of these national dialogue efforts were translated either into peace agreements and perma-nent or transitional constitutions, for exam-ple the Roundtable conference in 1965, the Addis Ababa Agreement in 1972, and the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005. However none of these national peace agreements and constitutions held for long, leaving observers baffled with the question: what went wrong?As things stand now, it is imperative that Sudan undertakes a process of genuine, in-clusive national dialogue that is aimed at addressing the root causes of the myriad conflicts since Sudan gained its independ-ence. This process must be spearheaded by the Sudanese themselves, with technical expertise and support from international partners. However, a sense of urgency does not mean rushing the process: any genuine dialogue will need to be undertaken over a period of several years for consultations, planning, dialoguing and agreeing a way forward. If any process is to be taken seri-ously, national elections, currently sched-uled for April 2015, must be delayed in order to not allow the parties to re-entrench themselves, in the run-up to, or during, a national dialogue process.The fundamental obstacle however to a meaningful process remains the lack of faith by the belligerents (the Government, SRF, other political opposition) that a na-tional political process will sufficiently both serve their interests and address the political and security risks they face. This is compounded by an ingrained lack of trust. Even agreeing to a Shared Dialogue Frame-work, without significant political change in the form of real concessions from all sides, a peaceful political settlement seems a long way off. While this may be the case, the status-quo is untenable, which adds to the sense of urgency to find a way forward out of the current conundrum.

National Dialogue in Sudan: Past Experiences and Current Challenges (3-3)

OPINION

There is a need to create a credible environment in which dialogue can take place to ensure full en-gagement of the majority, if not all, political actors and segments of the population

A significant challenge is therefore whether oppo-sition groups and rebels can agree and articulate a common political agenda

Franz Mahr/World Bank Group

The global outlook foresees a moder-ate slowdown in economic activity, with lingering downside risks. Global trade growth has weakened, while in-vestment prospects have softened; both of these remain important engines of growth, productivity, innovation, job creation and sustainable development. Debt vulnerabilities persist, and poli-cy uncertainty is weighing on confi-dence.† For developing countries, it is important to adopt growth-enhancing policies while containing risks and protecting the most vulnerable. The World Bank Group, in partnership with the International Monetary Fund, is able to help countries in addressing these concerns.This was a key message from the De-velopment Committee, a ministerial-level forum of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund, in a communiquÈ issued at the close of the institutionsí Spring Meetings in Washington.The committee, which represents 189 member countries, underscored its support for the Bank Groupís twin goals of ending extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity, as well as the overarching strategy guiding its work through 2030.† The committee noted the Bank Groupís progress on a set of policy reforms tied to the capi-tal increase it approved a year ago for IBRD and IFC, which aim to deliver development results more effectively

while making the institutions more fi-nancially sustainable and efficient.The meetings marked the arrival of in-coming World Bank Group President David R. Malpass, who previously served as U.S. Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs. In welcoming him and noting his strong commitment to the Bank Groupís mis-sion and strategy, the committee also expressed appreciation for the leader-ship of former Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim and of Interim Presi-dent Kristalina Georgieva.In its communiquÈ, the committee highlighted its support for the Bank Groupís work through the Internation-al Development Association (IDA), its fund for the poorest countries, includ-ing the Private Sector Window that allows the International Finance Cor-poration (IFC) and the Multilateral In-vestment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) to increase their investments in IDA countries and fragile situations. The committee noted the strong start of the Bank Groupís Human Capital Project, with nearly 60 countries now partici-pating. It also welcomed efforts to help developing countries expand access and make effective use of disruptive technologies to create opportunities for the poor. The committee reiterated the importance of delivering on the Bank Groupís Climate Change Action Plan and expressed its support for a strategic approach to help countries cope with issues of fragility, conflict, and violence.

In taking office the week of the meet-ings, Malpass also expressed his sup-port for the recent capital increase and for the Debt Transparency Initiative, which the Bank Group and the IMF have adopted to increase public dis-closure of debt and reduce the fre-quency and severity of debt crises. At the meetingsí opening press confer-ence, Malpass touched on key chal-lenges, including the growing concen-tration of global poverty in Africa and the need for continued international

cooperation on range of global is-sues.† On joining the Bank Group, he said, ìI am enthusiastic about the job that I>ve undertaken.† I>m deeply honored to be here and to tackle these challenges.îIn a statement after the Development Committee meeting, Malpass stressed that ìOur mission is more urgent that ever.î He noted that with over 700 million people still living in extreme poverty, income growth is insuffi-cent to ensure shared prosperity. He

said, ìIt is critically important that we work tirelessly to foster broad-based growth, raise median incomes, cre-ate jobs, and fully incorporate women and young people in economies, to support a stronger, more stable global economy for everyone.Malpass expressed optimism about the work ahead: ìThe World Bank Group is well-positioned to help in these efforts. We have the right tools and resources, talented and professional staff and a clear and urgent mission.î

Our Mission Is More Urgent Than Ever

Sudan’s most successful past experiences of politi-cal dialogue of 1972 and 2005 were shaped by a combination of national conditions and drivers, and the opportune intervention from an international third party

SCIENCE8 Monday, April 15, 2019

BBCObesity is set to overtake smoking as the biggest pre-ventable cause of cancer in UK women by 2043, a Cancer Research UK report predicts.Currently, 12% of cancers in women are linked to smok-ing, and 7% to being over-weight and obese.But with the number of smokers falling and obesity rates projected to rise, the charity estimates that gap will disappear in 25 years time.The figures assume that cur-rent trends will continue.Cancer Research UK’s projections calculate that by 2035, 10% of cancers in women (around 25,000 cases) could be related to smoking and 9% (around 23,000 cases) to carrying excess weight.And by 2043, if those trends continued, being overweight and obese could be linked to even more cases of cancer than smoking in women.Smoking prevention les-sonsIn UK men, obesity is not predicted to overtake smok-ing as a preventable cause of cancer until some time

later, because more men than women smoke.Although obesity is more common among men too, obesity in women is thought to be a greater driver of can-cers in the female popula-tion. The report says types of cancer linked to smok-

ing include acute myeloid leukaemia, lung, bladder, bowel, cervical, pancreatic and stomach. Cancers linked to being overweight or obese in-clude bowel, gall bladder, kidney, liver, breast, ovar-ian and thyroid. Profes-

sor Linda Bauld, Cancer Research UK’s prevention expert, said the government must build on the lessons of smoking prevention to re-duce the number of weight-related cancers.She said those who were overweight in childhood

were five times more likely to be carrying excess weight as an adult.Recent figures show that levels of severe obesity dur-ing childhood have risen over the last decade in Eng-land.‘Act now’«That’s why we are raising awareness of the link be-tween cancer and obesity and calling for measures to protect children, like a ban on junk food adverts before 9pm and for restrictions on price promotions of <less healthy’ products,» Prof Bauld said.She said the decline in smoking was a cause for celebration. «It shows how decades of effort to raise awareness about the health risks plus strong political action in-cluding taxation, removing tobacco marketing and a ban on smoking in indoor public places, have paid off. «But, just as there is still more to do to support peo-ple to quit smoking, we also need to act now to halt the tide of weight-related can-cers and ensure this projec-tion never becomes a real-ity.»

The IndependentResearch from the Centre for Mental Health and the NHS Benchmarking Network found the number of acute inpatient beds for adults with mental health problems in England and Wales fell by 15 per cent in the four years to 2016: RexPeople with serious mental health problems are being failed as services in England and Wales face a ìpotent mixî of rising demand and cuts to the workforce, a report has concluded.A steep decline in the number of inpatient beds and staff, as well as reduced community mental health provision, have prompted professionals to warn the system is ìunsustainableî.Labour>s Shadow Minister for Mental Health and Social Care, Barbara Keeley MP, said the findings were «deeply worrying», describing the Government>s pledge to make mental health an equal priority with physical health as nothing more than «hollow rhetoric».Research from the Centre for Mental Health and the NHS Benchmarking Network found the number of acute inpatient beds for adults with mental health problems in England and Wales fell by 15 per cent in the four years to 2016. The number of inpatient staff reduced by 20 per cent in the same period.But the number of people admitted and the time they stayed in hospital did not change, while the proportion of people admitted under the Mental Health Act has risen year on year.During the same time, community mental health service provision also fell, with the number of people on community team caseloads having re-duced by seven per cent, staffing levels falling by four per cent and contacts reduced by six per cent.But the authors point out that 900,000 people with

common mental health problems received psy-chological therapy through the NHS in 2015/16.NHS England has urged that the report is «based on historic data» that pre-dates the Mental Health Taskforce investment and «ignores the fact that» community provision and the range of services have increased and improved since 2015.The findings have prompted the Centre for Men-tal Health to urge that it is ìnot sustainable to keep cutting community services at the same time as reducing bed numbersî, while the Royal Col-lege of Psychiatrists warned that a reduction in both community mental health services and beds means the people with the most serious problems are being ìfailedî.Sarah Hughes Centre for Mental Health chief ex-ecutive, said: ìMental health services have been under significant financial pressures in the last five years.ìWhile reductions in bed numbers continue a long-term shift from hospital to community care, any reductions in community services are a major cause for concern.ìIt is simply not sustainable to keep cutting com-munity services at the same time as reducing bed numbers.ìThe Five Year Forward View for Mental Health in England sets out a clear ambition to improve community mental health services and increase investment in mental health care across the spec-trum.ìTodayís report shows that this is a vital mission. We need to see investment in evidence-based community mental health services to provide people with the best available support where and when they need it.ìCommenting on the report, Professor Wendy

Burn, president of the Royal College of Psychia-trists, said: îReducing the amount of psychiatric beds will only work if it is matched with a simul-taneous increase in community mental health pro-vision.ìA reduction in both community mental health services and beds means we are failing the seri-ously mentally ill.îMs Keeley MP meanwhile said: ìIt is deeply wor-rying that community mental health provision has fallen and the number of psychiatric acute inpa-tient beds reduced, while the number of deten-tions under the Mental Health Act has risen. This puts even greater pressure on over-stretched acute mental health services.ìThe findings of this report show that the Tory pledge to make mental health an equal priority with physical health is nothing more than hollow rhetoric. ìUnder the Tories, mental health serv-ices have come under increasing pressure due to under-funding and staffing shortages. The Gov-ernment should match Labour>s pledge to invest more in mental health services and ring-fence mental health spending to ensure funding reaches the front line.» Director of policy and strategy at NHS Providers, Saffron Cordery, said the report revealed a ìpotent mixî of rising demand and gaps in the workforce, saying ìurgent actionî was need-ed to overcome the challenges.ìWe welcome this report which uses robust evi-dence to highlight the challenges faced on the frontline,î she said.ìIt reveals a potent mix of rising demand, with in-creased numbers of inpatients and bed occupancy running at more than 100 per cent, at a time of worrying gaps in the workforce and reduced com-munity support.

Obesity ‘to be Linked to more Female Cancers’ than Smoking Teens Sought to Be Science and Health Ambassadors

Chicago TribuneThe 4-H is looking for young people interested in becoming 4-H Teen Science and Health Ambassadors.Teen Science and Health Am-bassadors are a group of middle and high school students who study different science, engi-neering and technology lessons that they then share with chil-dren and community members at workshops, science fairs, after-school programs and com-munity events, according to a press release from 4-H.To do this, they receive focused training from 4-H staff and adult volunteers. «They then pay it forward and volunteer to share these wonderful learning oppor-tunities with others through su-pervised, organized activities,» said Donna Nuger, 4-H Youth Development Educator, in the release. Lessons may feature nutrition, physics, aerospace, engineering, electronics, bio-technology and environmental science.The local 4-H Teen Science and Health Ambassadors program is designed for youth in grades six to 12, and serves DuPage, Kane and Kendall counties.There are two training events coming up: Oct. 14 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Naperville or Nov. 11 from 1:30 to 4 p.m. in Montgomery. Cost is $30 per youth and includes training supplies and 4-H enrollment.

To learn more or register, go to go.illinois.edu/science4Hdkk.The city of Aurora>s free fall leaf collection begins Oct. 16 and ends Dec. 8. Leaves must be put into a 30-gallon Kraft pa-per yard waste bag and placed at the curb on the regular garbage pickup day by 6 a.m., according to a press release from the city. No waste sticker is needed.Yard waste collection will take place through Dec. 2 as well. On the regular garbage pickup day, yard waste must be placed in a 30-gallon Kraft paper yard waste bag not to exceed 50 pounds, according to the release. Each bag must have a waste sticker attached. The stickers used for yard waste are the same as the stickers used for excess garbage, city officials said.Yard waste mixed with trash or yard waste in a trash can or plas-tic bag will not be collected.Brush must be bundled for col-lection. Unlimited bundled brush collection will end Nov. 3. Branches and limbs half-inch to 4 inches in diameter and 2 feet to 4 feet in length must be bun-dled. Each bundle must weigh less than 50 pounds, according to the release. Bundled brush does not need a waste sticker.Brush less than a half-inch in diameter is considered yard waste, city officials said. The Kane County Bar Association will conduct its monthly Ask a Lawyer Day Oct. 14.

Evening Standard While our relationship with the iPhone has never been stronger, when it comes to our human counterparts it seems weíre standing on a slippery slope. Earlier this month, divorce rates were reported to have increased for the first time this decade with 106,959 divorces of opposite-sex couples in 2016, an increase of 5.8 per cent compared with 2015. And the whole tradition-ally cumbersome process of di-

vorce is just about to get a whole lot easier as couples in Scotland could soon be able to apply for divorce online as part of a £1 bil-lion reform of the justice system. No tedious couples counselling, or an awkward <trying to work it out> phase. If youíve had enough of your life partner then you can just divorce them on the sly ñ ul-timate ghosting (the silent treat-ment for any of you not up on the modern romance lexicon).And while Henry VIII would

have rejoiced at this news were he still alive, it>s further proof of the sad state of affairs modern romance has become.There was a time when technol-ogy only ruined the dating game. As a single man living in London I have become a slave to dating apps, deciding upon future part-ners via a few ropey holiday pics, and a flick of the finger. *Voila* itís a match - cue Googling ëbest chat up lines for Tinderí and be-ing met with a slew of agonising-

ly corny phrases that wouldnít sound out-of-place on a Miami Vice re-run. However after a few weeks of shameful meme shar-ing, you hope that itís all plain face-to-face sailing from there on out. Not so anymore. A survey in 2015 found that 1 in 10 had been dumped by text, a number that will surely rise as people find that now even married partners can be disposed of as easily as they were picked up.Face-to-face dates (isnít it sad that we have to make the dif-ferentiation) are now becoming a barrage of social media ñ hold the small talk while I Instagram the bread basket - and even be-fore then the chitter-chatter had no hope as Facebook stalking destroys the idea of ëgetting to knowí each other.This sad state of affairs is fur-ther compounded by the fact that millennials> ideas of romance were raised on a strict diet of Disney and Twilight. And as the first Tinder generation, weíll get the ìHow did you and mummy meet?î question from the kids and have to spin something about mummy losing a Jimmy Choo at a pop-up bar in Shoreditch and Daddy starting a viral campaign on Instagram to help mummy re-cover said shoe.

How Technology Is Ruining Modern Romance

Mental Health Patients Being Failed as Services Face ‘Potent Mix’ of Workforce Cuts and Rising Demand, Shows Report

The TelegraphParticle experiments to smash atoms into quarks could set off a deadly chain reaction, Prof Lord Martin Rees has warnedEarth could be reduced to a dense mass measur-ing just 330 feet across if particle accelerators set off a catastrophic chain of events, the astronomer royal has warned.In his latest book, On The Future: Prospects for Humanity, Prof Lord Martin Rees, outlines the existential threats facing the planet, which include climate change, nuclear war and artificial intel-ligence.In a chapter address-ing whether mankind is doomed, he argues that scientists carrying out experiments which smash atoms together into quarks - such as pro-tons and neutrons - could theoretically destroy hu-manity. ìMaybe a black hole could form, and then suck in everything

around it,î he writes. ìThe second scary possibility is that the quarks would reassemble themselves into compressed objects called†strangelets.ìThat in itself would be harmless. However un-der some hypotheses a strangelet could, by con-tagion, convert anything else it encounters into a new form of matter, transforming the entire earth in a hyperdense sphere about one hun-dred metres across.îProf Rees said the third risk from particle accel-erators, such as the Large Hadron Collider at Cern, was from a ëcatastrophe

that engulfs space itself.íìEmpty space - what physicists call the vac-uum - is more than just nothingness. It is the arena for everything that happens. It has, latent in it, all the forces and parti-cles that govern the phys-ical world. The present vacuum could be fragile and unstable.ìSome have speculated that the concentrated energy created when particles crash together could trigger a ëphase transitioní that would rip the fabric of space. This would be a cosmic ca-lamity not just a terres-trial one.î

Earth could Shrink to 330ft across if Particle Accelerator Experiments Fail, Top Astronomer Warns

WORLD NEWS9 Monday, April 15, 2019

AFPEVILARD, Switzerland: Julian Assange is not guar-anteed a fair trial in the United States, a UN rights expert told AFP Friday, questioning the US justice systemís credibility in national security cases.The United Nations special rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, Nils Melzer, also said that the manner in which Ecuador terminated Assangeís diplomatic protection broke in-ternational norms.But Melzer made clear that his greatest concerns for the WikiLeaks founder ó arrested by British police on Thursday after spending almost seven years in Ecua-dorís London embassy ó stem from Assangeís possi-ble extradition to the US.ìIím worried about fair trial,î said Melzer, one of sev-eral UN rapporteurs active on the Assange case.ìIím worried that he might be exposed to (the) deten-tion practices of the United States, which in part are very problematic,î he added.ìThe United States in the last decade unfortunately has not proven to be a safe state with regard to the provi-sion of torture in cases that involve national security,î Melzer added.Melzer has previously raised alarm about alleged tor-ture in the US detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, as well as over the use of waterboarding, which Presi-dent Donald Trump has labelled an effective interro-gation technique.The US request to extradite Assange is set to be heard in British court on May 2.

The IndependentThe Conservatives are facing a humiliating defeat at the European elections next month af-ter support for the party slumped to its lowest level since 2013, accord-ing to a new poll.The survey shows the Tories on just 28 per cent when it comes to general election voting intention ñ a four-point fall which leaves them trailing La-bour on 32.When voters were asked which party they will vote for at the European elections, Theresa Mayís party languished on 16 per cent, eight points be-hind Labour on 24.In a clear sign support for the Conservatives is crumbling over the fail-ure to deliver Brexit, 56 per cent of people who voted to leave at the 2016 referendum said they would back Ukip or Nigel Farageís newly formed Brexit Party dur-ing next monthís vote.The Brexit Party is on 15 per cent, while Ukip

stands at 14 per cent when it comes to Euro-pean voting intention, the YouGov poll for The Times indicated.By comparison, the Lib Dems and the Greens are both on 8 per cent, while Change UK has 7 per cent support.No 10 is still hoping to get a deal through parliament in time to avoid participation in the European elections on 23 May. But the UK is formally on track to hold the poll, having in-formed the EU authori-ties ahead of Fridayís deadline that it would be taking part.Boris Johnsonís backers have suggested he may not even campaign on behalf of his party next month in an effort to show his displeasure at the UKís involvement.ìBoris wonít campaign in European elections. He believes the pros-pect of the UK field-ing candidates is utterly preposterous,î a source told The Times.

APWASHINGTON: Facing bipartisan pushback to his immigration shake-up, President Donald Trump said Tuesday heís not looking to revive the much-criticized practice of separating migrant children from their fami-lies at the southern border. At the same time, he suggested the policy had worked to deter migrants from coming into the US, although he offered no evidence to support his position.Last summer the administration separated more than 2,500 children from their families before international outrage forced Trump to halt the prac-tice and a judge ordered them reunited.ìWeíre not looking to do that,î Trump told reporters before meeting with Egyptís president at the White House. But he also noted: ìOnce you donít have it, thatís why you see many more people coming. Theyíre coming like itís a picnic, because letís go to Disneyland.îThe potential reinstatement of one of the most divisive practices of Trumpís tenure was just one aspect of the upheaval at the Department of Homeland Security this week that culminated with the resignation of Sec-retary Kirstjen Nielsen. Acting Deputy Secretary Claire Grady, a 28-year civil servant, technically next in line for secretary, was forced to resign Tuesday to make room for Trumpís pick to replace Nielsen, according to two people familiar with the decision.With talk that more top officials were likely to be ousted, Republicans expressed public and private concerns about the shake-up orchestrated by the White House and cautioned that leadership changes wouldnít neces-sarily solve the problem.As for the separation of children, Trump declared that he was ìthe one that stopped itî and said his predecessor, President Barack Obama, was the one who had divided family members. Administrations are allowed to separate children under certain circumstances including for the health and welfare of the child and due to a parentís criminal history. This is why children were separated under the Obama administration.At hearings across Capitol Hill, lawmakers grilled administration officials on whether the practice would resurface despite last yearís outrage and ev-idence that separations were likely to cause lasting psychological effects on the children. House Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings, D-Md., also said his committee would take a look at the staff shake-up at Homeland Security, although he said he had not decided on calling in Nielsen.Sen. John Kennedy, R-Louisiana, said there was a serious prob-

lem going on between the White House and Homeland Security.ìIf everybodyís sitting around waiting for a shiny new wonder pony to ride in and solve it, weíre going to be waiting a long time,î he said.People familiar with the immigration discussions within the administra-tion said family separation was one of several ideas Trump had revived in recent weeks as he and his aides try to tackle the problem of an ever-growing number of Central American families crossing into the US The people were not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.A senior administration official who briefed reporters on condition of ano-nymity Tuesday said the president had made a series of leadership changes at DHS due to frustrations that department officials werenít fast enough at implementing changes, such as a new regulation that would challenge a longstanding agreement limiting how long children can be detained, that could spark a legal fight that would land in the Supreme Court.The White House also was weighing a tougher standard to evaluate ini-tial asylum claims, proposing a ìbinary choiceî that would force migrant families to choose between remaining with their children in detention until their immigration cases were decided or sending their children to govern-ment shelters while the parents remained in detention.The administration also is considering clamping down on remittance pay-ments that Mexican nationals send to their families, the official said.Amid the pushback, Trump told reporters he was not ìcleaning houseî at the agency despite a number of staff changes. He said his choice to be the departmentís new acting director, Kevin McAleenan, would do a ìfantastic job.îBut as Trump was speaking, the senior administration official was making a case to reporters about why the president felt changes were necessary. He described the agency as a large and unwieldly civilian bureaucracy in need of leadership that can deal with career officials resistant to the presi-dentís agenda, including many responsible for implementing some of the very policies Trump seeks to roll back.Top Republicans in Congress also expressed concern over vacancies at Homeland Security and cautioned Trump to heed off more churn after Nielsenís resignation.Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, made both a public and private plea to the White House not to dismiss career homeland security officials, including the director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, Lee

Francis Cissna, whose future remained uncertain Tuesday.He said he had spoken to acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney but ìnever heard anything finalî about Cissna.At a Senate Homeland Security Committee meeting on border issues, child welfare and border officials warned there wasnít room or capability to start separating children on a large scale again.Children who cross the border alone are cared for by the Department of Health and Human Services, and most of the children are teenagers. But last summer, HHS started receiving babies and toddlers, and there was not enough space to house them, said Jonathan White, the career civil servant tasked by Health and Human Services with helping to reunify children.ìIt also bears repeating, separating children from their parents entails sig-nificant risk of psychological harm. That is an undisputed scientific fact,î White told senators. ìWe have made improvements to our tracking, but we do not have the capacity to receive that number of children, nor do we have any system that can manage the mass trauma.îBoth Republican and Democratic leaders deplored the idea of separating families.ìI hope members of the administration are actually listening,î said Sen. Ron Johnson, R- Wisconsin, the committee chairman. He added that he had spoken with Mulvaney about moving a permanent Homeland Security nominee through quickly.Some of Trumpís outside allies are urging him to nominate former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach to lead the department, while others are pushing former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli for the job.

UN Torture Expert Warns over Assange Extradition to US

Brexit News: Conservatives Face European Elections Drub-bing as Support ‘Slumps to Lowest Point in Six Years’

By Nicholas Weaver Julian Assange had to be the worst houseguest an embassy ever encountered. Between Assangeís reportedly hack-ing the Ecuadorian embassyís network, creating diplomatic incidents with intemperate tweets, and apparently trou-bling embassy staff with noto-riously poor hygiene, it seems that the Ecuadorian govern-ment finally had enough. On April 11, Ecuador called the British authorities to remove the squatter. The U.S. imme-diately unsealed an indictment and announced an attempt to extradite Assange to the U.S.It may be years before As-sange sees the inside of a U.S. courtroom. The initial Swedish request to extradite Assange from the U.K. came in November 2010. Assange successfully slowed the proc-ess until June 2012, when he simply skipped bail and fled to the Ecuadorian embassy. Now, an effort to extradite him to the U.S. on computer-related charges further complicates things.Two particular cases show the difficulty. In 2013, the U.S.

government indicted British citizen Lauri Love for com-promising U.S. government computers. It took three years for the court to hear the extra-dition case, and when it did, Love presented an argument that a long sentence of impris-onment in the United States, combined with his Aspergerís syndrome, would significantly

harm him. Two years later, he won on appeal after the court ruled that U.S. prison would be ìoppressive to his physical and mental condition.îThere was also Gary McKin-non, who similarly hacked U.S. government systems. After he was indicted in 2002, the ex-tradition proceedings dragged for a decade. Eventually, then-

Home Secretary Theresa May withdrew the extradition order because of McKinnonís diag-nosis of Aspergerís syndrome and depression: ìMr McKin-non’s extradition would give rise to such a high risk of him ending his life that a decision to extradite would be incom-patible with Mr McKinnon’s human rights.î Assangeís ap-

peal against extradition may prove to be a replay of the Love and McKinnon cases, on an even larger scale. As with Love and McKinnon, As-sangeís appeal will likely be directed as much at the British public as the courts. The Love and McKinnon cases suggest that both the U.K.ís public and its courts may be swayed by arguments pointing to the defendantís mental state, the conditions of U.S. prisons, and the technically very high (if often misrepresented) stat-utory maximum sentence the defendant might face. Threats that imprisonment in the U.S. may lead to suicide are espe-cially powerful, and McKin-non gained significant support over concerns he might end up at Guantanamo Bay. In As-sangeís case, further increas-ing the difficulty of extradition may be public statements by U.S. officials. Every call to be ìharshî on Assange is going to strengthen his case within the U.K.ís court of public opinion. The Wikileaks saga is far from over. Julian Assange may be in British custody for a long time as this plays out.

The Wikileaks Case Is Just Beginn ing

Why There Will Be a Woman on the 2020 Democratic Ticket?

Elaine KamarckSo far 19 Democrats have announced, in one way or another that they are run-ning for the Democratic nomination for president. This is an exceptionally crowded field and one that is very hard to read. The two current front-runners, Senator Bernie Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden, may turn out to be just too old for a party that is trend-ing young. Some candidates in the race appear to be running to enhance their brandóthe initial Trump strategy, which Democratic voters probably wonít try again. Everyone else in the race, from

Congressmen to Senators to Governors are, so far, plausible viceñpresidential nominees hoping to break out. At this point,, however, one thing is pret-ty clear. There will be a woman on the 2020 Democratic ticket. A woman may break away from the pack and win the top seat; there are several s trong female candidates. But if that doesnít happen, there will almost certainly be a woman in the vice-presidential slot. Women have led the opposition to Trump from Election Day 2016 onó54 percent of women voted for Hillary and 53 percent of men voted for Trump. The

day after he was inaugurated, thousands of women assembled in Washington and in cities around the country in pro-test. Things havenít gotten better as the Trump presidency has matured. Trumpís approval/disapproval rating among men is equal as of this spring, with 47 percent approving of the job heís doing and 47 percent disapproving. But among wom-en only 32 percent approve of Trumpís performance while 63 percent disap-prove. Separating children from moth-ers at the borders may be outweighing Ivankaís work on the child care tax credit. Unlike other groups that dislike

Trump, unpopularity among women may be the most consequential simply because there are so many women in the electorate. Ever since 1980 women have been turning out to vote more often than men. From 1980 (when turnout for men and women was about equal) to 2000, the gap was around 2 percent. It gradu-ally widened to 3 percent and grew to 4 percent in 2016, contributing, no doubt, to Hillaryís large popular vote victory. Nowhere did womenís general antipathy to Trump show up more clearly than in the 2018 midterm elections. In that elec-tion women maintained their edge in turnout, voting at a 4 percent higher rate than men. But they also skewed even more Democratic than they did in 2016, voting for Democratic candidates at a rate of 59 percent, while men skewed Republican at a rate of 51 percent. In ad-dition, a record number of Democratic women ran for office; winning primaries more often than male candidates and eventually winning their elections. The result? With the help of many formerly Republican or independent women, the House changed hands and Nancy Pelosi became Speaker. The goal for the Democratic nominee in 2020 will be twofold: hold onto the states that Hillary won, and expand the map just enough to get to 270. The first goal should not be too difficultóitís hard to find a blue state in 2016 that is trend-ing purple or red in 2020. So the name of the game will be to flip a few states into the blue column. In 2018 suburban women were the key and in 2020 they will be key again.

Not Looking to Reinstate Family Separation Policy: Trump

10 Monday, April 15, 2019

Karessa Ramos Social Media Data Analyst

ìI always teach basic finance using my dolls. May I present SeÒora MarÌa, SeÒora Teresa and SeÒora Josefa. Each one has a different way to save money: SeÒora MarÌa has a formal savings account, SeÒora Ter-esa buys cattle to breed, and SeÒora Josefa stores her extra money in a tin can, kept in her house.î For a brief moment, Peruvian microfinance officer Rut Pelaiza transport-ed participants at the 63rd session of the UNís Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) to one of her training sessions with rural women. During a side event hosted by the BBVA Microfinance Foundation (BBVAMF), Rut and others showed women as ìforerunners of changeî with a focus on financial inclu-sion and digital transformation. In Peru, 66% of women donít even own a bank account, forming a segment with scarce knowledge on key financial notions. As Peruís Permanent Representative to the UN, Gustavo Meza-Cuadra, noted during the side event, ìThere is still a lot to do in terms of integrating women in the financial system. Sharing best practices like Rutís method is one way to achieve it.îFinancial education is essential for the long-term success of financial inclusion initiatives. It magnifies the ìempowerment effectî brought by access and control over resources, as it places ownership and ac-countability into the hands of the benefici-ary. Orienting these efforts towards women in vulnerable conditions is thus especially valuable. For one, as heads of households (if not single-parent households), they pos-sess information that allows efficient man-agement of the familyís finances. Similar-ly, basic financial management skills will make them more responsible users of prod-ucts and services.Microfinance institutions (MFI) like ours pay attention to this, and we know that responsible financial inclusion requires not only giving access to credits, savings facilities or insurance. It also entails learn-

ing how to best use these tools to increase clientsí well-being.At BBVAMF, we implement this approach in all six of our institutions in Latin Amer-ica. We give special focus to womenís eco-nomic empowerment that is currently af-fecting 57% of the more than two million entrepreneurs served in five countries (Co-lombia, Peru, Dominican Republic, Chile and Panama). Of these female entrepre-neurs, 84% live in vulnerable conditions, 40% possess primary education at best, 45% are single heads of households with dependents, and nearly 30% live in remote, rural areas with little access to basic serv-ices such as health and education.Even with these potential setbacks, we have

observed through our social performance assessment that 37% of the female entre-preneurs had left their initial poverty level within the second year of working with us. Additionally, they register higher growth rates compared to their male counterparts: their sales increase by 19% (versus 14%), and their net incomes and assets grow by 20% and 25% respectively (compared to 12% and 21%). These are promising out-comes that strongly support our approach.These figures are interesting because our female clients not only run businesses with less starting capital, less assets, and lower loan disbursements than men. In general, they also have less knowledge in finance, and traditionally face more obstacles to

participating in the formal banking sys-tem. Most of them have likewise expressed misgivings about generating additional in-come, given that their husbands ìalready provide for the family.î Some have even aired their fear of getting overly indebted, and in associating themselves with a finan-cial institution.Our microfinance officers walk long dis-tances to reach remote places where no-body else goes to bring access to finance closer to those who need it the most.We have sought to identify which of our actions are contributing to these outcomes, especially among the more vulnerable fe-male segment. We have detected three fac-tors:

(1) Productive Finance methodology. Composed of financial services, skills training and accompaniment, this approach builds up a long-term relationship with low-income entrepreneurs to support their progress, and that of their families and communities. Our microfinance officers, whom we consider the ìsoulî of the Foun-dation, travel by motorbike, public trans-port and even walk long distances to reach remote places where nobody else goes, to bring access to finance closer to those who need it the most.(2) Local knowledge. Through microfi-nance officers who originally hail from the communities they serve, we learn so much about clientsí needs. Such is Rutís case: she would address her group of female entre-preneurs in their native quechua, making them feel more at ease. They also become more open to sharing their experiences, and perhaps even their concerns. This kind of work at the grassroots level has the most potential to positively impact peopleís lives.(3) Security. Since its creation, the Foun-dation has established a group of sustain-able and innovative microfinance institu-tions from local organizations specialized in the sector. On one hand, the viability of our MFIs guarantees our entrepreneurs that we are able to accompany them for a long time. On the other, the institutionsí famil-iar origins help dispel some of our clientsí doubts about being integrated in the formal financial system.Financial institutions play a pivotal role in promoting womenís economic empower-ment. It is in our hands to design financial services that consider their specific needs and concerns, but more importantly, we can also channel some of the more basic knowledge that would help women make better financial decisions for them and their families. This is essential in achieving pros-perity in all levels because, women are, as in the words of Laura Fern·ndez, Head of Womenís Empowerment for BBVAMF, ìcornerstones for their countryís develop-ment and poverty reduction.î

Adam Fishman 2030 Agenda Expert

This edition of the SDG Knowledge Weekly looks at SDG 9 (industry, inno-vation and infrastructure), with a focus on how infrastructure can undergird and support sustainable development as a whole, as well as sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11).Infrastructure influences nearly three-quarters of the SDG targets.An analysis published in Nature Sustain-ability describes how infrastructure can support sustainable development, not-ing that it forms ìthe backbone of every societyî but ìcan also create harmful social and environmental impacts.î The paper, authored by staff from the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS), University of Oxford, World Bank, UK Department for International Develop-ment (DFID), German Agency for Inter-national Cooperation (GIZ) and Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), finds that infrastructure influences near-ly three-quarters (72%) of the 169 SDG targets. It counts the interdependencies across infrastructure sectors vis-‡-vis the SDGs, and sets out for a process for infrastructure prioritization to meet the SDGs based on existing infrastructure performance, scenario analysis and op-tions appraisal, drivers of future infra-structure needs, and infrastructure plan-ning and policies.A joint paper by the World Bank and World Resources Institute (WRI) ex-amines how service providers in devel-oping countries can harness the power of nature, where appropriate, to help achieve development goals. The report titled, ëIntegrating Green and Gray: Creating next generation infrastructure,í notes that natural systems such as for-ests, floodplains and soils can contrib-ute to clean, reliable water supply and protect against floods and drought. It highlights that combining this ìgreen infrastructureî with traditional ìgray infrastructure,î such as dams, levees, reservoirs, treatment systems, and pipes, can provide next-generation solutions that enhance system performance and better protect communities. The paper outlines the social foundation ofóand

economics behindógreen infrastructure, also discussing options for enabling policies that deliver effective green in-frastructure. A World Bank feature story and blog are also available.Delivering infrastructure, whether green or gray, requires investment. A joint re-port by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and Cadmus Group assesses the current landscape of environmental, so-cial and governance (ESG) integration in the infrastructure investment space, with a focus on private equity investors, who can influence the sustainability of infrastructure through direct ownership and stewardship of assets. The report highlights the growing role of private investors in infrastructure investment, as well as increasing pressure on private investors to demonstrate sustainable or responsible investment practices in line with the SDGs and other sustainability frameworks. It also discusses the role of private investors in mainstreaming ESG considerations in the finance world, ex-amining the extent to which ESG is be-ing integrated and summarizing current frameworks and tools for infrastructure ESG analysis. The paper concludes that ESG criteria can help manage risks and improve financial returns for infrastruc-ture projects, but flags that use of these criteria varies widely across the industry, and adoption of third-party ESG tools by investors has been limited.Another joint paper, by WWF and GIZ, looks at opportunities to improve infra-structure planning for social-ecological resilience. The paper calls for greater attention to be paid to natural capital, ecosystem services and the benefits they provide to local communities and regional economies, noting that ìresil-ience servicesî must be better integrated throughout the infrastructure develop-ment cycle. The authors also identify op-portunities available to the infrastructure sector to improve upstream planning, in financial, regulatory and cross-sectoral spaces. A more detailed write-up is avail-able on the SDG Knowledge Hub.Building on the UN Environment Man-agement Group (EMG) Nexus Dialogue on Sustainable Infrastructure on 26 Feb-ruary 2019 in Geneva, Switzerland, UN system actors issued an inter-agency statement on ways that integrated ap-

proaches to sustainable infrastructure can help deliver the 2030 Agenda. The statement argues that infrastructure is linked to all the SDGs, but cautions that poorly conceived projects may under-mine sustainable development, noting that approximately 70% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are linked to the construction and operation of infrastruc-ture. It further cautions that infrastruc-ture development can have complex social impacts related to displacement, land rights, cultural heritage, indigenous peoples, gender equality, employment, public health, safety and security, sexual exploitation and abuse, and thus calls on designers and planners to apply a mitiga-tion hierarchy. Such a hierarchy would prioritize efforts to avoid negative envi-ronmental and social impacts, followed by minimization, then restoration, with offsetting as a last resort. It notes that na-ture-based solutions, or green infrastruc-ture described above, ìshould be favored wherever possible.îThe EMG Nexus Dialogues are a series of events centered on discussing the in-terlinkages between environmental is-sues in the context of the wider SDG arena. The dialogue on infrastructure dis-

cussed interlinkages between different infrastructure systems, sectors, project phases, locations, and aspects of sus-tainability, as well as country examples on what sustainable infrastructure looks like in practice. Past topics have includ-ed biodiversity and green jobs, while the next dialogue will discuss sound man-agement of chemicals and waste.An event on quality infrastructure was hosted on 4 April 2019, organized by the UN Industrial Development Organi-zation (UNIDO) in Brussels, Belgium. Linking the above documents, the In-ternational Quality Infrastructure Forum focused on best practices in infrastruc-ture to achieve the SDGs and imple-ment the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA). It also discussed how sustainability standards can help the private sector achieve the SDGs.Regionally, an Expert Group Meeting on Infrastructure Financing for Sustain-able Development in Asia and the Pa-cific was convened by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), from 7-8 March 2019, in Bangkok, Thailand. The meeting paid particular attention to the increasing complexity and transnational aspects of

infrastructure investment in the region, and the improvement of public sector efficiency. Presentations are available at the above link, and a summary is avail-able on the SDG Knowledge Hub.Also looking at the Asia-Pacific region, Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana of ESCAP highlights in an op-ed on IPS News how ìsmart cities hold [the] key to sustain-able development.î Noting the scale of urbanization in the region and the stress it has caused to public services, Alisjah-bana calls for integrated planning and for greater consideration to be given to demographic and land use trends, which in turn should inform investments in infrastructure, including water, energy and transportation. She notes that these investments in smart cities ñ which en-tail smart grids and district energy solu-tions, real-time traffic, waste and water management systems ñ and other new technologies will enable future cities to operate more effectively. Relatedly in Europe, the German Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Commu-nity and KfW announced that they are working together on a Smart Cities pilot project, through a new grant for urban development and digitization.

Financial Education as Stepping Stone to Women’s Economic Empowerment: Reflections from

Cities and Infrastructure

SDGs PLATFORM Edited by: Alula Berhe Kidani

11HUMAN DEVELOPMENT Edited by: Alula Berhe Kidani

Monday, April 15, 2019

Mounir Kabbara

Even if the world adheres to the commit-ments set out by the Paris Agreement, winter temperatures in the Arctic are still expected to rise by 3-5∞C by 2050, a UN Environment report concludes. The conse-quent thaw of permafrost will threaten four million people and around 70% of todayís Arctic infrastructure, leading to rising sea levels, among other severe consequences. The report emphasizes the need for drastic measures to reduce emissions. Cities, local governments and the private sector must work together to leverage emerging technologies to mitigate the ef-fects of climate change. Big data, artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, mixed real-ity and 3D printing are already being used to develop solutions that will be vital in al-leviating the worst consequences of global warming.

1. Big data Big data describes the collection and processing of a large amount of data into useful and insightful information. Manag-ers consistently use big data to help make decisions and achieve operational excel-lence.Applied to climate change mitigation, big data can help cities develop more impact-ful climate action plans. Google has start-ed estimating greenhouse gas emissions for individual cities as part of an ambi-tious plan to use its valuable data to assist climate-concerned local leaders.ìThe first step toward taking climate action is creating an emissions inventoryî, says Saleem Van Groenou, programme man-ager at Google Earth. To date, Pittsburgh, Buenos Aires and Mountain View, Califor-nia have benefited from the estimates and insights generated by this programme.More cities should leverage big data op-portunities to learn about their locale in the context of climate change, turning their findings into an actionable plan. Cities can work with Google to help them prioritize high-impact initiatives.

2. Artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) refers to com-puter systems that ìcan sense their envi-ronment, think, learn and act in response to what they sense and their programmed objectivesî, according to the World Eco-nomic Forum report Harnessing Artificial Intelligence for the Earth.On a city scale, AI can improve overall en-ergy efficiency by incorporating data from smart meters and the Internet of Things (computing devices embedded in every-day objects that enable them to send and receive data) to forecast and predict city energy demand. This would help city utili-

ties providers to optimize energy produc-tion, effectively reducing their impact on the climate.Additionally, technology providers are actively developing AI-based simulation tools to aid in future planning. Specifical-ly, IBM has developed a programme that helps cities plan for future heat waves. The programme simulates the climate on an urban scale and explores different strate-gies to test how well they ease heat waves. For example, if a city wanted to plant new trees, machine learning models could de-termine the best places to plant them to create optimal tree cover and reduce heat from the pavement.Cities should work with technology pro-viders to understand the best way they can leverage AI-based simulation programmes to ensure more accurate forecasting, as well as city planning that maximizes the mitigation effect of climate change.

3. Blockchain Blockchain is an emerging technology with many use cases for city governments. Several have already leveraged it to im-prove process efficiency and enhance data security.Under the 2015 Paris Agreement, 196 countries declared their voluntary com-mitment to fight climate change. On paper this is promising; however, a recent report by PwC infers that no single country is do-ing enough to combat climate change.Enter blockchain, a technology that can make it easier for governments to keep track of their emissions. It is a public, trans-parent system that facilitates international cooperation, as countries can explore what climate action others are taking.This can be complemented by an incen-tives programme to reward the most active local entities in climate change mitigation.

Such a system is in the works through the Blockchain for Climate Foundation, using as design parameters an important part of the Paris Agreement, Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcomes (IT-MOs).National governments should embrace this technology. Local governments can cooperate together on the blockchain, while also being held accountable to meet their own emissions reduction targets.

4. 3D printing 3D printing is an alternative means of manufacturing that significantly reduces carbon emissions and provides innovative solutions for a disaster-prone world. This is mainly achieved through raw material waste reduction. Some more advanced applications of 3D printing use recycled materials, putting some of the waste pro-duced in cities to good use. This concept could provide cities with a new way to dispose of their trash while getting paid for it. Cities in The Netherlands have taken the lead in experimenting with 3D printing infrastructure elements. A 12-me-tre steel pedestrian bridge to be installed across a canal in Amsterdam later this year was constructed using 3D printing. In 2017, an eight-metre long concrete pedes-trian bridge was 3D printed and installed in the Dutch province of Brabant. Mean-while, 3D printed houses and offices have proved successful in China and Dubai respectively. In all these use cases, con-struction waste was minimized through 3D printing.As this technology develops, it promises to become more scalable, which will dis-rupt the construction industry. Cities can

incentivize the use of 3D printers to re-duce waste produced by the construction sector, ultimately minimizing its environ-mental impact.

5. Mixed reality Virtual reality is a powerful and engag-ing tool to highlight the effects of climate change and help cities to identity priority communities to receive climate adapta-tion, economic development and risk re-duction investments.The Californian city of Santa Cruz, known as a leader in coastal planning, is making use of VR technology in its pub-lic outreach efforts. It is working with the Center for the Blue Economy and its 3D VR product ìSea Level Rise Explorerî.The first phase of the project allows the user to visualize the effects of climate change, including a 2.4-feet sea level rise and a 100-year storm. The next phase of the project will involve 3D models of pro-posed adaptation actions. Santa Cruz has used this technology to raise awareness in its community about the dangerous effects of climate change.Cities can further leverage mixed reality technology to visualize possible scenarios and solutions, and make better decisions on climate action. It can also encourage buy-in from their citizens.

Public-private cooperation is manda-tory The successful application of these emerg-ing technologies requires strong coop-eration between the public sector, which includes the decision-makers for city de-velopments, and the private sector, which provides the key drivers of innovation.

5 Ways Cities can Use Emerging Technologies to Fight Climate Change

7 Highlights from Our Meeting on the Middle East and North AfricaRoss Chainey, WEF

From adapting to our changing cli-mate and creating jobs for young people to the rise of Arab women and the region’s most exciting start-ups, here’s a look at some of the key moments from our MENA summit at the Dead Sea in Jordan.

1. King Abdullah Il on human capi-tal and jobs for young people One of the biggest challenges fac-ing the Arab world is how to cre-ate enough jobs for its burgeoning youth population.According to the International Monetary Fund, about five million workers enter the Middle Eastern job market every year, and the per-centage of the population under the age of 25 ranges from 25% in Qa-tar to 50% in Oman.H.M. King Abdullah Il bin Al Hus-sein of Jordan alluded to this in his speech in our opening session on day one. «Our most important strength is Jordan’s high-skilled human capi-tal,» he said. «Our young people are globally connected, tech-savvy, fluent in multiple languages and are deter-mined to succeed. They are proven assets to every enterprise.»The region needs politicians and business leaders to create the right environment for people to flourish, King Abdullah II went on to say.«Our people need you ... to act. And the entire world needs you to succeed.» 2. The UN’s AntÛnio Guterres de-livered powerful messages on cli-mate change and refugees The need to avoid catastrophic cli-mate change was one of the key themes of the meeting, dominating discussions throughout the week-end.

UN Secretary-General AntÛnio Guterres spoke on day one, and he had a strong message for world leaders planning to attend the Cli-mate Action Summit in Septem-ber.«It is high time for urgency and more ambition,» he said. «This is why I am convening an Climate Action Summit in New York in September, and I am telling lead-ers, don’t come with a speech - come with a plan!»The Secretary-General also sat down for an interview with us, dur-ing which he spoke about the ongo-ing refugee crisis, and what lessons the West can learn from the Arab world on how to look after the world’s displaced people.«The Arab world has opened its doors to refugees, and unfortu-nately many developed countries are closing theirs ... We need more generosity,» he said.3. The biggest risks facing the MENA regionBefore the meeting kicked off, we released a report looking at the key risks facing the region.The Middle East and North Africa Risks Landscape looks in-depth at risks such as climate change, en-ergy price shocks, water scarcity, conflict and other challenges coun-tries in the region will have to work to overcome in the coming years.

For a summation of what is in this report, take a look at this article by our Forum colleague Ariel Kast-ner.

4. The 100 Arab Start-ups Entrepreneurship is booming across the Middle East and North Africa.In 2018, $900 million was invested across the region in 386 deals, an increase of 31% in total funding in 2017.To highlight this, earlier this week we released a list of the 100 most exciting start-ups in the Arab world.This article takes a closer look at 10 of the start-ups that are helping to solve several of the region’s most pressing challenges, from camel milk antibodies to the region’s first unicorn.And to see the full list, launched in partnership with the Bahrain Eco-nomic Development Board (EDB), click here.

5. The rise of Arab women Less than a quarter of women in MENA are employed and, accord-ing to the ILO, the region has the lowest global representation for women in management and leader-ship positions. Though progress has been slow, this could be about to change as

governments and business leaders wake up to the huge opportunity that bringing more women into the workforce would bring to the region. In the session The Rise of Arab Women, Saudi Arabiaís first fe-male lawyer Sofana Rabea Dahlan described how it took 13 years for her to get qualified due to gen-der discrimination. But she says through persistence and patience she obtained her licence.ìIt taught me that we have to have patience in our people, in our sys-tems, we have to have be able to open the dialogue, no matter how long it takes,î she said.Meanwhile, Sahar Nasr, Egypt’s Minister of International Coop-eration said that it is important for government ministers, such as her-self, to keep striving to amend laws that undermine women.«These are the things that we re-view as policy-makers, and this is where Parliament lays an active role and there has to be an article where people just get access,» she said.6. How to prevent radicalization - in all its forms The so-called Islamic State has suffered significant losses, but the jihadist group remains a threat, ac-cording to panelists in the session Radicalization - Lessons from the

Past, on day two of the meeting.«You can kill a person, take a terri-tory, but getting an idea is a whole other matter, and the idea still lives,» said Anne Speckhard, Di-rector of the International Center for the Study of Violent Extrem-ism.«ISIS was selling a dream of an Islamic caliphate with purpose and dignity, and that dream still lives,» she added.Education will play a major role in stopping more young men and women becoming radicalized, said Latifa Ibn Ziaten, founder of the Imad Association for Youth and Peace. Her own son, a French soldier, was killed by a terrorist in Toulouse. «Education is the first step, but children need to be supported in every walk of their lives ... We must listen to our young people. We must support our young peo-ple, whoever they are. They need support.»«There is still a lot of hatred on-line,» she went on to say. «When you insult somebody online, on so-cial media, it goes worldwide. But when you send a letter, you can tear the piece of paper and put it in the garbage can. Men have set up this machinery and it must be bet-ter controlled.«I paid the highest possible price.

I lost a son of 30. Without the ma-chinery, my son would be here.»7. The Fourth Industrial Revolu-tion and the Arab World Like all other regions around the world, the Middle East and North Africa is being transformed by the advance of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Is the region prepared, and how can it make sure no-one is left behind? The UAE is well poised for the new industrial revolution, said Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, the country’s minister for AI. «We’re developing incentives for AI companies, developing incen-tives for data centres to move to the UAE and we understand 100% that the new industrial revolution is focused on quality data and com-puters.»The Bahrain Economic Develop-ment Board’s Khalid Al Rumaihi said that it is essential that the re-gion stays at the vanguard of the new era of industrialization. «I think it would be detrimental to the Middle East if we ignore what technology has to offer,» he said. «Not just for the technology and its sake but the jobs.»He added, «Ultimately all of us in the Middle East need to create jobs and these jobs are going to come in the future as engineer, coder, data scientists.»

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Quote of the Day:

Book Review: Re-thinking Strategy in the Fight against Fake News

BRIEF

Out of di�culties grow miracles.

Jean de la Bruyere

MEXICO CITY: Mexican federal police say they have found and destroyed about 1,190 acres (482 hectares) of opium poppies in raids in the Pacific coast state of Guerrero. The federal police said the poppies were found planted in 47 plots in the mountain township of Leonardo Bravo. (AP Photo)

Members of the samba school Grupo Especial Academicos do Tatuape partici-pate in the carnival celebration at the Anhembi sambodrome in Sao Paulo, Bra-zil, Feb. 10, 2018. (Photo: Sebastiao Moreira/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Lisa KaakiThe term ìfake newsî was chosen as the phrase of the year in 2017 by Collins Dictionary. False stories that appear to be true have helped to undermine soci-etyís trust in news report-ing.On Jan. 10, President Emmanuel Macron an-nounced that France would be the first country to shut down alleged fake news websites and social media accounts if they were sus-pected of interfering with democratic elections.Dishonest outlets should not be allowed to influ-ence public opinion. But people need to be trained to become critical think-ers. A Stanford University study tested 7,800 students for 18 months and discov-ered that young people are unable to recognize high-quality news from lies.Lies have become weap-ons and they are difficult to detect. ìMisinformation is devilishly entwined on the Internet with real in-formation, making the two difficult to separate,î says Daniel Levitin, a neuro-scientist, cognitive psy-chologist and bestselling author.Misinformation passes from one person to an-other through a range of social media and spreads around the world. How-ever, governments and powerful individuals have used disinformation to serve their own interests for millennia.This book show s us, on one hand, how to detect problems with data we encounter on the Internet and, on the other, gives us the tools to think critically, evaluate facts and reach evidence-based conclu-sions. Students are reading increasingly less. Conse-quently, ìchildren are not developing good learning habits, theyíre not interest-ed in bettering themselves, and they are not intellectu-ally engaged,î writes Levi-tin.

Sudeshna Ghosh DUBAI: The Middle East is no stranger to Sothebyís auctions. The veteran international auction houseís sales of Islamic and Middle Eastern art go back decades, and collectors from the region constitute an impor-tant ó and increasing ó percentage of its client base. But with the estab-lishment of Sothebyís Dubai late last year, the venerable institution appears to be making an emphatic statement of intent. According to Edward Gibbs, chairman of Sothebyís Middle East and India, ìwhat youíve got here is the perfect constellation of channels feed-ing into the mainstream, creating an environment that is very conducive to creative activity ó whether itís muse-ums, private families and individuals, or auction houses, everyone is riding the wave. The timing was right for us as a company too, as we look to explore opportunities in new geographies.î And, he admitted, ìthere was a com-pelling financial case for raising our footprint here in the region.î Over the past five years, Sothebyís has reported

a 76 percent increase in the number of Middle East participants in its global sales, along with a 30 percent growth in the number of buyers from the re-gion. The increase in the number of UAE-based buyers is even more im-pressive, at 84 percent.With the recent uptick in mainstream activity in the UAE, whether in the growing indie arts scene supported by warehouse galleries including Al Serkal Avenue in Dubai; the global headline-making opening of muse-ums including Louvre Abu Dhabi; or the increasingly prestigious art fairs, one can be forgiven for thinking that the emphasis on art is just the latest in a long line of cultural fads to hit the Emirates. But the real pioneers of the regional art world have been active for a long time. Royals or prominent business families in Kuwait and Shar-jah, as well as Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi, have been building private and national collections since the 1970s, sowing the seeds for the gradual de-velopment of a flourishing art com-munity.

Enwonwu’s Painting ‘African Mona Lisa’ to Sell for Record £300K

VanguardìI think of it as the African Mona Lisa,î said award-win-ning novelist Ben Okri, gazing at the long-lost portrait of a Ni-gerian princess which recently turned up in a London flat. Ben Enwonwuís 1974 painting of Adetutu ìTutuî Ademiluyi, daughter of a Yoruba king, has taken on almost mythical status in the painterís native Nigeria. It was last seen in 1975 but is now up for sale af-ter its surprise rediscovery. ìIt has been a legendary painting for 40 years, everybody keeps talking about Tutu, saying ëwhere is Tutu?í,î the Booker Prize-winning writer Okri told AFP. As a prominent Nigerian cultural figure on the world stage, Okri viewed the paint-ing at prestigious London auc-tion house Bonhams, where the work will be sold on February 28. ìHe wasnít just painting the

girl, he was painting the whole tradition. Itís a symbol of hope and regeneration to Nigeria, itís a symbol of the phoenix rising,î he said. ìI spent hours looking at it, making up for the time that we hadnít seen it. Itís been a work of rumour, but here it is, crystallised.î ñ Miss-ing masterpiece ñ The work was uncovered by Giles Pep-piatt, director of Modern Af-rican Art at Bonhams, after a north London family contacted him following lucrative recent sales of Nigerian artworks. ìIt was quite remarkable when I walked into this flat in north London and saw it hanging on the wall, it was about the last thing I expected to see,î he ex-plained. ìAs soon as I saw it I knew it was authentic, but I couldnít say that at the time to the owners because you canít just blurt that out.î After confirming the search

for ìTutuî was over, the fam-ily ìwere, not surprisingly, pretty astounded,î he revealed. ìItís a missing masterpiece.î ñ ëPrize workí ñ Enwonwu, who died in 1994, is consid-ered the father of Nigerian modernism. He made three paintings of ìTutuî, the loca-tions of all of which had been a mystery until the recent dis-covery. The works became symbols of peace following the clash of ethnic groups in the NigerianñBiafran conflict of the late 1960s. ìThe sitter is Yoruba and Ben Enwonwu was Ibo, so they were of dif-ferent ethnic tribes,î said Eliza Sawyer, specialist in Bonham-sí African Art department. ìIt was an important symbol of reconciliation.î Enwonwu was from a politically-connected Ibo family and his father was a traditional sculptor. The paint-er stumbled upon his most fa-mous muse by accident. ìHe would go around alocal villag-es and sketch local scenes and figures, and he encountered this young woman whom he thought was just entrancing and requested to paint her, not knowing her stature,î ex-plained Sawyer. ìShe was a lit-tle taken back by the request,î she added. ìIt is the peak of the artistís career, thereís also the sitterís status as a princess and thirdly the painting had been lost. That all creates an awful lot of mystery.î

Sotheby’s Dubai Proves that Art is Coming of Age in the Middle East

Who are the World’s Richest Women?

BBCWhen the world’s richest man and his wife decided to divorce, the numbers were al-ways going to be big.And so it proved this week, when Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his wife MacKenzie agreed the terms of their split.MacKenzie Bezos will keep a 4% stake in the online retail giant. Her stake is worth $35.6bn (£27bn) on its own, making her the world’s third-richest woman (and the 24th richest person in the world).But who are the other women at the top of the global rich-list? And how did they get there?1) FranÁoise Bettencourt-MeyersNet worth: $49.3bn, making her the world’s 15th richest person, according to Forbes magazine.

Who is she?The French heiress to the L’OrÈal cosmetics fortune who, along with her family, owns 33% of the company.The 65-year-old inherited her wealth from her mother Liliane Bettencourt, who died in September 2017 aged 94. The two had been estranged and entered into a long dispute in 2007. Ms Bettencourt-Meyers filed a law-suit over concerns that her mother was be-ing exploited by members of her entourage amid declining health. But they reconciled in the years before her mother’s death.Ms Bettencourt-Meyers is also an academic and has published books on Greek gods and Jewish-Christian relations.2) Alice WaltonNet worth: $44.4bn, putting her 17th on the world rich-list.

Who is she?The 69-year-old is the only daughter of Sam Walton, the founder of US supermarket giant Walmart. However, unlike her two brothers, she has moved away from the family com-pany and focused on the arts, becoming the chairman of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in the family’s hometown of Bentonville, Arkansas. 3) MacKenzie BezosNet worth: At least $35.6bn - this is the value of her stake in Amazon alone, but her true net worth is likely to be even higher. Keep an eye on the Forbes 2020 rich list to see how much higher.Who is she?The 48-year-old has four children with the Amazon founder, whom she married in 1993 after they met while working together

at a hedge fund. The Californian was one of Amazon’s first employees, having joined as an accountant. She has published two well-reviewed fiction books, and trained under author Toni Morrison, who said she was one of her best-ever students.Ms Bezos, who was born MacKenzie Tuttle, also set up an anti-bullying organisation, Bystander Revo-lution, which encourages the «simple habits of kindness, courage, and inclusion».4) Jacqueline MarsNet worth: $23.9bn - the 33rd richest person in the world in the pre-MacKenzie Bezos era (this also applies to the other women be-low on this list).Who is she?The 79-year-old owns a third of Mars, the world’s largest confectioner, which was set up by her grandfather Frank in 1911.