Chronology Of Uganda Situation Before International Criminal Court ICC

Dominic Ongwen was the alleged Brigade Commander of the Sinia Brigade of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), a brutal rebel group that waged war against the government of Uganda from the North of the country.

The rebels got him when he was 10 years old while on his way to school.  And when they snatched him, Ongwen was reportedly ‘too little to walk long distances'.  According to others taken at the same time, Ongwen was "too small" to hike and was carried on the backs of older fighters for several days as they travelled to their main military base.

When he reached the camp, he was ordered, like other children too young to fight, to join the "home" of a senior commander. Under this lapwony (teacher) and his "wives" (pubescent girls who have been abducted), he would be indoctrinated in the rebels' complex and vicious ways.

The rebels is notorious for widespread human rights violations, including murder, abduction, mutilation, child-sex slavery, and forcing children to participate in hostilities. These crimes form the bulk of war crimes and crimes against humanity under the Rome Statute and the International Justice System.

While in Captivity, Dominic Ongwen Y.Y became known as Dominic Ongwen. He is due to stand trial at the International Criminal Court for seven counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity.


 
So, What Are The Major Events Of Uganda's Situation Before The ICC?

July 01st, 2002: International Criminal Court (ICC) an intergovernmental Organization and International Tribunal that sits in  The Hague in the Netherlands, comes in to full force. The ICC has the jurisdiction to prosecute individuals for the International Crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

The ICC is intended to complement existing national judicial systems and it may therefore only exercise its jurisdiction when certain conditions are met, such as when national courts are unwilling or unable to prosecute criminals or when the United Nations Security Council or individual states refer investigations to the Court. The ICC began functioning on 1 July 2002, the date that the Rome Statute entered into force.

The Rome Statute is a multilateral treaty which serves as the ICC's foundational and governing document. States which become party to the Rome Statute, for example by ratifying it, become member states of the ICC. Currently, there are 123 states which are party to the Rome Statute and therefore members of the ICC.
  March 17, 1999: Uganda signed the Rome Statute and ratified it on June 14, 2002 becoming a State Party to the International Criminal Court.
  December 16, 2003: The Government of Uganda referred the situation concerning northern Uganda to the Office of the Prosecutor.
  July 29, 2004: the Prosecutor determined a reasonable basis to open an investigation into the situation concerning northern Uganda.

WARRANTS OF ARREST

May 6 – May 18, 2005: the Prosecutor submitted the request for the warrants of arrest for Joseph Kony, Vincent Otti, Raska Lukwiya, Okot Odhiambo and Dominic Ongwen after amending and supplementing the reasonable basis.

July 8, 2005: Judges of Pre Trial Chamber II, Judge Tuiloma Neroni Slade (presiding), Judge Mauro Politi and Judge Fatoumata Dembele Diarra issued warrants of arrest under seal against the named individuals for the commission of crimes against humanity and war crimes and requested the Republic of Uganda to search for, arrest, detain and surrender to the Court, Joseph Kony, Vincent Otti, Raska Lukwiya, Okot Odhiambo and Dominic Ongwen.

September 9, 2005: The Prosecutor submitted an “Application for Unsealing of Warrants of Arrest Issued on 8 July 2005” to Pre-
Trial Chamber II.

September 27, 2005: Pre-Trial Chamber II requested the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to search for, arrest, detain and surrender to the Court, Joseph Kony, Vincent Otti, Raska Lukwiya, Okot Odhiambo and Do minic Ongwen.

October 13, 2005: Pre-Trial Chamber II decided to unseal the warrants of arrest for Joseph Kony, Vincent Otti, Raska Lukwiya, Okot Odhiambo and Dominic Ongwen.


August 12, 2006: Prosecutor Presented DNA Forensic Evidence that proved that Raska Luwkiya had been killed in battle with the Uganda People's Defense Forces (UPDF).


August 26, 2006: The Ugandan government and the LRA signed a truce in Juba after series of peace talks meetings mediated by Riek Machar, South Sudan Vice President. Under the terms of the agreement, LRA forces would leave Uganda and gather in two assembly areas in the remote Garamba National Park area of northern Democratic Republic of Congo, with Uganda Government agreeing not to attack.

June 29, 2007: The "Agreement on Accountability and Reconciliation Between the Government of the Republic of Uganda and the Lord's Resistance Army/Movement," was signed. It envisaged, inter alia, the establishment of national legal arrangements for ensuring justice, reconciliation and the accountability of individuals alleged to have committed serious crimes or human rights violations in the course of the northern and north - eastern Uganda conflict.

July 11, 2007: The proceedings against Raska Lukwiya, for whom a warrant of arrest was issued on 8 July 2008, were terminated following his death in battle with Uganda People's Defense Forces (UPDF). According to the decision, the warrant of arrest is rendered without effect therefore the name of Raska Lukwiya was removed from the case.

19 February 2008: Government of Uganda and the Lord's Resistance Army signs the "Annexure to the Agreement on Accountability and Reconciliation” providing for the establishment of a special division of the High Court of the Republic of Uganda, entrusted with the task of "trying individuals who are alleged to have committed serious crimes during the conflict" in Uganda in Juba Peace Talks.

February 29, 2008: Pre-Trial Chamber II requested the Government of the Republic of Uganda to provide information on the implications of the following two documents on the execution of the warrants of arrest, namely (a) the "Agreement on Accountability and Reconciliation Between the Government of the Republic of Uganda and the Lord's Resistance Army/Movement," signed on 29 June 2007 and (b) the "Annexure to the Agreement on Accountability and Reconciliation” providing for the establishment of a special division of the High Court of the Republic of Uganda, entrusted with the task of "trying individuals who are alleged to have committed serious crimes during the conflict" signed on 19 February 2008 Between the Government of Uganda and the Lord's Resistance Army in Juba Peace Talks.

March 27, 2008: The Government of Uganda sent its response in which it explained that "the establishment of the special division of the High Court and the enactment of the relevant legislation shall take place after the signing of the final peace agreement with the Lord's Resistance Army/Movement. With respect to the impact of these developments on the execution of the arrest warrants, the Government of Uganda stated that the special division of the High Court is not meant to supplant the work of the International Criminal Court.”

June 18, 2008: Pre-Trial Chamber II requested further information from the Republic of Uganda, after the reported failure to sign the final peace agreement by the respective parties. In particular, the Chamber requested information as to the steps undertaken by the Republic of Uganda with a view to executing the warrants of arrest.


July 9, 2008: The Republic of Uganda responded that the comprehensive peace agreement was indeed not signed; that the Republic of Uganda remained committed to executing the warrants of arrest; and that the Government of Uganda continues to spare no effort in its attempt to secure the cooperation of the DR Congo (DRC) in order to trace the LRA in the Garamba National Park, which is on the DRC territory.

PROCEEDINGS REGARDING THE ADMISSIBILITY OF THE CASE.

October 21, 2008: Pre-Trial Chamber II decided to initiate proceedings under article 19(1) of the Rome Statute with a view to determine whether the Court could still investigate and prosecute the case against Joseph Kony, Vincent Otti, Okot Odhiambo and Dominic Ongwen. In the same decision, Pre-Trial Chamber II appointed a Counsel for the Defence for the purpose of these proceedings and also invited the Prosecutor, the Counsel for the Defence, the Government of Uganda and victims, to submit their observations on the admissibility of the case.

18 November 2008: Pre-Trial Chamber II received and determined submissions of the Prosecution, the Counsel for the Defence, the Government of Uganda and the Office of Public Counsel for Victims on the admissibility of the case.

March 10, 2009: Based on submissions of the Prosecution, the Counsel for the Defence, the Government of Uganda and the Office of Public Counsel for Victims on the admissibility of the case on November 18, Pre-Trial Chamber II determined that “at this stage the case is admissible under article 17 of the Statute”.


March 16, 2009: The Counsel for the Defence lodged an appeal against Pre-Trial Chamber II's "Decision on the admissibility of the case under article 19(1) of the Statute of 10 March 2009.”

September 16, 2009: the Appeals Chamber rendered its decision confirming the decision previously taken by Pre-Trial Chamber II.

December 2008 - March 2009: Tthe armed forces of Uganda, the DR Congo and South Sudan launched aerial attacks and raids on the LRA camps in Garamba, destroying them, but the efforts to inflict a final military defeat on the LRA were not fully successful.
 
SURRENDER AND TRANSFER OF DOMINIC ONGWEN TO ICC.
 
January 16, 2015: Dominic Ongwen was surrendered to the ICC's Custody and transferred to the ICC Detention Centre in The Hague (Netherlands).

January 21, 2015: His initial appearance before the single Judge of Pre-Trial Chamber II, Judge Ekaterina Trendafilova, announced.

January 26, 2015: The hearing was held in the presence of the Prosecutor and the Defense. Dominic Ongwen was represented by his Duty Counsel, Hélène Cisse. The Single Judge verified the identity of the suspect, and ensured that he was clearly informed of the charges brought against him and of his rights under the Rome Statute of the ICC in a language he fully understands and speaks, Ongwen's native Acholi.

The opening of the confirmation of charges hearing in respect of Dominic Ongwen is provisionally set for 24 August 2015, a preliminary step to decide whether the case will be referred to a trial or not.

PARTICIPATION OF VICTIMS.

Pre-Trial Chamber II has granted 41 persons the status of victim authorised to participate in the case of The Prosecutor v. Joseph Kony, Vincent Otti, Okot Odhiambo and Dominic Ongwen.
 Note: The information contained in this compilation were gathered from various ICC OFFICIAL documents and are considered to be correct.

Six nations submit requests to support new UN Climate Technology Centre

Six nations submit requests to support new UN Climate Technology Centre

Peter Labeja

Copenhagen/Bonn, 25 June 2014 – Developing countries are now beginning to make active use of the United Nation’s new global network for climate technology solutions, the Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN). 

This constitutes a promising signal that momentum for climate action is building ahead of a new, universal climate agreement in 2015.

So far this year, six countries have submitted eight requests for technology assistance to the CTCN, which is headquartered in Copenhagen. These include Afghanistan, Bhutan, Chile, Colombia, Honduras and Pakistan.

The requests for support relate to a broad range of climate action, from renewable energy policies to public transportation, and from biodiversity monitoring to saving mangrove forests for coastal protection.

Welcoming the development, Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), said: “Innovation is the engine of development, and replacing current technologies with cleaner, low-carbon alternatives is a vital part of tackling the causes and effects of climate change. The Climate Technology Centre and Network works to accelerate the use of new technologies in improving the lives and livelihoods of millions of people in developing countries who are dealing with the impacts of climate change on a daily basis.”

According to Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the growing use of the CTCN is encouraging and now needs the necessary finance.

“As countries work towards a universal climate agreement in Paris in 2015, the CTCN provides yet another foundation upon which optimism and action is being built. For it to fully flourish and provide maximum support to developing country ambitions, the requests for support now need to be matched with the finance required, most notably through swift and sufficient capitalization of the Green Climate Fund,” she said.

Last week, the board of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) completed the essential policy requirements to make the fund operational. The GCF was established as a prime global channel to deliver public funds and to leverage private sector finance for developing country climate action.

Meanwhile, the CTCN has put all central requirements for the transfer of technology in place.

Since its launch in late 2013, over 80 countries have established national CTCN focal points (known as National Designated Entities) who work with country stakeholders to develop and relay requests to the Climate Technology Centre’s network of regional and sectoral experts from academia, the private sector, and public and research institutions.

A side event on the progress to date of the Technology Mechanism and the CTCN was held on the margins of Bonn Climate Change Conference on 7 June, 18:30-20:00.

This side event was organized collaboratively by the Technology Executive Committee (TEC) and the CTCN. It will opened by UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres, and will include presentations by the Director of the CTCN, Mr. Jukka Uosukainen, and the Chairs of the TEC and the CTCN.  More information: http://goo.gl/PUK0Kp.

For more information, please contact:
Karina Larsen, CTCN Knowledge & Communications Manager: +45 4533 5373; karina.larsen(at)unep.org

Website: www.unep.org/climatechange/ctcn/

Nick Nuttall, Coordinator, Communications and Outreach: +49 228 815 1400; +49 152 0168 4831 nnuttall(at)unfccc.int

John Hay, Communications Officer: +49 172 258 6944; jhay(at)unfccc.int
Website: unfccc.int

To read the original article: follow this link  

http://www.un.org/climatechange/blog/2014/06/02/six-nations-submit-requests-to-support-new-un-climate-technology-centre/

Bonn Talks Mark Kick Off To Paris Climate

Bonn Talks Mark Kick Off To Paris Climate Deal: Video Available

Peter Labeja Bonn, Germany - June 15, 2014:  As the UN climate negotiations in Bonn come to a close today, Climate Action Network members have cautiously welcomed the slow drumbeat building towards the international agreement due to be signed in Paris at the end of next year. Countries have agreed to further flesh out the content of 2015 agreement by the next session in October where negotiations must kick up a gear in order to stay on track. The co-chairs of the negotiations  on the Paris agreement said they would issue a new informal text by July 15 and more than 60 countries announced their support for a phase out of carbon pollution in line with CAN's own long term vision. This momentum around the international climate agreement was matched with good news from the capitals -  going into the negotiations, leading emitters such as the US and China, among other countries, gave strong political signals on climate action, announced plans to reduce emissions and introduced new plans to scale up renewable energy. Martin Kaiser, Head of International Climate Politics, Greenpeace said: “It’s a real breakthrough that almost one third of the world’s governments acknowledge that we have to switch from fossil fuels to clean energy in the space of one human generation. Governments can and must now act at the national and international level to make the big transformation happen and to switch to clean energy from sun and wind." Though the progress here in Bonn by negotiators was heartening, there’s not enough on the table.  Heads of Government to get involved to make the tough choices negotiators can’t At the UNSG's Climate Summit in September, Heads of Government can roll out new renewable energy plans and end subsidies for coal financing. Key to further building momentum will be seeing leaders fulfill their promises to put more money on the table to help poorer countries take climate action and to commit to submit their so-called contributions to the Paris agreement by March. Tasneem Essop, WWF’s Head of Delegation to the UNFCCC, said:  “Nelson Mandela once said, 'it always seems impossible, until it’s done.' So our message to governments here is that we have hard work ahead of us. We have to see the constructive spirit of these discussions translate into real political momentum. We have to keep our focus on the pre-2020 period, and close the growing gap between the actions countries have committed to and what the science tells us we need. We have to build on the momentum we saw here in Bonn if we are so have a successful outcome in Lima.” Click here to view video of the press conference given by CAN today.

Saving Baby Olara Elisha: Improving Child and Maternal health in Uganda.

Saving Baby Olara Elisha: Improving Child and Maternal health in Uganda.

Peter Labeja

Sister Teddy has coffee and pop corn for breakfast. When you see her walking through the health center wards, with her neat white uniform, her shoulder pads with colors of Uganda - Yellow, red, black, her mustard colored belt – the one specifically for senior obstetricians – and her nurse cap, large figure, serious look, you would not dare go near her.

But then you see her working, welcoming tens of mothers who attend the antenatal clinic every day. Sister Teddy is right there. She spends some more time with the younger mothers, during their first visit, and provides them with all the information they need. 

They have seen their mothers, aunts, cousins deliver in their huts, helped by elder women, traditional experts in birth attendance. They think you only go to the hospital when you are ill. Sister Teddy insists: they should inform their neighbours at the village. Every pregnant woman should access antenatal care, since babies – even unborn babies still inside their mothers – need care.

Then there are mothers pregnant with their second, third, fourth child, the Prevention of Mothers To Child Transmission (PMTCT) mothers. Sister Teddy knows all their stories. The one abandoned by her husband. The one who was born HIV-positive and has been fighting against the virus all her life. The one who does not want to tell her husband she found out she is HIV positive. Every mother who has been here knows that she is around. Sister Teddy gives each of them special attention. A comforting nod. A smile of encouragement. 

Sister Teddy has been in charge of the PMTCT program at Agoro Health Center IV for nearly ten years, ever since she accepted to work in Kitgum district. She took the job to her heart so much that during each review meeting she comes up with new activities to improve the services, the increasing number of mothers, the treatment methods. She knows all too well that working in a region, where the average number of children per family is seven, pregnancies are common. 

Traditionally, a woman carried her pregnancy and delivered in her village, helped by traditional birth attendants. Some deliveries were complicated, but mostly children were born healthy. HIV/AIDS destroyed this possibility. 

The Birth of Baby Olara Elisha.

In Uganda, with an HIV prevalence of 6.4 percent, a total number of 90,000 HIV positive women conceiving every year, and the likelihood of 20 to 45 percent that without intervention HIV is transmitted to the child, approximately 24,000 children would be born with HIV each year. This would mean a vicious cycle of transmission and lifelong treatment. 

Elisha’s second name is Olara. The name is meant to bring luck: a life of sickness that is changed by a miraculous meeting. In this case, the fairy is Grace, a woman from northern Uganda who has been pregnant for 9 months. She lives in Kitgum district where life is affected by the worst virus of the Millennium.

Olara has small eyes sparkling with expectation. Two tiny rows of white teeth, hidden by a shy smile. You can only get a glimpse of them in the darkness of her hut. He quietly listens to her Mom narrate how he was saved from St. Mary’s Hospital Lacor in Gulu district. She excitedly talks in Luo the language of northern Uganda, about the high fever baby Elisha developed shortly after birth. 

Grace appreciated the importance of giving birth at a health facility during her first delivery. She saw a mother lose her child after prolonged labour. She was determined to bring another life to planet earth, another bunch of joys to her family and make her husband love her more. Elisha arrived at about 1PM after seven hours of labour on March 08th, International Women’s day. Women converged to cheer his grand mum. 

Expected mothers unsure of what lies ahead. Attendants praying under their breath for normal labour. Grace was due to leave the hospital the next day when the unexpected struck. That morning, Elisha was diagnosed with surprising high fever. His temperature went to 39.8 according to his Medical form. He lost the appetite he had after birth to breast. 

With waning hopes, Grace called her husband to mobilize more money to sustain them for the one week the medical workers require to closely monitor and stabilize the young man’s condition. Grace entered the next phase of battle to save baby Elisha. Waking up after every two hours to have IV fluids and drugs administered. The routine was being shared by many mothers admitted in the Children’s Ward of St. Mary’s Hospital Lacor. The intensive care unit was kept busy. 

Back Home in Kitgum District. 

Back home in Kitgum district, at 6 months of pregnancy, she learned from radio news that Kitgum district lost 1,628 mothers and children at the Main government hospital in 2013 during labour. The report by the Ministry of health made the hospital second in the country with the highest maternal and child mortality rate. This is where Grace would be referred in case of complications. 

It is fed with patients from 12 lower health facilities and other neighbouring districts. All ill equipped to handle medical emergencies. Grace does not want to be among the unfortunate. She saved money and left for Gulu district. The district has been trying to clean its name over the last three years, through recruitment of more health workers. It hopes, tackling personnel gaps will bring in more dedicated midwives like Sister Teddy, and more gynecologists. Achieving this dream has turned in to a nightmare that haunts this district all the time. A recent advert for 20 midwives ended up with just eleven shortlisted for interviews. But why the nightmare?

David Omulangira Okuraja, the Kitgum district Chief Administrative Officer says Kitgum hospital has failed to attract and retain medical specialists. Two reasons; low pay and remoteness of the district. “We get some few specialists who often abandon their positions – preferring to work in other districts. Currently, Kitgum main hospital has only two doctors that we borrowed from lower health centers”, he asserted.

All civil servants are supervised and headed by the chief Administrative Officer (CAO). He says “doctors prefer to work in lower health centers where they attract better remuneration compared to Main hospitals where they earn peanuts”. 

A medical doctor at a health center IV (lower health center) is paid about 2.5 Million shillings as compared to a doctor’s 800,000 Uganda shillings in a Main hospital. The ministry of health believes that the bulk of the work is at community level where the health center IV is situated. This is not true in the case of Kitgum district. 

David Omulangira Okuraja says “the only two doctors at Kitgum Main hospital are surprisingly overwhelmed with referrals from the few ill equipped lower health center IVs in the district. Most of them lack functional theatres to handle complicated labour.

Low Wage Bills.

Uganda slapped a ban on civil service recruitment in 1990 citing low wage bills. Where recruitment was absolutely necessary, approval by the Head of Civil Service was required. 

Chris Kassami, the Secretary to the Treasury said three years ago that “the hiring freeze is one of several proposed austerity measures contained in 10.8 trillion Shillings budget for 2012/2013 Financial Year”. Government is yet to lift the ban since the 2011 economic depression eased. 

It is not all doom and gloom. The country is making a stride towards achieving the UN Millennium Development Goal 5 before 2015. Progress is however slow. By 2010, Uganda’s maternal deaths stood at 310 expectant mothers, over twice the 150 target set by the UN to be realized by 2015 compared to 600 in 1990 and 530 in the year 2000.

In Kitgum, available data puts the infant mortality rate at 106 per 1,000 live births while the maternal mortality rate stands at 365 per 1,000 deliveries. The children are left motherless and vulnerable. They are up to 10 times more likely to die prematurely than those growing up under the care of their mothers, according to the United Nations.

Margaret Aryemo, the Kitgum District Assistant Health Officer says there are many drivers for the high infant and maternal mortality rates including low up take of family planning and Antenatal services, high household poverty, lack of male involvement and inadequate numbers of medical personnel, high domestic violence leading to unplanned pregnancies among others.

To fast track the achievement of the Millenium Development Goal 5, government need to take deliberate efforts to protect pregnant women from domestic violence; involve more men in maternal health and wider reproductive health, increase access to contraception. In Addition, sexual and reproductive health counseling for men, women and adolescents must be encouraged to accelerate efforts to prevent child marriage and ensure that young women postpone their first pregnancies. 

The Write is a Pan African Climate Change and Environment Reporting Aware Winner 2013. He is the Bureau Chief of Uganda Radio Network in Kitgum District. For Comments on the Article, Use: peterlabeja@gmail.com

 

Ends.

LDCs Demand Climate Finance Figures from Rich Nations

PRESS RELEASE

Least Developed Countries demand climate finance figures from rich nations by end of year

Least Developed Countries Group press release

Bonn, Germany, 14 June, 2013: The world’s least developed countries have today called upon the industrialized nations to provide detailed information about the finance they are willing to provide to help the vulnerable adapt to climate change.

Speaking at the end of international negotiations under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the chair of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) Group, Prakash Mathema, said greater financial transparency was needed to implement action to tackle climate change.

The LDC Group requests each industrialised country to provide information on the levels of finance they have provided in 2013 and how much they will provide in future years. The group requests this information to include precise allocations for adaptation specifically, along with a breakdown of how much finance is for the LDCs. 

The LDCs request that the richer nations provide this information at COP19, the 19^th Conference of Parties to the UNFCCC, which takes place in Warsaw at the end of the year.

What follows is a statement from the LDC Chair Prakash Mathema of Nepal.

“The LDC Group expresses its deepest appreciation to the Annex 1 Parties who have made substantial contributions towards supporting adaptation in the LDCs. But there is too much uncertainty about where the future funds will come from. 

Delayed climate action and lack of ambition to close the mitigation gap will cost more tomorrow than today. We need to move to a sustainable climate smart pathway where life is possible for all and for generations to come. The LDCs, with their weak adaptive capacity and their extreme vulnerability to the adverse impacts of climate change, have already witnessed many catastrophic climate disasters and these events are going to be more frequent, intense and unpredictable. 

We are all aware of the fact that the level of concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has reached 400 parts per million, the highest level for some three million years. This is alarming. We lament the failure of parties to launch the negotiations under the UNFCCC’s Subsidiary Body for Implementation at the UN negotiations which ended today in Bonn. This is of grave concern to us as issues of implementation are key for the LDCs. We expect this not to happen again at COP19 in Warsaw later this year. 

Communities around the world have high expectations regarding this process and hope that we, as climate ambassadors, will take some bold decisions very soon to protect humanity from the adverse impacts of climate change. To implement such decisions, financial support is key. We need to act now and we need to act together.”

LDC group spokesperson in Bonn: ldc.unfccc.communication@gmail.com

Peter Labeja Wins Prestigious Award and Trip to Poland for Radio Piece

http://www.pacja.org/index.php/22-pacja/news/54-winners-of-the-first-ever-african-climate-change-environmental-reporting-award-accer-unveiled

The only Applicant among 13 finalists with two stories in final.

Uganda's long walk to Middle Income Country.

http://www.afdb.org/en/news-and-events/article/afdb-leverages-support-to-middle-income-countries-7009/

President Museveni often speak about getting the country to Middle Income Country. Find out where African Development Bank placed us in 2010 in above link.

The Question of Infrastructure in Africa.

Insufficient infrastructure development an obstacle to Africa’s growth – President

May 26, 2013

Press Release

President Yoweri Museveni has commended the African Union for supporting efforts geared at creating regional economic blocs like ECOWAS, COMESA, EAC, SADC and others, that are aimed at ensuring Africa from economic marginalization and future re colonization.

He said that this is one of the factors that have led African economies to grow at the rate of 5% per annum while some other parts of the world are growing at miserable rates.

The President was last evening addressing African Heads of State and Government, and other world leaders who converged on the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa to celebrate the occasion of commemorating the 50th anniversary of the founding of the OAU/AU.

The President however cautioned that unnecessary non tariff barriers, unequal distribution of benefits within the economic blocks and insufficient attention to infrastructural development remain obstacles to sustaining and surpassing this growth rate.

The President commended the East African Community EAC for supporting the unity of its people and whose treaty aims at an eventual political federation. He emphasized that economic and political integration were the two factors that can give full meaning to the renaissance of Africa adding that when we are united we are bound to win.

“Africa was colonized because we were not united unlike the Chinese and Japanese who in spite of their inferior technology they were able to unite and defeat European colonialism,” he said.

Turning to the founders of the OAU, President Museveni commended them for their determination to defeat militarily the incorrigible colonial and racist white regimes that were controlling Southern Africa at that time. He cited FRELIMO led by Samora Machel which by1970s had defeated the big offensive Operation Gordian Knot by the Portuguese General Kaulza D'Arriaga and subsequently to the total liberation of Mozambique.

He said that the blows the Portuguese were receiving in Mozambique were duplicated in Angola and Guinea Bissau leading to their independence. These developments in turn led to the collapse of the Fascist Regime in Portugal in 1974.and the defeat of the white minority regime of Ian Smith in Zimbabwe. By 1994 South Africa and Namibia he said had been liberated by military action, lending credence that when Africa is united, nothing can stop it.

The occasion was punctuated by an extravaganza of various African entertainment depicting dance and drama from a number of national dancing troupes. It was earlier addressed by the host Ethiopian Premier and current African Union Chairman H.E Hailemariam Desalegn who said that the 50th OAU/AU Anniversary was also an opportunity to pay homage to our fore fathers who sacrificed their lives in the struggle for Africa’s independence and the founders of the Organization of African Unity who evolved the Pan African spirit to consolidate the achievements attained at independence, pursue total independence, stability and democracy for the continent. He said Africa's vision in the next 50 years is to attain full economic integration and attain a middle income status.

The AU Commission chairperson Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma and other African Heads of State and Governments as well as other visiting world leaders attended.

Earlier in the day, while contributing to the Jubilee debate during the special commemorative summit of Heads of State and Government held at the AU Commission Conference Centre the Ugandan leader called on international lending agencies of the world to support the development of economic infrastructures in Africa like electricity generation, roads and railways instead of placing emphasis on profit.

The Anniversary celebrations were also attended by the United Nations Secretary General Mr. Ban Ki Moon.

END