our effort should be directed
toward an inclusive globalization
-Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, Bangladesh
SAARC has a special place in my heart. Its guiding motivation is rooted in
the wisdom of its founder and chief architect, late President Ziaur Rahman. This was to
improve the quality of life of common people of South Asia in an environment of peace.
SAARC's strength lies in striving to achieve what is attainable, to advance cooperation
wherever possible and to concentrate on what unites rather than what divides us. This
vision remains as relevant today, as it was when President Zia envisaged this forum.
In looking towards SAARC's future directions, we must candidly evaluate its
limitations and strengths. SAARC has become a bystander, and not a catalytic agent of
change. Five constraints are flagged in passing:
# SAARC is yet to formulate, let alone implement, a single regional project.
# National self-assertion still impedes regional cooperation.
# SAARC has made no dent in alleviating poverty.
# International developments impinge little on SAARC's progress. SAARC does
not work closely with similar organizations.
# Decision making in SAARC is slow.
The above list of shortcomings is meant for remedial action and not is a
measure of despair. Indeed, our achievements can't either be discounted
# SAARC has attained a structured institutional shape. We have to some extent
closed the critical information and communication gaps separating us. People to people
contact has grown and produced a real sense of South Asian identity.
# More substantively, our cooperation through Integrated Program of Action,
IPA, has created a web of interaction in new and imaginative ways.
# Instruments such as Independent Commissions, Task Forces and Groups of
Eminent Persons have proved useful, cost efficient ways to concentrate on key issues of
importance to SAARC. Pioneering studies have been carried out on poverty alleviation,
disaster management, environment, trade, manufactures and services.
# SAARC leaders have devised mechanisms such as annual meetings of Finance,
Planning and commerce Ministers in order to engage in dialogues on macro-economic policies
and to share experiences and ideas.
# SAARC has moved considerably forward in signing various Conventions,
Treaties and Arrangements including those on drugs, terrorism and preferential trading.
Several proposals are underway for new instruments or additions in all these areas.
# Meanwhile, SAARC has taken several initiatives, for example, consolidating
the common position of member-states in various international for a; strengthening
linkages among professional groups; liberalizing the intra-regional movement of people
establishing long-range focus on children through such measure as the Decade for the Girl
Child, the 1990s, and the Decade for the Rights of the Child, the first decade of the new
century.
The bottom line in summing up SAARC's achievement consists of three factors:
To consolidate our past gains; # To move firmly towards the implementation of SAARC
initiatives keeping in mind the need for a regional focus and orientation. # To find the
resolve to take new decisions.
The shortcomings and successes outlined above allow us to focus on certain
fundamental priorities.
Our main goal is to reduce poverty. SAARCs pledge to eradicate poverty by the
year 2002 is unlikely. However, the agenda remains valid. Underpinning it are certain key
perceptions-that poverty reduction is the center-piece of development; that the poor are
efficient and that though economic growth is essential to reduce poverty, the patterns of
growth is as important as its rate.
Strategies molded by these perceptions assume three major dimensions-social
mobilization, decentralization and most important of all, human resource development. I
call this as the "Dal Bhaat" approach. This is to ensure food security, basic
education specially for gils, primary health care, safe drinking water, sanitation,
shelter, voluntary family planning and the protection of women and children.
In implementing this agenda, SAARC must pool together information and data
and share its rich experience. This is specially so in the transfer of labor intensive
technology, grass-roots participation in self-employment schemes, micro-credit programs,
local development and empowerment of the poor. Attention must also be focused on urban
poverty in view of the rapid urbanization in South Asia in recent years. Finally as part
of poverty alleviation, special emphasis should be laid on ensuring the rights of women
and children.
Reducing poverty needs a high growth rate. SAARC's success will depend on how
we cooperate in core economic areas of trade and investment. Negotiations for tariff
reduction under SAFTA have taught us some valuable lessons. We are now aware how
inadequate they are, if we exclude commodities of interest to all countries and if tariff
concessions do not extend to actively traded commodities. Trade promotioon calls for
dismantling of non-tariff barriers. It must also reduce value-added requirements under the
rules of origin. Failure to redress these impediments will affect the creation of
region-wide trading space.
The third priority is dealing with globalization. Globalization has profound
implications, both positive and negative. Globalization entails greater mobility of
capital, labor and technology and transcends national frontiers. The benefits are
obvious-faster growth, better living standards and new opportunities. However, the
downside is that the benefits are unequally distributed and ignore social objectives. They
also involve danger of drugs, terrorism, pollution, diseases and arms and movements of
people that invade all societies and respect no border. Therefore, our effort should be
directed toward an inclusive globalization from below, which will benefit common people
through new ideas, opportunities and technologies.
Excerpts from the speech made by Madame Prime Minister Khaleda Zia at the
inaugural ceremony of SAARC XI, held in Kathmandu in January this year-Chief editor.
The European imperative: Germany's new role
-Theo Sommer, Journalist, Germany
The European Imperative:
Alongside the self-assertion imperative the European imperative continues to
have an unabated effect. 20th century Europe:;75 years of bloodshed and terror. However,
this terror has been overcome, as European states have grown closer together. In 1979
Helmut Schmidt created the European Currency system: in 1990 the Common Market came into
force and in Maastricht-one year after German-reunification-the stage was set for the
common currency and political union. It was to Helmut Kohl's credit that he didn't turn
his back on the European idea after the restoration of German unity and that he chose in
fact to support the unification process more than ever. The EU now comprises 15 members
and after eastern expansion it could comprise 27 members by the middle of this century.
Moreover, the Schengen Agreement, which has abolished border and customs controls between
13 EU countries, has been in force since the spring of 1995. On January 1, 1999, Europe's
common currency was introduced and in a few days people in 12 EU countries will have the
new common currency, the Euro, in their pockets. (The euro is already in circulation
beginning this January-editor). The euro offers the Brussels union a promising launching
pad into the 21st century. For some time now discussions have been underway about an even
more ambitious project: a European Constitution. The birth of such an idea will not be
devoid of complications and a unified vision is still a long way off. Yet there is a
greater need than ever before for a better definition of overlapping areas of
responsibility and jurisdiction between regions, states and community institutions:
perhaps in the form of a new constitution? Like all EU achievements to date it will not be
easy and it will take time but it will come to in the end. The German Foreign Minister
Joschka Fischer sparked off the discussion with his Humboldt speech in May 2000. And one
thing's for sure: the EU has to integrate more than ever, not just at economic or foreign
policy and security levels but also, just as important, at a political level.
Guidelines for the future:
Germany must continue to dedicate itself to the European idea which, in turn,
should strive to achieve that old goal of a federalist-not centralist-Europe. In the short
term, Europe can aim for a united Europe of States but it should not lose sight of its
long-term aim: the United States of Europe. As regards asserting itself, Germany should
continue to seek this within an organization; for example, NATO in its present and future
form as well as the military potential that the EU is striving to set up.
In this respect it will continue to be of vital importance for the Germans to
keep their relations with Washington intact. The threat posed by international terrorism
will remain a constant challenge. In the end, it could be a question of weighing up at the
start what crises Germany should get involved in, what ones it should not and in what
situations it should keep an open mind; not least, in order to avoid unreasonable demands.
Can we in fact afford to translate words into action? Should we limit ourselves from the
outset-as regard manpower, finances and geography? Or should we, conversely, follow the
English maxim: "Put your money where your mouth is"'? Both solutions would be
preferable to an unpredictable foreign policy based on the state of the finances.
Yet there is more to German foreign policy than merely continuing the
Europeanization process and an unabated determination to assert itself. The one lesson to
be learned from:; "Afghanistan" is that it would be criminal, indeed foolhardy,
to ignore the fact that while Bin Laden manipulates the feelings of hundreds of millions
of people for his own false ends, these feelings nevertheless do exist. There is a
connection between the alienation of many Muslims and the unresolved Palestine issue in
the same way as there is a connection between the misery of countless of people and their
readiness to pin the blame for their situation on the industrialized nations.
Globalization improved many people's prospects, whether in the North or the South. Yet
many people could not keep up and are now limping along, without hope, behind those who
are storming ahead. There must be greater efforts to give them specific help. After ten
years of unity the Federal Republic of Germany is currently in the process of grasping its
own historical significance. It has built up traditions, must assimilate new experiences.
History has put Germany out to sea in the uncertain waters of global politics. The
country's leaders must now redefine-or define more clearly than before-how they propose to
turn tradition and experience into guidelines for the new century.
Dr. Theo Sommer was editor-in-chief/publisher of the German weekly "Die
Zeit", he is now the paper's "editor at large". Text courtesy: Deutschland
E No 6/2001. Embassy of Germany in Kathmandu.
French classical music producer; envy of big record companies
The French producer and distributor Harmonia Mundi beams with almost insolent
health in the depressed classical music market. At a time when big record companies are
suffering from a regular fall in sales, the independent record-producer is doing well with
a turnover of 300 million francs. What are the reasons for a success that has lasted 43
years?
Big record publishers are less and less interested in classical music. Yet,
although it gives them a good brand image, the five groups, which control it, Warner, EMI,
Sony, Universal and BMG, are going through a crisis. Sales figures fell from 10% to 6%
between 1994 and 2000. Professionals are counting on a floor of 5% of the record market.
The latest upsets announced in March 2001 are the closure of Teldec and Erato,
subsidiaries of the Warner Classics International division.
In this context of change, Bernard Coutaz, the founder of Harmonia Mundi,
points out; "We are not experiencing a crisis in records through a crisis in
"majors". The public is growing strongly and th figures speak for themselves.
For the year 2000, there were 6 million people attending classical concerts, 1.2 million
spectators in the 300 classical musical festivals and record audiences for specialized
radio stations"'. The public is out there. We have to go out to meet it. "Faced
with the crisis, we have started distributing other brands and we have opened Harmonia
Mundi stores".
1992 saw the opening of the first sales point in Arles, in Provence, in the
South of France. Since that date, 35 stores have opened in France and 3 in Spain. The act
of buying has a social dimension. "We offer a small area, a different atmosphere, a
welcome, advice, competence and the possibility to listen to the records". As a
result, sales are increasing by between 8% to 10% every year and 40% of Harmonia Mundi's
overall turnover is obtained this way. The publisher intends to distribute his catalogue
outside the network, in sales points that are not connected with music.
To manage with the high cost of recordings, Harmonia Mundi has chosen to
diversify its activities. The group distributes foreign and French catalogues and thus
claims 11% of the classical market. The Arles based publisher also produces jazz, world
music and records for children. He also brings out books. In all, he distributes some
thirty publishers, from literature from the Far East with Phillipe Picquier publications
to the beautiful books of Editions Plume. The Mas de Vert company in Arles, which keenly
maintains its independence, has five subsidiaries in England, the US, Germany, Spain and
Benelux and employs 250 people all over the world.
The group is so successful that record giants are seeking to buy the holding,
Bernard Coutaz asserts. "I have had all the managing directors of the multinationals
dropping by, on a pilgrimage, knowing that the company was doing well and that old man is
75". Harmonia Mundi's founder considers that its success is partly the result of a
policy consisting of never disturbing the dividends to be able to plough all the profits
back into the company every year. "I have never given into the temptation of money.
For the rest, I have always followed my feeling, my enthusiasm and my pleasure and I am
lucky to have a good team"'. Bernard Coutaz works with his son Benoit and his wife
Eva, the company's artistic director, a woman whom the BBC magazine listed in fourth
position among personalities having promoted music, after Pierre Boulez, William Christie
and Ruggero Raimondi.
Optimistic about Harmonia Mundi's future, Bernard Coutaz considers that it is
time to give real support to recorded music and not just crocodile tears. He even suggests
denouncing the harmful effects of globalization and profit: a message, which has been
received. |
