FRANCOPHONY DAY
Need to safeguard different forms of
cultural expressions in order to guarantee access to the cultural services
-Claude Ambrosini, French Ambassador in
Nepal
If you allow me, I would like to briefly
recall what Francophny is before evoking more at length a new concept which registers in
the problematic of international relations, I mean to say the notion of "Cultural
diversity" which France offers, not only to her partners in the French speaking world
but to the whole of the International community in reply, in a fair minded way for all, to
the challenge given by globalisation.
But to begin with, the Francophony we are
celebrating today – As you know, this is a drawn-up scheme, conceived 33 years ago to
this day, in Niamey, Niger, from the will of five great friends of France, Presidents
Habib BOURGUIBA of Tunisia, Hamani DIORI of Niger, Leopold SEDAR SENGHOR of Senegal,
Prince Norodom SIHANUK of Cambodia and the Lebanese Charles HELOU.
Francopony wishes not only to bring together
the countries and people who share the practice of the French language, it is also an
institution which brings to the world a humanistic contribution founded on a community of
values in a spirit of solidarity.
It has become, along the years and the
summits of its heads of States which mark out its history every four years, an
organization of multi-lateral cooperation, lively and dynamic, which regroups 56member
States and associates, prompted by a political project. Beyond the fact of belonging to a
same community of language, it defends in today’s world the universal values of
Democracy, of Human Rights, of access for each and all to culture, to well being and to
the rule of law. In short, I quote here President Jacques CHIRAC in his speech at the High
Council of Francophony in Paris on 12th February 2002, Francophony is the answer to a need
for the present and above all for the future, "the need to contribute to the
opening-up of civilizations, to their mutual understanding and also to the respect of each
one of them".
And this brings me, all too naturally, to
speak to you about a new challenge offered to the world, under the impulse of Canada first
and now of France, that of the Cultural Diversity in a world submitted to the law of
business, to the imperatives of Economy and standardize the production including in the
field of cultural services and goods. And it is indeed today, against the threats of
domination and of impoverishment that globalization imposes on our cultures, that we must
react. We must act in such a way that States and Governments may draw appropriate politics
so as to be able on one side to safeguard the different forms of cultural expressions and
on the other side to guarantee access to the Cultural services and products of all kinds.
To achieve this, France is convinced that the
diversity of production of cultural services and products, that the consumption of these
same goods and services must come absolutely and in priority above maintaining the
cultural exception in the agreements which govern the World Trade Organization. Indeed we
consider that WTO is not the relevant place to deal with these matters. Therefore, the
States must have the ability to protect their freedom to decide and act in order to
develop and maintain their own policies in the field of culture. The goods and cultural
services should indeed not be put together with ordinary products and left to the
free-trade market.
Several steps have already been taken, which
aim at giving a legal frame to the protection and promotion of cultural diversity, in
particular the adoption by UNESCO, during its 31st General Conference in November 2001 of
the "Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity" and also during the workshop
of the Johannesburg Summit on Sustainable Development – The participants to the last
ministerial meeting of the International Network on Cultural Policy in October 2002,
presided by Canada, ratified an international convention project as a working base and
agreed, France before all, that UNESCO was the appropriate multilateral body to receive
the adoption of this convention on cultural diversity and to implement it. The Head of
State and of Governments of the Francophone countries reiterated during the last
Francophony Summit in Beirut in October 2002, their support to have UNESCO adopt "an
international convention which enhances the rights to maintain, define and develop
policies supporting culture and cultural diversity". The final text of this
convention, which will be compulsory in the field of law and thanks to which cultural form
will counterbalance the rules of the WTO is to be submitted to the general conference of
UNESCO in 2005.
The discussions which will take place in the
months to come are a vital stake for the balance and the orientation of the world in which
our children are to live.
Speech delivered by the Ambassador of
France, Mr. Claude Ambrosini, on March,20th 2003 on the eve of the Francophony day at the
Alliance Francaise in Kathmandu—Editor.
Gene therapy: cells and
genes to the rescue
By Catherine Alemu, journalist, France
This technological revolution is certainly
involved in the upheavals currently affecting the world of biology. In the last hundred
and fifty years, this "young" science has moved from the study of the biggest
complexes – living organisms – to elementary units – genes, via the study
of organs and cells. As the rate of research is accelerating, modern biology is in the
process of opening the doors to therapies that may be able, tomorrow, to cure pathologies
that as yet have no solution, writes Catherine Alemu- editor.
Each year, in France, one in every 5,000
children is affected by a hereditary immunodeficiency. Faced with these genetic illnesses
which are often fatal, gene therapy – which repairs or rather tries to overcome the
deficiencies of defective cells – represents an immense source of hope for many
people. However, at the present time, as the French scientist Jean-Michel Claverie points
out wisely, "it is estimated that 10% of human genes will be of interest to
pharmaceutical companies".
Innovative operations on an international
scale have taken place in France. For example by the team of Professor Alain Fischer, of
the Necker Hospital (Paris), who has managed successfully to treat several children
required to stay in sterile tents because they suffer from a severe multiple
immunodeficiency. However, one of these children has recently developed leukaemia, and
this has led to a halt in clinical trials and reminds us that our understanding of this
new form of therapy is, for the time being, in its infancy.
While gene therapy is still a long way from
being able to get the better of all forms of genetic illnesses, researchers certainly hope
to be able to use it, eventually, to fight cancer by integrating in affected cells a gene
that will make them more receptive to chemotherapy.
Potentially capable of treating certain
neurological, cardio-vascular or endocrinal diseases (such as diabetes for example), cell
therapy makes use of the cell to repair a tissue or organ and thus restore a function. The
organism contains several types of cell, among these are mature cells, such as neurones,
muscle cells or liver cells which are dedicated to very precise functions.
Philippe Menasch‚ heart surgeon at the
Bichat Hospital in Paris, became famous in 2000 for carrying out the first autograft of
muscle cells in a patient of seventy-two, whose heart had been partly damaged by several
heart attacks. Cells extracted from the patient’s thigh were put into culture then
injected into his heart in the course of a heart bypass operation. The same year, a French
team directed by Professor Marc Peschanski, at the Henri-Mondor hospital in Créteil,
succeeded with the first graft of foetal neurones onto a patient suffering from
Huntington’s chorea, a degenerative disease of the brain.
Other types of adult cells known as
"immature" or original cells, are not constantly active. They can, under certain
circumstances, adapt to their environment and give rise to functional cells after a long
period of differentiation. Highly sought-after, these adult original cells are rare (found
mainly in the bone marrow) and difficult to multiply in culture. On the other hand, the
capacity for proliferation in culture of original cells from embryos, produced in excess
numbers during in vitro fertilisation as part of medically assisted reproduction, seems
limitless. However their "exploitation" still arouses a great deal of
controversy. As well as ethical questions, studied within the European Union, these cells
from embryos may cause tumors to develop.
To overcome the secondary effects of these
cells (such as immunological rejection), scientists are proposing to use therapeutic
cloning, a practice which consists of transferring a cell nucleus taken from the patient
into an ovum that has had its own nucleus removed. The embryo thus obtained (a clone) then
becomes a source of immunologically neutral original cells.
One thing leads to
another...
While experiments have already taken place on
animals, we are a long way from taking the plunge with humans, and for good reason. How
will we be able to guard against possible deviations in the use of these clones? For the
time being, the European Union seems to prefer not to involve itself in the debate on the
exploitation of the embryo.
France, for its part, has just, in 2002,
revised its law on bioethics dating from 1994. This means, to put it plainly, giving the
green light to research programmes related particularly to embryonic original cells (from
2003), at the same time as putting in place safeguards such as the APEGH (Agence de la
procréation, de l’embryologie et de la génétique humaine) (human reproduction,
embryology and genetics office). So, in spite of the economic and industrial need not to
hamper this rapidly growing sector, warnings are clearly being issued by French members of
parliament about the risk of drifting towards human reproductive cloning (a crime
punishable in France by twenty years imprisonment).
Vigilance is also required with regard to the
ability to patent human genes. In this field, eminent critics are raising their voices.
For the Minister of Health, Jean-François Mattei, involved for a long time in bioethical
matters, there is no question of giving support to trade in the genome. But is it not
already too late to get on this hobbyhorse, when in practice, in the United States, Japan
or Europe, there are already increasing numbers of patent applications filed in patent
offices to reserve the rights to use millions of sequences of DNA of human origin?
Text courtesy: Label France N 49,
Jan-March 2003. Embassy of France in Nepal.
Water for All: Every
Drop Counts
ADB’s "Water For All"
policy provides a comprehensive framework to address water within a holistic vision
By Wouter Lincklaen Arriens ,Lead Water
Resources Specialist
Water is essential to life.
Yet poor management of this precious resource
has brought about poverty, disease, environmental degradation, and conflict. In the Asia
and Pacific region, the problems are especially dire, where the supply of freshwater is
among the lowest in the world.
One in three Asians lacks access to safe
drinking water within 200 meters of home, and half the people living in Asia do not have
basic sanitation. Until these needs are met, productivity, income, and health continue to
be at risk. Water use and wastewater discharge are increasing, raising competition for
existing and new supplies and degrading the resource base. The poor are hardest hit by
water scarcity, lack of access, pollution, and flooding — all of which further
marginalize their existence.
To address these challenges in its developing
member countries - DMCs, ADB approved its water policy, "Water for All," in
January 2001. The policy reflects the extensive consultative process that helped create
it. The dialogue continued over several years and included three international workshops
involving government officials, water policy experts, nongovernment organization
representatives, and other stakeholders. All water subsectors contributed to the policy,
including urban and rural water supply and sanitation, wastewater management, irrigation
and agriculture, as well as the broader environment sector.
A clear message from stakeholders during
these discussions was that the only way to meet human needs for water use and also avoid a
crisis of scarcity, pollution, and severe environmental degradation would be to adopt a
holistic approach to water management.
Seven Elements of the Policy
ADB’s "Water for All" policy
provides a comprehensive framework to address water within such a holistic vision. It
balances the need for improved service delivery with economic development and sustainable
management of the resource, both of which are necessary to achieve a reduction in the
incidence of poverty.
The water policy is built around the
following seven elements to assist DMCs in meeting the water challenges they face. These
elements also provide guidance for ADB lending and nonlending assistance in the water
sector to DMCs.
Promote a National Focus on Water Sector
Reform. ADB will help its DMCs adopt effective national water policies and laws, support
the strengthening of their institutional capacity, and assist in developing a national
water policy agenda for the water sector.
The needs of the poor will be recognized in
the legal, institutional, and administrative frameworks throughout all reform and policy
development activities.
Foster Integrated Water Resources Management
(IWRM). IWRM, which embodies the holistic view of water management, aims to ensure the
coordinated development and management of water, land, and related resources to maximize
economic and social welfare, without compromising the sustainability of vital economic
systems.
ADB will promote IWRM in its DMCs by
supporting comprehensive water resources assessments and using a basin approach to water
resources planning and development.
Improve and Expand the Delivery of Water
Services. Social upliftment from the drudgery of poverty can be achieved by improving the
health and livelihood opportunities of the poor. One way to accomplish this is by
improving delivery of services such as water supply, sanitation, and irrigation.
The water policy seeks to improve performance
by increasing the autonomy and accountability of water service providers. This can often
be achieved by enlarging the role of the private sector and introducing competition. A
critical concern of ADB’s policy for expanded and improved service delivery is to
ensure that the poor benefit from these activities.
Foster the Conservation of Water and Increase
System Efficiencies. Prudent and efficient use of existing water supplies is an integral
part of the water policy. ADB will encourage peak systems performance in projects aimed at
recovering costs and will work with developing member partners to raise awareness of the
value and importance of conserving water.
Promote Regional Cooperation and Increase the
Mutually Beneficial Use of Shared Water Resources Within and Among Countries. The policy
includes a commitment to work toward heightening awareness of the benefits of shared water
resources. ADB also pledges to help its DMCs create sound hydrologic, social, and
environmental databases that will improve the management of transboundary water resources.
ADB will encourage DMCs with shared water resources to implement joint projects for mutual
benefit.
Facilitate Exchange of Water Sector
Information and Experience Among Stakeholders. Improvements in water service delivery and
management of water resources affect all stakeholders. Thus, consultation, participation,
and building partnerships at all levels are vital elements of the policy. These activities
are critical to ensure access to water by the poor, as well as their representation in
water resources management and development decisions.
Improve Governance. Improving governance over
water resources is a crosscutting theme in all aspects of water management and water
service delivery. Decentralization, devolution, capacity development, strengthening
institutions, improving monitoring, and fostering learning and research at all levels are
important activities that ADB will support through its lending and technical assistance
programs.
Changes Within ADB
"The principal goal of ADB's policy is
to move from rhetoric to action, and ensure that there will truly be clean water for
all"
ADB launched three initiatives in 2002 to
facilitate the implementation of the policy.
A Water Sector Committee was created under
the newly reorganized ADB. The committee is made up of ADB staff members and gives
strategic guidance and other support to help mainstream the water policy objectives into
ADB operations.
A Water Sector Network was initiated in 2002
to stimulate knowledge management and make it easier for ADB’s water staff members to
draw on each other’s resources and link to external knowledge centers and networks.
ADB established a Cooperation Fund for the
Water Sector, a multidonor facility to promote effective water management policy and
practices at the regional, subregional, and country levels of ADB DMCs and help catalyze
the implementation of ADB’s water policy. The fund has six categories of activities
that it supports to achieve its goals: promotion and public awareness; knowledge base and
capacity building; pilot demonstration; water partnerships; regional events and
initiatives; and program coordination, monitoring, and evaluation. Initial contributions
to the fund have come from the Government of the Netherlands, with other countries now
considering making contributions.
The water focal point in the Regional and
Sustainable Development Department, with oversight from the Water Sector Committee,
directs the use of the fund to manage a program that supports implementation of the water
policy’s objectives. The principal goal of these activities is to move from policy to
practice and implementation— from rhetoric to action—to ensure that there will
truly be clean water for all poor people in ADB’s DMCs. |
