SOCIAL WATCH E-NEWSLETTER - Issue 79 - march 23, 2012

Issue 79 - march 23, 2012

African countries set to reform their mining sector

African ninisters of mineral resources resolved, in a conference in Addis Ababa last December, to move into action to reform the sector to the benefit of the people. The action plan they approved includes amendments to the fiscal framework in order to optimize those benefits. “The days when mining in Africa was seen as rent-seeking activity are drawing to a close with the call by most of the countries to make mining a broad-based growth and development activity that is a key component of a diversified, vibrant and industrializing economy,” explains African Agenda, Third World Network-Africa’s bi-monthly magazine, in the editorial of its last edition.
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Malaysia: Mega projects go on without public consultation

The Consumers Association of Penang (CAP, a member of the Malaysian Social Watch coalition) is complaining on the lack of public consultation by the Penang state government regarding several mega projects that include the construction of a 6.5 km undersea tunnel, a 12 km road and two bypasses of more than 4.0 km.
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Canada: CCPA calls on federal government to scrap spending cut plans

With the release of its annual Alternative Federal Budget, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) urges the federal government to table a detailed budget that restores Canadians’ trust in the economy, public institutions, and democracy. The proposal launched by the CCPA, one of the national focal points of Social Watch in the North American country, addresses the concerns of mainstream Canada by putting forward a public investment plan that promotes a better quality of life for all Canadians, not just an elite few.
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Kinda Muhamadieh: Arab civil society is looking beyond political reforms

Tunisian and Egyptian civil society organizations “are not just looking at political reform, but also looking at economic reform, debt cancellation, and the relationship with the European Union (EU) and overall transition process,” according to Kinda Muhamadieh, programme manager at the Arab NGO Network for Development (ANND).
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