October 12, 2007...2:27 pm
Africa’s Missing Billions
By Sahra Caffarate, Control Arms Campaigner
Well it’s not everyday that you get to eat breakfast with ambassadors, but that’s exactly what the team here got to do yesterday morning. Yesterday saw us all rising at the rather traumatising hour of 6am for a breakfast meeting with African States, to launch a new Oxfam, IANSA & Saferworld report called ‘Africa’s Missing Billions’.
The report highlights the fact that not only has Africa’s conflicts cost the continent massively in human lives & suffering, but it has also cost the continent billions of dollars in lost economic opportunities. 300 billion between 1997-2005 to quote the exact figure in the report. Now it may have been because it was so very early in the morning, but none of us here on the team could really comprehend just how much 300 billion actually was - think about it for a moment- it’s a huge, huge amount of money.
The President of Liberia, Mrs Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, who had written the forward for the report, sent in a video message to the event asking the room to consider what that 300 billion dollars could have done in the fight against AIDS, TB & malaria on the continent, & how many children it could have sent to school. It was a sobering moment, and the message hit home.
I hope the African Ambassadors who attended the event will remember her request. Those lost billions could have changed the fortune of the continent they represent, & they have the power to speak up & keep the pressure on at the UN during the ATT decision-making process.
By no means is an ATT a complete solution, it will not help Africa recover those billions alone, but a treaty that controls the flow of weapons around the world will surely be a good place to start.
5 Comments
October 18, 2007 at 3:39 pm
” I see the destruction due to arms in the wrong hands; a life lost, a family deprived of their bread winner, another young person recruited into crime, lost youth…and the list is endless. I do support you.”
October 18, 2007 at 3:46 pm
aku sangat mendukung untuk pengawasan dan pengotrolan senjata2 di dunia. karena banyak sekali kejadian pembunuh yg terjadi karena kesalah dari pihak pemegang senjata. banyak penyalagunaan yg sengaja dibuat oleh para pemegang yang hanya untuk gagah-gagahan saja. thanks
October 18, 2007 at 7:32 pm
We all should be ashamed of the state Africa is in and, how many more years, wars, lives and money will take for the governments of the world to do something about it? I feel sick when I see the news with horror stories of this part of the world. I think it’s urgent to save the continent of Africa.
October 19, 2007 at 11:42 am
How long would the world be in a state of confusion,misuse of economic resources due to baseless abition by people in their quest for leadership.People in the continent of the world should be ranking their preferences in the use of economic resources and stop wasting monies on war.There have been huge lose in billions,lifes and other cultural facet due to the constant wars in the world more especially the African Continent.This most be stop rich Africans need think of the future of others and invest their monies in a more meaningful ways.
November 28, 2007 at 12:51 am
As long as world controlling governments, continue pouring “what seems like endless wealth” into undeveloped countries in quest of there natural resources, whilst abstaining from safegaurding the re-distribution and application of this wealth.
These very governments are to blame! And once again the the old addverb “Pillage” comes to mind, or giving candy to a child.
Without formal hands on, jointly controled inter governmental agreements and structures. Stating clear goals with timeliness, this will forever be the fate of all nations that are not part of the above.
The future exists in history, these and many other distaters have and will continue replaying themselves, while we the “masses” enslaved without the power to controle the very people that we placed in power.
Thank You, and God speed in your endeavor.
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