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The AU's funding woes continue
Posted by GGA Dev | Jan 5, 2017 | 0 |
With member states failing to cough up dues, the African Union is perennially short on funds
In July 2016, at its summit in Kigali, Rwanda, the African Union (AU) unveiled a new funding model. The new fiscal plan was expected to raise about $1,2 billion annually — or nearly triple the AU's current budget. Commenting on it, the AU Commission said the institution was ready to shed its dependence on foreign donations. The AU had made "some progress" in this regard, but should look to finalising its decisions on "sustainable financing" said the Commission's chairperson, South Africa's Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.
But the announcement raised questions. Many AU member countries do not pay their annual dues, or pay them late. For years most of the AU's budgets and programmes have been financed by foreign donors, including the European Union, the US, China, the World Bank and the United Kingdom, according to its financial statements. While the AU's budget grew from $278,2 million in 2013 to $393,4 million in 2015, external financing also rose from 56% to 61,7% in the corresponding years. This is according to the Southern African Legal Information Institute (SALII), which documents AU policies. This year the proportion of foreign funding fell slightly to 59% of the AU's $416,8 million total budget, SALII said, but the amount paid by external parties still constituted the majority of the institution's income.
"If African nations cannot fund the AU's budget, it says something that is not complimentary," Chris Ngwodo, an Abuja-based international affairs analyst and columnist, told Africa in Fact. "If, decades after African nations got independence from colonial powers in the 1960s … we are still receiving outside funding for [the] AU, it is difficult to think of [the] AU as a serious coalition of member nations." Defaulting African nations would need to review their AU memberships if they found they could not fund its programmes, Ngwodo added.
Getting African nations to meet their financial obligations to the AU hasn't always been easy. According to a formula adopted by the bloc, five countries Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Nigeria, and South Africa cover at least 66% of the member states' share of the budget. The AU categorises its member states in three tiers, depending on the size of their economies. The members of the top tier, which includes the five countries mentioned previously, are each expected to pay 12% of the member states' quota, according to the AU's records. In 2015, that quota translated to $17 million for South Africa and $16,96 million for Nigeria. Knowing who doesn't pay among the lower tiers is not straightforward, as the AU is reluctant to name and shame. Africa in Fact's request to the AU secretariat in October 2016 for payment records did not receive a response.
However recent figures from the Centre for Citizens' Participation in the African Union, which campaigns for the financing of Africa's integration and development, show that the most indebted were Kenya, Ghana, Libya and Cameroon, as of 30 September 2013. Other countries in arrears were Niger, Mauritania, Mali, Madagascar, Guinea Bissau, Malawi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Côte d'Ivoire.
Kenya owed $3,02 million while Ghana and Cameroon owed $1,3 million and $2,9 million respectively. Only 19 member states had cleared their dues, while four — Gabon, Zambia, Nigeria, and Ethiopia — had also paid a proportion of dues in advance for 2014.
Mehari Maru, an independent consultant in human rights law and member of the AU high-level advisory group, told Rwanda-based The New Times in September 2016 that on average "three to five countries default" each year. He listed "Madagascar, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and others" as countries that had been late to pay their contributions. Libya has reduced its contributions in recent years and no longer pays its dues on time because of the political crisis there. Somalia failed to pay its dues for years but has recently begun paying some contributions to the organisation, says Maru.
The AU imposes sanctions on member countries that default twice on their annual contributions; defaulting nations are barred from voting on AU decisions. A January 2015 recording of the AU's 26th ordinary session shows that only the Central African Republic was sanctioned that year.
The AU was formed in 2001 on the central theme of Pan-Africanism, with the aim of transforming the continent into a "United States of Africa"— a goal vigorously pursued by former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, who died in 2011. But the institution's mandate to drive the continent's integration has been constrained by poor funding. At the Kigali meeting last July, Dlamini-Zuma said continued dependence on foreign funding could affect the AU's ability to focus on regional priorities. "Self-reliance is a cornerstone of Pan-Africanism," she said in her welcome speech, referencing Gamal Abdel Nasser, former Egyptian leader and one of the founders of the Organisation of African Unity, who said: "He who cannot support himself, cannot take his own decisions." Dlamini-Zuma remarked that these were "pertinent words". Some 53 years later, the organisation's funding "remained a challenge", she added.
The AU began its search for alternative financing in 2005. At the time, a panel headed by Abdoulaye Wade, former president of Senegal, recommended a 20% levy on non-AU imports. Wade estimated the plan would generate $242 million dollars by 2007, and $360 million by 2015. But it was not approved, and the assembly requested more studies. In 2011 the AU set up a high-level panel, headed by Olusegun Obasanjo, Nigeria's former president, on alternative sources of finance.
The Obasanjo panel recommended a $2,00 hospitality levy per stay in a hotel in Africa, a $0,05 levy per text message sent, and a $5,00 travel levy on flight tickets originating from or coming to Africa from outside the continent. The proposal was adopted in May 2013 but not acted upon, given concerns from countries whose economies rely on tourism. It was eventually discarded. Under the latest model, approved on 16 July 2016 in Kigali, the AU would be funded by a 0,2% tariff on selected imports, excluding medicines, fertilisers and baby food, Bloomberg quoted Rwandan finance minister Claver Gatete as saying. The money would be collected by local authorities and held in central bank accounts, from where it would be disbursed, he said.
The initiative was "noble" and had a sound economic basis, said Maru. But he warned that the model underestimated the challenges involved in getting member states to pay up. "What is different in this proposal [from] the others?" The New Times quoted him as asking.
Historically, member states have failed to pay their contributions "not because of the lack of money" but because their leaders displayed a "lack of determination, capability, propensity, willingness, energy and commitment" to their countries' AU membership. Maru also expressed concern about the AU Commission's capacity to oversee members' contributions. The good news, he said, was that there had been significant improvements in recent years, with more member states paying up.
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When There are Disturbing Events that Fill the Airwaves...
Source: cnn.com
When there are disturbing events that fill the airwaves, it is important that caregivers have resources to guide them on how to talk to young people about these events, and how to turn to self- care. Below are some resources that caregivers, including teachers, afterschool workers and parents, may find helpful.
Brooke Anderson is a Bay Area organizer and photojournalist. In the interest of self-care, she developed 6 Daily Quarantine Questions, which she expands on in detail in her article from Greater Good Magazine.
Source: Greater Good Magazine
Source: samanthasbell.com
Temescal Associates and The How Kids Learn Foundation launched the My Pal, Luke project. My Pal, Luke features a virtual, talking comfort dog who promotes social emotional learning through his words and questions, including a "feelings" check-in with young children. Luke reads his favorite books with kids and educates them on how to make sense of current events.
I am a clinical child psychologist and I've watched how Covid-19 has presented so many challenges for children and their parents. What children never forget how to do is play, even in the toughest of circumstances. And My Pal, Luke helps them do exactly that, with the added benefit of soothing and educating our children who are now pandemic on-line learners. What a great gift to all of us." - Dr. Diane Ehrensaft, Ph.D., Developmental and Clinical Psychologist
INSURRECTION IN THE CAPITOL
Source: theconversation.com
Caregivers are struggling on how to best talk to young people about the historical significance of the violence that erupted in Washington D.C. on January 6th, 2021, when supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol building and disrupted the Congressional certification of Joe Biden's presidential victory. Below are some resources. The first is one that offers questions for different age groups and is available in English and Spanish.
Common Sense Media- Talking to Kids About the Violence at the U.S. Capitol
More resources provided by EdSource are cited below:
Dr. Alyssa Hadley-Dunn, associate professor of Teacher Education at Michigan State University and founder of Teaching on the Days After: Dialogue & Resources for Educating Toward Justice offers resources to help educators teach about the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
The American Historical Association has launched "The Assault on the Capitol in Historical Perspective: Resources for Educators." The site offers historical knowledge to help understand the current crisis.
Teachers on Twitter at #sschat are sharing lessons about the lessons they are teaching on the attack. Teacher Brianna Davis from Camarillo offers this lesson. Sam Mandeville of New Hampshire is sharing this @PearDeck lesson.
PBS NewsHour Extra is offering three ways to teach the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
The American Federation of Teachers' Share My Lesson website has been updated with information to help teachers facilitate meaningful discussions about the attack on the Capitol with their students.
Larry Ferlazzo, a Sacramento City Unified teacher with a popular blog on teaching, has posted "Ways to teach about today's insurrection."
Below are resources provided by the California Afterschool Network (CAN):
Facing History: Responding to the Insurrection at the U.S. Capitol (1/6/21)
Teaching Tolerance: Leading Conversations After the Insurrection in Washington D.C. (1/7/21)
Education Week: Caring for Students in the Wake of a Traumatic News Event (1/7/21)
Awaken: How to Manage Your Team in Times of Political Trauma
Zinn Ed Project: Teaching People's History Resources
The 4-H Organization writes, "Being able to help young people understand topics such as racism, implicit biases, and discrimination requires facilitating difficult conversations and providing youth with information that will help them to learn and grow… Both adults and youth must challenge themselves to learn and grow through these conversations to be better prepared for a more culturally, racially, and ethnically diverse world."
To this end, 4-H's Program Leaders Working Group developed Just in Time Equity Dialogues for Youth: Lessons Designed to Foster Honest Conversations with Youth About Social Justice Issues. They also published Supplemental Resources which offers resources, readings and other relevant content to support guide use.
It is important to note that there continues to be a proliferation of partisan news sources peddling deeply skewed or even inaccurate information that has helped fuel conspiracy theories and other harmful perceptions of the integrity of U.S. elections. Below is a resource to help educators prepare their youth for deciphering fake news:
Common Sense Media- News and Media Literacy Resource Center
Brooke Anderson is a Bay Area-based organizer and photojournalist. She has spent 20 years building movements for social, economic, racial, and ecological justice. She is a proud union member of the Pacific Media Workers Guild, CWA 39521, and AFL-CIO. She's on Twitter and Instagram at @movementphotographer.
Dr. Diane Ehrensaft is a developmental and clinical psychologist, Director of Mental Health at the Child and Adolescent Gender Center and Associate Professor of Pediatrics, University of California San Francisco. She has been a frequent contributor to our LIAS blog and the How Kids Learn conference. You can review her blog responses here and view a video presentation here.
Labels: Brooke Anderson, Capitol Insurrection, COVID-19, Dr. Diane Ehrensaft, My Pal Luke, Racial Justice, self- care, talking with youth
VOICES FROM THE FIELD: Lessons and Take-Aways from...
When There are Disturbing Events that Fill the Air...
Pre-COVID Resources Taking on a New Value

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


It's day one of the new "salary history rule" on Wall Street. As of today, employers in New York City, can't ask potential recruits how much they were paid in previous roles. The change is set to cause problems for anyone recruiting for banks, but chaos for anyone recruiting for hedge funds.
At issue is the unpredictability of hedge fund pay. While banks' pay for front office "producers" typically falls within a range according to an individual's level in the banking hierarchy and can therefore be estimated, hedge funds' compensation for salespeople and traders varies widely and is often a percentage of the revenues an individual generates. Under the new rules, recruiters are prohibited from making any form of upfront inquiry that can be used to elicit compensation levels. - They can't ask about pay. And most importantly, when a hedge fund is known to pay percentage deals, they can't ask about revenues either.
In an industry, where revenues are the measure of performance, this is a disaster.
"You can't back into someone's compensation under these rules," says one New York trading headhunter, speaking off the record. "This means that I can't actually ask traders about the revenues they brought in last year, and that if I elicit this accidentally I can't use that information without risking a fine. The whole thing is a nightmare."
Law firm David Polk confirms the conundrum. In a note out today, it points out that the rule prevents recruiters from making any inquiries that might directly lead them to an individual's salary. Infringements are punishable with fines of between $125k and $250k.
As we noted previously, the new rule makes it possible that recruiters will simply make incrementally low salary offers until they hit a level potential hires will accept. However, one recruiter says it could have the opposite effect: "If a bank or hedge fund mentions that it's willing to pay between $450k and $700k and the individual doesn't volunteer his or her previous pay level, the recruiter has an incentive simply to offer the candidate the higher level so as to bring in a bigger fee."


An IED snuffed out Gabe Holliway's life, but couldn't destroy his love. Using his unique gift, Gabe struggles to help his young wife, Lily, rebuild her shattered future.
But when Gabe's ghost reaches out to her, Lily fears she's lost her last hold on sanity. Can she trust what she discovers and what her heart says? When she sees Gabe face-to-face, can she believe her eyes?
When love transcends death, the answers are found in Nopeming Shores.
Before I give you my review I must warn you. When reading Nopeming Shores make sure you have a box of tissue's handy. Trust me, you are going to need them. Margie weaves such a heart wrenching tale that you just can't walk away from. I too have lost someone near and dear to my heart and so I could totally relate to Lily's plight (could also be part of the reason I cried so much....^_^).
Lily Holliway is a widow grieving over the lose of her husband. Everywhere she turns she feels like she is drowning in a sea of despair. Her close friends Jana and Alex try all they can to help Lily through her pain but to no avail.
Shane Keefe leaves his large veterinary service in Memphis to start over at his friend Alex's Leigha Acres Veterinary Service in Stevers. Shane has a successful practice but is unlucky in love. He is hoping the move to a new town will turn things around for him.
When Shane bumps into Lily at her job, Love's In Bloom, you can tell there is an unspoken attraction between the two of them but with Lily still grieving over her husband Gabriel, their timing is always off.
There is so much I have to leave out of this review otherwise it might not strike just the right note to tug at your heartstrings and make you cry your eyes out....lol. Not to mention it would give away some things that might ruin the overall story for everyone. Margie knows how to tap into peoples emotions and make you feel her characters pain, as well as, their joy. This story truly amazed me and I am so thankful I got a chance to read it. On a scale from 1-10 I give Nopeming Shores a MIND BLOWING 20. This month I have read two other books that have caused my scale to jump to 20, but I must say, this story of love and loss really called to me. If you have lost a loved one, believe in getting a fresh start, enduring love, or just love a book that can make you cry then Nopeming Shores is a MUST READ. Everyone needs to run out and grab a copy of Margie's book and let Nopeming Shores rejuvenate you.
I have to get to this book soon. Raquel called me just to tell me how good this book was. And how much this book made her cry.
Thank you so much for the great review. I might not have considered reading this book if not for your information. I enjoy reading a story that grabs you and wrenches the emotion out of you. I'll definitely be putting this one on my wish list.
Raquel, Andrew and I thank you so much. We're very happy to get such a fantastic review.
Wanda, yes, you must! And don't worry about the tissue alert. It comes with a happy ending.
Linda, I hope you will read Nopeming Shores and come back to tell me what you thought.
Margie you are so very welcome and thank you and Andrew so much for the opportunity to read such a wonderfully, amazing story. I am going to be telling all my friends about this book.....^_^.


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Socialists and Indigenous activists interconnected, says Langara club
Fundraising for the arrested Gidimt'en protesters sparked by an alleged link in values
Last updated Mar 1, 2019
Musqueam activist Rhiannon Bennett speaks in the Roots Cafe on Main Street, at the Feb. 19 fundraiser held by the Langara International Socialists. Photo: Missy Johnson
Reported by Missy Johnson
The Langara International Socialists is tethering its cause to that of Indigenous activists in Northern B.C.
The money raised by their parent club, the International Socialists, at their Feb. 19 fundraiser will go towards covering the legal fees for protesters arrested at the Gidimt'en checkpoint in Northern B.C.
The controversial camp
"It's a key battle between the Canadian state and those of us who want to see reconciliation and justice for our Indigenous brothers and sisters," said Bradley Hughes, head of the Langara International Socialists and chair of the astrology and physics department. "And also for those of us who want to see a just transition away from climate chaos."
On Jan. 7, the RCMP arrested 14 people at the Gidimt'en camp in Northern B.C. Those arrested were protesting the temporary injunction issued by the B.C. Supreme Court in December 2018 that would allow Coastal GasLink pipeline workers to cross the blockade and begin work on the pipeline.
Beliefs that bridge time and space
Bryan Jacobs, who attended the fundraiser, sees a link between Indigenous cultures and socialist beliefs. Jacobs believes that Indigenous people have been practicing a form of socialism for a long time.
"I think that we really need to have Indigenous activists and socialists kind of working together to figure out what we can learn from the past and bring into the future," he said.
Valerie Lannon, a member of the International Socialists and author of Indigenous Sovereignty and Socialism, said that socialists and Indigenous activists share an understanding of and respect for the interconnectedness of all life on the planet.
"We also see that capitalism and materialism exploit both people and land to the point where all of us are now facing extinction," Lannon said.
fundraiserGidimt'enIndigenous sovereigntyLangara International SocialistsMissy JohnsonpipelineprotestWet'suwet'en First Nation
Measles outbreak contained at Langara
Opinion: Langara should recognize Black History Month with cultural events


Global InterGold's clients have started rivaling for 1KG of gold!
Global InterGold has launched the incredibly generous 1KG Gold Contest. Who will compete for the grand prize? The most active and successful clients: participants of the Grand Summer Voyage 2017!
A kilogram of gold will be given away for the second time. Last year the well-known leader from Russia Gevork Dzhlavyan became the happy owner of the prize.
The first task has already begun, it is time to step into action, no buts! Build up your team from clients of your structure and new direct referrals and move ahead together!