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"id": 227298,
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"speaker_name": "Mr. Wetangula",
"speaker_title": "The Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs",
"speaker": {
"id": 210,
"legal_name": "Moses Masika Wetangula",
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"content": " Thank you very much, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. The ACP-EU Joint Assembly is one of the organs of the ACP partnership with EU. We have the Committee of ambassadors, the Joint Assembly and other organs that deal with the relationship between the ACP countries and the EU. I was privileged in the 7th Parliament to represent our Parliament in the Joint Assembly for five years. Looking at this Report, it is in conformity with the debate that goes on in the Joint Assembly that is alternatively held every year in EU headquarters either in Strasbourg, France or Brussels, Belgium. The following year, it is held in an ACP country. This could be in Africa, the Caribbean Islands or in the Pacific. Many issues are discussed in this Report. It covers the issues affecting the peace in the Horn of Africa, World Trade Organisation (WTO), Doha Round, Darfur problem and Millennium Development Goals (MDG) achievements or non-achievements depending on which country we are referring to. In this Report, the problems of HIV/AIDS pandemic was also discussed. Issues to do with fishing and fisheries, lawful and unlawful exploitation were all discussed. Sugar industry also takes a critical chapter in the discussion. They also discussed NEPAD which is an African initiative. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, all these things are discussed by the Joint Assembly in the debate in a non-conclusive manner. The real issues were dealt with by the Committee of April 10, 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 487 Ambassadors and it is this same committee that does the actual negotiations, identification of corporation programmes, project organs of our and also looks for funding. When parliamentarians come to meet, they simply debate for two or three days, gloss over what is there and move on. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Committee of Ambassadors is one of the critical organs of our co-operation with the European Union (EU), that we get programmes like the construction of the road from Westlands to Limuru that was done about ten years ago. There is also on-going construction of the road from Mai-Mahiu to Lanet and the construction of various sections of Mombasa-Malaba and Mombasa-Busia roads. This means that for us to have a beneficial relationship with the EU, we need to have a good linkage between Parliament and our representatives at the ACP-EU meetings and our missions in Brussels. They are the ones who sit on the actual table where issues are dealt with. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, secondly, it is important to know and note that most of the funds we get from the EU are grants, unlike the money we get from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) that comes with unbearable and undesirable conditions. Most of these funds are grants. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, from 1997, it is important for us to note that the EU changed its format of engagement with ACP countries. They now emphasize on dealing with regional groupings as opposed to individual countries. Indeed, I was the president of the committee that chaired and dealt with issues that eventually affirmed that regional groupings will be the centre of attention through EU funding. This is why, right now, we have very active EU support for infrastructure within the network of the East African Community (EAC). There are plans in Arusha to construct roads from Moshi to Voi, Kitale to Mbale in Uganda and Tanga through Vanga to Malindi in Kenya. Now that Rwanda and Burundi are in the EAC, I am sure, there will be identical programmes. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, it also important to note that the EU is financing the Lake Victoria Basin Commission. They are undertaking programmes on the Nile Basin initiative. It is looking at all the catchment areas of Lake Victoria, running from Mt. Elgon, Cherenganyi, Nandi Hills and the Mau. There are funds from the EU, through the East African Community, to support these initiatives. The initiatives will include afforestation, environmental management, control of storm water and eventual siltation of the lake. Those of you who live around the lake, like my learned friend, Mr. Kajwang, may wish to know that the lake has considerably reduced in its depth because of siltation. One of the programmes is to control that."
}