This policy paper deals primarily with the effect of globalisation on Botswana’s workforce and includes a discussion of occupational health and safety (OHS) within this framework. It notes that, in general, the effective monitoring of health standards is absent in Botswana. The Labour Inspectorate is a government unit under the Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs. It operates under the Factories Act that came into force in 1979. However, there are only a handful and overburdened of labour inspectors carrying OHS inspections to verify compliance with the relevant law. In other cases, some international labour standards ratified have not been backed up by legislation. For example, despite being a heavily mining dependent country, the International Labour Organisation’s convention 176, which deals with health and safety in the mines, has not been enacted at all, notwithstanding its ratification almost a decade ago. The government, like in many other cases continues to gloss over this very serious matter.
Health equity in economic and trade policies
With governments looking to close the long-stalled Doha Round of trade liberalisation talks in 2010, what will happen to remaining disagreements on intellectual property issues is still unclear. A coalition of governments seeking IP amendments is determined to have some kind of result at the end the round. The coalition, a group of 110 countries, is often referred to as “W/52” supporters after a compromise document the group created uniting states who were fighting for disclosure of origin on genetic resources with states fighting for stronger genetic information (GI) protection. A great deal of hope is being placed in this informal process by the W/52 proponents, who seek changes they argue are critical to prevent the misappropriation of genetic resources and traditional knowledge, and to protect key agricultural products. But those who do not support W/52 say the connection between GI extension and the disclosure of origin amendment, which emerged from a mandate to examine the relationship between TRIPS and the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, is not justified, as the issues are too different.
Construction health and safety has long been the focus of attention of many industry stakeholders and role-players in South Africa, and while it is acknowledged that many industry associations and professional societies, contracting organisations and others have made significant efforts to improve health and safety within the construction industry, overall, construction health and safety is not improving significantly. Notably, construction continues to contribute a disproportionate number of fatalities and injuries, and there continues to be a high level of non-compliance with the health and safety regulations in South Africa. Against this context, the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) has undertaken this report on the status of construction health and safety in South Africa, so as to provide a context for the efforts and actions of industry stakeholders and role-players in improving construction health and safety – including those of the CIDB.
The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) has concluded a month-long coordinating body meeting in Geneva by adopting resolutions on a range of public policy issues such as internet connectivity, science and technology, and HIV/AIDS. However, the digital divide and the lack of global access to AIDS treatments seriously hinder developing countries’ prospects for development, participants say. They underlined the importance of information and communications technologies (ICTs), as well as science and engineering, in the context of development and in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals. ECOSOC recommended mainstream ICTs to promote growth and sustainable development as it adopted, without a vote, a resolution on the assessment of the progress made in the implementation of the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society and its follow-up. The Council asked its stakeholders to assist developing countries to reduce the digital divide.
To contribute to regional objectives, the content and scope of the economic partnership agreements (EPAs) between the European Union and the African, Caribbean and Pacific nations should reflect the specific national and regional interests of countries concerned, and should not impose pressure on these countries to pursue pro-active and counter-cyclical development policies. In spite of the potential merits of regional integration and EPAs in the medium and long term, they offer little prospects to address the immediate consequences of the crisis. In the short run, special attention should thus be given to the scope of commitments and their sequencing to reflect the specific current conditions and development approaches of each country and region. Without such flexibility, EPAs may add to the pain of the crisis. The current crisis also calls for special effort to adequately address the short- and medium-term adjustment needs of ACP countries to bring about longer-term development.
This new book was launched on 10 July and has been called the ‘most progressive agenda we’ve ever had at the World Intellectual Property Organisation.’ Implementation of the ‘Development Agenda’ will be complicated, however. First, there is a divergence at the national level between different stakeholders whose work touches on intellectual property (IP). There are ‘very few delegations that can say there’s a consensus domestically,’ notes the author. And countries must also close the gap between what is said at the international level and what is done at home. A development agenda will ‘never have legs on the ground unless member states go home and implement it.’ But IP laws must also be sensitive to cultural norms and context, lest they alienate key stakeholders. Laws that have lost touch with reality are ‘less likely… [to] be enforced,’ he said. More moderate IP laws, with flexibilities, could increase enforcement. The author also affirms the need to develop good partnerships and good governance.
The metal mining industry employs about 15% of formally employed workers in Zambia, but there is little information about the magnitude of occupational injuries among the miners. This paper aimed to determine the frequency rates of occupational injuries and fatalities among copper miners in Zambia. A retrospective study of occupational injuries and fatalities at one of the largest copper mining companies in Zambia was undertaken for the period January 2005 to May 2007. In the selected period, 165 injuries and 20 fatalities were recorded. The most common cause of fatal injuries was fall of rock in the underground mines. The most frequent mechanism of injury was handling of tools and materials, and the most commonly injured body parts were the hands and fingers. The fatality rate is high compared to reported values from the metalliferous mining industry in developed countries, strongly suggesting that measures should be taken to reduce risks, particularly at underground sites.
This paper outlines the challenges facing environmental and occupational health and safety in Tanzania. It is mainly focused on challenges facing the growth of environmental and occupational health and safety based on chemicals’ management. Environmental and occupational health and safety was found to be very weak, largely due to lack of awareness, high level of illiteracy, weakness in the enforcement of environmental laws, and lack of environmental departments in small and large-scale enterprises. Other challenges include misdistribution of worldwide collaborating centres for World Health Organization/International Labour Organization joint efforts and standards that are not focusing on the safety and health of workers. Recommended strategies include the provision and access to information on safe handling of chemicals, training programmes for environmental health and safety, hazard and accident prevention techniques, risk and safety assessments, and promoting cleaner technologies. There should be an emphasis on development of proper materials safety data sheets based on targeted audience, cost-benefit analysis and auditing of environmental and occupational health and safety.
At a panel discussion on Africa-EU relations organised by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation on 8 July 2009, participants discussed four scenarios for ongoing economic partnership agreements in West Africa, ranging from a full liberalisation agreement on all trade in goods and services, to no agreement whatsoever. While European Commission representatives favoured full liberalisation, regional stakeholders called for a partial, phased liberalisation, covering only trade in goods. This approach would provide greater flexibility for national and regional trade policy, protect local agricultural and industrial sectors, and facilitate regional integration. Participants also discussed the Joint Africa-EU Strategy (JAES) process. They noted that respect for JAES’s fundamental principles such as ‘treating Africa as one’ and ensuring the ‘harmonisation of existing policy frameworks’ will be more effective than emphasising ‘functional deliverables’ only.
Aid for Trade is an initiative that started in 2005 through the WTO framework in recognition of the fact that developing countries lack the basic infrastructure and capacity to take advantage of the market access opportunities resulting from trade negotiations – normal aid programmes have not been able to deal with these. This second global review aimed to evaluate the progress of the initiative and implemention on the ground. It says the initiative has achieved remarkable progress in a short time, as partner countries are mainstreaming trade in their development strategies and clarifying their needs and priorities, and donors are improving aid for trade delivery and scaling up resources. In 2007, aid for trade grew by more than 10% in real terms and total new commitments from bilateral and multilateral donors reached US$25.4 billion, with an additional US$27.3 billion in non-concessional trade-related financing. But maintaining the momentum will be difficult in this current economic recession, and that the quantity and the quality of aid, including aid for trade, are now more important than ever for economic growth and human welfare.