  |
|
|
The parliamentary delegation from the Canadian Branch that participated in the APF Cooperation and Development Committee meeting held in Lomé, Togo, from April 14 to 16, 2014, has the honour to present its report. The delegation from the Canadian Branch was made up of the Hon. Dennis Dawson, Senator, and David Gagnon, Association Secretary. Representatives from the following branches also attended the meeting: Belgium/French Community/Wallonia-Brussels, Benin, Cambodia, Chad, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, France, Hungary, Jura, Mali, Morocco, Niger, Senegal, and Togo. Committee business His Excellency Dama Dramani, President of the National Assembly of Togo, welcomed the participants and added that the Cooperation and Development Committee’s decision to meet in Lomé was a sign of the APF’s respect for Togo’s national government. He welcomed the fact that biofuels and extractive industries—two important issues today—would be discussed by the Committee. Mr. Salibou Garba, who was chairing his first Committee meeting, opened the proceedings. The agenda and the minutes of the meeting held in Abidjan on July 10 to 11, 2013, were adopted. Message from the Director of the West Africa Regional Office of the OIF Mr. Garba welcomed the Director of the West Africa Regional Office of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), Mr. Tharcisse Uruyaneza, and thanked him for agreeing to speak to the Committee members. Mr. Uruyaneza gave a general overview of La Francophonie’s contributions in the area of sustainable development, taking care to mention that the OIF complies with the subsidiarity principle and supports governments in their efforts by providing useful resources to this end. Presentation of reports Mr. Yves Reinkin (Belgium/French Community/Wallonia-Brussels) presented a report on the green economy. After defining the concept of green economy—which can be summarized as a means of reconciling ecological and economic concerns—and identifying the key environmental issues, Mr. Reinkin concluded his presentation by offering some insight and possible solutions for governments. A discussion among the majority of participants ensued. They questioned the feasibility of the concept and pointed out that there is a gap between northern and southern countries in terms of their technological capacity to deal with climate change. The Hon. Dennis Dawson (Canada) presented a report on La Francophonie’s contribution to adopting national sustainable development strategies and drafting national policies on ecosystem and natural resource management. The report provided an overview of progress in implementing sustainable development strategies in francophone countries and suggested that participants think about the alignment of Millennium Development Goals with the Sustainable Development Goals that would soon be proposed. Mr. Guillaume Chevrollier (France) presented a report that gave an overview of the use of biofuels in francophone countries and proposed solutions for effective and sustainable implementation of these fuels. The report sparked a discussion on the problems associated with changes in land use, the growing involvement of multinationals and the obstacles to changing attitudes. The concept of sustainability and the ability of politics to strike a fair balance were deemed to be essential in ensuring better use of biofuels. Youth employment in La Francophonie Mr. Gharbi Youssef (Morocco) gave an oral presentation on the soon-to-be-released draft report on youth employment in francophone countries. He explained that, among other things, the report would examine the impact of tax incentives and the role of regional and international cooperation on the youth employment rate. Committee’s contribution to the APF strategic framework Having familiarized themselves with the APF strategic framework, the participants questioned the feasibility of the objectives set out in the document, given the human and financial resources at the APF’s disposal. The participants also expressed a desire to increase the organization’s visibility via the media and through greater participation in OIF activities. Presentation on extractive industries His Excellency Dama Dramani, President of the National Assembly of Togo, chaired the final Committee session on extractive industries. After expressing his concerns regarding land grabbing in Africa by the extractive industries, Dama Dramani gave the floor to Mr. Dammipi Noupokou, Togo’s Minister of Mines and Energy. The Minister stated that Togo had been adhering to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative since 2010. He also mentioned that Togo produces high-quality phosphate and that mining companies contribute 10% of the country’s revenues. Efforts were being made to increase the involvement of mining companies at the local level. The presentation gave rise to numerous comments on the need for sound governance and transparency among mining companies operating on the African continent. By participating in these meetings, the Canadian
Branch achieved its objectives of meeting its international obligations,
presenting a draft report that promotes the exchange of information, maintaining international connections and defending its interests, among others by proposing valid amendments. Respectfully submitted,
|
|
 |