Republican Senator Calls For More Aid To Middle East And North Africa

When most of his colleagues are keen on reducing U.S. international affairs budget, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) feels that the United States should give more aid to North African and Middle Eastern countries that are currently undergoing political transition.

Sen. Graham, who was speaking before the Columbia Rotary Club in South Carolina said, “Foreign aid is a very complicated, controversial topic, particularly when you’re broke. But … it is good for the American people and the American government to reach out and help those who live in peace with us.”

Unlike the majority of Republican members of the U.S. Congress, particularly those in the House of Representatives, Sen. Graham, who is the ranking Republican on the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on State, foreign operations and related programs, appears to be one of few Republicans who support an increase in U.S. foreign aid spending. Recently he said that he is preparing a reform legislation that would provide $1 billion worth of U.S. aid to Egypt.

-Nisha Noor

SOURCE: DEVEX

Enriched Vegetable Oil Improves Lives

Many nations have a particular crop or product that it a symbol of their health, growth, and prosperity and remains an integral part of their society. For many nations, it is bread. For others, corn. During my time in China I quickly learned that rice (or noodles, depending on where you were) was not simply a meal but rather, for many families, it was the staple of their food consumption. Every lunch and dinner somehow incorporated rice into the meal and their culture reflected their reverence and appreciation for the crop.

In Egypt, that admiration is not reserved for a crop, per se, but an oil. Vegetable oil. As an important, cheap ingredient, vegetable oil allows families to prepare a variety of dishes from simple starches. However, in a country where half of the children are anaemic due to lack of vegetables and fruits, government officials have begun looking for ways to supplement nutrition without raising food prices.

Recently, the Egyptian government began distributing vegetable oil enriched with vitamin A and D. By choosing a staple product that Egyptian families already heavily use, they are able to solve the nutritional problems without dramatically changing the food culture of Egyptian society. This new oil is expected to reach over 60,000,000 people and should significantly increase the health of Egyptian Children.

Delicious and nutritious. Now that's some food for thought.

-Corey Cox

SOURCE: World Food Programme

VP Biden Concludes Travels to Egypt and Kenya

VP Joseph Biden arrived in South Africa for the opening of the World Cup on Friday June 11th following several days of appearances in Egypt and Kenya. The White House maintained a blog of Biden's trip during his weeklong travels through Africa. During his time in Kenya, the Vice President visited the Kibera slum (one of the largest in the world), and met with Parliamentary members to encourage them to embrace the upcoming Kenyan constitutional referendum. In December 2007, there were disputed election results between the current President Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga. The ethnically based dispute ended with a temporary constitutional amendment that made Kibaki President and Odinga the Prime Minister, but by that time over 1,300 people were dead and 300,000 had been displaced.

Second Lady Jill Biden also met with Mrs. Mubarak, the wife of the Egyptian President, and visited a Kenyan girls high school during the trip. The boarding school takes in many orphaned children and provides them with a free high-quality education. Dr. Biden said that she left the Kenyan school with a renewed sense of the human spirit.

During the trip, VP Biden emphasized the need for stability in the African region, Somalia and Sudan in particular. Throughout the his time in Kenya, Biden emphasized the need for greater representation of the Kenya youth in the political process. This in turn will reduce the ethnic tensions that plagued the country during the last Presidential election. During his speech to university students in Nairobi, Biden stated that "nowhere is it written that the wind's of change cannot blow through Africa."

-Matthew Thwaites

SOURCES: Video of the Bidens in Egypt, Day 2 in Kenya, Day 3 in Kenya, Jill Biden at a Kenyan girls school

Egypt Coordinates Intellectual Property Group Among Developing Nations

Intellectual property (IP) is undoubtedly controlled by rich nations in sectors such as technology, agriculture, and pharmaceuticals, primarly through use of patenting rights. Today, eighteen developing nations banded together to ensure that their interests are represented in the United Nations Intellectual Property body as well.

They are looking to transform the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to focus more of their efforts on assisting poorer nations achieve development goals under the current IP system.

Today, one of the most crucial debates surrounding intellectual property is the patents on vaccines and retro-viral medications. Thousands of people in developing countries are barred access to these drugs because of their inability to pay the high-prices.

Despite discounts and private funding given to developing regions, the patents on many medications still makes them widely inaccessible. This development of a coordinating body among nations is meant to regulate and possibly change the system dictating intellectual property, and also to ensure that the WIPO’s adoption of the Development Agenda in 2007 takes actual effect in future legislation.

Besides Egypt, the group comprises Algeria, Brazil, Cuba, Djibouti, Ecuador, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Uruguay and Yemen.

-Michelle Leung

Source: Reuters