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A6 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 1 april 2023
Climate, coups risk African goal of silencing guns by 2030

By EDITH M. LEDERER equalities and make new
Associated Press investments in education,
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — technology and health
The goal of silencing the while ensuring Africa’s
guns in Africa this decade young population could
is being challenged by cli- attain decent jobs. He also
mate change, terrorism, urged a crackdown on il-
coups and the continent’s legal financial flows that
history, the head of the Afri- deprive the continent of
can Union initiative told the approximately $90 billion
U.N. Security Council on annually.
Thursday. He said Africa should shift
Attaining the goal is at risk from exporting raw ma-
even after the date was terials to exporting manu-
pushed back once to 2030, factured goods and pro-
Mohamed Ibn Chambas cessed agricutural prod-
said. He pointed to consti- ucts, which would require
tutional, institutional and investment in cross-border
cultural challenges as well infrastruture. Chambas said
as “Africa’s vulnerability to Africa should produce its
global economic shocks” own food, calling it “unten-
and weak implementation Executive Secretary of the West African countries Mohamed Ibn Chambas attends a media able,” that a continent with
of international, national conference at the EU Foreign Ministers meeting in Valkenburg, the Netherlands, Sept. 4, 2004. 60% of the world’s remain-
Associated Press
and regional decisions on ing arable lands and many
peace, security and devel- achieve its 17 major de- a continent free of wars said, the COVID-19 pan- rivers and freshwater bod-
opment. velopment goals that are and conflicts.” demic “pushed 55 million ies is dependent on grain
Silencing the guns was a also lagging, including The objective was to work Africans into poverty in imports.
key initiative in the vision ending poverty, ensuring toward “an Africa at peace 2020 and reversed more The AU high representa-
for “an integrated, prosper- secondary education for with itself and with the rest than two decades of prog- tive for implementing the
ous and peaceful Africa” all children, achieving gen- of the world,” he said, but ress in poverty reduction silencing the guns initiative
adopted by AU leaders in der equality, and provid- today multiple challenges on the continent.” He said said achieving the goal
May 2013. Called Agenda ing affordable and clean have put that goal at risk, “equally alarming is the also depends on address-
2063, it originally stated that energy. Chambas told the starting with the widen- fact that 15 African coun- ing recent coups and un-
all guns would be silenced Security Council that when ing gap between rich and tries are reportedly at risk constitutional changes in
in 2023, but in December AU leaders adopted the si- poorer nations, and be- of debt distress,” and to- government and counter-
2020 the AU decided to ex- lencing the guns initiative tween elites and marginal- day the continent’s debt is ing the scourge of terrorism,
tend the date to 2030. “they were motivated by ized people and communi- more than $600 billion. and the internal and exter-
That’s the same year the desire to bequeath fu- ties within countries. Chambas urged stepped nal factors causing conflict
the United Nations set to ture generations of Africans For example, Chambas up efforts to reduce in- and instability in Africa. q

Japan unveils proposal to promote marriage, raise birthrate

By MARI YAMAGUCHI increased subsidies for chil- is projected to fall to 86.7 both parents but especial- childrearing should be re-
Associated Press drearing and education million by 2060. A shrinking ly women work, and the spected, we want to make
TOKYO (AP) — A Japanese and a salary increase for and aging population has lack of public tolerance for a society where young
Cabinet minister in charge younger workers to incen- huge implications for the small children. generations can marry,
of tackling the country’s tivize marrying and having economy and for national To address the problems, have and raise children
declining birthrate un- kids. security as the country for- Ogura’s plan proposes as they wish,” Ogura said.
veiled a draft proposal Japan’s population of more tifies its military to counter increased financial as- “The basic direction of our
Friday aimed at reversing than 125 million has been China’s increasingly asser- sistance, including more measures to tackle low
the downtrend, including declining for 15 years and tive territorial ambitions. government subsidies for births is to reverse the trend
Children’s Policies Minister childrearing, more gener- of declining births by sup-
Masanobu Ogura said the ous student loans for higher porting individuals’ pursuit
next few years are pos- education and greater ac- of happiness.”
sibly “a last chance” for cess to childcare services. He said he submitted the
Japan to reverse its declin- It also aims to change the proposal to Prime Minister
ing births. If the number of cultural mindset toward Fumio Kishida for further
births keeps falling at the more gender equality both consideration. It will be part
rate since the beginning of at work and at home. The of a bigger policy package
2000, the young population proposal also includes in- that Kishida’s government
will shrink at twice the cur- creased government assis- will compile in June.
rent pace in the 2030s, he tance to companies to en- In 2022, Japan had 799,728
said. courage more of male staff newborns, a record low,
Many younger Japanese to take paternity leave, falling below 800,000 for
have balked at marrying which has been a point of the first time since surveys
or having families, discour- contention for working fa- began in 1899. Many cou-
Newly appointed Minister of State for Measures for Declining aged by bleak job pros- thers fearing retaliation. ples are hesitating to add
Birthrate Masanobu Ogura arrives at the prime minister’s office pects, corporate cultures “While diverse views about to their families because of
on Aug. 10, 2022, in Tokyo. incompatible with having marriage, childbirth and rising costs.q
Associated Press