CENN – APRIL 20, 2004 DAILY DIGEST
Table of Contents:
1. Armenia Sells its Gold Reserves
2. Yerevan Municipality to Crack Down on Illegal Construction
3. All Go For International Railway Corridor
4. Environmental NGOs Call for Closure of World Bank Climate Change Fund
5. The European Commission Delegation to Georgia
6. The first International Healthcare Congress — CleanMed Europe
7. EIA Report on the Project `the Oil Products reservoir on the
Territory of Isani fair, Tbilisi ” by the `Georgian-Caspian Oil and Gas
Company’ Ltd
1. ARMENIA SELLS ITS GOLD RESERVES
Source: Interfax, April 19, 2004
The Central Bank of Armenia has sold the country’sgold reserves of about
1.4 tonnes, the Bank told Interfax.
Details of the deal, which took place and the end of last year, are not
being disclosed.
The Central Bank of Armenia’s board decided to sell the reserves because
ofthe high liquidity on the gold market over the past few years, the
Bank’s press service reported. “The high correlation between gold and
the euro means that even without gold in international reserves the
necessary level of diversification can be maintained and at the same
time the yield of international reserves can be raised,” the Bank said.
In recent years, gold reserves have remained unchanged at around 1,396
kg, which on October 1 2003 was estimated at $17.1 million (3.65% of
Armenia’s international reserves of $468.7 million). International
reserves, already without gold, totaled $512 million on April 1 2004.
Yerevan Municipality to Crack Down on Illegal Construction
From: “Onnik Krikorian” <info@oneworld.am>
Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2004 22:07:34 PDT
2. YEREVAN MUNICIPALITY TO CRACK DOWN ON ILLEGAL CONSTRUCTION
Source: A1 Plus, April 19, 2004
On April 19, 2004 Yerevan’s Architect General Narek Sargssyan, speaking
at a news conference, said Ancient Rome, the restaurant complex built in
the center of Armenian capital, was illegal construction.
He said Yerevan’s municipality intended to impose fines on all illegal
constructions or destroy them.
Sargssyan says the government’s second building and House of Artists’
Union and Sevan hotel construction is under way now.
He also said pedestrian subways would be built in Baghramyan Avenue
soon.
3. ALL GO FOR INTERNATIONAL RAILWAY CORRIDOR
Source: Global News Wire – Asia Africa Intelligence Wire, Africa
Analysis, April 16, 2004
Russia will supply expertise and investment for a major railway network
that should link eastern and northern Europe with India through Iran.
This North-South international transport corridor has been on the
drawing board for some time and will be formally launched next year.
Russia, Iran and India established the concept of the transport corridor
and have so far been joined officially by Kazakhstan and Belarus. There
are ongoing talks with Oman, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Armenia, Syria,
Sweden, Finland and Bulgaria, all of which are already known to have
shown an interest.
Several other countries are also keen to link into, and support, what
promises to be one of the major freight corridors anywhere. Official
estimates put north-south freight at up to 50m tones a year by 2010.
The latest commitment by Russia comes after a meeting in Iran between
Iranian transport minister Ahmad Khorram and Russian Railways company
president Gennady Fadeyev. Russian Railways is also involved in
bilateral discussions with the Iranian government about the building of
several rail lines in Iran.
Rail traffic between the two countries has increased dramatically over
the past year and, once the international corridor is formed, should
double in 2005. The 4m tones of freight estimated to be carried between
Iran and Russia this year should raise to 8m tones.
Iran, which is spending large sums on the development of its ports, sees
itself as a hub for North-South traffic, providing port facilities to
service the Asia-Pacific region.
4. ENVIRONMENTAL NGOS CALL FOR CLOSURE OF WORLD BANK CLIMATE CHANGE FUND
MEDIA RELEASE
ENGLAND, UK, April 19, 2004. Today, over fifty environmental and social
justice NGOs and other groups sent a letter of protest to the World Bank
calling for the closure of its new emissions trading fund, The Prototype
Carbon Fund.
In the year of the World Bank’s 60th anniversary and in the run-up to
intense protests in Washington D.C. at their annual meeting this month,
the groups state that the Bank’s new fund is destructive green wash and
has in fact created extra problems for communities and the environment.
The fund was set up in 1999 to facilitate the new trade in greenhouse
gases created under the Kyoto Protocol. The NGOs state that so far the
fund has exacerbated existing human rights violations and furthered
environmental destruction.
One of the fund’s model projects is located in Brazil and involves the
expansion of monoculture eucalyptus plantations owned by the Plantar
corporation. The plantations were originally established by forcibly
evicting geraiszeiros peoples from the land and since then the
plantation’s owners have been accused of creating “slave-like
conditions” 1. Furthermore, the plantations have heavily polluted
surrounding water sources, thus devastating the livelihoods of local
farmers and fisher folk.
The World Bank will fund the expansion of these plantations in order to
generate ‘carbon credits’ for the international trade in greenhouse
gases.
2 However, on top of the impacts upon the local environment and peoples,
the verifiers of the carbon credit scheme, the Norwegian company Det
Norske Veritas, have stated that there is no guarantee that the project
will actually have a permanent positive effect on the climate. Marcelo
Calazans from local Brazilian NGO FASE-ES states:
“This and many other projects have terrible negative impacts on local
people and environments and it is still unclear if there is any real
benefits for the climate. We believe that the Prototype Carbon Fund
should cease operations and close down immediately.”
Attached is a full copy of the letter sent to the World Bank and the
signatories. For more information please contact Larry Lohmann (The
Corner House) on 01258 473795/821218 or Heidi Bachram (Carbon Trade
Watch) on 01865 240644. For background, see also and
1. The Montes Claros (MG) Pastoral Land Commission (CPT), an
organization originating in the Catholic Church, which is very much
respected due to the fact that it defends the peoples’ right to the
land. It followed closely the first Parliamentary Investigation
Commission (CPI) set up in 1994 against the forestation companies,
including V&M (which was Mannesman at that time) and Plantar, verifying
the practice of slave labor on the companies property.
()
2. The Plantar project in Minas Gerais, Brazil is the first carbon sink
project seeking credit through the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development
Mechanism. It involves planting 23,100 ha of Eucalyptus plantations to
produce wood for charcoal, which will then be used in pig iron
production instead of coal. In addition to this so-called avoided
fuel-switch component, the project also claims carbon sequestration
credits for the trees planted. ()
5. THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION DELEGATION TO GEORGIA
On 19 March the European Commission Delegation to Georgia launched a
Call for Proposals for microprojects under the European Initiative for
Democracy and Human Rights. For more information about the Call for
Proposals, please consult the EC Delegation website (see below).
In order to explain the procedural issues involved in submitting a
proposal under this Call, representatives from the Delegation will hold
public information meetings in Tbilisi and the regions of Georgia.
Please find below a schedule of meetings.
Representatives of interested NGOs are welcome to attend meetings in any
of these locations. NGOs are requested to send not more than two
representatives each.
The schedule of the information meetings is enclosed.
Contact Information
38, Nino Chkheidze Street, Tbilisi 0102
+995 (32) 943763
+995 (32) 943768 (fax)
delegation-georgia-eidhr-micro@cec.eu.int
For the more detailed information please visit:
7
6. THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL HEALTHCARE CONGRESS — CLEANMED EUROPE
Join us for CleanMed Europe, the first international healthcare congress
on sustainable products and practices in Europe.
CleanMed Europe will be held 6-8 October 2004 at the new exhibition and
congress centre in Vienna, Austria.
First: Do no Harm!
The operation of healthcare facilities has significant environmental
impacts that are contributing to the damage of our natural ecosystems.
And a sick nature endangers the health of people.
As health care professionals pledge an oath of “First: do no harm” all
other aspects of health care should also be carried out in a way, which
cause no harm to public health and the environment.
Forward thinking healthcare systems must therefore be ecologically
sustainable.
CleanMed Europe will show you how to achieve this.
The agenda for 2004
Environmental improvement options for cleaning and disinfection, laundry
medical product use, energy and water use,
§ Waste management
§ Replacement of toxic materials
§ Organic food
§ Pharmaceuticals in the environment
§ PVC Alternatives
§ Alternatives to Waste Incineration
§ Green and healthy buildings
§ Reuse of medical devices
§ Environmental management systems
§ Expected Participants
§ Senior health care managers
§ Environmental managers
§ Purchasing and facility managers
§ Nursing, doctors and multidisciplinary health professionals engaged in
environmental activities
§ Political decision makers
§ Researchers and experts
§ Innovative companies
7. EIA REPORT ON THE PROJECT `THE OIL PRODUCTS RESERVOIR ON THE
TERRITORY OF ISANI FAIR, TBILISI ” BY THE `GEORGIAN-CASPIAN OIL AND GAS
COMPANY’ LTD
Source: `Sakartvelos Respublica’ (`Republic of Georgia’), April 19, 2004
In accordance with the Georgian legislation, Ltd `Georgian-Caspian Oil
and Gas Company’ submitted EIA report to the Ministry of Environment of
Georgia to obtain an environmental permit for the activity of first
category – Project on the Oil Products Reservoir on the Territory of
Isani Fair, Tbilisi.
EIA report is available at the press-centre of the Ministry of
Environment (68, Kostava str., VI floor) and at the Department of
Environmental Permits and State Ecological Expertise (87, Paliashvili
Str., Tel: 25 02 19). Interested stakeholders can analyze the document
and present their comments and considerations until June 3, 2004.
Public hearing will be held on June 3, 2004 at 12:00, at the conference
hall of the Ministry of Environment.
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