Current Issues
International cooperation on wildlife conservation seems to be working in the Republic of Congo, where the number of gorillas, a species at risk for extinction, is rising. “For the first time in recent memory, we are hearing good news about an endangered species,” the State Department’s Paul Dobriansky says.
The people of the United States and Guinea enjoy a good relationship and share a wide array of common views, even as some challenges remain, says Phillip Carter III, the former U.S. ambassador to that country, who is now the U.S. principal deputy assistant secretary of state for African affairs.
Although U.S. officials have not yet been able to review Zimbabwe’s recent power-sharing agreement between President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, the United States is “supportive” of the deal and expects it to be implemented in both letter and spirit, the State Department says.
President Bush praises Ghanaian President John Kufuor for his strong leadership and for active support in conflict resolution across Africa. Kufuor is visiting the United States and was welcomed to the White House September 15 as part of a full state visit.
President Bush welcomes Ghanaian President John Kufuor to the White House September 15 for a state visit — the highest-level official visit, reserved for America’s closest partners and allies. The two leaders will discuss issues focused on democracy, economic development and regional security.
The Bush administration says any political power-sharing deal between Zimbabwe’s government and its main opposition must reflect the results of the March 29 election. U.S. officials are withholding comment on the deal reached September 11 until they can fully analyze it, says a State Department spokesman.
A small college situated near Boston is a leader in teaching students how to become entrepreneurs. Programs at Babson College guarantee that any student “will have an idea how to be an innovative and creative leader,” according to its undergraduate dean.
The Fogarty International Center of the U.S. National Institutes of Health launches a new research grant program to award $1.5 million annually to fight chronic diseases in developing nations. These countries, fertile breeding grounds for infectious diseases, increasingly are afflicted by ailments like cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
Recognizing that diseases caused by environmental change are responsible for many deaths in Africa, African health and environment ministers gather in Libreville, Gabon, to develop strategies to help their nations reduce environmental threats to human health and well-being.
At the 2008 World Water Week conference in Sweden, water specialists address water-related problems that cause millions of deaths each year. The conference heightens “awareness of the crucial importance of water, sanitation and hygiene to improving public health conditions.”