CHAPTER 2  Regional Diplomacy

(*1) Source: Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).

(*2) A movement in which developing countries with petroleum or other natural resources restore their sovereign authority over those resources. In concrete terms, this involves securing discretion over the quantity of production and the export price of the resource, nationalization of foreign extracting companies, the raising of royalties, etc.

(*3) A metallic element used in stainless steel, heat-resistant alloys, a material for electronics, etc.

(*4) A large-scale social reform program promoted by President Putin in which important domestic reforms are to be undertaken in the four fields of (1) health care, (2) education, (3) housing, and (4) agriculture.

(*5) Adopted in January 2003 between President Putin and Prime Minister Koizumi during the Prime Minister's visit to Russia, it lays forth six pillars, namely, deepening of political dialogue, peace treaty negotiations, cooperation in the international arena, cooperation in trade and economic areas, development of relations in defense and security, and advancements in cultural and interpersonal exchange.

(*6) The five countries of Central Asia are Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan. The Caucasus refers to the three countries of Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia.

(*7) Peace talks have been underway since November 2004 between the Government of Uganda and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), and in August 2006, agreement was reached to cease hostilities. Since that time, peace talks have continued.

(*8) In September, the Government of Burundi signed a Comprehensive Ceasefire Agreement with Hutu rebels (Palipehutu-FNL), the only group continuing its armed struggle.

(*9) Turmoil in the Darfur region of the Sudan has resulted in refugees and an inflow and outflow of armed insurgents with the neighboring countries of Chad and the Central African Republic, leading to instability.

(*10) Forecasts by the IMF in May estimate the growth rate of GDP in the eight oil-producing Sub-Saharan African nations at 8.0% (including Angola at 26.0%, Nigeria at 6.2%, and the Republic of Congo at 5.2%), while that in Sub-Saharan Africa as a whole was estimated at 5.3%. Of the 42 countries for which forecasts were conducted, 39 had positive rates of growth, with 33 having estimated growth rates of 3.0% or more.

(*11) As of May, IMF forecasts for Chad, Zimbabwe, and other countries with unstable domestic political situations predicted falling economic growth rates, but for countries restoring stability from chaotic situations such as conflicts or regime change, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Sierra Leone, Togo, and the Central African Republic, a high GDP growth rate was forecast.

(*12) At the African Union Summit in July, the integration of regional economic communities (RECs) was a major topic. Regional integration made steady progress, centered in the southern and western regions, and discussions and measures to attract trade and investment have been undertaken.

(*13) Of the 31 “low human development countries” listed in the UNDP's Human Development Report 2006, 29 are in Sub-Saharan Africa.

(*14) Japan regarded the year 2005 as the “Year of Africa” and expanded its assistance for Africa (including the commitments of doubling ODA toward Africa in the following three years, increasing ODA volume over the following five years by 10 billion U.S. dollars from the 2004 level, and the Development Initiative) and reinforced its cooperation with Africa in coordination with the international community.