FONDATION

CHIRACPresen ta t ion Br i e f

!!

REASONS FOR ENGAGEMENT

Jacques Chirac has always pursued his political ambitions of fostering an interna-

tional culture of mutual respect, weaving links between worlds and building a

more harmonious global society. During his entire active life in politics heworked

to ensure that peace prevailed over the forces of war, solidarity over indifference,

sharing over egotistical considerations and responsibility over fatalism. As an

ardentmilitant for cultural diversity, he seeks to give genuinemeaning to the uni-

versal principle of the equal dignity of men and women and peoples. Thus, in

order to encourage the shift towards a sustainablemodel of development, which

includes this indispensable dimension, he is among the advocates of dialog bet-

ween cultures and civilizations.

Through the vehicle of the Fondation Chirac, he continues to pursue his goal of

acting in the service of peace.While peace is undermined by unresolved conflicts

and crises, increasing environmental destruction threatens to weaken it even fur-

ther, owing to the rising risk of future climatic refugees numbering in the

millions. Peace is being undermined by our shortsightedness and failure to sup-

port social solidarity, by the steamrolling of singular cultures and by rekindled

conflicts rooted in clashes between cultural identities.

Because the new challenges of protecting biodiversity, enabling dialog among

cultures and fostering respect for the environment all requiremultiple responses,

the action of the Fondation Chirac will take multiple forms. Depending on the

issue, it will support existing initiatives, argue for causes or participate in experi-

mentation on promising projects, all with the aim of contributing to the deve-

lopment of an effective system for regulating globalization and reinventingworld

governance.

Jacques Chirac launches this undertaking with the heightened awareness of the

urgent need to act while there is still time.

©EricLefeuvre

""

AREAS OF ACTION

It is this heightened senseof urgency that has led the Fondation toorient its initial

actions towards access to medicine, access to fresh water, the fight against defo-

restation and desertification and support for threatened languages and cultures.

These four areas, among others of course, directly concern the health and safety

of individuals and societies, and thus prospects for peace.

Actually, these four challenges are interrelated because the first victims of a lack

of healthcare, the first victims of drought and the lack of sanitation, the first vic-

tims of deforestation and desertification are always the most fragile populations

whose culture, identity andperceived value to theworld are themost threatened.

In fact, these four challenges are really one, which is to succeed in finding genui-

nely sustainable forms of development. Developmentmust bringmeaning to the

human adventure, leave no one by the wayside and it must be rooted in respect

for the diversity of cultures, without which any effective, long-term action is

doomed to failure.

! !. The issue of access to medicines poses enormous challenges to security.

Pandemics of diseases, both old and new, threaten the survival of entire societies

when preventive treatments and cures are not available at affordable costs to the

greatest number and when the access to quality medicine is not guaranteed for

all. One must ask what future does a state have whose population is threatened

with extinction while another merely survives in a state of bad health. Therefore,

the Fondation will support actions aiming to ensure access to certified medi-

cines.

! ". Access to freshwater presents an equally formidable challenge.Without ade-

quate supplies of fresh water there is neither life, nor health, nor agriculture or

food. The food criseswe are currently facing provide the sad but irrefutable proof

of this in countries suffering from prolonged drought or massive flooding.

Therefore, the Fondation will support a plan to strengthen systems and infras-

tructure that ensure sustainable access to fresh water and water purification in

rural areas.

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! #. Deforestation and desertification can be largely explained by the necessary

extension of areas brought into cultivation to feed the inexorable increase in

population. We now know, and the Bali Conference on Climate Change in

December !""# further emphasized the fact, that these ever-expanding zones of

agricultural production are a major cause of climate change, the consequences

of which in terms of security are no longer in doubt. The societies concerned, but

also the entire world population, will have to make difficult choices between

competing priorities and manage potential sources of crises or even conflict.

Therefore, the Fondation will support actions aiming to counter deforestation

and desertification, in an effort to promote the logic of sustainable resource

management and the creation of income for local populations – the only

logical approach able to reconcile otherwise contradictory objectives.

! $. The crisis in nature,which ismanifested in dwindling resources and the acce-

lerating frequency of natural disasters echoes the crisis of culture, which is mani-

fested in increasing terrorism, the trend of withdrawal into communities to shut

out the world and the spread of behaviors exhibiting contempt or rejection of

otherness. Today, the instability of our economic and ecologicalmodelmost assu-

redly influences declining cultural heritage. Declining social status often occurs in

tandem with cultural decline. When what a culture brings to the universal expe-

rience of mankind is negated, violence is never far off. Thus, the struggle to

defend diversity is also a struggle for peace. Therefore, the Fondation will make

the issue of safeguarding languages and cultures threatened with extinction a

top priority.

Global society, if it is to have a future, must be founded upon the recognition of

the great variety of resources and ways of life existing across the planet, thereby

acknowledging the urgency of protecting bio-cultural diversity.

Globalization offers a historic opportunity to humanity owing to its ability to crea-

te networks and linkages and to the cultural and scientific resources itmakes avai-

lable to us tomeet these challenges that will determine the future of our species.

The Fondation Chirac, through the projects it chooses to support, seeks to encou-

rage the exchange of ideas, techniques and values and to contribute to weaving

an ever-broader web of knowledge and practices that will spontaneously lead to

sustainable development. Facedwith global challenges, these projects will aim to

bring elements of answers and adaptable or repeatable solutions in keepingwith

the diversity of the situations encountered.

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HONOR COMMITTEE: A SHARED COMMITMENT

Tireless workers in the cause of peace, dialog and development, they have

all played an eminent role in their respective countries or at the head

of international organizations. Together they represent the diversity of

experience and cultures that can give balance to the world. They bring

inestimable human capital to the Fondation Chirac.

Kofi Annan

Former Secretary General of the United Nations, he fulfilled two mandates as

head of the Organization from $%%# to !""&. In !""$, he received the Nobel

Peace Prize for his personal commitment to the fight against poverty and the

mobilization of the planet’s leaders in favor of peace. He currently heads several

organizations in the domain of development (AGRA, Alliance for a green revolu-

tion in Africa) and human rights as President of the “Foundation to support the

World Organization against Torture.” In !""#, he founded the World

Humanitarian Forum, whose work focuses on the human consequences of

global warming. He is also President of the prize committee of the “Fondation

Mo Ibrahim.”

Fernando Henrique Cardoso

Prior to his twomandates as President of the Federal Republic of Brazil from $%%'

to !""!, he was senator from the state of São Paulo, Minister of Foreign Affaires

thenMinister of Finance. A sociologist by training, he was a professor at the Ecole

des hautes études en sciences sociales and the Collège de France. Following his

presidency, he created the “Brazilian foundation for sustainabledevelopment” and

has given many lectures, notably on the theme of deforestation.

François Cheng

A member of the Académie Française since !""$, he was born in China into

literary family and settled in France after World Wart II. He is a translator, cal-

ligraphist, academic and, author of numerous essays on Chinese thought,

esthetics and art. Awarded the Femina Prize for the Dit de Tanyi in $%%(, he

received the grand prize of the French-speaking communities of the Académie

Française in !""$, for the body of his work.

%%

Joaquim Alberto Chissano

President of the Republic of Mozambique from $%(& to !""', he currently heads

the “Chissano Foundation,” supporting development projects involving the

active participation of populations involved and designed to promote reconcilia-

tion following the civil war. Fully engaged in the service of the culture of peace,

in !""# he received the Mo Ibrahim prize, awarded to African leaders who dis-

tinguish themselves by their good governance and the quality of their manage-

ment of public affairs.

Jean Chrétien

PrimeMinister of Canada from $%%) to !""), this lawyer by training held his first

elected office in $%&). During his mandates Canada ratified the Kyoto Protocol

and created the Bureau charged with resolving territorial claims of native

peoples. InOctober !""!, he announced that Canadawas committed to the crea-

tion of ten newnational parks over the next five years to ensure, through sustain-

able management of forest resources, the safeguard of unique landscapes and

the protection of the fauna of the second largest country in the world, which is

model in the subject.

Abdou Diouf

In $%($ he was elected to succeed Léopold Sédar Senghor as President of the

Republic of Senegal after serving as its PrimeMinister. He steppeddown from this

function in !""". In !""!, he was unanimously elected Secretary General of the

International Organization of French-speaking communities, and was reelected

in !""&. An ardent defender of French-speaking peoples in the service of demo-

cracy and human rights, he has made cultural and linguistic diversity a strategic

priority of his action.

Bronislaw Geremek

Polish historian at the Ecole des hautes études, he was Director of the Center of

Polish Civilizationof the Sorbonne. Amilitant participant in Solidarnosc and aper-

sonal advisor to Lech Walesa, he was elected member of the Polish Parliament

and fulfilled the role of Minister of Foreign Affairs from $%%# to !""". Since !""*,

he is a member of the European Parliament in Strasbourg. He leads forums and

associations dedicated to European civilization and the social history of Europe,

the theme of his numerous publications. He is notably the author of La Potence

et la Pitié, l’Europe des pauvres duMoyenAge à nos jours (TheGallows and the Pity,

the Europe of the poor from the Middle Ages to our era) published by éditions

Gallimard.

&

Enrique Iglesias

President of the InterAmerican Development Bank from $%(( to !""', he turned

this institution into the main source of multilateral development financing in

Latin America and the Caribbean. Prior to this role, he was Minister of Foreign

Affaires of his adopted company, Uruguay. In $%($, he served as SecretaryGeneral

of the United Nations conference on New and Renewable Energies. He is cur-

rently serving as Secretary General of the Ibero-American Secretariat, based in

Madrid,whichprovides its expertise for theorganizationof conferences and sum-

mits gathering Spain and the Spanish-speaking countries of the Americas.

Lee Kuan Yew

Premier Minister of the Republic of Singapore from $%'% to $%%", he is currently

its Minister Mentor. Under his impetus, the city-state of Singapore has become a

model of prosperity and stability in Asia. Of Chinese origin, educated in the

English tradition, he successfully transformed his country by respecting local

cultures and by making the balance between the Malay and Chinese communi-

ties the key to harmonious development.

Federico Mayor

Director General of UNESCO from $%(# to $%%%, he founded the “Culture of Peace

Program” and succeeded in having the General Assembly of the United Nations

declare the year !""" “International year for the Culture of Peace.” In !""", he

created the “Foundation for a culture of Peace”. Designated co-president of the

“high-level group” for the Alliance of Civilizations by the Secretary General of the

United Nations in !""', he is President of the “Initiative pour la Science en

Europe” network. Born in Barcelona, Doctor of Pharmacology, professor of bio-

chemistry, Federico Mayor was cofounder of the Center of Molecular Biology of

the Autonomous University of Madrid, in $%#*, and served as Minister of

Education and Science of the Spanish government as well as member of the

European Parliament.

Rigoberta Menchu Tum

In $%%!, at the age of )), she became the youngest person ever to receive the

Nobel Peace Prize.

Hailing from an impoverished Guatemalan village, she was confronted early on

with the injustices perpetrated against the Mayan people. Her mother and bro-

ther were assassinated by military forces. These same forces also burned down

the Spanish embassy where her father was at the time. Emblematic figure of

the struggle for the respect of indigenous peoples, she denounces injustice,

explains its origins, demands redress and embodies resistance. Through the

'

foundation that bears her name, she continues her work to carry out programs

and actions in support of human rights, the rights of indigenous peoples and

the promotion of dialog and negotiation as solutions to conflicts.

Youssou N’Dour

Today, Youssou N’Dour is the world’s best-known African artist. His hit song “#

seconds,” a duet sung with Neneh Cherry, made him famous around the globe.

A very engaged singer with amagical voice, he is also a goodwill ambassador for

UNICEF, the FAO, and Amnesty International. He created a foundation whose

priorities include the rights of children inAfrica and fight againstmalaria. In !""(,

he also created the “Birima” micro-credit company.

Rajendra Kumar Pachauri

President of the intergovernmental panel of experts on climate (IPCC), set up by

the UN in $%((, he shared the Nobel peace Prize with Al Gore in !""# for his

organizing of thework of the climate experts’ whose findings concludedwith the

probability that human activity is responsible for global warming. He is also

Managing Director of the Resource Systems Institute in New Delhi.

This Indian economist grew up in the “perfect nature” of the Himalayan foothills

before dedicating himself for decades to environmental conservation. His Nobel

Prize acceptance speech in December !""# was a cry of alarm about the tragic

consequences global warming will have for human societies if urgent and major

steps are not taken right away.

Andrés Pastrana Arango

Prior to his election as President of the Republic of Colombia from $%%( to !""!,

he was theMayor of Bogota. The dialog openedwith guerilla forces, with whom

he signed ahumanitarian agreement, the positions he took regarding protection

of the environment, notably concerning deforestation and soil and water pollu-

tionwhere thehallmarks of his term inoffice. In !""", he co-wrote the “Manifesto

of a culture of peace and non-violence,” under the aegis of the United Nations

and UNESCO. Andrés Pastrana is a jurist and a journalist.

Andrea Riccardi

Professor of contemporary history at the University of Rome III, he founded in

Rome in $%&( – in the wake of the Vatican II council – the catholic community of

Sant’Egidio whose deep engagement in social life is directed towards support for

the poor, dialog between religions and peace. Sant’Egidio has undertaken efforts

in conflict mediation in Lebanon, Albania, Kosovo, Mozambique and Guatemala.

(

Ismaïl Serageldin

Ismaïl Serageldin is Director of the library of Alexandria. A Harvard University and

Cairo University graduate, he is a professor, architect andwriter. Heworkedmany

years at the World Bank where he notably headed the Consultative Group on

International Agricultural Research and the Consultative Group to Assist the

Poorest (CGAP). From $%%& to !""", he chaired the “Global Water Partnership,”

and, from $%%( to !""", the “!$st Century World Water Commission” He co-

chaired the “African biotechnology panel.” Ismaïl Serageldin is a member of the

Egyptian Senate.

Ely Ould Mohamed Vall

Mauritanian head of state from !""' to !""#, he ensured the transition to demo-

cracy and organized the elections in which he chose not to participate.

He enabled his country to regain the trust of international institutions by laying

the foundations of a genuine democracy and by restoring the structures of the

state. A career military officer, he is both a man of action and an intellectual with

an unusual background. Today, he dedicates his time to mediation missions in

African countries prey to latent strife.

Vaira Vike-Freiberga

President of the Republic of Latvia from $%%% to !""#, this French-speaking

psychologist did her secondary studies at the Lycée Français of Casablanca and

lived in Canada for twenty years. Elected President of Latvia, she led her country

to participate in the constitution of the New Europe by convincing it to join the

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Council of Europe, The

WTO, the Council of the Baltic Sea States, as well as NATO and the European

Union in !""*. Vaira Vike-Freiberga served as Vice President of the Scientific

Council of Canada and has chaired diverse organizations in the social sciences

field. Her research is focused largely on traditional Latvian literature, culture and

identity. She has published nine books.

Muhammad Yunus

Founder and Director of the Grameen Bank, dubbed the “Banker to the poor,” he

received the Nobel Peace Prize in !""&. Born in Bangladesh, Muhammad Yunus

is a PhD in economics. He compelled acceptance of the notion of micro-credit,

which now benefits several hundred million people around the globe, by going

against economic rules of thumb. His most recent publication, Creating a World

without Poverty: Social Business and the Future of Capitalism, (Public Affairs,

January !""(), calls for a revolution in the free enterprise system.

)*

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

To fulfill its missions, the Fondation Chirac wished to provide itself with

a board of directors capable of taking the initiative and providing effec-

tive and rigorous management of the resources implemented in its pro-

grams. The team Jacques Chirac has gathered around him meets these

aims. Each of its members brings his or her rich experience and well-

honed creative skills in his or her area of expertise.

Founder: Jacques Chirac

Mohamed Arkoun

Professor emeritus in history of Islamic thought at the Sorbonne Nouvelle. Born

in Greater Kabylie (Algeria), student at Oran, Alger and Paris, he became tenured

professor of Arab language and literature ($%'&), professor and lecturer in uni-

versities throughout the world. He has authored many reference works, transla-

ted into several languages, on applied Islamic studies. Among these: Essais sur la

pensée islamique (“Essays on Islamic thought,” Maisonneuve & Larose, $%#));

Arab Thought, ed. S. Chand, New Delhi $%((; L’islam, hier et demain (Islam, yes-

terday and tomorrow, Buchet-Chastel, $%#(); L’islam et les musulmans en France

duMoyen Âge à nos jours (“Islam andMuslims in France from theMiddle Ages to

Today,” Albin Michel, !""&).

Yann Arthus-Bertrand

Photographer, journalist, writer and ecological activist, he is as experienced

in group action as he is familiar with worldwide success through publishing

(Earth from the Air has sold over ) million copies in !* languages). In !""',

he created the Good Planet association and organizes “carbon action,”

which aims to offset greenhouse gas emissions and to finance projects

based on renewable energies. His latest project – “Six Billion Others” – is

planetary in purpose and will be the subject in !""% of an exhibition at the

Grand Palais in Paris.

Marie-Hélène Bérard

Chief Executive Officer of MHB SA, an investment advisory firm founded in !"""

and specialized in the assisting French companies seeking to set up businesses in

Central and Eastern Europe and the countries of the former Soviet Union. After

working several years in the FrenchMinistry of Finance following her graduation

from the ENA (national school of public administration), she was a counselor in

theoffice of SimoneVeil,Minster of Health, thenworked in this capacity for Prime

Ministers Raymond Barre and Jacques Chirac. In $%%", she joined the senior

))

management of the French bank Crédit Commercial de France, and worked for

ten years on developing its presence in the countries which her business cur-

rently focuses on.

Michel Camdessus

Honorary president of the “SocialWeeksof France,”memberof the “Africa Progress

Panel,” chaired by Kofi Annan, he was Managing Director of The International

Monetary Fund from $%(# to !""", after serving as Director of the French Treasury

($%(!-$%(*) then Governor of the Banque de France ($%(*-$%(#). He has applied

his expertise throughmanymissions and interventions in the service of “the global

public good”: Jacques Chirac’s personal representative to NEPAD (New Partnership

for Africa's Development), chairing namely the World Panel on Financing Water

infrastructure, whose report was published in !"") in conjunction with the Kyoto

Summit. He then became amember of the Commission for Africa chaired by Tony

Blair and as suchwas associatedwith the report “Our common interest,” published

in !""'. In !""*, he directed the working group on “le sursaut – vers une nouvelle

croissance pour la France” (“the jolt, towardsnewgrowth for France”),whose report

remains a reference on the subject.

Catherine Colonna

French Ambassador to UNESCO, Minister Delegate to European Affairs from !""'

to !""#, she serves as spokeswoman to the President of the Republic ($%%'-!""*)

before takingover thedirectionof theCentreNational de la Cinématographie (CNC)

until !""'. An alumnus of the ENA and a career diplomat, she notably was posted

to the French Embassy in Washington, to the department of Legal Affairs and to

the Center for Analysis and Forecasting at theQuai d’Orsay before taking the posi-

tion of deputy spokeswoman for Ministry of Foreign Affairs and then returning to

the Elysée Palace.

Geneviève Ferone

She is currently Director of Sustainable Development at Veolia Environnement,

after holding the same position at Eiffage from !""& to !""(. PhD in international

business law, possessing broad experience of international organizations, inclu-

ding the International Energy Agency, theOrganization for Economic Cooperation

and Development and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. She

applied her innovative skills in $%%# to founding ARESE, leading French rating

agency covering listed companies in the social andenvironmental domains,which

corresponds to her own area of specialization in the field of socially responsible

investment. She has authored several publications on this theme, including this

year, !"#" : le krach écologique, (!")": the Ecological Crash; Grasset).

)!

Jean-Pierre Lafon

President of the Bureau of International Expositions (B.I.E.), an intergovernmen-

tal organization charged with approving and coordinating universal expositions,

since December !""#. Prior to this position, he spent his entire career in the

French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which he joined after graduating from the

ENA, in the Department of Cultural Affairs, charged with European relations. His

career path is rich and varied, leading him to London before being posted to Iran,

Niger, and to the head of the United Nations Department of the Quai d’Orsay. He

was French ambassador to Lebanon and to China before becoming secretary

general of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, function he performed until

!""&. He was appointed Ambassador of France in !""'.

Tristan Lecomte

He is founder and President of Alter Eco. The company, which he launched in

$%%(, today distributes the production of $&",""" correspondents grouped into

*) cooperatives operating in !' countries. Producers’ compliance with commit-

ments to fair trade enables them to gain access to international markets. He was

first recognized for his efforts to promote fair trade through associations – with

the Solidarité France-Népal association he created – and by means of his compa-

ny. Tristan Lecomte is a graduate of the HEC business school and the Getúlio

Vargas Foundation (Brazil). Not yet )', he is themanagement board’smost junior

member.

Besnik Mustafaj

Amanof politics and letters, born in northernAlbania, he is a professor of foreign

literature at the University of Tirana, as well as a writer, translator and journalist.

He served as Albania’s ambassador in Paris (to France and UNESCO) from $%%! to

$%%#, and as amember of Albania’s Parliament under the label of the party he co-

founded with Sali Berisha, the DPA (Democratic Party of Albania). Following the

!""' elections, he was appointedMinister of Foreign Affairs, a post he held until

his resignation in April !""#. He has written and published many books, poems,

short stories andnovels, someofwhichhavebeen translated into FrenchbyActes

Sud including ( Les cigales de la canicule (the locusts of the heat wave)Un été sans

retour (a summer of no return).

René Ricol

He is Vice President of Ricol, Lasteyrie & Associés, a leading independent financial

expertise and financial risk management in France. For over twenty years he has

played an active role in national international bodies governing the financial pro-

fession, contributing to its development and professionalizing the field of growth

)"

and performance advisory services. Former president of the Compagnie nationale

des commissaires aux comptes (French national association of independent audi-

tors), and the Conseil supérieur de l’ordre des experts-comptables (French national

association of certified public accountants), he also chaired the International

Federation of Accountants, which gathers the professional associations of $$%

countries, from !""! to !""*. He is currently President of the Réseau “Tous pour

l’emploi” (“Everyone for employment” Network) as well as the guiding council of

“France Investissement.”

Jean-Michel Severino

Director of the French Development Agency since !""$, Inspector General of

Finances, he was the director of the World Bank for Central Europe and its vice-

president for Asia. He has beengrappling formany yearswith the enormous chal-

lenges facing emerging countries. He is also a member of the “high-level consul-

tative committee” of theAfricanDevelopment Bank (ABD), set up in !""& to advise it

on its strategic vision. He has also written numerous publications notably on the

subjects of public development aid, urbanization and conflicts over water.

Valérie Terranova

In May !""#, she founded her own consulting firm in strategy. A graduate of the

Institut des Langues et Civilisations Orientales (also dubbed “LanguesO”), for eight

years she was charged with the mission of overseeing the international relations

of the city of Paris. General Commissioner of the “Year of France in Japan” from

$%%& to $%%%, she joined the staff of the office of the President of the Republic of

France that same year, where she specialized in intercultural relations.

Bernard Vatier

Lawyer, former President of the Paris Bar, he was elected President of the Council

of the Bars and Law Societies of the European Union (CCBE) serving from !"") to

!""'. He acquired firsthand knowledge and expertise through his work at a law

firmwhich specialized in commercial transactions and the corporate law.A teacher

and very active in the defense of the values represented by the law profession, he

is internationally recognized for his competencies in the field of arbitrage.

Wu Jianmin

President of the China Foreign Affairs University, he is a founding member of the

China-Europe forum. A diplomat, he notably served as Ambassador of the

People’s Republic of China to the Netherlands, to the United Nations office at

Geneva and to France. In !""), he was unanimously elected President of the

International Bureau of Expositions, a mandate he held until !""#.

)#

First Partners

Liliane Bettencourt

François Pinault

Véolia Environnement

Sanofi-Aventis

Schneider Electric

Fimalac

Lazard Frères

Bernard J. Duroc-Danner

Fadi Nahas

Gaz de France

Claire Roger

Pierre Fabre

Kinoa

)$

Support the action ofthe Fondation Chirac

Your contributions to the Fondation Chirac enable you to actively

participate in its action undertaken in the service of peace and to

go further with its priority projects of ensuring access to quality

medicines and fresh water for all, the fight against deforestation

and desertification and supporting endangered languages and cul-

tures. You will be backing concrete actions, through existing initia-

tives and the launching of new programs. Your support will make

a difference.

Contributions to this charitable institution are tax deductible.

Contactcatherine.joubert@fondationchirac.eu

www.fondationchirac.eu

ACCESSTO MEDICINE

Extension of the BeninNational Laboratoryof quality control of medicines

)'

EXTENSION OF THE BENIN NATIONAL LABORATORYOF QUALITY CONTROL OF MEDICINES

Access to quality medicines is a major challenge facing public health policies in

Africa where counterfeit medications are a widespread danger.

Depending on the country, counterfeitmedications can exceed !"%ofmedicines

on the market.

It is estimated that by #"$" counterfeit medicines will represent a market of %&

billion dollars, or an increase of '"% compared with #""&.

Some of these counterfeit medicines contain no active ingredients, while in

others the ingredients are present in inadequate doses, and still others contain

highly toxic substances.

These fakemedications harm patients due to their uselessness in treating serious

diseases and contribute to increasing treatment-resistant strains of infectious dis-

eases.Worse, in far toomany cases they cause death. Although purchasingmedi-

cations in developing countries always represents a heavy financial burden for

patients, such wasteful expenditures have dramatic economic consequences for

families.

Today, nearly #"%of anti-malariamedications on themarket contain active ingre-

dients in doses too small to be effective.

The distribution of harmful or inactive medicines that escape all control constitu-

tes a danger to the health and safety of populations, amoral scandal and an enor-

mous challenge for actors involved in development.

Quality Control of Medicines

Quality control of medicines, associated with information and educational poli-

cies aimed at changing behaviors (awareness campaigns targeting populations in

danger), is a prerequisite in efforts to halt the development of counterfeit medi-

cines. It is an indispensable step enabling the countries of the South to set up or

strengthen effective and sustainable public health policies.

“There can be no public health policy without

quality medicines.”Dr. Robert Sebbag

President of the commission on the internationaloperations of the Red Cross

Vice President “Access to medicines” of SANOFI-AVENTI

)(

The case of Benin

Since the late $%%"s, the policy of access to medicines has been a top public

health policy priority of Benin and the government has undertaken major and

exemplary efforts to restructure its pharmaceutical policy.

The Ministry of Health has secured access to quality medicines through several

measures:

! Restructuring the central purchasing authority of essential medicines,

! Creating a School of Pharmacology,

! Rehabilitating the national laboratory of quality control of medicines.

These measures have enabled Benin to become a leading innovator in its

region. However, confronted with the explosion of the market in counter-

feit medicines, the country needs to consolidate its tools for combating this

plague. Among these, the national laboratory of quality control of medicines is

of particular importance.

The response: the extension of the national laboratory of quality control

of medicines

To attain regional scope and consolidate the policy of access to quality medicines

in West Africa, the overarching public health and safety challenge, the national

laboratory of quality control of medicines Benin must obtain certification from

theWorld Health Organization. This requires the extension of its facilities as well

as the enhancement of its technical and human resources, which will strengthen

its control and training missions on the national and regional scale.

Benin authorities consider this project to be a top priority and have made the

strengthening of the capacities of the national laboratory of quality control of

medicines one of its major recommendations in the “États généraux de la santé,”

held in Cotonou in November !""#.

Partner! Fondation PierreFabre

Operator: Benin NationalLaboratory of qualitycontrol of medicinesContact:Philippe Bernagou,fondation.pfabre@wanadoo.fr

!*

ACCESS TOFRESH WATER

Plan for strengtheningcapacity in rural areas

!)

The world’s population will increase by #* to $*% over the next $* years.

Tomorrow, Africa will count $.' billion inhabitants.

Population growth, with its corollaries of industrialization and urbanization, will

have multiple consequences, chiefly for the environment. This development will

make the issue of access to water and sanitation ever more pressing, while irri-

gation requirements will also rise.

Today, in the world:

! $.$ billion people have only unclean drinking water

! $.(million children die each year from water-born diseases

! !.& billion people lack basic sanitary facilities

The cost of this lack of access to clean water reaches !" billion dollars per year

and the consequences for economic and social development are a heavy burden

for many countries: it is estimated that **)million school days are lost each year

owing to this problem

©EricLefeuvre

“Resolving the crisis of water and sanitation may be

humanity’s nest great step forward.”

Kevin WatkinsEditor-in-chief of the

World Report on the Human DevelopmentUnited Nations Development Program, #""(

!!

Because over !&" river basins are shared by two or more countries, the risk of

conflicts over access to this vital resource could become increasingly serious.

Although the international community has begun mobilizing to deal with this

challenge, notably by adopting an action plan for water in !"") at the G( sum-

mit in Evian, there remains much to be done. We are far from achieving the

Millennium Objectives, which are to cut in half the populations lacking access to

water or purification facilities by !"$'.

In Mali, the access rate to water purification is estimated at merely $%...

Following directly behind Jacques Chirac, who was among the first to call for a

global effort on these issues, notably at the Evian summit, the Fondationwill sup-

port the African Development Bank for the implementation of a plan to enhance

capacities for access to water and water purification in rural areas of Senegal and

Mali.

The goal is to ensure the Millennium Objectives can be fulfilled in some of the

poorest rural regions on the globe by providing support to village communities,

notably for training rural villagers and water managers in effective operation and

maintenance of water facilities.

This three-year plan places a particular emphasis on actions in the area of pro-

fessional training in water-related occupations, empowerment of locally elected

officials, water users and associations, as well as undertaking information, edu-

cational and communication campaigns.

Partner!African bank ofdeveloppement

©Yann

Arthu

s-Bertrand

/La

Terrevuedu

ciel

Drilled well in a village near Doropo, region of Bouna, Ivory Coast (!°"#’ N – $°%!’ O). Throughout Africa water collection is arole generally assured by women, as it is here near Doropo. Little by little, drilled wells, usually equipped with manual pumps,are replacing traditional village wells. Traditional receptacles for carrying this precious resource, gourds and “canaries” or bigterra cotta jugs, are being supplanted by plastic, enameled metal or aluminum ones. Drawn from aquifers deep underground,water from these wells presents less of a health risk than that drawn from traditional wells, which in over !"% of cases is notfit for drinking. Disease resulting from unsanitary water is declining but remains the primary cause of infant mortality indeveloping countries: every year diarrhea causes the death of # million infants before the age of $. Faced with a burgeoningpopulation, access to potable water, which one out of six of the earth’s inhabitants is still waiting for, is one of the greatestchallenges to resolve in coming years. www.yannarthusbertrand.org - www.goodplanet.org

CENTER FORSOCIALEXCELLENCE

of the Congo Basin forests

!#

CENTER FOR SOCIAL EXCELLENCEOF THE CONGO BASIN FORESTS

According to the last report from the International Panel on Climate Change, tropi-

cal deforestation is responsible for approximately !*% of world greenhouse

gas emissions. Halting this destructive trend is now recognized as the most effi-

cient and economical way to effectively counter global warming, which is its

second biggest cause (Report by Nicholas Stern on the economics of climate

change – October !""&), but also to preserve the rich and irreplaceable

biodiversity contained in these forests.

Every year, $! million hectares of the world’s tropical forests are destroyed,

mainly by clearing, owing to the rush to expand cultivatable land, and by uncon-

trolled logging.

Approximately )""million of earth’s inhabitants depend on tropical forests for sur-

vival. Sustainable development of these resources in Latin America, South Asia and

Africa, is still the exception. In the interest of all, it must become the rule.

©EdwardParker

“Peace can be defined as safe and assured access to the

resources that are essential to sustaining life. When

access to these resources is disrupted it can have serious

consequences for peace. From this standpoint, climate

change will have numerous impacts on some populations

in terms of access to fresh water, sufficient food, stable

health conditions, ecosystem resources and the sustainability

of patterns of human settlement.”

Rajendra Pachauri, Président du Giec

Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech,

Oslo, December $", #""%

!$

FSC certificate

The FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) defines sustainablemanagement of a forest

with ten principles. These ten principles include economic and environmental as

well as a social and cultural aspects. To obtain certification, forest logging com-

panies must implement policies that take into account the life and culture of the

populations inhabiting forests and ensure forest management policy incorpora-

tes their agreement.

The case of the Congo Basin

The Congo Basin in Central Africa contains the

second largest forest in the world, behind the

one in Amazon Basin. It is home to a mainly

rural population, estimated to number !%

million people, including approximately

'"",""" Pygmies and semi-nomadic peoples

grouped into nine communities. These com-

munities are entirely dependent on the forest

for their livelihood. It provides themwith their

habitat, food,medicinesandplacesofworship.

Their knowledge of the forest is irreplaceable.

Today, apart froma few rare exceptions, these

communities are not associated with the

management of the forest, though they are themost knowledgeable about it. For

the communities concerned, their exclusion represents an enormous waste of

competencies for the logging companies in addition to being a negation of their

rights. This absurd situation results in the forest being logged according to

requirements of short-term profitability that are incompatible with long-term

sustainability just as it is facing an explosion in world demand for wood.

The response: the center for social

excellence

The idea of creating a “center for social excel-

lence” in the field of sustainable forest manage-

ment evolved from a successful experience tes-

ted in the Republic of the Congo where in !""&

a )&',"""-hectare forest concession managed

to obtain the FSC certificate guaranteeing sus-

tainablemanagement for the first time in Africa.

It achieved this exploit by utilizing cutting-edge

technologies enabling the forest communities

to map the forest themselves in ways that took

into account their rights and ways of life.

©John

James

©Trop

icalForestTrust

!%

Theprojectwill create a field -based training center that fosters dialogbetween log-

ging companies, indigenous populations and other local players.

Its goal is to:

! Successfully achieve the certification process for #million hectares of the forest

by !"$", by bringing $" to $* logging companies onboard;

! Support the development of African competencies in matters of sustainable

forest management, especially as regards the human, social and cultural aspects.

This center is regional in scope

(Republic of the Congo, Gabon,

Central African Republic,

Cameroon and the Democratic

Republic of the Congo) and will

work in close collaboration

with theuniversities and specia-

lized institutes in the countries

involved.

An adapted tool: the radio “Biso na Biso” (“Among ourselves”)

To facilitate exchanges between the various players involved in forest mana-

gement, the creation of the center for social for excellencewill be assisted in

its efforts by the creation of a community radio station, managed and hos-

ted by Pygmy, semi-nomadic and illiterate populations of the region. La radio

will be a link enabling these peoples whose cultures are essentially oral to

transmit their traditions and regularly communicate in their own languages.

Project Operator

The project operator is the Tropical Forest Trust (TFT).

The TFT is a non-profit organization founded in $%%% for the purpose of fighting

climate change and the relentless trend towards uniformity that is sweeping the

world’s cultures by working to preserve tropical forests.

En formant des partnershipswith companies in the lumber industry, the TFT steers

forest logging companies and the communities living in the areas being logged

towards sustainablemanagement of forest resources. Backedby a &"-person team

comprising forest engineers and agronomists, anthropologists, biologists and

other experts, the TFT is present in Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia, China,

Gabon, Cameroon, the Congo, and Brazil.

Coordinator: Dr. Norbert Gami, anthropologistContact: Bastien Sachet - Tél.: +!" ## $%& '! !( - b.sachet@tropicalforesttrust.com

Partners! World Bank! Fondation Albert IIde Monaco

!Group Virgin

©EdwardParker

©NorbertGam

mi

SOROSOROSo the languages of the world may prosper!

!'

SOROSORO PROGRAMSO THE LANGUAGES OF THE WORLD MAY PROSPER!

! Approximately &,""" languages are spoken on earth.

! %"% of Internet pages are written in only$! languages.

! %&% of languages are spoken by only *% of the world’s population and '"" of

these are spoken by fewer than $"" individuals.

!On average, a language dies out every $' days, according to UNESCO experts.

! If urgent measures are not taken, %"% of the world’s languages may well dis-

appear during this century.

WHY MUST THE WORLD’S LANGUAGS BE PROTECTED?

! Because the death of a language signals the loss of traditional knowledge that

is only transmitted orally: an irreplaceable loss of heritage;

! Because the death of a language enshrines the relegation of fragile popula-

tions: it involves a social collapse; because this social collapse is an injustice

containing within it the seeds of violence;

! Because the death of a language impoverishes cultural diversity, which is inse-

parable from biodiversity.

It is now known that before the European conquest, Amerindians mastered

the art of preparing their soils with micro-organisms that naturally

regenerated the soil, thereby ensuring its continued fertility. Through

their methods of nurturing the forests, these same Amerindians, whose

knowledge is now lost, contributed to stabilizing the world’s climate.

“The language battle must be fought on a global scale.

We want the world of tomorrow to be rich, abundant,

multiple and creative. For it is from the confrontation of

ideas, the dialog of civilizations and, first of all, through

the exchange of words that progress is born and peace is

fostered.”

Jacques Chirac

Speech given to Portuguese cultural and academic leaders/

Porto, February &, $'''

!(

CULTURE IS AN ESSENTIAL COMPONENT OFSUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

For all these reasons, The UN considers the issue of saving languages to be stra-

tegic one.

!""( has been proclaimed the “international year of languages.” The Fondation

Chirac answers to the call made by the UN and UNESCO so that the languages of

the world may prosper.

THE SOROSORO PROGRAM

Named after an Araki word – a language now spoken by only eight people in

Vanuatu, a group of Pacific islands – meaning “breath, speech, language,” the

SOROSOROprogram resolutely fitswithin the scopeof the struggle to defend cul-

tural diversity recognized and taken up by UNESCO as a necessary condition for

development and the maintenance of peace.

For the Fondation Chirac, it essentially concerns an effort to participate in the race

to safeguard endangered languages, making use of digital technologies now

available in collaboration with international researchers who are already

engaged in the effort.

“Language is not only an instrument of communica-

tion. It defines culture, nature, history, humanity and

ascendance. The preservation of vanishing languages is

vital for the cultural richness of the legacy of our

human patrimony. Language sustains traditions, instills

knowledge of and respect for our past and the planet

on which we live and links communities across borders

and the ages.”“The UN works for Cultural Diversity” campaign

"*

30

THE PROGRAM’S PRIMARY DEVELOPMENT GOALS INCLUDE:

! A digital encyclopedia of languages, an audiovisual database on threatened

languages and cultures comprised of images and sound recorded specifically for

the database or collected across the globe, then saved for posterity according to

an ad hoc digitization and preservation program;

! Aweb-based television channel dedicated to languages with webcasts of short

films, intended for the general public, based on the sounds and images collected

for the database;

! The restitution of data to the communities concerned, which will enable them

to take full ownership of them, namely for purposes of educating children in their

native tongues and to facilitate transmission of knowledge of their traditional cul-

ture.

What links all humanity is not a unified language and culture, but rather the effort

all peoplemustmake to communicate their language, beliefs or culture toothers.

Thus, it is precisely through the act of communicating across and beyond our

differences that we build human solidarity. Because Sorosoro is an open

undertaking founded on the principle of sharing, the program seeks to foster

a dynamic renewal of diversity, because it both a prerequisite for sustainable

development and a promise of peace.

Rozenn Milin

Sorosoro Program Director

Born in Brittany, she became an early militant for the defense of the Breton lan-

guage. Historian by training, her research focused notably on the Celts of ancient

times (The Celts and Death in Ancient Times according to Greek and Latin texts

and Human sacrifice and the Celts of Ancient Times).

Journalist, radio and television newscaster, producer, director and actress, she has

worked for FR), the BBC, HTV, S*C and Arte.

From $%%( to !""), she developed, launched and then directed TV Breizh (TF$

Group).

From !""* to !""&, she was onmission at the French Embassy in Beijing, in char-

ge of cinema, television, radio and new technologies.

Since early !""#, she has been directing her energies to designing the Sorosoro

program, which she is now implementing for the Fondation Chirac.

Contact: rozenn.milin@fondationchirac.eu