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Dr Haq's briefing on world seminar

85pc of arms exports

to Third World come

from big 5 powers

IKRAMUL HAQ

ISLAMABAD: Eighty-five percent of arms exports to developing countries come from the big five powers in the Security Council, the custodian of world peace.

The quantum of exports and the subsidies allowed on the arms export never see the light of day.

This disclosure was made on Saturday by Dr. Mahbubul Haq former finance minister and president of Human Development Centre which is co-sponsoring a two-day international seminar on Strategy for Human Development.

Dr. Haq said that while the IMF and donors want to eliminate subsidy on exports and even food items for the developing world, the exporting powers are not prepared to share information on the amount of arms exports or subsidies even with the World Trade Organisation.

Dr. Haq who was briefing newsmen about the international seminar, said that among other things to be included in the Plan of Action to be approved by the seminar is the proposal to hold a disarmament moot in the developing countries to discuss reduction in military spendings and resolution of explosive issues in the developing world.

At the briefing Dr. Mahbubul Haq sounded bitter on West's apathy to concerns of the developing countries, on counts. First, the compact of 22:20 hammered out at a summit in Copenhagen last year has not been followed; secondly, West's exploitation through large scale exports of arms to the developing countries which are now riddled with armed conflicts and wars.

"You know that since World War II, there have been 120 conflicts in the developing countries in which 22 million people perished more than the Second World War."

The international seminar, he added, would discuss how to hold a disarmament talks in the Third World and what should be the role of the big powers in resolving the conflicts like Kashmir.

He was of the view that the big powers must put moral and physical pressure on India for solution of Kashmir issue. The big powers were trying to resolve disputes in Middle East, Ireland and other countries, why not in the sub-continent. Unilaterally Pakistan cannot reduce military spending because of Kashmir. They should urge India to take the first step.

The disarmament talks would also take stock of the arms supplies to the developing world. He added 86 percent of the arms to the Third World is coming from five permanent members of the Security Council, the highest forum for preservation of peace. The arms exports are subsidised. While subsidy on food items is anathema to IMF and other donors, there is a big collusion between the arms manufacturers and their governments. The arms exports are kept secret and the issue was outside the Uruguay Round, let alone the issue of subsidy.

Dr. Haq added that it is only two years back that an arms registry has been set up at the United Nations but information is hardly available.

He questioned that morality of the west by profiteering at the expense of the poor, by diverting three-fourths of their arms to the developing countries.

Regarding the other important issue of 20:20 compact arrived at Copenhagen summit, Dr. Haq said the proposal was that the developing countries should spend 20 percent of budget on social sectors and the donors too would make a matching contribution. The position now is that while developing countries are spending, on average, 10 percent, the donors or the industrialised countries are giving only seven percent on physical infrastructure, roads and power but not much is coming for social sectors, except World Bank with 20 percent and Asian Development Bank 50 percent of their assistance.

But, Dr. Haq questioned the usefulness of spending on infrastructure for growth momentum. He added that a World Bank study "Wealth of Nations" issued last year came to the conclusion that physical infrastructure leads to 16 percent of growth, natural resources 20 percent and investment on human development pushes growth by 64 percent. By way illustration, the report pointed out, that economic growth Japan is attributed 85 percent to human development, one percent to natural resources and 14 percent to machinery and physical capital.

He added that the international seminar will focus on the 20:20 compact, its implementation and allied issues.

Giving the background of the seminar sponsored with Human Development Centre, on "A Global Strategy for Human Development" will be held in Bhurban, Murree on April 15-16, under the auspices of the Human Development Centre, Islamabad and the State of the World Forum (San Francisco). The seminar has also been co-sponsored by Friedrich Ebert Stiftung.

The basic objective of the seminar is to formulate a global plan to accelerate the pace of human development in the developing world and to identify a new global compact between the North and the South to reduce the current global disparities in income and human development.

The average for the developing world and only one-half of the level in the industrialising tigers of East Asia. The Human Development Centre is preparing a comprehensive report on human development in South Asia. Some of the preliminary findings of this report will be discussed in the seminar and specific plans for actions identified to accelerate the pace of human development in South Asia.

The seminar is a joint effort undertaken by the Human Development Centre - a policy think-tank recently set up by Dr. Mahbub-ul-Haq, the principal author of the UNDP's Human Development reports and former Finance and Planning Minister of Pakistan - and the State of the World Forum, set up last year in San Francisco, California, by Mikhail Gorbachev, former President of the USSR. Gorbachev will not be able to join the seminar because of his election campaign for the Presidency of Russia but Jim Garrison, co-founder and President of the State of the World Forum, will repesent him in Bhurban.

A distinguished group of around 40 intellectuals and opinion makers are participating in the Bhurban seminar.

He added the seminar will focus on the widespread human deprivation in poor countries. At present, 850 million adults are illiterates; 1.3 billion have no access to safe drinking water; 2.5 billion lack access to any form of sanitation; around 800 billion people receive no health service whatsoever. Over 1.3 billion people are mired in absolute poverty where they cannot meet the daily necessities of life. The income gap between rich and poor nations has widened to 60 times now from 30 times in 1960. The seminar will discuss a concrete strategy to overcome such extensive human deprivation and poverty.

The seminar will particularly focus on the situation in South Asia in a special session to be addressed by some of the leading policy makers from within the region. South Asia now lags behind all other regions in the development world in key human development indicators.