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The White House Office of the Press Secretary Solidifying our Partnership With Africa February 17, 2000

Fact Sheet Throughout his 7 years in office, President Clinton has made ending conflict and cultivating democracy in Africa a central focus of his foreign policy, particularly during his historic trip to the continent. He has strongly supported the growing trend toward democracy in Africa, working directly with African institutions to resolve Africa's conflicts and consolidate its peaceful transitions. Promoting democracy and stability in Africa means building the capacity of the institutions needed to promote justice, foster internal trade, enhance regional cooperation, and consolidate peace efforts. Record of Accomplishment--Promoting Peace and Democracy Making and Keeping Peace --On his trip to Africa in March of 1998, President Clinton visited Ghana, Uganda, Rwanda, South Africa, Botswana and Senegal. In Uganda, he co-convened a Heads of State Summit with Ugandan President Museveni, where he announced the formation of an International Coalition Against Genocide, and the Great Lakes Justice Initiative, which supports efforts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi to build the institutions needed to end the culture of impunity. --Provided over $100 million to assist the Economic Community of West African States peacekeeping operation, also known as ECOMOG, in leading peacekeeping and humanitarian relief efforts in Liberia and Sierra Leone. --Launched the Africa Crisis Response Initiative, which has trained over 4200 peacekeepers from six African countries, to respond quickly and effectively to humanitarian and peacekeeping challenges. --Supported mediation efforts led by former Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere and then by former South African President Nelson Mandela. President Clinton will join President Mandela through a live video-conference for President Mandela's February 22, 2000 mediation session with the Burundi parties. --Worked directly with African regional institutions to promote a peace agreement for Sierra Leone, signed in Lome, Togo in July 1999, and to secure a cease-fire agreement in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in July and August 1999. Building Democracy --Provided more than $120 million per year to democracy programs to build grassroots, civil institutions and government capacity for democracy, human rights, good governance and conflict resolution across the continent. Also contributed development assistance aimed at increasing production and improving health care and education. --Created the Education for Development and Democracy Initiative, which furthers Africa's integration into the global community and improves the quality of education by: updating available technology; supporting girls' and women's education; and linking African private and public schools as well as African and American educational institutions. --Supported democratic elections across Africa, and provided assistance to development of the judiciary, legal systems, media and civil society organizations in over 20 countries. --The President's sustained commitment to economic engagement with Africa has opened economies on both sides of the Atlantic to private sector trade and investment, offering opportunities to Americans and increasing Africa's potential to alleviate poverty and to increase prosperity. The United States is systematically developing closer trade and investment relations with Africa by negotiating bilateral trade agreements, offering trade incentives for reform, tackling Africa's debt burden, and also forging agreements with our allies to forgive or reduce additional debts. Record of Accomplishment Helping to Strengthen Africa Through Health Care Initiatives and Increased Economic Engagement --Forgave bilateral debt of $500 million from African nations, freeing governments to invest those resources in health, education, and other development priorities. The U.S. also forged an agreement among G-8 industrialized countries to provide additional debt relief by expanding HIPC, the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative. --Implemented a new, comprehensive trade policy aimed at developing a partnership with Africa that will foster economic growth and development and facilitate Africa's integration into the global economy. The legislative cornerstone of this policy is the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in July of 1999 and by the U.S. Senate in November of 1999. The Administration is seeking final passage in early 2000. --Launched the LIFE initiative (Leadership and Investment in Fighting and Epidemic), an enhanced global AIDS effort, in 1999. Of the $225 million in our FY2000 budget for global AIDS prevention and care, two thirds will go to Africa. --Committed the USG to a concerted effort to accelerate the development and delivery of vaccines for malaria, TB, AIDS, and other diseases disproportionately affecting the developing world (through the multi-faceted Millennium Initiative announced in the State of the Union, January 27, 2000). --Announced a new cooperative effort to help poor countries gain access to affordable medicines (WTO meeting, Seattle, December 1, 1999). This approach will ensure that the application of U.S. trade law related to intellectual property remain sufficiently flexible to respond to legitimate public health crises. --Under the President's leadership, cabinet-level engagement with Africa has been unprecedented, with most members of the cabinet visiting Africa at least once, and new initiatives for Africa developed by the Departments of State, Commerce, Transportation, Agriculture, Defense, Justice, and Treasury, and also by the Agency for International Development (USAID), the Export-Import Bank, the Trade Development Agency, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) and the U.S. Trade Representative. --Demonstrating the importance of a strong U.S.-Africa partnership, in March of 1999 the United States hosted the U.S.-Africa Ministerial, the largest meeting ever held between African Ministers and American Cabinet members, which resulted in a blueprint for expanded economic engagement in the next century. --Appointed Rosa Whitaker as the first-ever Assistant U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) for Africa, with broad responsibilities for coordinating our trade policy. USTR has signed bilateral investment treaties, and trade and investment framework agreements, with several African countries. --The Ex-Im Bank, OPIC, and TDA have all expanding programming in Africa. Open in only 13 countries at the time of the President's trip to Africa in 1998, the Ex-Im Bank now has programs in 32 African countries, and is supporting $600 million in exports to sub-Saharan Africa. [end of document] Africa Summit | African Affairs | Department of State | Secretary of State