Throughout the negotiations, countries of Africa , Southeast Asia, the
Middle East, and the Pacific and Caribbean Islands united to make the treaty a
reality.
With millions of lives at stake, we urge countries that have not yet ratified
to do so without delay, particularly those that took the lead during treaty
negotiations," says Akinbode Oluwafemi of Environmental Rights Action,
Nigeria.

Contacts:
Kathryn Mulvey
Cell phones in Geneva:
41. Graeme Hansen
-- has organized the workshop and funded the participants.
Agency for International Development (USAID), the World Bank, the European
Union , the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Caribbean Development Bank
and the 20 countries of CARICOM .
In early 2004, the last two countries on the continent, Guinea-Bissau and
Eritrea, launched mobile services.

For more information visit
http://www.

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"It
demonstrates that working together, the nations of the world can protect
people from irresponsible and dangerous corporate practices.
CARTAC -- through its Public Finance Management Advisor Mr.

About CARTAC
Based in Barbados, the Caribbean Regional Technical Assistance Centre was
established in 2001 with a mission to enhance the institutional and human
resource capacities of countries in the Caribbean region to achieve their
macroeconomic, fiscal and monetary policy objectives. For more
information , visit http://www.

mayotte niue

Tobacco corporations like Philip Morris/Altria, BAT and JTI continue to
use dirty tricks to try to derail the treaty. The Network for Accountability of
Tobacco Transnationals (NATT) includes more than 100 NGOs from over 50
countries working for a strong, enforceable FCTC . Cayman to Detail Benefits of Its Comprehensive Public
Financial Management Approach; Demonstrate 'Best Practices'

GEORGE TOWN, Grand Cayman, The Cayman Islands
Government 's financial management and reporting system is the featured case
study as more than 30 senior finance managers from 20 Caribbean countries
attend the Caribbean Regional Technical Assistance Centre (CARTAC ) workshop,
which began Tuesday in Grand Cayman at the Westin Casuarina Resort and Spa.cartac.bb . With a population of more than
43,000, the country consists of three islands: Little Cayman, Cayman Brac and
Grand Cayman, the capital of which is George Town.

falkland antarctic

The FCTC, initiated by the World Health Organization, bans tobacco
advertising, promotion and sponsorship, and protects public health policy from
tobacco industry interference.
Throughout the treaty process, the Network for Accountability of Tobacco
Transnationals (NATT) and other NGOs encouraged, prodded and pressured
countries to stand firm in the face of Big Tobacco's enormous political and
economic clout.org."
The workshop will allow participants, some of whom are already involved in
similar fiscal reform programs, to appreciate the implications and
applicability of Cayman's approach to their country's situation.

Cayman's experience was identified as a key learning opportunity after
its participation in the inaugural CaPFA Conference, held in St. DUBLIN, Ireland, African Mobile Communications Market to their offering .com/reports/c14197

Laura Wood
Senior Manager
Research and Markets
press@researchandmarkets.

tuvalu leste

617.
"While much progress has been made, there's still work to do to realize
our full vision," said Mr Gough, referring to the next phase of reform
involving personnel and public authorities, which will begin shortly.

mayotte faroe

As both the global tobacco treaty and the Kyoto Protocol
take effect with the US on the sidelines, we are calling on our government to
join with the global community in prioritizing people's lives over the profits
of giant corporations," says Mulvey. Relying on organizing techniques including International Weeks
of Resistance to Tobacco Transnationals, Marlboro Man Awards, and the release
of a number of reports, NATT has played a key role in exposing and challenging
the attempts of giant tobacco corporations and their political allies in
wealthy countries to derail the FCTC.
The Cayman Islands is also sharing its experiences from a broad management
perspective as to how the need for fiscal reform came about.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040820/RESEARCH )
Africa's cellular market is the fastest-growing in the world, gaining more
than 50% in 2002, almost 40% in 2003 and more than 40% in the first three
quarters of 2004 alone.com
Fax: +353 1 4100 980

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Corporate Accountability International, formerly Infact, is a membership
organization that protects people by waging and winning campaigns challenging
irresponsible and dangerous corporate actions around the world.
(Logo: http://www.newscom. This compares to only 3% penetration of fixed-line
telephony.

pitcairn antartica

The US has a long history of signing but not ratifying
international humanitarian agreements, such as the Convention on the Rights of
the Child.76. "We want the
rest of the Caribbean to know and understand what worked for us, what benefits
can be realized, and what resources are necessary to undertake such an
initiative.

leste mayen

BAT lobbied the parliamentarians to
water down key provisions of the Tobacco Control Bill currently under
consideration in Kenya, which has ratified the FCTC. The workshop is
part of a series organized and sponsored by CARTAC in conjunction with the
CaPFA.

comoros anguilla

stopcorporateabuse.3476 / 1. It is primarily due
to the small number and high cost of fixed-line connections, which seldom
extend beyond the major urban centres.

polynesia kitts

"This is a historic moment in the movement challenging irresponsible and
dangerous corporate actions around the world .5000

For more information, visit
http://www.
The mobile market is open to competition in the majority of the countries,
featuring between two and four operators, and it is largely private sector
driven.

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Countries like Kenya and
must be vigilant in protecting their health policies from tobacco industry
interference, in accordance with the treaty's obligations. The organization shares
experience and current developments to increase public awareness of the
importance of efficient and effective public finance management through its
Web site, workshops, conferences, facilitation of professional attachments and
other activities. The Portfolio of Finance +
Economics is responsible for fiscal management, policy-making and
administrative oversight related to public finances and maintains oversight of
Cayman's financial services industry, which encompasses banking, trust
services , company services, mutual funds, insurance, vessel registration,
capital markets products and the Cayman Islands Stock Exchange. As early as 2001, Africa became the first
continent as a whole where mobile phones outnumbered fixed telephone lines,
which individually is the case in most African countries now.

equatorial antartica

First Global Public Health Treaty to Take Effect

Many more
ratifications are expected in coming months.
"From our broad perspective, the effective management of public finances
can have many far-reaching benefits in addition to the general fiscal health
of government, which is an obvious one," said Mr Gough.

Research and Markets: Phenomenal Growth in African Mobile Communications Market Set To Continue

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Throughout the FCTC negotiating process, the US government consistently took
positions that would dilute the treaty at the expense of people's lives around
the world . As the treaty takes effect, NATT will
continue to watchdog the tobacco industry's interference and support countries
in ratifying and implementing the FCTC.
The 57 countries that have ratified the FCTC are: Armenia, Australia,
Bangladesh, Bhutan, Botswana, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Cook Islands ,
Denmark, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland,
India, Japan, Jordan , Kenya, Latvia, Lesotho, Lithuania, Madagascar, Maldives,
Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico , Mongolia, Myanmar, Nauru,
Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Peru, Qatar , San
Marino, Senegal, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Solomon Islands, Spain, Sri
Lanka, Syria , Thailand, Timor-Leste, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, the United
Kingdom, Uruguay and Viet Nam. For more information visit
http://www.
"One of the key aims of the workshop is to share Cayman 's reform
experience with participants as part of promoting further understanding about
the need for, and implications of financial management reform in the region,"
said Mr Peter Gough, Deputy Financial Secretary (Financial Management), Cayman
Islands Government, noting that all workshop presenters will be
representatives from various areas of Cayman's civil service. Consistent
with previous CARTAC/CaPFA workshops, emphasis will be placed on all
participants having the opportunity to share experiences and enhance working
relationships among public finance managers throughout the Caribbean .S. CARTAC provides "on demand" technical
assistance to the governments of member countries in the areas of public
finance management, fiscal planning, taxation administration, financial sector
matters (banks, credit unions, insurance and securities) supervision, and
government financial statistics .

mayotte pitcairn

"Areas such as direct
foreign investment, infrastructure projects and increased social services can
all be tied to strong financial management -- it is a tenet of good
governance.
Conference participants will be senior civil servants holding key public
finance management positions from such countries as: Anguilla, Antigua +
Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Dominican Republic , Grenada,
Grenadines, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, St.

anguilla kiribati

For over 25
years, we've forced corporations-like Nestle, General Electric and Philip
Morris/Altria-to stop abusive actions. Corporate Accountability International,
an NGO in Official Relations with the World Health Organization (WHO ), played
a key role in development of the FCTC.

niue comoros

The Consumer Information
Network, a NATT member in Kenya, recently helped expose BAT's sponsorship of a
beach holiday for members of Parliament.

Lucia,
St.
Mobile licences frequently require that operators rely on a fixed network
operator for interconnection, and relatively few countries allow their mobile
operators to operate their own international gateways.

nauru caicos

547. It is funded by a number
of organizations, including the Canadian International Development Agency
(CIDA), the UK Department for International Development (DFID), the U.com.

About CaPFA
CaPFA was formed out of the CARTAC Public Finance Management Conference
held in Trinidad in February 2003. Since then, CaPFA has worked with CARTAC to
hold regional workshops , including its inaugural conference, "Strengthening
Public Finance Management in the Caribbean" in St.

pitcairn guiana

"This treaty will save millions of lives," says Kathryn Mulvey, Executive
Director of Corporate Accountability International (formerly Infact). It also sets precedents for international
regulation of other industries that threaten health, the environment and human
rights."
Cayman's reform involved the introduction of comprehensive "output"
budgeting. Kitts in November 2004. The fact that 20 African countries have achieved
triple-digit compound annual growth rates (CAGR) for the period 1998-2003
shows that this phenomenal growth is not just short-lived.

tuvalu antartica

The treaty will change the way giant tobacco corporations operate
around the world and set an international precedent for prioritizing public
health over commercial interests. As the global community takes significant
steps to protect people's lives, public interest organizations are urging
countries that have not yet ratified, including the US, to do so.
While the Bush Administration signed the FCTC in May 2004, the US is
notably absent from the list of countries that have ratified the treaty.0920

Patti Lynn 617.260. That is, budgeting focused on what is actually produced , while
getting the best value for every dollar of public funds expended. Kitts in
November 2004 .
CaPFA's first aim is to further develop the professionalism of those involved
in public finance management in the Caribbean.

kiribati tokelau

Cayman Islands Government to Showcase Public Financial Reform and Management Expertise to Caribbean Finance Leaders

It also
involved moving to full accrual accounting to align government more closely
with commercial accounting practice, which is both more effective and provides
a better understanding of how government assets are utilized. It also
involved a study of "best practices" from governments around the world to
glean lessons learned and develop an approach unique to the needs of the
Cayman Islands.

miquelon darussalam

Despite Years of Intense Industry Lobbying, Tobacco Treaty Becomes
International Law Sunday, February 27th

Once Again Out of Step with International Community, US Has Not Ratified
Landmark Agreement

GENEVA, Only 11 days after the Kyoto Protocol's
entry into force, the groundbreaking global tobacco treaty known as the
Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) will take effect on February
27, 2005.

About the Cayman Islands and the Portfolio of Finance + Economics
The Cayman Islands is a United Kingdom Overseas Territory located in the
northwestern region of the Caribbean Sea.

However, developments are still hampered by regulatory environments .
The report offers a wealth of information on the Mobile market, covering:
- Trends
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- Players
- Revenues
- Subscribers
- Prepaid
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- 3G
- Mobile Data
- Market Issue
- Paging
- Dedicated Services
- SIM
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Countries covered include: Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkino Faso,
Cameroon, Chad, Cote D'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia,
Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius , Morocco,
Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia,
Uganda , Zambia and Zimbabwe.researchandmarkets.

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Attempts by
Philip Morris/Altria, British American Tobacco (BAT) and Japan Tobacco
International (JTI) to prevent an effective treaty from entering into force
have proved futile," she adds. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Turks + Caicos Islands, British
Virgin Islands, and Trinidad + Tobago.gov.ky .

guiana leste

To date,
fifty-seven countries have ratified the global tobacco treaty.
"February 2005 is a landmark month for international cooperation on
critical issues of protecting people and our natural resources, and the US is
missing the boat. Now that this global treaty has
become international law, it is no longer business as usual for Big Tobacco.306 .
The three-day event, co-hosted by Cayman's Portfolio of Finance +
Economics and CARTAC, in association with the Caribbean Public Finance
Association (CaPFA), will also focus on the Cayman Islands' experiences in the
area of financial reform; an initiative that Cayman began more than two years
ago.
Among the significant changes required to implement these reforms, were
new legislation, such as the Public Management and Finance Act, with "Fiscal
Responsibility" provisions , and upgrades to infrastructure, including a new
technology platform called the integrated financial management system (IRIS). Kitts + Nevis, St.

caicos futuna

695.2525

David Lerner/Riptide Communications
212. In Cayman's case,
it was a collective process, involving active commitment from political
leaders and civil servants, as well as members of the community. Despite this,
owning a mobile phone remains a luxury afforded by less than 8% of Africa's
840 million people.