NAIROBI Cheap Andrew Cogliano Jersey , March 25 (Xinhua) -- Investments in trade infrastructure as well as the removal of bureaucratic and procedural barriers to economic integration have positioned the East Africa region as the destination of choice for doing business, a study has shown.
A study published on Wednesday by the TradeMark East Africa (TMEA), a donor-funded organization formed to help regional states speed up integration, said the harmonization of product standards has expanded the East African Community (EAC) trade basket.
Encouraging results achieved over the past year, including investments in key ports have resulted in reduced cargo transit times on East Africa's main transport corridors, and accelerated implementation of the EAC's Single Customs Territory, said TMEA Annual Report.
TMEA Chief Executive Officer Frank Matsaert said the reduction of average time to clear goods at Kenya's Mombasa port and transport them to Kampala, Uganda to fours days has buoyed the investments in the EAC region.
Matsaert said the reduction in the number of customs declarations by 90 percent leading to an increase in trade volumes, an example of fuel imports into Uganda which has increased from 32. 1 million litres to 108 million litres are behind surge in investments.
"The results presented in this annual report point to an ever improving trade environment which is expected to spur investments and ultimately benefit the citizens of East Africa," he said in Nairobi.
He said poor infrastructure, delays in cargo clearance and customs procedures at the port contribute to the high cost of doing business along the transport corridor.
Mombasa port serves Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, eastern DR Congo and Southern Sudan. Traders from the landlocked states had threatened to dump the northern corridor for an alternative route through Tanzania, citing port inefficiency and corruption on Kenyan roads.
Matsaert said the ongoing infrastructure upgrades at the port would ensure increased capacity to handle growing volumes and associated demand for port services.
The report details TMEA's vision of enhancing interconnectedness in the region through trade by highlighting some of the successful projects they have supported.
Notable among these is the recent signing of the Mombasa Port Community Charter, witnessed by Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, 25 government and private sector agencies who committed to support initiatives that will increase efficiency at the Mombasa port and the Northern Corridor.
GENEVA, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- A group of Chinese artists with disabilities on Thursday night gave a breath-taking show in the Palais de Nations, the UN headquarters in Geneva, to more than 1,000 audiences, including over 30 ambassadors and senior international organization leaders.
The artists, from the famous China Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe, presented the audiences with their best pieces, especially the Thousand-hand Bodhisattva dance and the beautiful Chinese folk song, Jasmine Flower.
The performance, named My Dream, was jointly sponsored by the Chinese Mission in Geneva and the United Nations Office at Geneva.
Ma Zhaoxu, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of China to the UN Office at Geneva, said during the opening of the performance that this world-famous group has toured 100 countries and regions since its founding 30 years ago, winning hearts and tears wherever they went.
"Yes, they may have difficulty seeing this colorful world or hearing its beautiful sounds, but this does not shake their passion for art and life," Ma said.
"They are the living examples of the value of life, the strength of willpower, and human dignity. They present the Chinese dream for a better and harmonious life," he added.
According to the senior Chinese diplomat, there are 85 million Chinese living with disabilities. The Chinese government is committed to protecting and promoting their rights and fully implementing the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
In the past five years alone, Ma explained, 5.88 million people with disabilities in rural China were lifted out of poverty, and over 10 million people with disabilities around the country received state subsistence allowances.
Michael Moller, UN Under-Secretary-General and Director-General of the UN Office at Geneva, said that the outstanding work of the performing arts ensemble stands symbolically for China's efforts to better integrate people with disabilities and to encourage their participation in society.
"My dream, the name of tonight's show, is about making dreams come true for people with disabilities, not only in China, but around the world," he said.
Founded in 1987, the China Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe is supposed to promote self-respect, self-confidence, and self-reliance and its outstanding work has been recognized on many occasions.
The President of the China Disabled Persons' Federation, Mr. Deng Pufang, who established the China Disabled People' Performing Arts Troupe, received the UN Prize for Human Rights in 2003.
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