Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight. I'm Steve Myersco.
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And I'm Marina Santee. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
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Wars. Sometimes our world seems full of them. Some conflicts - like Iraq and Afghanistan - are often in the news. But there are also many conflicts in other countries around the world. Many of the wars have lasted for years, yet they rarely appear in the news. However, some of these countries are now stepping out of conflict and starting to develop peace. This Spotlight programme looks at a project to help countries that are slowly moving away from years of conflict.
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One country that has been troubled by war is Burundi. This is Africa's smallest country. For about forty years conflicts between the two main tribes divided the country. Hundreds of thousands of people were killed. But now Burundi is at peace. The country is once again developing and getting stronger. The country's president is Pierre Nkurunziza. He says,
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‘We are right to congratulate all of us Burundians. Since the country first became independent, this is the first time an elected government has lasted more than three months... We are living today in a time of deep change. This change must succeed.'
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Burundi used to be governed by Belgium. But it became independent from this small European country in 1961... Since that time, two presidents have been killed. A number of military dictators have ruled the country. But Pierre Nkurunziza is the current president. He has ruled the country since 2005.
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Burundi is one of the poorest countries in the world. But now new hope is rising. A project that was started by the United Nations is providing a way out of conflict. This project is called the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund. This gives money to countries that have a recent history of war. Managers of the project have identified Burundi as one country that needs support to develop in peace.
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The UN started the Peacebuilding Fund in 2006. Burundi is one of a group of countries that received money from the Fund. The other countries were Sierra Leone, Guinea Bissau and the Central African Republic. The aim of the Peacebuilding Fund is to support nations that have recently been at war. The countries in this first group are all at peace now. But they all are still struggling with the effects of war. These effects include poverty and poor services. They also include damaged relationships between different communities and the government.
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The Peacebuilding Fund gave over 30 million dollars to Burundi. The government is using this money in a number of different ways. Some of it is being used to help Burundi build a better democracy. And the police and army are both receiving better training and equipment. The Fund is also giving money to support human rights in the country.
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Five other countries have also received money for smaller, emergency projects. These include Kenya. Here, communities are being brought together. This follows an election period that was troubled by violence. Haiti is another example. The Fund has provided money to improve a prison in that Caribbean nation.
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The UN hopes that in the future, many more countries will be supported through the Peacebuilding Fund. The head of the United Nations is Ban Ki-Moon, the Secretary-General. He is pleased with the current success of the Peacebuilding Fund. He spoke about the Fund after its first full year of service. He said:
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‘The Fund has been supporting countries to build lasting peace and security after a time of conflict. It is also making positive steps to prevent the return of violence in such countries... The Peacebuilding Fund understands that lasting peace must be built on social, economic and political ground. These must serve the needs of the population.'
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The plan now is to increase the number of countries the Fund supports. A second group of countries has been chosen to receive long-term support from the Peacebuilding Fund. These are the Comoros, the Ivory Coast, Guinea, Liberia and Nepal.
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Nepal has gone through a lot of change in the last twenty years. In 2001 almost all the royal family was killed. This came after years of war between the government and a rebel group. In 2006 this rebel group formed a political party. They then entered the election to govern Nepal. And in April 2008 they won the election. But they did not want the royal family to have any power. So, after over two hundred years of rule, the royal family was removed.
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The different political parties are now trying to work together to bring lasting peace to Nepal. Ian Martin represents the United Nations in Nepal. He spoke to the British newspaper the Guardian about the Asian country.
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‘The difficulties that face the Prime Minister, the government and the parliament are huge. The people involved in Nepali politics have been able to work through their differences in an amazing way. But trust among them could easily break... The biggest problems are those that first caused the rebels to act: poverty, lawlessness, and unfairness.'
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In September 2008 Ban Ki-moon promised 10 million dollars to Nepal. This money is from the UN Peacebuilding Fund. Groups from Nepal and the UN will now decide how to spend the money. They expect the money to go towards encouraging human rights, helping poor communities get jobs, and helping communities bring peace among themselves.
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Many countries in the world today are fighting the effects of war. The UN Peacebuilding Fund is helping some of these most recent victims of war and conflict. But are their efforts enough to build peace? Or is more help needed? The famous Christian worker Mother Teresa, had this attitude. "Do not wait for leaders. Do it alone, person to person". So, international organisations may help. They may help to create and protect peace. But really, the job belongs to citizens from all over the world. We need to grow in an attitude of peace - right where we are.
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