worthy is the lamb that was slain

 THANK YOU LORD

Psalm 1

Psalm 1

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.

2

But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.

3

He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

4

Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.

5

Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

6

For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father

Proverbs 29

Whoever remains stiff-necked after many rebukes
will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy.

When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice;
when the wicked rule, the people groan.

A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father,
but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.

By justice a king gives a country stability,
but those who are greedy for[a] bribes tear it down.

Those who flatter their neighbors
are spreading nets for their feet.

Evildoers are snared by their own sin,
but the righteous shout for joy and are glad.

The righteous care about justice for the poor,
but the wicked have no such concern.

Mockers stir up a city,
but the wise turn away anger.

If a wise person goes to court with a fool,
the fool rages and scoffs, and there is no peace.

The bloodthirsty hate a person of integrity
and seek to kill the upright.

Fools give full vent to their rage,
but the wise bring calm in the end.

If a ruler listens to lies,
all his officials become wicked.

The poor and the oppressor have this in common:
The LORD gives sight to the eyes of both.

If a king judges the poor with fairness,
his throne will be established forever.

A rod and a reprimand impart wisdom,
but a child left undisciplined disgraces its mother.

When the wicked thrive, so does sin,
but the righteous will see their downfall.

Discipline your children, and they will give you peace;
they will bring you the delights you desire.

Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint;
but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction.

Servants cannot be corrected by mere words;
though they understand, they will not respond.

Do you see someone who speaks in haste?
There is more hope for a fool than for them.

A servant pampered from youth
will turn out to be insolent.

An angry person stirs up conflict,
and a hot-tempered person commits many sins.

Pride brings a person low,
but the lowly in spirit gain honor.

The accomplices of thieves are their own enemies;
they are put under oath and dare not testify.

Fear of man will prove to be a snare,
but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.

Many seek an audience with a ruler,
but it is from the LORD that one gets justice.

The righteous detest the dishonest;
the wicked detest the upright.

Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked

Psalm 71
Psalm 71

In you, LORD, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
In your righteousness, rescue me and deliver me;
turn your ear to me and save me.
Be my rock of refuge,
to which I can always go;
give the command to save me,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked,
from the grasp of those who are evil and cruel.
For you have been my hope, Sovereign LORD,
my confidence since my youth.
From birth I have relied on you;
you brought me forth from my mother’s womb.
I will ever praise you.
I have become a sign to many;
you are my strong refuge.
My mouth is filled with your praise,
declaring your splendor all day long.

Do not cast me away when I am old;
do not forsake me when my strength is gone.
For my enemies speak against me;
those who wait to kill me conspire together.
They say, “God has forsaken him;
pursue him and seize him,
for no one will rescue him.”
Do not be far from me, my God;
come quickly, God, to help me.
May my accusers perish in shame;
may those who want to harm me
be covered with scorn and disgrace.

As for me, I will always have hope;
I will praise you more and more.

My mouth will tell of your righteous deeds,
of your saving acts all day long—
though I know not how to relate them all.
I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, Sovereign LORD;
I will proclaim your righteous deeds, yours alone.
Since my youth, God, you have taught me,
and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.
Even when I am old and gray,
do not forsake me, my God,
till I declare your power to the next generation,
your mighty acts to all who are to come.

Your righteousness, God, reaches to the heavens,
you who have done great things.
Who is like you, God?
Though you have made me see troubles,
many and bitter,
you will restore my life again;
from the depths of the earth
you will again bring me up.
You will increase my honor
and comfort me once more.

I will praise you with the harp
for your faithfulness, my God;
I will sing praise to you with the lyre,
Holy One of Israel.
My lips will shout for joy
when I sing praise to you—
I whom you have delivered.
My tongue will tell of your righteous acts
all day long,
for those who wanted to harm me
have been put to shame and confusion.

Let your hand rest on the man at your right hand

Psalm 80

Hear us, Shepherd of Israel,
you who lead Joseph like a flock.
You who sit enthroned between the cherubim,
shine forth before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh.
Awaken your might;
come and save us.

Restore us, O God;
make your face shine on us,
that we may be saved.

How long, LORD God Almighty,
will your anger smolder
against the prayers of your people?
You have fed them with the bread of tears;
you have made them drink tears by the bowlful.
You have made us an object of derision[b] to our neighbors,
and our enemies mock us.

Restore us, God Almighty;
make your face shine on us,
that we may be saved.

You transplanted a vine from Egypt;
you drove out the nations and planted it.
You cleared the ground for it,
and it took root and filled the land.
The mountains were covered with its shade,
the mighty cedars with its branches.
Its branches reached as far as the Sea,[c]
its shoots as far as the River.[d]

Why have you broken down its walls
so that all who pass by pick its grapes?
Boars from the forest ravage it,
and insects from the fields feed on it.
Return to us, God Almighty!
Look down from heaven and see!
Watch over this vine,
the root your right hand has planted,
the son you have raised up for yourself.

Your vine is cut down, it is burned with fire;
at your rebuke your people perish.
Let your hand rest on the man at your right hand,
the son of man you have raised up for yourself.
Then we will not turn away from you;
revive us, and we will call on your name.

Restore us, LORD God Almighty;
make your face shine on us,

Help us, God our Saviour,

Psalm 79

O God, the nations have invaded your inheritance;
they have defiled your holy temple,
they have reduced Jerusalem to rubble.
They have left the dead bodies of your servants
as food for the birds of the sky,
the flesh of your own people for the animals of the wild.
They have poured out blood like water
all around Jerusalem,
and there is no one to bury the dead.
We are objects of contempt to our neighbors,
of scorn and derision to those around us.

How long, LORD? Will you be angry forever?
How long will your jealousy burn like fire?
Pour out your wrath on the nations
that do not acknowledge you,
on the kingdoms
that do not call on your name;
for they have devoured Jacob
and devastated his homeland.

Do not hold against us the sins of past generations;
may your mercy come quickly to meet us,
for we are in desperate need.
Help us, God our Savior,
for the glory of your name;
deliver us and forgive our sins
for your name’s sake.
Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”

Before our eyes, make known among the nations
that you avenge the outpoured blood of your servants.
May the groans of the prisoners come before you;
with your strong arm preserve those condemned to die.
Pay back into the laps of our neighbors seven times
the contempt they have hurled at you, Lord.
Then we your people, the sheep of your pasture,
will praise you forever;
from generation to generation
we will proclaim your praise.

We will not hide them from their descendants

Psalm 78

My people, hear my teaching;
listen to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth with a parable;
I will utter hidden things, things from of old—
things we have heard and known,
things our ancestors have told us.
We will not hide them from their descendants;
we will tell the next generation
the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD,
his power, and the wonders he has done.
He decreed statutes for Jacob
and established the law in Israel,
which he commanded our ancestors
to teach their children,
so the next generation would know them,
even the children yet to be born,
and they in turn would tell their children.
Then they would put their trust in God
and would not forget his deeds
but would keep his commands.
They would not be like their ancestors—
a stubborn and rebellious generation,
whose hearts were not loyal to God,
whose spirits were not faithful to him.

The men of Ephraim, though armed with bows,
turned back on the day of battle;
they did not keep God’s covenant
and refused to live by his law.
They forgot what he had done,
the wonders he had shown them.
He did miracles in the sight of their ancestors
in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan.
He divided the sea and led them through;
he made the water stand up like a wall.
He guided them with the cloud by day
and with light from the fire all night.
He split the rocks in the wilderness
and gave them water as abundant as the seas;
he brought streams out of a rocky crag
and made water flow down like rivers.

But they continued to sin against him,
rebelling in the wilderness against the Most High.
They willfully put God to the test
by demanding the food they craved.
They spoke against God;
they said, “Can God really
spread a table in the wilderness?
True, he struck the rock,
and water gushed out,
streams flowed abundantly,
but can he also give us bread?
Can he supply meat for his people?”
When the LORD heard them, he was furious;
his fire broke out against Jacob,
and his wrath rose against Israel,
for they did not believe in God
or trust in his deliverance.
Yet he gave a command to the skies above
and opened the doors of the heavens;
he rained down manna for the people to eat,
he gave them the grain of heaven.
Human beings ate the bread of angels;
he sent them all the food they could eat.
He let loose the east wind from the heavens
and by his power made the south wind blow.
He rained meat down on them like dust,
birds like sand on the seashore.
He made them come down inside their camp,
all around their tents.
They ate till they were gorged—
he had given them what they craved.
But before they turned from what they craved,
even while the food was still in their mouths,
God’s anger rose against them;
he put to death the sturdiest among them,
cutting down the young men of Israel.

In spite of all this, they kept on sinning;
in spite of his wonders, they did not believe.
So he ended their days in futility
and their years in terror.
Whenever God slew them, they would seek him;
they eagerly turned to him again.
They remembered that God was their Rock,
that God Most High was their Redeemer.
But then they would flatter him with their mouths,
lying to him with their tongues;
their hearts were not loyal to him,
they were not faithful to his covenant.
Yet he was merciful;
he forgave their iniquities
and did not destroy them.
Time after time he restrained his anger
and did not stir up his full wrath.
He remembered that they were but flesh,
a passing breeze that does not return.

How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness
and grieved him in the wasteland!
Again and again they put God to the test;
they vexed the Holy One of Israel.
They did not remember his power—
the day he redeemed them from the oppressor,
the day he displayed his signs in Egypt,
his wonders in the region of Zoan.
He turned their river into blood;
they could not drink from their streams.
He sent swarms of flies that devoured them,
and frogs that devastated them.
He gave their crops to the grasshopper,
their produce to the locust.
He destroyed their vines with hail
and their sycamore-figs with sleet.
He gave over their cattle to the hail,
their livestock to bolts of lightning.
He unleashed against them his hot anger,
his wrath, indignation and hostility—
a band of destroying angels.
He prepared a path for his anger;
he did not spare them from death
but gave them over to the plague.
He struck down all the firstborn of Egypt,
the firstfruits of manhood in the tents of Ham.
But he brought his people out like a flock;
he led them like sheep through the wilderness.
He guided them safely, so they were unafraid;
but the sea engulfed their enemies.
And so he brought them to the border of his holy land,
to the hill country his right hand had taken.
He drove out nations before them
and allotted their lands to them as an inheritance;
he settled the tribes of Israel in their homes.

But they put God to the test
and rebelled against the Most High;
they did not keep his statutes.
Like their ancestors they were disloyal and faithless,
as unreliable as a faulty bow.
They angered him with their high places;
they aroused his jealousy with their idols.
When God heard them, he was furious;
he rejected Israel completely.
He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh,
the tent he had set up among humans.
He sent the ark of his might into captivity,
his splendor into the hands of the enemy.
He gave his people over to the sword;
he was furious with his inheritance.
Fire consumed their young men,
and their young women had no wedding songs;
their priests were put to the sword,
and their widows could not weep.

Then the Lord awoke as from sleep,
as a warrior wakes from the stupor of wine.
He beat back his enemies;
he put them to everlasting shame.
Then he rejected the tents of Joseph,
he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim;
but he chose the tribe of Judah,
Mount Zion, which he loved.
He built his sanctuary like the heights,
like the earth that he established forever.
He chose David his servant
and took him from the sheep pens;
from tending the sheep he brought him
to be the shepherd of his people Jacob,
of Israel his inheritance.
And David shepherded them with integrity of heart;
with skillful hands he led them.

Do not lift your horns against heaven

Psalm 75

We praise you, God,
we praise you, for your Name is near;
people tell of your wonderful deeds.

You say, “I choose the appointed time;
it is I who judge with equity.
When the earth and all its people quake,
it is I who hold its pillars firm.
To the arrogant I say, ‘Boast no more,’
and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horns.
Do not lift your horns against heaven;
do not speak so defiantly.’”

No one from the east or the west
or from the desert can exalt themselves.
It is God who judges:
He brings one down, he exalts another.
In the hand of the LORD is a cup
full of foaming wine mixed with spices;
he pours it out, and all the wicked of the earth
drink it down to its very dregs.

As for me, I will declare this forever;
I will sing praise to the God of Jacob,
who says, “I will cut off the horns of all the wicked,
but the horns of the righteous will be lifted up.”

You are radiant with light

Psalm 76

God is renowned in Judah;
in Israel his name is great.
His tent is in Salem,
his dwelling place in Zion.
There he broke the flashing arrows,
the shields and the swords, the weapons of war.[b]

You are radiant with light,
more majestic than mountains rich with game.
The valiant lie plundered,
they sleep their last sleep;
not one of the warriors
can lift his hands.
At your rebuke, God of Jacob,
both horse and chariot lie still.

It is you alone who are to be feared.
Who can stand before you when you are angry?
From heaven you pronounced judgment,
and the land feared and was quiet—
when you, God, rose up to judge,
to save all the afflicted of the land.
Surely your wrath against mankind brings you praise,
and the survivors of your wrath are restrained.[c]

Make vows to the LORD your God and fulfill them;
let all the neighboring lands
bring gifts to the One to be feared.
He breaks the spirit of rulers;
he is feared by the kings of the earth.

I will sing praise to the God of Jacob

Psalm 75

We praise you, God,
we praise you, for your Name is near;
people tell of your wonderful deeds.

You say, “I choose the appointed time;
it is I who judge with equity.
When the earth and all its people quake,
it is I who hold its pillars firm.[b]
To the arrogant I say, ‘Boast no more,’
and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horns.[c]
Do not lift your horns against heaven;
do not speak so defiantly.’”

No one from the east or the west
or from the desert can exalt themselves.
It is God who judges:
He brings one down, he exalts another.
In the hand of the LORD is a cup
full of foaming wine mixed with spices;
he pours it out, and all the wicked of the earth
drink it down to its very dregs.

As for me, I will declare this forever;
I will sing praise to the God of Jacob,
who says, “I will cut off the horns of all the wicked,
but the horns of the righteous will be lifted up.”

You hold me by my right hand

Psalm 73

Surely God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.

But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;
I had nearly lost my foothold.
For I envied the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

They have no struggles;
their bodies are healthy and strong.[a]
They are free from common human burdens;
they are not plagued by human ills.
Therefore pride is their necklace;
they clothe themselves with violence.
From their callous hearts comes iniquity[b];
their evil imaginations have no limits.
They scoff, and speak with malice;
with arrogance they threaten oppression.
Their mouths lay claim to heaven,
and their tongues take possession of the earth.
Therefore their people turn to them
and drink up waters in abundance.[c]
They say, “How would God know?
Does the Most High know anything?”

This is what the wicked are like—
always free of care, they go on amassing wealth.

Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure
and have washed my hands in innocence.
All day long I have been afflicted,
and every morning brings new punishments.

If I had spoken out like that,
I would have betrayed your children.
When I tried to understand all this,
it troubled me deeply
till I entered the sanctuary of God;
then I understood their final destiny.

Surely you place them on slippery ground;
you cast them down to ruin.
How suddenly are they destroyed,
completely swept away by terrors!
They are like a dream when one awakes;
when you arise, Lord,
you will despise them as fantasies.

When my heart was grieved
and my spirit embittered,
I was senseless and ignorant;
I was a brute beast before you.

Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will take me into glory.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.

Those who are far from you will perish;
you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.
But as for me, it is good to be near God.
I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge;
I will tell of all your deeds.

Thou art my help and my deliverer; O LORD, make no tarrying.

Psalm 70

MAKE HASTE, O GOD, TO DELIVER ME; MAKE HASTE TO HELP ME, O LORD.

Let them be ashamed and confounded that seek after my soul: let them be turned backward, and put to confusion, that desire my hurt.

Let them be turned back for a reward of their shame that say, Aha, aha.

Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: and let such as love thy salvation say continually, Let God be magnified.

But I am poor and needy: make haste unto me, O God: thou art my help and my deliverer; O LORD, make no tarrying.

As smoke is driven away, so drive them away

Psalm 68

Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him.

As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.

But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.

Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him.

A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.

God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land.

O God, when thou wentest forth before thy people, when thou didst march through the wilderness; Selah:

The earth shook, the heavens also dropped at the presence of God: even Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel.

Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain, whereby thou didst confirm thine inheritance, when it was weary.

Thy congregation hath dwelt therein: thou, O God, hast prepared of thy goodness for the poor.

The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it.

Kings of armies did flee apace: and she that tarried at home divided the spoil.

Though ye have lien among the pots, yet shall ye be as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold.

When the Almighty scattered kings in it, it was white as snow in Salmon.

The hill of God is as the hill of Bashan; an high hill as the hill of Bashan.

Why leap ye, ye high hills? this is the hill which God desireth to dwell in; yea, the LORD will dwell in it for ever.

The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place.

Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them.

Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.

He that is our God is the God of salvation; and unto GOD the Lord belong the issues from death.

But God shall wound the head of his enemies, and the hairy scalp of such an one as goeth on still in his trespasses.

The Lord said, I will bring again from Bashan, I will bring my people again from the depths of the sea:

That thy foot may be dipped in the blood of thine enemies, and the tongue of thy dogs in the same.

They have seen thy goings, O God; even the goings of my God, my King, in the sanctuary.

The singers went before, the players on instruments followed after; among them were the damsels playing with timbrels.

Bless ye God in the congregations, even the Lord, from the fountain of Israel.

There is little Benjamin with their ruler, the princes of Judah and their council, the princes of Zebulun, and the princes of Naphtali.

Thy God hath commanded thy strength: strengthen, O God, that which thou hast wrought for us.

Because of thy temple at Jerusalem shall kings bring presents unto thee.

Rebuke the company of spearmen, the multitude of the bulls, with the calves of the people, till every one submit himself with pieces of silver: scatter thou the people that delight in war.

Princes shall come out of Egypt; Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God.

Sing unto God, ye kingdoms of the earth; O sing praises unto the Lord; Selah:

To him that rideth upon the heavens of heavens, which were of old; lo, he doth send out his voice, and that a mighty voice.

Ascribe ye strength unto God: his excellency is over Israel, and his strength is in the clouds.

O God, thou art terrible out of thy holy places: the God of Israel is he that giveth strength and power unto his people. Blessed be God.

They will be fruitful and become numerous

And I will multiply the number of people upon you,
even the whole house of Israel.
The towns will be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt.
11 I will increase the number of men and animals upon you,
and they will be fruitful and become numerous.
I will settle people on you as in the past and will make you prosper more
than before. Then you will know that I am the LORD.
Ezekiel 36: 10-11

They will possess you

I will cause people, my people Israel, to walk upon you.
They will possess you,
and you will be their inheritance;
you will never again deprive them of their children.
Ezekiel 36: 12

You will no longer make your nation childless
'This is what the Sovereign LORD says:
Because people say to you,
"You devour men and deprive your nation of its children,"
Therefore you will no longer devour men or make your nation childless,
declares the Sovereign LORD.
Ezekiel 36:13-14

No longer will you suffer the scorn of the peoples

No longer will I make you hear the taunts of the nations,
and no longer will you suffer the scorn of the peoples
or cause your nation to fall,
declares the Sovereign LORD.' "
Ezekiel 36: 15

I removed his shoulder from the burden

Sing aloud to God our strength; make a joyful shout to the God of Jacob
Raise a song and strike the timbrel, the pleasant harp and the lute
Blow the trumpet at the time of the new moon on our solemn feast day
For this is a statute for Israel, a law of the God of Jacob
This He established in Joseph as a testimony when he went throughout the land of Egypt where I heard a language, I did not understand
I removed his shoulder from the burden;
His hands were freed from the Basket
You called in trouble and I delivered you,
I answered you in the secret place of thunder
I tested you at the waters of Meribah,
There shall be no foreign God among you or shall you;
nor shall you worship any foreign god
Psalm 81:1-9


I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt

I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt,
Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.
But my people will not heed my voice and Israel will have none of me.
So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart to walk in their own counsels
Oh that my people would listen to me, that Israel will walk in my ways
Psalm 81:10-13


He would have fed them also with the finest of wheat; and with honey from the rock

“I would soon subdue their enemies and turn my hands against their adversaries
The haters of the Lord will pretend submission to him, but their fate would endure forever
He would have fed them also with the finest of wheat; and with honey from the rock, I would have satisfied you. “
Psalm 81: 14-16



Oh my God, make them like the whirling

Oh my God, make them like the whirling dust, like the chaff before the wind
As the fire burns the woods and as the flame sets the mountains on fire
So pursue them with your tempest and frighten them with your storm
Fill their faces with shame that they may seek your name Oh Lord.
Psalm 83:13-14


Cause your face to shine upon us and we shall be saved

Restore us Oh God of hosts,
Cause your face to shine upon us and we shall be saved

Psalm 80:7


…who dwell between the cherubim, shine forth

Give ear Oh shepherd of Israel you who led Joseph like a flock
You, who dwell between the cherubim, shine forth \

Psalm 80 :1

World Bank pledges support for African post-conflict recovery

Goma, 11 August 2009 – The World Bank supports efforts by countries emerging from conflict in Africa to foster good governance and transparency in the natural resources sector that has often fueled violence, World Bank President Robert B. Zoellick said Tuesday after his first visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Pledging World Bank support to demobilization and reintegration programs similar to the one that has helped hundreds of thousands of ex-combatants reintegrate to civilian life in countries of the Great Lakes Region of Africa, Zoellick urged African leaders to do everything to curb the illicit trade in precious metals. The trade funds militia groups and fuels the steady flow in illicit small arms and light weapons that often trigger a relapse into conflict.

“Post-conflict countries face a big risk of falling back into conflict and so we must do everything we can to stop the exploitation of resources becoming a cause of violence,” Zoellick said. “My visit helped me better understand the development challenges of the Democratic Republic of Congo and was intended to reaffirm World Bank support for the country’s efforts to consolidate peace, and transition quickly from emergency assistance to sustainable development,” he added.

During the visit, the first lap in a tour of three African countries, Zoellick held talks with Congolese President Joseph Kabila, the country’s Prime Minister Adolphe Muzito, and key cabinet members whose ministerial departments work directly on World Bank-funded development projects.

During his meetings with President Kabila and Prime Minister Muzito, the World Bank president encouraged the government to sustain efforts to achieve debt forgiveness by reaching the completion point under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative in March 2010. This would lighten the burden of debt servicing and create the fiscal space that could help DR Congo fund crucial social and economic development programs, notably infrastructure investments.


Commending the government of DR Congo for adopting a Governance Contract in 2007, Zoellick encouraged the country to stay the course of the difficult but rewarding reforms needed to achieve good governance objectives. He notably pointed to the need for the government to complete the ongoing review of mining contracts in a way that safeguards the country’s aim of increasing revenue as well as that of investors, making the sector more attractive to private investors.

Zoellick also held discussions with diplomats, representatives of the donor community, the private sector and civil society. “I learned a lot from my discussions with them and got a chance to hear, first hand, what we need to do to ensure improved donor coordination as we work together to promote the social and economic development of this country,” said Zoellick.

Zoellick visited the Inga hydropower plant in Bas Congo and promised World Bank support to work with other donors, the private sector, the government and other stakeholders to rehabilitate existing infrastructure as well as tap the under-utilized potential of energy sources such as Inga.

The World Bank President also stressed that large-scale energy projects, such as Inga, should not overshadow the importance of small-scale projects, which serve the most vulnerable Africans. Small-scale energy projects can contribute to the prevention of some of the 10 million premature deaths of women and children that are likely by 2030 if nothing is done to limit the health impact of smoke from wood fires used for cooking. He also noted the need to adopt environmentally-sound schemes that must protect biodiversity and fisheries when energy projects are built on a river such as the Congo , which is the second richest river in the world for fish.

While in Goma, Zoellick noted that a World Bank-funded project is helping young girls and women who were victims of sexual violence heal from the scars as they attempt to resume a normal life. “Peace is crucial for the reconstruction of this country, and particularly for the reconstruction of this province,” he said. “Sexual violence cannot be tolerated, must be denounced and punished, and every effort must be made to restore the dignity of young women who have suffered sexual violence,” Zoellick said.

Zoellick, who left DR Congo over its land border from Goma into Rubavu in neighboring Rwanda for the second lap of his three-nation African tour, was accompanied on his trip by the World Bank Vice President for the Africa Region, Obiageli Ezekwesili, the director of operations for the Africa Region, Colin Bruce, and the Country Director of the World Bank for Congo Republic and DR Congo, Marie-Francoise Marie-Nelly. He will go onto to Uganda from Rwanda for the third and final lap of his tour.

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For more information about World Bank’s activities in DR Congo, please visit:

http://www.worldbank.org/drc

A Climate Smart Future

The world’s poor will bear the brunt of the impact of global climate change. As the planet warms, rainfall patterns shift, and extreme events such as droughts, floods, and forest fires become more frequent. Millions in densely populated coastal areas and in island nations will lose their homes as the sea level rises. In Africa, Asia, and elsewhere, poor people face prospects of tragic crop failures, reduced agricultural productivity, and increasing hunger, malnutrition, and disease. It will become even harder to attain the Millennium Development Goals – and ensure a safe and sustainable future beyond 2015.


For the people of the developing world – even as they strive to overcome poverty and advance economic growth – climate change threatens to deepen vulnerabilities, erode hard-won gains, and seriously undermine prospects for development. At the same time, they fear limits on their critical call to grow their economies, expand opportunity, and develop energy or new rules that might stifle their many needs, from infrastructure to entrepreneurism.

Climate change is one of the most complex challenges of our young century. No country is immune. Alone, no country can take on the interconnected challenges posed by climate change, which include controversial political decisions, daunting technological change, and far-reaching global consequences. A “climate-smart” world is possible in our time. Yet, as the World Bank Group’s new World Development Report argues, effecting such a transformation requires us to act now, act together, and act differently.

We must act now, because what we do today determines both the climate of tomorrow and the choices that shape our future. Today, we are emitting greenhouse gases that trap heat in the atmosphere for decades or even centuries. We are building power plants, reservoirs, houses, transport systems, and cities that are likely to last fifty years or more. The innovative technologies and crop varieties that we pilot today can shape energy and food sources to meet the needs of 3 billion more people by 2050.

We must act together, because climate change is a crisis of the commons. Climate change cannot be solved without countries cooperating on a global scale to improve energy efficiencies, develop and deploy clean technologies, and expand natural “sinks” to grow green by absorbing gasses. We need to protect human life and ecological resources. Developed countries have produced most of the emissions of the past, and have high per capita emissions. These countries should lead the way by signficantly reducing their carbon footprints and stimulating research into green alternatives. Yet most of the world’s future emissions will be generated in the developing world. These countries will need adequate funds and technology transfer so they can pursue lower carbon paths – without jeopardizing their development prospects.

We must act differently, because we cannot plan for the future based on the climate of the past. Tomorrow’s climate needs will require us to build infrastructure that can withstand new conditions and support greater numbers of people; use limited land and water resources to supply sufficient food and biomass for fuel while preserving ecosystems; and reconfigure the world’s energy systems. This will require adaptation measures that are based on new information about changing patterns of temperature, precipitation, and species. Changes of this magnitude will require substantial additional finance for adaptation and mitigation, and for strategically intensified research to scale up promising approaches and explore bold new ideas.

At this point, the diverse countries of the world have not sufficiently curbed emissions or financed developing countries. We need a new momentum. The current global economic turmoil must not hold us back – rather, it presents an opportunity to think anew. ‘Green’ stimulus funds in many countries may jumpstart the innovation needed to address climate change problems. It is crucial that we reach a climate agreement in December in Copenhagen that integrates development needs with climate actions.

As a multilateral institution whose mission is inclusive and sustainable development, the World Bank Group has a responsibility to try to explain some of the interconnected challenges posed by climate change – challenges in development economics, science, energy, ecology, technology, finance, and effective international regimes and governance – and to build cooperation among vastly different states, the private sector, and civil society to achieve common goods.
The World Bank Group has developed several financing initiatives to help countries cope with climate change, including our carbon funds and facilities, which continue to grow as financing for energy efficiency and new renewable energy increases substantially. We are trying to develop practical experience about how developing countries can benefit from and support a climate change regime – ranging from workable mechanisms for forestation and avoided deforestation through carbon trading systems, to lower carbon growth models and initiatives that combine adaptation and mitigation. In these ways, we can support the UNFCCC process and the countries devising new international incentives and disincentives.

Much more is needed. We need action on climate issues before it is too late. If we act now, act together, and act differently, there are real opportunities to shape our climate future for a safe, inclusive, and sustainable globalization.

Economic crisis is remaking global power relations, Zoellick says

— The global economic crisis is contributing to shifts in power relations in the world that will impact currency markets, monetary policy, trade relations and the role of developing countries, said World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick.

In a speech ahead of the Annual Meetings in Istanbul, Turkey of the World Bank and IMF, Zoellick said leaders should reshape the multilateral system and forge a “responsible globalization” that would encourage balanced global growth and financial stability, embrace global efforts to counter climate change, and advance opportunity for the poorest.

“The old international economic order was struggling to keep up with change before the crisis,” Zoellick told an audience at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies of the Johns Hopkins University, in Washington, DC. “Today’s upheaval has revealed the stark gaps and compelling needs. It is time we caught up and moved ahead.”

In the speech entitled “After the Crisis?”, Zoellick said: “Peer review of a new Framework for Strong, Sustainable and Balanced Growth agreed at last week’s G-20 Summit is a good start, but it will require a new level of international cooperation and coordination, including a new willingness to take the findings of global monitoring seriously. Peer review will need to be peer pressure.”

It was also important for the G-20 to remember those countries not at the table. “As agreed in Pittsburgh last week, the G-20 should become the premier forum for international economic cooperation among the advanced industrialized countries and rising powers. But it cannot be a stand-alone committee. Nor can it ignore the voices of the over 160 countries left outside.”

China’s strong response during the economic crisis and rapid recovery had underscored its growing influence as a stabilizing force in today’s global economy. But its leaders face challenges caused by rapid credit growth and the economy’s dependence on exports.

The United States had clearly been hit hard by the crisis. Its prospects depend on whether it will address large deficits, recover without inflation, and overhaul its financial system. The United States has a history of recovering from setbacks. “But the United States would be mistaken to take for granted the dollar’s place as the world’s predominant reserve currency,” Zoellick said. “Looking forward, there will increasingly be other options to the dollar.”

The crisis has brought to the attention of lawmakers the significant role played by central banks. Central banks performed well once the crisis hit but their role in the build-up was less convincing. “In the United States, it will be difficult to vest the independent and powerful technocrats at the Federal Reserve with more authority,” said Zoellick. “My reading of recent crisis management is that the Treasury Department needed greater authority to pull together a bevy of different regulators. Moreover, the Treasury is an Executive department, and therefore Congress and the public can more directly oversee how it uses any added authority.”

Developing countries had already been on the rise before the crisis and their position has been further strengthened because of it. Their growing share of the world economy was a positive development. “Looking beyond, a more balanced and inclusive growth model for the world would benefit from multiple poles of growth,” Zoellick said. “With investments in infrastructure, people, and private businesses, countries in Latin America, Asia, and the broader Middle East could contribute to a “New Normal” for the world economy.”

For more information on the World Bank Program please visit www.worldbank.org

MINISTERS OF JUSTICE SEEK TO IMPROVE LEGAL CLIMATE

The Ministers of Justice of ECOWAS Member States on Wednesday, 7th October 2009 endorsed the on-going process towards the establishment of an appellate mechanism within the ECOWAS Court of Justice system that would allow litigants dissatisfied with the decisions of the existing Court to appeal for a review.

At the end of a three-day meeting in Abuja, the ministers agreed that the creation of this bi-level system of jurisdiction would better guarantee the dispensation of justice and the protection of the rights of complainants.

The ECOWAS Revised Treaty of 1993 that set up the Community Court of Justice stipulates that the decisions of the Court are final and not subject to appeal.

But the ministers refused to allow an amendment to the Protocol setting up the Court that would compel citizens to exhaust national remedies before coming to the Court for cases relating to the violation of human rights.

They agreed that the Protocol provides additional safeguards for the protection of the rights of citizens and that that applicants have the option of choosing the national or Community Court for their cases.

The current practice allows ECOWAS citizens direct access to the Court on cases relating to the violation of their human rights that occur in any Member State without exhausting the remedies at the national level.

The Ministers also adopted some criteria for selecting host countries for ECOWAS institutions and agencies. They said the criteria would ensure a just and equitable distribution of ECOWAS institutions and agencies as well as harmonize the conditions for both host countries and the institutions, which would help promote greater efficiency within the institutions.

In addition, the Ministers agreed on the need to improve the legal regime of Community Acts as well as the rules of procedure for the Heads of State and regional institutions.

While emphasizing the importance of ensuring that the regional leaders and institutions have the necessary legal instruments to facilitate decision-making, the Ministers expressed the belief that the organizational rules they have proposed would promote efficiency and provide more results-based decision-making, among others.

The recommendations of the Ministers of Justice will be presented to the next session of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers.