Annan calls for support

African countries adopting positive political and economic changes deserve more support from the international community, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in his latest report on the continent. "What the outside world may not have noticed is that much of what it has been calling for is now happening," he said. Many African countries were liberalising their economies, removing exchange controls, privatising state firms, building communications infrastructure and reforming legal and regulatory frameworks. Democratic elections were becoming the norm, he said, citing Nigeria as a recent example and South Africa, which has held two democratic elections since the end of apartheid. Good governance, accountability, transparency and the rule of law were, he said, taking root. He called for decisive action in providing overseas development aid and debt relief to the continent, and emphasised the need for more humanitarian aid. At the end of August, he said, the UN had received just half of the US $800 million it needed for humanitarian efforts in Africa. In some of the most acute emergencies, he said, less than one quarter of aid needed had been received. Annan said partnerships with Africa should, in addition to money, include training, technology and political engagement.