Weekly Newsletter 36

Bolivarian Government of Venezuela

Ministry of People’s Power for Foreign Affairs Office of The Deputy Minister for Africa

Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in Kenya Concurrent to Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania and Somalia

Permanent Mission of Venezuela to the United Nations Environment programme (UNEP)and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (ONU Habitat).

WEEKLY NEWSLETTER VOL. 1:

ISSUE. 36, 23rd November 2015

BOLIVARIAN REPUBLIC OF VENEZUELA MINISTRY OF PEOPLE'S POWER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMUNIQUÉ The President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, expresses his strongest condemnation of the terrorist attack today, November 20th, 2015, at a hotel in Bamako, Republic of Mali, which has caused a terrible death toll of various nationalities, in another cowardly act of extremist groups.

The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela extends its sympathy to the Government of Mali and its people, and accompanies the families and friends of the victims in this time of sorrow. It also wishes speedy recovery to the injured and aggrieved persons for this deplorable criminal action.

We express our concern at the continuing terrorist violence attacks organized against countries like Egypt, Nigeria and Kenya that prevent normal development of the life of these sister nations of Africa.

The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ratifies its commitment to peace and respect for life and stability of people and their strong rejection of terrorism in all its expressions, without distinction or justification whatsoever.

Caracas, November 20th, 2015

Inside this Issue!

Pg1. Ministry of People’s Power for Foreign Affairs communiqué.

Pg2. Maduro proposes at GECF Summit alliance to defend gas prices Pg3. 500,000 new homes to join Venezuela's housing transformation in 2016 Pg5. Promoting the unknown africa: Kenya to build cruise ship terminal at its biggest port in Mombasa.

Maduro proposes at GECF Summit alliance to defend gas prices Caracas, 23 Nov. AVN.- At the Third Summit of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF), Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro stressed this Monday the need to defend fair prices of the gas and its use for the region's sovereign development.

"This is an important element we want to highlight, rescue and that I have ratified in the declaration that is being passed in Tehran: the sovereign use of resources for developing our region and not only the defense of resources but ... the need for fair prices of gas," stressed the President at the Tehran summit, broadcast by state media.

He also said that there is a need to determine fair prices and a stable market for oil, which is linked to the development, use and management of gas as a fundamental natural resource.

President Maduro stressed that Venezuela has advanced through the years in the process of rescue, rediscovery and certification of its natural resources.

In the case of oil, he recalled that the leader of the Bolivarian Revolution, Hugo Chavez initiated a process of rescue, recovery and sovereign use of oil "in a stage that has led us to a higher level of development and investment."

While the gas, under the hands of transnationals in previous governments, has been recovered and Venezuela has now large reserves of this resource that according to official information, puts the country in the fifth place of the world and the first in Latin America and the Caribbean.

This "has led us to significant investment alliances with companies across the world, with brothers from different regions of the planet, and this forum allows sharing of technological, scientific knowledge, but also the sovereign use of these resources for development of countries and our region," he added.

Projects President Nicolas Maduro said that thanks to this development Venezuela has been running major projects in this area, as the definition of boundaries of joint deposits with Trinidad and Tobago.

He also said that during the Tenth Summit of Petrocaribe, held in Montego Bay, Jamaica, the member countries of this integration mechanism assumed the gas energy issue as fundamental to the development of complementary objectives by 2030.

He also said that Venezuela took up the Southern Gas Pipeline project –driven by Hugo Chavez. This large pipeline is aimed at carrying all these natural resources to various countries for their energy and economic development.

Along with Iran –Maduro said– Venezuela has developed very close cooperation, brotherhood and working relationships. www.avn.info.ve

2

500,000 new homes to join Venezuela's housing transformation in 2016 during the first quarter. 163,275 are already allocated and own the land and resources, and about 176,845 will be allocated soon.

Caracas, 20 Nov. AVN.- A total of 500,000 new homes will be built in 2016 by the Great Housing Mission Venezuela (GMVV) to increase to 1,500,000 the number of families with own roof at the end of that year. So progress is being made in order to continue the social transformation driven by this public policy for four years, which takes homes as a space to consolidate communities.

The GMVV was created on the initiative of Socialist leader Hugo Chavez in order to address the housing deficit of low income sectors in 2011, and currently has delivered over 840,000 new homes across the country, with the goal of 3 million to be submitted before 2019.

"No government of the oligarchy was ever interested in addressing the problem of housing and habitat. It is not about building deposits for humans, it's about ensuring housing, home and habitat for the transformation of society," said Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro in Cumana, Sucre state, where he led a working meeting with organized communities.

In his address, he stressed that focus on the housing needs has been a major government policy, since the arrival of President Chavez in 1999. "With the Bolivarian Revolution, the right to housing became constitutional for the first time in 200 years of constitutions in the history of Venezuela."

He also explained that in order to meet the target of 1,500,000 homes to be delivered next year, first of all 159,850 homes –currently under construction– will be completed to be delivered

"By saying the goals for 2016, I hope governors, mayors, deputies, organized communities, tell me we can do more ... resources are already approved, this goal must be achieved come rain or shine" he said, adding that 47% of all homes to be made, will be built by the people's power or organized communities, through communal councils and communes.

The GMVV is expected to build 47,896 new dwelling units in the Capital District and 9,032 in Apure; 38,754 in Aragua; 14,865 in Barinas; 19,371 in Bolivar; 33,328 in Carabobo; 13,711 in Cojedes; 1,863 in Delta Amacuro; 17,350 in Falcon; 15,410 in Guarico; 34,406 in Lara; 15,749 in Merida; 44,619 in Miranda; 16,023 in Monagas; 11,724 in Nueva Esparta; 17,904 in Portuguesa; 20,000 in Sucre; 19,596 in Tachira; 12,804 in Trujillo; 6,301 in Vargas; 10,027 in Yaracuy and 64,660 in Zulia, the latter being the largest number of homes to be built.

Bolivarian Revolution ended oligarchy rule The head of state said the Venezuelan people chose the path of the Bolivarian Revolution to end the domination of the oligarchy –introduced in the country since the days of Juan Vicente Gomez– further strengthened in the Fourth Republic, but ended with the arrival of Commander Hugo Chavez to power in 1998.

"From 1908, when Juan Vicente Gomez came to power, to 1998, Venezuela suffered 90 years of oil domination by oligarchy and imperialism. Until in December 6, 1998, the Venezuelan people got tired and elected Hugo Chavez as President, leader of the Fatherland," said the president. continuation

3

In this regard, he urged the deepening of the knowledge of the struggles driven by Liberator Simon Bolivar and other figures in Venezuelan history as Antonio Jose de Sucre, Ezequiel Zamora and Cipriano Castro, who for decades fought to conquer consolidation of Venezuelan sovereignty and were betrayed by oligarchic sectors led by imperialism.

"All our patriotic heroes were betrayed by the oligarchy. When they killed the Gran Mariscal Antonio Jose de Sucre, they put out the light of life of who was Bolivar's hope to build the Latin American union project. Then it was Bolivar, who almost six months later, surrendered his life, and the Venezuelan people was left orphaned during the nineteenth century," recalled Maduro, stressing that the patriotic struggles were forgotten through the years, but then taken over by Commander Chavez and his socialist project.

However, in the past 16 years of revolution, social sectors neglected by previous governments have been addressed by the different programs implemented by the Government, as the missions and large missions, including the Housing Mission aimed at tackling the housing issue in the country.

Works for the first City of the continent

One will be a new historic–touristic route for visitors. This project was requested

by Carmen Toledo, a resident of Cumana's historic center, because of the tourist importance of the area.

Maduro also announced that the Great Mission Barrio Nuevo, Barrio Tricolor will be reinforced with the approval of new resources for Cumana, where a special operation of this social program will take place on Saturday.

Furthermore, 19 road tankers were given to People's Power, in order to support special water plans developed in the eastern region.

These vehicles shall carry drinking water to the city as part of the Water Supply Plan deployed in several states of the country as Lara, Falcon, Miranda and Vargas. In general, 89 road tankers have been distributed with an investment of 1,9 million dollars.

It will also be activated in the coming days the cloud-seeding plan to stimulate rainfall in the area and counteract the drying effects of El Niño. www.avn.info.ve

On the occasion of the 500th Cumana founding anniversary, President Maduro inaugurated a series of social works for the capital of Sucre.

4

Promoting the Unknown Africa

KENYA TO BUILD CRUISE SHIP TERMINAL AT ITS BIGGEST PORT

East Africa’s biggest port of Mombasa will spend 100 million shillings ($980,392.16) to build a new cruise ship terminal aimed at boosting tourism, port management said on Wednesday.

Piracy in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean struck a major dent into cruise tourism in the region, but the industry has rebounded since 2011, with enhanced naval patrols and deployment of armed guards on vessels.

"Before we used to receive 40 cruise vessels per year with 40,000 tourists," ports spokesman Hajj Masemo told Reuters, adding the number had dropped to near zero due to piracy.

"But the vessels are now coming back, and we need to encourage this to boost our tourism," he said.

The port had received 2,000 tourists on cruise ships this year, and that number is expected to reach 5,000 by end of the year, he said.

Work on the new facility will begin next year and will take about a year to complete, he said.

The Kenya Association of Hotel Keepers and Caterers said it welcomed the project but said the government must also improve roads, ferries and the "cleanliness of the city" to attract more visitors.

Tourism is a massive source of revenue for Kenya, but it has been hit hard in recent years by a series of attacks by Islamist extremists from neighbouring Somalia.

SOURCE: REUTERS NEWS ARGENCY

5