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Date: Sun, 29 Sep 2002 17:49:45 +0000
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Subject: [WASAN] FW: PAMBAZUKA NEWS 81 - PERSPECTIVES ON HUMAN RIGHTS:
FURTHERING THE DEBATE
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Date: Sat, 28 Sep 2002 13:54:38 -0500 (CDT)
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Subject: PAMBAZUKA NEWS 81 - PERSPECTIVES ON HUMAN RIGHTS: FURTHERING THE
DEBATE
PAMBAZUKA NEWS 81
A weekly electronic newsletter for social justice in Africa
CONTENTS: 1. Editorial, 2. Conflict, Emergencies, and Crises, 3. Rights and
Democracy, 4. Corruption, 5. Health, 6. Education and Social Welfare, 7.
Women
and Gender, 8. Refugees and Forced Migration, 9. Racism and Xenophobia, 10.
Environment, 11. Media, 12. Development, 13. Internet and Technology, 14.
eNewsletters and Mailing Lists, 15. Fundraising, 16. Courses, Seminars, and
Workshops, 17. Advocacy Resources, 18. Jobs, 19. Books and Arts, 20. Letters
and Comments
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1.EDITORIAL
PERSPECTIVES ON HUMAN RIGHTS: FURTHERING THE DEBATE
Leslie London, MD Associate Professor, Occupational And Environmental Health
Research Unit, Department Of Public Health And Primary Health Care,
University
Of Cape Town
The editorial by Professor Shivji (PAMBAZUKA NEWS Edition 80) captures
brilliantly the dilemmas facing proponents of social justice in developing
countries seeking to use the discourse of human rights to advance pro-poor
policy choices. This is particularly important in the current global world
order, where rights arguments are increasingly being used to justify
particular
sets of policies imposed, or expected of developing country populations. By
locating human rights correctly within a political economy and historical
context, the nature of rights as products of social construction enable us
to
better understand how we can better make use of human rights arguments, and
how
human rights arguments may be used against us.
Some comments:
1. By understanding human rights as products of contestation, we recognise
the
role of human rights as essential to contributing (positively or negatively)
to
struggles around power. Rights can in practice be deployed as much in
defence
of privilege and the powerful in society, as they can be to advance the
interests of poor and marginalised. Witness the way in which corporates are
able to use rights machinery (e.g. Freedom of Information) to silence
publication of critical research results, to oppose regulation and to
threaten
and implement litigation to achieve desirable policy goals. Hence, it is not
possible to judge the role of human rights in advancing pro-poor choices and
social justice, without referring to the integument in which human rights
operate. If human rights mechanisms prioritise the needs of the poor and the
marginalised, then rights become powerful mechanisms whereby democracy can
be
advanced. However, if rights mechanisms operate independent of the power
imbalances that exist between and within countries, then rights are easily
co-
optable in the service of those who already benefit from inequity and
imbalances of power.
2. So, how do rights mechanisms put the poor first? Only if civil society is
able to mobilise to assert itself in structural and institutional ways.
South
African civil society, though much weaker now than during the heyday of
anti-
apartheid resistance, has successfully achieved a set of institutional
mechanisms which (we hope) are successful at placing the interests of the
poor
and marginal first - a Constitutional Court operating within a framework of
a
Bill of Rights, a Human rights Commission that is attuned to the needs of
the
poorest sectors of society, etc.
3. From the above, flows the implication that not only are human rights
strengthened by an active civil society, but human rights mechanisms need to
reinforce the opportunities for organisation and mobilisation in civil
society.
While the Western preoccupation with "good governance" makes a misnomer of
what
this role should be, it is at the level of public participation that a human
rights culture can be sustainable. The success of a human rights approach
should be judged not only on the court decisions, on the policies adopted,
on
the implementation of pro-poor policies, but also on the capacity of human
rights instruments to strengthen the agency of the least powerful in society
to
act in their own interests, individually and collectively.
4. The above throws up a number of difficult, maybe uneasy contradictions:
- How do individual rights and group rights get traded off? It isn't
sufficient
to argue that they are naturally compatible.
- If rights are about power, is there an inherent incompatibility to talk
about
individual and collective interests under the rubric of "agency of the least
powerful in society?"
- How can strengthening that agency resolve these possible differences? In
the
health field EQUINET is increasingly seeking to consider how human rights
approaches can help to strengthen pro-equity policies in health. How can we
ensure that human rights leads to reduced inequalities? A preliminary look
at
the area is suggesting that the answers lie in resolving these difficult
questions.
It is also evident that when different people, agencies or organisations use
the notion of human rights, they may be using the term in completely diverse
ways:
- as a set of standards derived from international human rights law;
- as an approach to monitoring and analysing policy with a view to holding
governments accountable;
- as a lobbying and advocacy tool to mobilise civil society.
While the above are all inter-related, they represent different ways of
conceptualising and acting, and all can range on the spectrum from the
completely ahistorical to the most dialectic of interpretations. What is
clear
is that in trying to advance our understanding of human rights and the role
it
plays, we need to critique rights in the context in which they are to be
deployed.
* For last week's editorial see http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?
issuedate=2002-09-19
*Would you like to respond to this editorial? Send your views to
[log in to unmask] and we will publish them in our Letters and Comments
section next week.
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2.CONFLICT, EMERGENCIES, AND CRISES
ANGOLA: ANGOLAN OFFENSIVE IN CABINDA
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/2271768.stm
The Angolan army has launched an offensive against separatist rebels who
operate in the oil-rich enclave of Cabinda, according to reports from the
area.
ANGOLA: SITUATION IN REMOTE TOWN DESPERATE
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=30037
Over 100,000 people are in urgent need of assistance in the town of Mavinga,
in
Angola's remote southern Kuando Kubango province.
BURUNDI: ARMY DENIES RESPONSIBILITY FOR GITEGA MASSACRE
The Burundi army has denied responsibility for the massacre of over 170
people
in central Gitega province, saying it had been "deliberately misquoted".
Army
spokesman Colonel Augustin Nzabampema told IRIN last Friday rebel fighters
were "fully responsible" for the massacre which occurred on 9 September.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10185
DRC: POWER VACUUM FEARS IN DR CONGO
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/2278636.stm
Warnings are being sounded that the withdrawal of Rwandan, Ugandan and
Zimbabwean forces from the Democratic Republic of Congo could leave behind
instability and factional conflict.
Related Link: http://www.africaonline.com/site/Articles/1,3,49657.jsp
IVORY COAST: IVORIAN PARLIAMENTARY SPEAKER WANTS UN, AU TO DISCUSS CRISIS
http://www.panapress.com/freenews.asp?code=eng021331&dte=25/09/2002
The President of the Ivorian National Assembly, Mamadou Koulibaly, suggested
Tuesday that the government launch a complaint at the UN Security Council
and
the African Union about what he alleged was a terrorist attack in Cote
d'Ivoire
involving neighbouring countries.
Related Links: Related Links: http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.jsp?a=37&o=9439
and http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=30015
LIBERIA: CALL FOR TIMBER EMBARGO TO END CONFLICT
http://www.globalwitness.org/display2.php?id=147
Due to the UN Security Council’s inaction on Liberia, the Liberian timber
industry remains a primary source of funding for Liberia’s war machine. Many
logging companies continue to be actively engaged in illegal arms imports
for
the government, committing human rights abuses and destabilising Liberia and
the entire West Africa sub-region. A new Global Witness report, titled
Logging
Off: How the Liberian Timber industry fuels Liberia’s humanitarian disaster
and
threatens Sierra Leone, exposes the direct links between Liberia’s timber
industry and the conflict.
RWANDA: POPULATION GROWTH, ENVIRONMENTAL DESTRUCTION, AND GENOCIDE
http://www.worldwatch.org/alerts/20020830.1.html
In Rwanda in 1994, rapid population growth and extreme environmental
degradation were closely linked to the outbreak of genocidal violence,
reports
James Gasana in an article in the September/October issue of World Watch
magazine. Gasana was Rwanda's Minister of Agriculture and Environment in
1990-
92, and Minister of Defense in 1992-93. While serving in the government, he
collected statistics, which show that the conflict had much more complex
roots
than just deep ethnic hatred.
SIERRA LEONE: UN FORCE TO STAY IN SIERRA LEONE
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/2280793.stm
The UN military mission in Sierra Leone will continue for at least another
eight months. The Security Council has agreed unanimously to extend the
mandate
for the forces by six months and has said that measures to reduce the size
of
the 17,300 member force will begin after eight months.
SOUTH AFRICA: SOUTH AFRICA REFUTES CLAIMS ABOUT BURUNDI PEACE TALKS FAILING
http://www.panapress.com/freenews.asp?code=eng021501&dte=26/09/2002
The South African government on
Thursday denied media reports that the Burundi cease-fire
negotiations underway in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, have collapsed.
SUDAN-UGANDA: RELATIONS "NOT UNDER THREAT"
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=30105
Bilateral relations between Sudan and Uganda have not been threatened by an
incident this week in which Sudanese military planes bombed a Ugandan
military
detachment in southern Sudan, a Sudanese diplomat has said.
SUDAN: SUDAN READY TO RESUME TALKS - WITH CEASEFIRE
http://allafrica.com/stories/200209200828.html
Sudan Foreign Minister Mustapha Osman Ismail has said that the Khartoum
government is committed to the Machakos peace agreement signed in July and
will
resume participation in talks once there is a ceasefire.
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3.RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY
AFRICA: ISLAM, DEMOCRACY, AND PUBLIC OPINION IN AFRICA
http://www.afrobarometer.org/abbriefing.html
Regardless of religious orientation, an average of more than seven out of
ten
people in four African countries say they support democracy. Some 71 percent
of
Muslims and 76 percent of non-Muslims agree that, "democracy is preferable
to
any other form of government." This is according to a survey completed in
four
African countries.
KENYA: ANTI-MOI ALLIANCE 'TO FORM PARTY'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/2276035.stm
A dissenting group within Kenya's ruling party Kanu has threatened to form
its
own party if open elections are not held to choose the presidential
candidate.
KENYA: KENYA'S FUTURE: A DISTURBING TREND
The Kenyan Community Abroad (KCA) has expressed its "concern and distress"
over
the disturbing political events taking place in the country. "Officially
sanctioned violence seems to have become a standard prelude to our general
and
presidential elections," the organization said in a statement.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10208
MALAWI: MULUZI SLAMS DONORS OVER THIRD TERM
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=30041
President Bakili Muluzi of Malawi has lashed out at European countries who
have
called for broad national consultation before the government introduces a
constitutional amendment to allow him to run for a third term. "This country
is
not controlled by donors. Never! You must understand that I am a president
of
this country. Yes, we are poor. But we want to be poor with our heads up,
not
with our heads down. And nobody, as long as I'm a president, nobody will
control me," Muluzi told a rally.
MALAWI: OPPOSITION POLITICIAN ARRESTED OVER THIRD-TERM DISPUTE
An opposition leader has been arrested in Malawi, accused of inciting people
to
demonstrate against President Bakili Muluzi's alleged bid for a third term.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10170
NIGER: HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER SENTENCED TO JAIL
The president of Niger's human rights league, Bagnou Bonkoukou, was last
Thursday sentenced to a one-year jail term and a 20,000 CFA francs fine (US
$30), in a case revolving around last month's mutiny in the country.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10169
NIGERIA: MILLIONS FAIL TO REGISTER
http://allafrica.com/stories/200209230545.html
Despite a one-day extension of voter registration, reports from across the
country at the close, indicated that millions of eligible Nigerians, could
still not register.
SWAZILAND: KING MSWATI III ANGRY WITH CONSTITUTION DRAFTING
Bhekie Matsebula
http://www.swazis.org.uk/~sep02/constitution.html
A blistering conflict has erupted from within the Swazi royal camp over the
inclusion of a clause that recognizes political parties in Swaziland. The
dispute has led to the drafting of the national constitution being delayed
now
by a month. The committee, led by King Mswati's brother, Prince David, is
reported to have angered the King by unbanning political parties in the
draft
constitution.
TOGO: PARLIAMENTARY POLLS SET FOR 27 OCTOBER
The Togolese government has fixed 27 October as the date for parliamentary
elections, following a recommendation by the country's electoral college of
seven judges.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10167
WEST AFRICA: 'NIGERIA, GHANA, TOGO WON'T CONDONE ILLEGAL GOVERNMENT'
http://allafrica.com/stories/200209240124.html
The Federal Government and the governments of Ghana and Togo have reaffirmed
their commitment to rejecting any action that would lead to unconstitutional
change of government in any part of West Africa.
ZAMBIA: CHILUBA SEEKS COURT INTERVENTION
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?
tmpl=story&u=/ap/20020922/ap_wo_en_po/zambia_politics_1
Former Zambian President Frederick Chiluba plans to fight allegations he is
plotting the removal of the current president in court, aides said Sunday.
Chiluba was responding to a letter sent to him and other opposition leaders
by
President Levy Mwanawasa Saturday which accused them of trying to topple him
by
misleading the Supreme Court.
ZIMBABWE ELECTION SUPPORT NETWORK STATEMENT ON FORTHCOMING LOCAL AUTHORITY
ELECTIONS
http://www.kubatana.net/html/archive/elec/020919zesn.asp?sector=ELEC
Zimbabwe is supposed to be a multi - party democracy where we cherish
competition and diversity of views. In an ideal situation we would have
wanted
to see all political parties conducting free and fair primary elections.
This
becomes more critical where there are no primary elections and that
candidate
goes through unopposed.
ZIMBABWE: MUGABE ESCAPES NEW SANCTIONS
http://zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID=5203
A troika of Commonwealth leaders failed here on Monday to agree on how to
deal
with President Robert Mugabe, saving Zimbabwe from a threat of expulsion
from
the organization. Despite agreeing that the Zimbabwean leader had done
nothing
to address Commonwealth concerns that his re-election was undemocratic, the
leaders of Australia, Nigeria and South Africa disagreed over new sanctions.
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4.CORRUPTION
AFRICA: MINISTERS APPROVE ANTI-CORRUPTION LAWS
African Union (AU) ministers meeting in Addis Ababa have backed tough new
laws
aimed at wiping out corruption that has cost the continent an estimated US
$148
billion.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10173
KENYA: GRAFT CONTROL OFFICERS SENT TO MINISTRY
http://allafrica.com/stories/200209240304.html
Ministry of Roads and Public Works officials are being investigated for
corruption.
Anti-Corruption Police Unit officers, led by Dr John Orora, are expected to
scrutinize the ministry's headquarters for a month.
NIGERIA: MOHAMMED ABACHA FREED; SIGNS DEAL TO REFUND $1B LOOT
http://allafrica.com/stories/200209240045.html
Detained Mohammed Abacha has been freed by President Olusegun Obasanjo. But
Abacha will have to restrict his movement within the country and the Abacha
family is expected to comply with an agreement to pay over $1 billion to the
Federal Government.
NIGERIA: VOTE CHAOS ATTACKED
http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=50059
A combination of violence, fraud and mismanagement prevented the
registration
of almost a third of Nigerians who turned out to put their names on the
electoral roll this month, the country's Catholic church has claimed.
UGANDA: REVENUE AUTHORITY SLAMMED FOR PROMOTING CORRUPT STAFF
http://allafrica.com/stories/200209240024.html
The commission of inquiry into alleged corruption in the Uganda Revenue
Authority has found that corrupt officials are not penalised. "Tolerance of
corruption is what has made URA what it is today," an official said.
ZIMBABWE: PUBLIC CALLS FOR NATIONAL ANTI-GRAFT AUDIT
http://allafrica.com/stories/200209200731.html
Concerned at high levels of corruption costing the country millions of
dollars
and threatening the economy, members of the public have joined civil
society's
call for a national audit in order to bring perpetrators to book.
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5.HEALTH
HORN OF AFRICA: POLIO ALMOST ERADICATED
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=30077
With only two cases of polio paralysis to date this year in Ethiopia,
Somalia
and Sudan, the Horn of Africa is extremely close to being polio-free, the
World
Health Organisation (WHO said on Wednesday.
AFRICA/GLOBAL: PATIENTS OR PROFITS? PROFESSIONAL ETHICS, CO-OPERATION AND
COMPETITION
http://www.id21.org/health/h2ms1g5.html
The concept of 'managed competition' to improve efficiency has been common
in
health sector reform in wealthy countries. It has also been exported to
health
systems in the South, involving privatisation and marketisation. Research
from
the UK Institute of Development Studies questions whether this competitive
approach is appropriate in a sector where ethical behaviour, altruism and
co-
operation are essential for good quality services.
AFRICA: AN EPIDEMIC OF WILFUL NEGLECT
http://www.msf.org/content/page.cfm?articleid=BA5912FC-050B-4D18-
8C3C3C70150B7DA9
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has warned that thousands may die of wilful
neglect unless a vaccine is made available at an affordable price to the
African countries most affected by meningitis. As international experts on
meningitis prepare to meet in Burkina Faso next week to discuss strategies
to
combat the disease, MSF is calling for immediate action by WHO, governments
and
pharmaceutical companies to avert a potential disaster.
AFRICA: MULTINATIONAL BUSINESSES URGED TO FIGHT HIV/AIDS
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=13673
UNAIDS Senior Policy Adviser Dr. Julia Cleves, speaking in London at the
Commonwealth Business Forum, urged business leaders to "take a leadership
role"
in fighting the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa, BBC News reports. Most large
businesses "do not regard AIDS as their problem.", she said.
SOUTH AFRICA: JOBS, CRIME AND SECURITY MORE IMPORTANT THAN AIDS - SURVEY
http://www.idasa.org.za/
Despite the numerous HIV/AIDS deaths and severe levels of illness, very few
Southern Africans place the pandemic high on the agenda for government
intervention. Job creation, crime, security and economic matters supersede
the
dire consequences of a largely “invisible killer.” Idasa’s Afro-Barometer
project recently under-took public opinion surveys in the region.
SOUTH AFRICA: ROLL OUT THE DRUGS
http://allafrica.com/stories/200209200705.html
The Cabinet's April 17 statement on HIV/Aids policy -- widely hailed as a
crucial change of heart -- is looking increasingly threadbare. Was it, as
some
maintain, merely a tactical manoeuvre to deflect international condemnation
in
advance of the G8 meeting in Canada due to consider the New Partnership for
Africa's Development?
SOUTH AFRICA: TAC TO CHALLENGE DRUG PRICES
http://www.health-e.org.za/view.php3?id=20020907
AIDS activist group, the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), is squaring up for
another challenge to drug companies, this time around high prices being
charged
for life prolonging anti-retroviral medication. Activists will be joined by
the
Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), the Chemical and Energy
Paper,
Print, Wood and Allied Workers Union (CEPPAWU), People living with HIV/AIDS
and
a group of doctors and nurses who work at the coal face of the epidemic.
Related Link: http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.jsp?a=59&o=9320
TANZANIA: IMPACT OF MATERNAL SYPHILIS ON PREGNANCY OUTCOMES
Research Abstract
http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/JID/journal/issues/v186n7/020010/brief/0200
10.a
bstract.html
Researchers measured the impact of maternal syphilis on pregnancy outcome in
the Mwanza Region of Tanzania. Women with high-titer active syphilis were at
the greatest risk of having low-birth-weight or preterm live births,
compared
with women with other serological stages of syphilis. Among unscreened
women,
51 percent of stillbirths, 24 percent of preterm live births, and 17 percent
of
all adverse pregnancy outcomes were attributable to maternal syphilis.
THE DISTRIBUTION OF AIDS OVER THE POPULATION IN AFRICA
http://www.dial.prd.fr/dial_publications/PDF/Doc_travail/2002-02.pdf
The aim of this paper was to model and estimate individual heterogeneity
regarding AIDS mortality. Knowledge in this field is indispensable to
quantify
the economic impact of AIDS and to set up adequate AIDS prevention and
therapy
policies.
UGANDA: PRIVATE PARTS - TREATMENT FOR STIS IN UGANDA'S PRIVATE SECTOR
http://www.id21.org/health/h6jw3g8.html
Effective treatment of curable sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is one
of
the few strategies available to reduce the spread of HIV in sub-Saharan
Africa.
Many people with STIs seek treatment from private practitioners. Why are
patients turning to the private sector for help? Do they receive adequate
care?
UGANDA: SCHOOLS NEED HEALTH EDUCATION
http://allafrica.com/stories/200209170403.html
Adolescence Reproductive Health Organizations have asked the government to
include Adolescence Sexual Reproductive Health (ASRH) programmes in the
current
schools curriculum to enable the HIV/AIDS message reach all students.
ZIMBABWE: GOVERNMENT INTRODUCES NEVIRAPINE
http://allafrica.com/stories/200209240094.html
About 30 to 35 percent of pregnant mothers in Zimbabwe are HIV-positive and
25
to 35 percent of their infants will be born infected. To curb the ever-
increasing infant mortality rate the Government has introduced nevirapine.
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6.EDUCATION AND SOCIAL WELFARE
AFRICA/GLOBAL: MUCH TO BE DONE: CAN WATER SUPPLY AND SANITATION TARGETS BE
MET?
http://www.id21.org/health/s2cWHO1g1.html
The 1990 World Summit for Children pledged to provide universal access to
safe
water by the end of the century. Why then do 2.2 million people still die
each
year from preventable diseases associated with a lack of safe water,
inadequate
sanitation and poor hygiene?
AFRICA: EDUCATION FOR ALL - NO MORE BROKEN PROMISES
http://www.oxfamamerica.org/news/art3582.html
Two years ago wealthy countries promised resources for all developing
nations
committed to "Education for All." But since then very few resources have
been
forthcoming, charges an Oxfam International report released in advance of
this
week's World Bank meeting.
BURKINA FASO: FOCUS ON NEW PLAN FOR BASIC EDUCATION
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=30039
Responding to low levels of basic education and a high rate of illiteracy,
the
West African country of Burkina Faso last week launched a programme to raise
school enrolment throughout the country from 40 to 70 percent by 2010.
BURUNDI: CHILDREN'S RIGHTS 'MASSIVELY' VIOLATED
Amnesty International in Bujumbura has published a new report - Poverty,
isolation and ill-treatment: Juvenile Justice in Burundi -which highlights
the
multiple abuses children are suffering at the hands of the law.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10221
KENYA: KENYAN TEACHERS DOWN CHALK
http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/East_Africa/0,1113,2-11-997_1261528,00.h
tml
Some 240 000 teachers around Kenya went on indefinite strike on Monday over
a
long-standing pay dispute with the government, which they reproach for not
paying a 200 percent hike promised in 1997, their union officials said.
LIBERIA: SCF TELLS OF ''MANY CHILDREN, FAMILIES AT RISK''
Large numbers of children are at risk of malnutrition and disease due to
lack
of access to food, water, sanitation and health services in Liberia,
according
to a September emergency update by Save the Children Fund (SCF-UK).
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10168
NIGERIA: ANTI-TRAFFICKING CAMPAIGN TARGETS EDO, LAGOS
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has targeted vulnerable
youths and their parents through the media, as part of an information
campaign
against human trafficking.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10177
SUDAN: TORTURE ORGANIZATION EXPRESSES CONCERN OVER VIOLENCE AGAINST GIRLS
The World Organization Against Torture (OMCT) has expressed its "grave
concern"
at the widespread violence against girls in Sudan in the private and
community
spheres as well as at the hands of state officials.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10188
TANZANIA: LACK OF MOTHERS MILK KILL 4000 BABIES
http://www.newafrica.com/news/articlepg1.asp?ID=51339
Between 3000 to 4000 children mostly from developing countries die every day
in
the world because their mothers are not empowered or supported to breastfeed
their babies, a global meeting on Challenges of Breastfeeding in the 21st
Century was told in Arusha.
ZAMBIA: CLEARING UP CONFUSION: PEER-LED AIDS EDUCATION IN ZAMBIA
http://www.id21.org/health/h5psi1g4.html
Do African adolescents know enough about AIDS to protect themselves against
infection? What is the best way to educate them about the risks of HIV? A
report from Population Services International evaluates a peer-led HIV
prevention programme in a secondary school in Zambia.
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7.WOMEN AND GENDER
AFRICA/GLOBAL: AN ERA OF WOMEN LEADERS ENDS AT THE U.N.
http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm?aid=1036
The 1990s was a disastrous decade for women, marked by vicious civil wars in
which 90 percent of the casualties were civilians. Women were killed, forced
to
flee their homes, starved, brutalized, enslaved and raped, often in the
refugee
camps that were expected to shelter them. The women who headed United
Nations
agencies pushed ameliorating measures that were often unpopular with
governments, such as making the "morning after" pill available to refugee
women. The 1990s saw a record number of U.N. agencies led by women. But when
Mary Robinson stepped down as high commissioner for human rights, the decade
of
women leaders came to a close.
AFRICA/GLOBAL: NEW STUDY SHOWS STRONG LINKS BETWEEN WOMEN’S LIVES,
POPULATION,
AND THE ENVIRONMENT
http://www.planetwire.org/details/3293
Improving the status of women not only betters the lives of billions
worldwide,
but also creates many social and environmental benefits, reports a new study
by
the Worldwatch Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based research organization.
This
review of projects from around the world shows that policies that improve
women’s lives can enhance human rights as well as produce a handsome harvest
of
other effects, such as lower population growth, reduced child mortality,
better
management of natural resources, and healthier economies.
ANGOLA: ANGOLAN WOMEN LEARN CONFLICT RESOLUTION
http://allafrica.com/stories/200209240065.html
Angolan women politicians, deputies and social organization representatives
started Monday a seminar on basic conflict resolution techniques being run
by
Angolan Women Network.
GUINEA: LITERACY PROGRAMME AIMS TO RAISE WOMEN FROM POVERTY
Some 30,000 Guinean women are set to benefit from a three-year literacy
campaign launched during celebrations to mark Guinean Women's Day on 27
August.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10166
KENYA: NUMBER OF WOMEN CONTESTING SEATS RISES
As parties prepare for Kenya's crucial presidential, parliamentary and civil
elections, due later this year, where do women - one of Kenya's largest
constituencies - feature in the political landscape? This time around,
unlike
previous elections, the stakes are much higher, and the political game is
different.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10180
MOZAMBIQUE: HIGH MATERNAL MORTALITY RATE CRISIS
Mozambique's maternal mortality rate stands at an estimated 1,500 out of
100,000 live births, one of the highest rates in the world. Myths, lack of
education and trained medical staff, poorly equipped health facilities with
no
maternity wards, unreliable or no communication and transport, make giving
birth a high-risk event.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10175
NIGER: WOMEN DISCUSS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
At least 200 women representatives of Malian non-governmental associations
have
met to discuss democracy and sustainable development in their country, at a
conference that started last Wednesday.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10179
SOUTH AFRICA: SA WOMEN MAKE A PACKET OUT OF PLASTIC
http://allafrica.com/stories/200209231164.html
Women from an impoverished community in Zululand are being inundated with
orders from overseas countries for their fashionable hats and accessories
made
from discarded plastic shopping bags.
UGANDA: TB TREATMENT RESPONSES SIMILAR
Research Report
http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1471-2466-2-4.pdf
Tuberculosis is the leading infectious disease cause of death in women
globally. Reports have suggested that responses to tuberculosis may differ
between men and women. Researchers investigated gender related differences
in
the presentation and one year outcomes of HIV-infected adults with initial
episodes of pulmonary tuberculosis in Uganda. While differences existed
between
males and females at presentation, the outcomes at one year after the
initiation of tuberculosis treatment were similar in Uganda.
ZIMBABWE: REGISTRAR GENERAL HAS NO RIGHT TO DEMAND THAT MARRIED WOMEN GIVE
UP
THEIR MAIDEN NAME
Zimbabwe Women Lawyers Association (ZWLA)
http://www.kubatana.net/html/archive/legal/020827zwla.asp?sector=LEGAL
We note with concern that a number of women have called our offices to
register
their displeasure with the practice by the Registrar General requiring them
to
first change their surnames from their maiden ones to their married ones
before
they can be issued with birth certificates for their children or new
passports.
We would like to make it clear that there is no legal basis for this
practice.
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8.REFUGEES AND FORCED MIGRATION
AFRICA/GLOBAL: 25 MILLION INTERNALLY DISPLACED BY WARS
Most of the world's refugees are uprooted by warfare but never cross an
international border, says a survey published today. Some 25 million people
are
now internally displaced due to conflicts that have spread since the Cold
War,
according to a major new survey. "The 2002 Global IDP Survey confirms two
worrying trends: first, that large numbers of innocent civilians are being
forced from their homes by increased insecurity in the world; and secondly,
that many of these people remain officially neglected by government
authorities," said Elisabeth Rasmusson, head of the Global IDP Project.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10218
AFRICA: THE WORLD ISN'T WATCHING
http://www.inthesetimes.com/issue/26/23/feature1.shtml
The great powers of the West, specifically the United States, need a new
policy
toward refugees. Although richer countries should acknowledge their moral
responsibility for poorer ones, post-September 11 America needs to rethink
its
attitude toward refugees for more pragmatic reasons as well.
ANGOLA: BANK TO SUPPORT RESETTLEMENT OF ONE MILLION PEOPLE
http://www.angolapress-angop.ao/noticia-e.asp?ID=136805
The World Bank will assist the Angolan government in the resettlement of
1,500,000 people in their respective areas of origin, the government-owned
news
agency reports.
BOTSWANA: EU ASSISTANCE UNDER FIRE
http://www.survival-international.org/bushmannews020920.htm
A senior MEP has demanded the European Union reviews its financial
assistance
to Botswana, in the light of the forced relocation of 'Bushmen' from the
Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR). Richard Howitt MEP visited the reserve
last month and has now tabled a European Parliamentary question saying that
the
EU must not be complicit in the 'abuse of the Bushmen's human rights'.
BURUNDI: REFUGEES ACCUSE ARMY OF BLOCKING ESCAPE TO TANZANIA
The Burundian army is reportedly preventing civilians who are fleeing
fighting
between rebels and government forces from crossing the border into Tanzania,
a
spokeswoman for the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, told IRIN last Friday.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10174
ERITREA: FOOD RUNNING OUT IN SUDAN REFUGEE CAMPS
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=30056
The UN World Food Programme on Tuesday warned that it is running out of food
aid to assist more than 91,000 Eritrean refugees living in camps in Sudan.
ETHIOPIA: CAMP WALKOUT BY SUDANESE REFUGEES
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=30020
Thousands of Sudanese refugees staged a mass walkout from an Ethiopian-based
refugee camp after learning of a visit by a high-level Khartoum government
delegation, humanitarian sources told IRIN on Monday.
GHANA: USCR ALERTS HIGH COMMISSIONER LUBBERS TO THE OBSTACLES CONFRONTING
UNHCR/GHANA
The US Committee for refugees has written to United Nations High
Commissioner
for Refugees Ruud Lubbers to discuss the refugee situation in Ghana and to
inform the High Commissioner of the current condition of UNHCR programs and
of
the formidable challenges before the agency.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10278
MOZAMBIQUE: ZIM FARMERS ARE INVESTORS, NOT REFUGEES
http://allafrica.com/stories/200209230537.html
Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano has reiterated that the Zimbabwean
farmers now working in central Mozambique are investors, not refugees.
SUDAN: LACK OF FUNDS COULD FORCE WFP TO SUSPEND ASSISTANCE TO REFUGEES IN
SUDAN
http://allafrica.com/stories/200209240015.html
The UN World Food Programme has warned that it is running out of food aid to
assist more than 91,000 Eritrean refugees living in camps in Sudan. The
agency
has already been forced to cut by almost half the amount of food being
distributed, and may have to suspend the operation altogether if donations
dry
up.
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9.RACISM AND XENOPHOBIA
SOUTH AFRICA: OFFICIAL FIRED FOR SLUR
http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.jsp?a=11&o=9409
The town treasurer of Maquassi Hills has been fired for referring to the
local
mayor as a "kaffir burgemeester", municipality manager Ross Motsemme said
last
Friday.
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10.ENVIRONMENT
AFRICA: AFRICA'S DESERTS IN 'SPECTACULAR' RETREAT
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99992811
New research has shown that deserts in Burkino Faso are shrinking, and that
dunes are retreating right across the Sahel region on the southern edge of
the
Sahara desert.
AFRICA: POOREST, MOST VULNERABLE COUNTRIES PREPARE FOR CLIMATE CHANGE
DISASTERS
http://www.undp.org/dpa/index.html
With their lands facing the prospect of devastating floods, droughts and
other
disasters linked to global climate change, participants from 46 of the
world's
49 least developed countries met at a workshop last week in Dhaka,
Bangladesh,
to hone national plans to alleviate such crises and seek international
support
for these efforts.
CAR: MILITIA TO SHOOT BUSH MEAT POACHERS
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=30100
A group of US conservationists has received permission from the government
of
the Central African Republic (CAR) to organise an anti-poaching militia to
patrol 155,000 square km of wilderness in the eastern region of the country,
National Geographic Adventure magazine reported on Tuesday.
KENYA: POLLUTION A SERIOUS THREAT TO FRESH WATER LAKE, WARN ANALYSTS
http://allafrica.com/stories/200209230724.html
Lake Naivasha faces extinction due to the diversion of water for irrigation,
the government has warned. Nakuru District Commissioner Aggrey Mudinyu has
ordered flower growers to install meters to enable the government to monitor
their water consumption.
RWANDA: WILDLIFE POACHING, AND THE BUSHMEAT AND PET TRADES
http://www.newafrica.com/news/articlepg1.asp?ID=51286
Poachers in Rwanda have killed two of the world's last remaining mountain
gorillas, a critically endangered species, in an attempt to capture and sell
their young, Rwandan wildlife conservation officials said.
SOUTH AFRICA: BA-PHALABORWA CAN KEEP GAME RESERVE
http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.jsp?a=11&o=9679
The Ba Gashai tribe, part of the bigger Ba-Phalaborwa people, may keep a
valuable private game reserve across seven adjoining farms near Phalaborwa
in
the Limpopo Province, awarded to them as part of government's land
restitution
programme, the Supreme Court of Appeal ruled on Wednesday.
SOUTH AFRICA: WEATHER STALLS JOLLY RUBINO OIL PUMP
http://www.bday.co.za/bday/content/direct/1,3523,1185317-6078-0,00.html
High swells have continued to frustrate efforts to pump oil from the
grounded
Jolly Rubino and could delay the process right up to the weekend, salvors
Smit
Marine reported. The Rubino is grounded near the sensitive St Lucia wetland
area.
TANZANIA: NEW AGENCY TO MANAGE FORESTS
http://www.newafrica.com/news/articlepg1.asp?ID=51300
A new executive agency, which will manage the forest resources in the
country
on behalf of the government, will be established under the recently launched
Tanzania Forest Conservation and Management Project (TFCMP).
UGANDA: UGANDA IN JOINT CONTROL OF WILDLIFE
http://allafrica.com/stories/200209250521.html
Rwanda and the DR Congo will soon have the parks along their common borders
controlled under the same management to promote conservation of wildlife,
tourism and peace.
ZAMBIA: GM ROW MAY HALT FOOD AID
http://www.scidev.net/frame3.asp?id=1909200216351912&t=NB&c=1&r=1&posted=19%
20Sep%202002
Food aid for famine-stricken Zambia will come to a halt by early October
unless
the country lifts its ban on donations of genetically modified (GM) maize,
the
United Nations' World Food Programme (WFP) announced this week.
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11.MEDIA
DRC: UN JOURNALIST FREED
A UN journalist arrested a week ago in the northwestern DRC city of
Gbadolite
by the Mouvement de liberation du Congo (MLC) was released without condition
on
Saturday, the UN's Radio Okapi announced. Franklin Moliba-Sese, who works
for
the radio, said he had not been physically harmed, but he was tired from his
ordeal.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10186
ERITREA: 18 JOURNALISTS STILL IN JAIL ONE YEAR AFTER BAN ON INDEPENDENT
MEDIA
On 17 September 2002, RSF called on the international community, especially
the
United Nations and the European Union, to take sanctions against the rulers
of
Eritrea to force them to lift their one year-old ban on all privately-owned
newspapers and free 18 jailed journalists.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10171
IVORY COAST: CPJ CONCERNED ABOUT JOURNALISTS' SAFETY
http://allafrica.com/stories/200209250713.html
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is gravely concerned about the
safety of journalists covering the ongoing military crisis in the Ivory
Coast.
According to several sources in the capital, Abidjan, at least one local
journalist was badly beaten by troops loyal to the government of President
Laurent Gbagbo, who have been fighting mutinous soldiers variously described
as
rebels, foreign mercenaries, and "terrorists" by the state media.
LIBERIA: BILITY, OTHERS COULD BE RELEASED AS POLITICAL SETTLEMENT
http://allafrica.com/stories/200209240270.html
There are indications that Journalist Hassan Bility and others being held
for
their alleged collaboration with dissident activities could be released as
part
of government proposals for a political settlement to the long running
Liberian
crisis.
SUDAN: MEDIA LAWS FRUSTRATE DRIVES ON AIDS AND GENITAL MUTILATION
http://ippfnet.ippf.org/pub/IPPF_News/News_Details.asp?ID=2312
A growing clampdown on the press is affecting public health campaigns in
Sudan,
just as a breakdown in peace talks dashed hopes of ending one of the world's
most intractable civil wars.
ZIMBABWE: JOURNALIST SENTENCED TO THREE MONTHS JAIL
http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.jsp?a=37&o=9674
Zimbabwe journalist who wrote an article this month claiming the country's
police chief was unwell, has been sentenced to three months in jail under
the
Police Act, his lawyer said on Thursday.
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12.DEVELOPMENT
AFRICA/GLOBAL: LATEST HIPC REPORT BRINGS MORE BAD NEWS FOR POOR COUNTRIES
http://www.jubileeresearch.org/hipc/hipc_news/latest190902.htm
The World Bank and IMF's Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) initiative has
a
stated aim of providing a 'lasting exit' to the debt problems of the poorest
countries - but a new report suggests it is doing anything but. The latest
draft 'Status of Implementation Report' for the HIPC initiative, due to be
released in time for the 2002 Annual Meetings of the Bank and Fund, shows
that
of the 19 countries originally expected to reach completion point by the end
of
this year, at least 11, or 60 percent, will fail to do so and that even
according to the narrow definitions of the World Bank and IMF, HIPC only
appears to be working for between seven and 10 countries out of the 42
included
within the initiative.
AFRICA: AFRICA BLASTS SA FOR NEPAD DOMINANCE
South Africa And Nigeria Face Rebellion Over Nepad Dominance
http://zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID=5192
Resentment about South Africa's leading role in the New Partnership for
Africa's Development spilt into the open last week when African foreign
ministers launched a bitter attack on SA Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-
Zuma.
AFRICA: IMF SAYS FAMINE AFRICA'S OBSTACLE
http://www.bday.co.za/bday/content/direct/1,3523,1185906-6078-0,00.html
African economies are expected to pick up slightly next year after stumbling
in
2002 but the continent faces vast challenges including a worsening famine in
the south, the IMF reports.
AFRICA: NEW START NEEDED ON DEBT CANCELLATION
Two years ago this week Secretary General Kofi Annan issued a call for "an
independent panel of experts not unduly influenced by creditor interests" to
reassess the debt burden of developing countries and the international
measures
taken to date to deal with them. His report noted that the HIPC (Heavily
Indebted Poor Countries) initiative had proved inadequate even for the
countries included, and that there were many debt-burdened countries not
included in the initiative. As the IMF and the World Bank gather for their
annual meeting two years later, the evidence of failure of the creditors'
HIPC
initiative is even more overwhelming. So is the damage in lost lives and
devastated economies caused by the failure to address the issue. The
evidence
is also clear that when money is saved by debt cancellation, it does go for
productive investment in health, education, and other urgent needs.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10253
AFRICA: REPORT DISPUTES VIEW THAT MINING SPURS DEVELOPMENT
http://www.oneworld.net/ips4/2002/09/24-1.shtml
The World Bank and other international financial institutions (IFIs) should
reassess their continued backing for mining projects in poor countries, says
a
report released Monday by Oxfam America. Contrary to what the report
calls "folklore" propagated by the IFIs and the global mining industry,
mining
never acted as a major spur to development in the United States, Canada, or
Australia, the three countries often held up by the IFIs as examples for
development that mineral-rich poor countries could follow.
AFRICA: WAITING AT THE TAP: DETERIORATING URBAN WATER SUPPLY IN EAST AFRICA
http://www.id21.org/urban/S3bjt1g1.html
A safe, clean, reliable water supply is the mantra of development agencies.
But
how reliable are water supply services for poor people in the developing
world
today? How has domestic water supply changed since the 1960s? This study
looks
at the long-term trends in access to and use of water.
AFRICA: WORLD BANK/IMF TO MEET AMID PROTESTS FROM MANY QUARTERS
http://allafrica.com/stories/200209240607.html
The World Bank and IMF Annual Meetings that begin in Washington this week,
will
again take place behind heavy security fences and police lines designed to
protect delegates from chanting protestors intent on disrupting their
proceedings. But many of the critics are also becoming increasingly adept at
pressuring these institutions on the inside, sometimes through member
governments who can exert substantial influence on their operations. This
year
some of the most vocal critics argue that the bank and IMF are doing too
little
on issues such as debt relief, poverty reduction and education in Africa.
DEMANDS OF THE IMF & WORLD BANK
50 Years Is Enough: U.S. Network For Global Economic Justice
http://www.50years.org/about/platform.html
We call for the immediate suspension of the policies and practices of the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank Group which have caused
widespread poverty, inequality, and suffering among the world’s peoples and
damage to the world’s environment. Substantial responsibility for the unjust
world economic system lies with those institutions and the World Trade
Organization (WTO). We note that these institutions are anti-democratic,
controlled by the G-7 governments, and that their policies have benefited
international private sector financiers, transnational corporations, and
corrupt officials and politicians.
SOUTH AFRICA: GOVT, COSATU HEADING FOR SHOWDOWN
http://www.sundaytimes.co.za/zones/sundaytimes/newsst/newsst1032593813.asp
Sparks are set to fly between the African National Congress (ANC) government
and its tripartite alliance partner the Congress of South African Trade
Union
(Cosatu), if the trade union's planned anti-privatisation strike goes ahead
on
October 1 and 2.
SOUTH AFRICA: “IS THIS MANDELA’S PARK?” COMMUNITY STRUGGLES AND STATE
RESPONSE
IN POST-APARTHEID SOUTH AFRICA
http://www.nu.ac.za/ccs/default.asp?2,40,5,64
There has been a growing corpus of literature tracking the ANC’s adoption of
neo-liberal economic policies. However very little has been written on the
reaction of communities who face the consequences of this rightward shift
that
manifests in evictions, electricity and water cut-offs effected at gunpoint
under the guise of cost-recovery. Across South Africa community movements
have
arisen to confront these attacks on the poor. This article focuses on one
such
movement in Cape Town, the Mandela Park Anti-Eviction Campaign (MPAEC) with
particular emphasis on the militant forms of direct action undertaken in
defense of “rights” to water, electricity and shelter and the response of
the
post-apartheid state to these struggles.
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13.INTERNET AND TECHNOLOGY
EASY SCIENCE
http://www.fest.org.za/easyscience/issue042002.html
EasyScience is a popular science magazine aimed at senior primary school
children, especially in communities where science teaching has been lacking
in
the past. This colourful magazine is filled with science material that
covers
and supplements the school curriculum.
GOOGLE NEWS AND THE SLAPPER WORM
http://news.google.com/news?q=slapper+worm&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wn
Try out Google's funky new News search with this url - it points to a search
for news on the Slapper worm which attacks linux systems. If you're running
Apache or a linux server on the web, you need the latest on this.
KENYA: CYBER-CAFE MARKET OVERCROWDED
Balancing Act This Week
http://www.balancingact-africa.com/news/current1.html
The Kenyan cyber-cafe market is overcrowded. Too many cyber-cafes are
chasing
customers by offering unsustainable access rates. Last month five cafes
closed,
one of which operated a major facility. Cafe operators who want to survive
are
now having to look to providing something other than low price internet
access.
Russell Southwood spoke to Irene Mkwenda of Nairobi Business Cyber.com about
the problems operators face in a tight market.
NIGERIANET – CREATING ONLINE PARTNERSHIPS FOR RIGHTS
Report Of August 22-September 9 Visit By Tobias Eigen, Kabissa’s Director
http://www.kabissa.org/members/bb/viewtopic.php?t=186
Kabissa is a partner in Nigerianet, a bold new initiative to create a
presence
on the Internet for Rights groups in Nigeria. The project, funded by the
European Commission and led by the British Council, will enable donors and
groups to share information, build partnerships, and access learning
opportunities. Nigerianet will incorporate an online database-driven tool
that
will for the first time provide direct, easy access to essential information
for the Nigerian rights community, including organization profiles, project
information, an events calendar, news and learning opportunities.
Contact: [log in to unmask]
SOUTHERN AFRICA: SOLAR ECLIPSE INFO AND ACTIVITIES
http://www.fest.org.za/eclipse.html
This web site has information about the solar eclipse on 4 December. The
dark
of the sun will be experienced by people in northern South Africa,
north-wesern
Mozambique and southern Zimbabwe. Remember to protect your eyes if you are
in
the area!
WRITING FOR THE WEB - DESIGN AND CONTENT
http://macfadden.mit.edu:9500/webgroup/writing/
This style and content guide from MIT Libraries is an easy and beautifully
presented read. In applying their guidelines to this site, the authours
easily
convinced me of the relevance and accuracy of their recommendations.
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14.eNEWSLETTERS AND MAILING LISTS
DISCUSSING ICT'S FOR AFRICA
In preparation for the Task Force discussion on ICT for development in
Africa,
to be held on 30 September 2002, an online discussion forum was set up on
the
theme of "Enhanced participation and mobilized support for
ICT-for-development
in Africa". The discussion will take place from 18 September through 18
October
2002.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10209
DISCUSSION ON WOMEN'S CONCERNS AROUND NEPAD
A discussion forum on Gender and Nepad is currently taking place and will
continue for another two weeks. Access background information and details
about
how to make your voice heard by following the link below.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10217
LINKING SOLIDARITY FORUM
http://www.linkingsolidarity.org/forum/
The Linking Solidarity Discussion Forum is designed as an exchange and
meeting
place for all victims, relatives, individuals or organizations concerned by
or
acting against enforced or involuntary disappearances world-wide and in
particular in Africa. You can post testimonies, messages of solidarity,
information and opinions under each of the thematic or geographic headers.
You
can also react to posted messages. You can subscribe to a specific forum
thread. Each entry will be screened by the forum moderator. If you don't
want
to reveal your identity, post your message under a pseudonym. Your e-mail
address will be known only by the moderator.
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15.FUNDRAISING
SOUTH AFRICA: ANOTHER DAMNING ARTICLE ABOUT NATIONAL LOTTERIES BOARD
http://www.thusanang.org.za/index.php?option=news&task=viewarticle&sid=108
The National Lotteries Distribution Trust Fund is distributing only three
cents
for every rand that South Africans spend on the Lotto, reports the Sunday
Times. It is alleged that the National Lotteries Distribution Fund is also a
billion rand behind in payment to charities.
SOUTH AFRICA: NATIONAL LOTTERIES BOARD EXTENDS DEADLINES
http://www.thusanang.org.za/index.php?option=news&task=viewarticle&sid=101
Insufficient information supplied by applicants has led the National
Lotteries
Board and the Distribution Agency for Arts, Culture and National Heritage to
reject a number of applications submitted during the current funding round.
SOUTH AFRICA: THE CENTRE FOR CIVIL SOCIETY RESPONDS TO CRITICISM FROM THE
NATIONAL LOTTERIES BOARD
The Director of the Centre for Civil Society (CCS) responds to criticism
from
the National Lotteries Board on the report "Smoke and Mirrors", commissioned
by
the Non Profit Partnership and researched by the CCS.
SOUTH AFRICA: UNSETTLED FATE OF MILLION-DOLLAR GRANT TO FIGHTS AIDS IN SOUTH
AFRICA
http://www.africapulse.net/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=375
Four months after the Global Fund for HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria granted
millions
of dollars to the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal, there is still
uncertainty over how the government intends to use the money.
SOUTHERN AFRICA: USAID SUPPORTS WORLD FOOD PROGRAM'S SOUTHERN AFRICA
OPERATION
http://allafrica.com/stories/200209250352.html
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced September 23
that it is providing $1 million to the U.N. World Food Program (WFP) to
support
its regional management and logistics coordination unit in South Africa.
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16.COURSES, SEMINARS, AND WORKSHOPS
FELLOWSHIPS FOR THREATENED SCHOLARS
The Institute of International Education (IIE), Open Society Institute, and
the
Scholars at Risk Network announce the autumn application cycle for
fellowships
from IIE's Scholar Rescue Fund, supporting scholars who are threatened by
violations of their fundamental human rights including threats caused by
displacement, discrimination, censorship, harassment, intimidation, or
violence.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10220
INVITE TO ONLINE LEARNING EXPERTS
Technikon Southern Africa (TSA) is a higher education institution that
focuses
on learning programmes within the Mode 2 knowledge production paradigm. TSA
offers its learning through a distance delivery mode, supported by a tutor
system in the nine provinces and beyond. We have established a regional
Curriculum Project with the aim of developing an online course in outcomes-
based/Mode 2 curricula in Higher Education. We would welcome participation
from
educationists/experts from AU, EU and other countries who have the knowledge
and skills in course design and especially, but not exclusively, those with
knowledge of online learning and teaching. If you are interested and have
the
time, please contact Doreen at the email provided below. The deadline for
declaration of interest is 31 October 2002.
Contact: [log in to unmask]
MOBILIZING INFORMATION & COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR NATIONAL RECOVERY
13-14 February 2003, Sierra Leone
The main aim of the event is to bring together private sector, government
and
civil society groups interested in mobilizing ICTs as a tool for development
and mapping out a vision and strategy to stimulate growth and development in
Sierra Leone.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10196
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17.ADVOCACY RESOURCES
CALL-IN DAY TO CANCEL THE DEBT
http://www.jubileeusa.org/jubilee.cgi?path=/take_action
Have you ever wondered how change happens? Ever wonder if you could be a
part
of something that will improve the lives of billions around the world? It
all
starts here. You too can become a Jubilee campaigner, raising awareness and
taking action to make freedom from debt a reality.
STOP THE WAR AGAINST IRAQ
As US President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair up the
rhetoric over an attack on Iraq, so worldwide protest against any military
action is growing. In the next week protests are scheduled for London and
Washington, while a score of web sites are campaigning against an attack on
Iraq. Visit the link below for details of the Washington and London marches
and
to find out about various forms of online activism.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10239
SUPPORT THE NOMINATION OF WOMEN JUDGES ON THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT
One of the first major acts of the Assembly of States Parties of the ICC is
to
elect the judges, prosecutor and deputy prosecutor. The combined efforts and
actions of the international women's human rights movement and other civil
society actors are needed during this critical phase to ensure that women
are
nominated.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10205
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18.JOBS
CONGO: PROGRAM COORDINATOR
International Rescue Committee
http://www.theirc.org/index.cfm?section=jobs&number=2002-297
IRC has been operational in Republic of Congo since November 1997. IRC’s
current programs include a refugee support project in Betou (northern RoC),
which serves the health, water/sanitation, shelter and educational needs of
approximately 30,000 refugees from DRC and 800 refugees from CAR.
DRC: INTERIM RESEARCHER
Human Rights Watch
http://www.fpa.org/jobs_contact2423/jobs_contact_show.htm?doc_id=122169
This is an immediate short-term appointment for a period of three to four
months to augment the Africa Division's research on DRC while the search for
the full-time DRC Researcher is underway (the Interim Researcher hired on
this
short-term basis may also request consideration as the DRC Researcher). The
researcher will be based in one of HRW's offices (New York, Washington DC,
London or Brussels) and should be prepared to travel frequently to the
region
to monitor violations of human rights and international humanitarian law in
DRC.
RWANDA: HEALTH COORDINATOR
International Rescue Committee
http://www.theirc.org/index.cfm?section=jobs&number=2002-409
The International Rescue Committee is responsible for overseeing the
implementation, monitoring and supervision of the IRC's health/child
survival
program, which operates in the Kibungo region.
SOUTHERN AFRICA: LOGISTICIANS
Oxfam
http://www.fpa.org/jobs_contact2423/jobs_contact_show.htm?doc_id=122177
Oxfam GB is implementing integrated programmes (food assistance, livelihood
support and public health) in response to the food crisis in Malawi,
Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe. To ensure effective and accountable
operations, Oxfam requires Logisticians across the region.
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19.BOOKS AND ARTS
MEDIA, DEMOCRACY AND RENEWAL IN SOUTHERN AFRICA: NEW APPROACHES TO POLITICAL
ECONOMY
Keyan Tomaselli & Hopeton Dunn (eds)
http://www.iacademicbooks.com/new.htm
The first anthology to provide critical perspectives on media structures,
ownership, new regulatory regimes, and the way both nations and local
communities within them have engaged with globalisation via localised
responses
in Southern Africa. Studies discuss privatisation, black empowerment,
liberalisation, traditional communication, democracy and media freedom, the
Kalahari San, identity and new media.
NIGERIA: THE STOLEN BILLIONS
A. A. Nwankwo
http://www.over2u.com/shop/ngrstlnbill.html
Corruption and the systematic looting of the state is the focus of this in-
depth analysis of Nigeria from 1960 onwards, by one of Nigeria's leading
writers on political matters. The author reveals the methodical way in which
the state has been plundered over forty years, giving particular attention
to
General Abacha's regime and personality. The financial scandals of the
government of his successor, General Abubakar, are also examined.
RAINBOW VICE: THE DRUGS AND SEX INDUSTRIES IN THE NEW SOUTH AFRICA
Ted Leggett
http://www.zedbooks.demon.co.uk/home.htm
The new South Africa is in the grip of unanticipated social changes. Rainbow
Vice depicts the fast growing drug culture, tightly linked to the world of
commercial sex and in conflict with a profoundly Christian population.
Punchy
in style and based on several hundred interviews, the author shows how
multifarious the drug scene is.
REALITY OF AID AFRICA EDITION 2002
AFRODAD
http://www.afrodad.org/html/ROA%20Abstract%20Bk.htm
This new and first in the series of the AFRODAD Reality of Aid publications,
authored by African Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) drawn from Zimbabwe,
Zambia, Tanzania, Mozambique, Cameroon, Kenya and Uganda, is a classic
edition
that offers answers to fundamental questions of the whole Aid regime. It
gives
proposals pointing to a fresh start on aid in terms of what conditions the
recipient governments should adopt for such a start.
THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF WOMEN
Edited By Wolfgang Benedek, Esther M. Kisaakye And Gerd Oberleitner
http://www.zedbooks.demon.co.uk/home.htm
This book examines the international instruments that deal with the human
rights of women and, in addition, the specifically African experience in
trying
to implement them. Beginning with an analysis of human rights and gender
issues
generally, standards of equality, the work of the United Nations, and other
specialised agencies, the discussion moves on to the European human rights
system in comparison with other regional instruments. The book then focuses
on
the legal and administrative systems in African countries through which
standards are implemented nationally and monitored internationally. Specific
topics such as female genital mutilation, human rights of women in armed
conflict, refugee women as well as women and Islam are discussed.
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20.LETTERS AND COMMENTS
MARGARET LEGUM
Chairperson, SANE Board Of Trustees
Letter to the Governor of the Reserve Bank
On behalf of the SA New Economics (SANE) network I wish to express our
concern
at your decision, together with MPC, to raise the Repo rate again. First,
the
present macro-economic paradigm puts inflation-targeting above all other
considerations, including growth and employment. We do not agree with that
paradigm. We think that growth that produces employment should be the
overriding consideration, because it is vital for our country. Employment
and
poverty alleviation will spread our political liberation to the economic
sphere
and so spread its benefits to the whole of our population. Thus it will
begin
to address the greatest danger to our political liberation – namely the
alienation of poor and low-paid people.
Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=10219
TOR IORAPUU
Nigeria
As a regular receiver of your newsletter, I find each edition logical,
educative and entertaining in some cases. But particularly I want to
specifically commend the Pambazuka News 77 edition. The editorial on the
article "The Missionary Position: NGOs and Development in Africa" is simply
superb. (See http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?issuedate=2002-08-15
for
the editorial and full edition.) It encouraged me to download the complete
article from the Internet and I must say I am thrilled by the quality of
work
done.
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Next WASAN meeting is Wednesday, September 25, 2002. Location: Safeco Jackson Street Center, E Main between 23 & 24, Suite 200, Seattle
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